I ran into an old acquaintance who went to MICA and graduated from the MFA program, running his own LLC; I thought to myself this would be a perfect internship opportunity to learn from someone who understands the world I come from and is on the path I wish to be in the near future. I briefly exchanged contacts and eventually in contact with my future supervisor. He used to live down the street from me as kids growing up, so it was cool to see things come full circle for us.
Ikonic Visions is a multimedia film production company The group’s focus is to serve its clients by creating “Ikonic” moments through the medium of video specializing in documentaries, brand stories, event recaps, and social impact-driven content.
Since this is a small business, I had a lot more responsibilities compared to the average film intern. The average intern would be introduced into the world as a PA slowly working up the ranks delving into gaffing, grip, assistant camera, and so forth. But here my role comprised many different departments of film production such as both production and post-production. My responsibilities ranged from setting up entire sets, lights, wires, stands, backdrops, cameras, tripods, car mounts, monitors, assistant camera, and audio. For post-production, I was delegated to create social media shorts recapping various events, and workshops, showcasing behind the scenes of various projects. Within these projects, I’d have to organize the files, edit, color correct, sound design, and format the video for various social media platforms.
There were various projects I’ve been part of such as the shooting of a tequila brand, actors workshops, music videos, and various documentary projects. I’ve learned a lot of new skills during this internship outside of artistry. I learned to never undersell myself, to price myself what I’m worth. Make connections accordingly because doors may open and even close depending on who you know. Not everyone has your best interests in mind.
Production wise I’ve learned a lot regarding sound design as that’s always been my achilles. I’ve gained a greater understanding of how to properly mix dialogue, music, and ambiance ducking audio when needed. I think this helped me clarify my career goals a ton. In the film industry I’m going to have to do a lot of things I dislike and things that I downright hate but these are all things I have to experience through living or I would never have gained the understanding I have today.
