LAIKA, Inc.

I found LAIKA's internship opportunity through LinkedIn. I had a Zoom interview with three supervisors in the camera team and they shared a little about the practices of LAIKA and the expectations of me as an intern, and that was to learn as much as I can during the time that I am there. My direct supervisor was in charge of all things that happened on stage. There was another camera intern along with myself. 

LAIKA specializes in stop motion feature films, and as a Camera Intern, my position was to assist the animators in getting the shots they needed. The program used the majority of the time was DragonFrame, a stop-motion animation program, and Kuper, a software that controls rigs for motion control. We helped in assisting animators in their testing units, taking images for puppets, props, and other landscape or miscellaneous items that were needed to be submitted for approval. 

As the internship progressed, they also spent time teaching us how to use the software Kuper, which was the main responsibility of an AC as they programmed motion control moves for the animators. We were also given the opportunity to be involved in a lighting exercise, where the other Camera intern and I had to match the lighting of a specific frame in one of their previously released movies. The DP of that film happened to be on this current film set, and he was able to come and give us notes and tips on how to improve our lighting.

One of the things I really appreciated about the team was that everyone really valued and uplifted each other's learning, never making one feel smaller for not knowing something. I found that really special, and being given this opportunity to be able to be in an environment like this really changed my perspective on work and how a healthy and uplifting work environment should be.

This internship has definitely opened more opportunities to pursue various other camera position roles that don’t just exist in the film and video industry, and I’m so grateful for that. I truly enjoyed being a part of the team in LAIKA for the time I was in and I am so excited to see what is in store next.

Illumination Mac Guff

Illumination Studios is an animation studio which specializes in kid-friendly feature films. Illumination Studios has two locations: Los Angeles and Paris. The Los Angeles studio does the script, voice acting, and marketing. The Paris office focuses on the creation of the film’s visuals.

When exchanging emails with a previous teacher, I let her know my family was moving to Paris. She then offered to speak to her connection at Illumination Studios Mac Guff about securing me an interview for an internship. I agreed and after a phone call, a Zoom interview, and an in-person interview, I was all set to help out in the Art Department.

Although I can’t say which movie I was involved in because of NDA, I can say that my role was to pitch prop designs, receive edits, and enact them effectively. Essentially, my supervisor would tell me that a villain needs a cane. I would look over the existing character design sheets and color schemes for the character, then research canes. I would draw several draft designs, then make them into Photoshop finals, getting edits for my supervisor all the while. Once she approved, I would pitch the design to the head of the art department for the movie.

I am proud of the fact that the studio is using several of my prop designs in an upcoming film. However, the most important thing I learned was not to get too invested in a design because they often needed to be changed. By the end I learned to pitch loose sketches instead of final products with several at a time so my supervisor had options to choose from. 

I also learned a lot of new Photoshop skills, but most importantly I learned to be confident in my work. What my supervisor and the head of the art department thought about my designs would sometimes differ. What my supervisor thought wouldn't work would be something the head thought would. I learned to navigate these opposing comments.

I was previously set on becoming a children’s book illustrator, but my time at Illumination Studios has made me consider a career in the animation industry. For now, I will just learn what I can and take advantage of every opportunity I get in either field.

The Syndicate

 

The Syndicate is an entertainment marketing agency that focuses on musicians and comedians. They also work in radio promotion. I was working with Dismiss Yourself, an independent record label and one of the people I was working with posted a link to the internship. I applied for the position and did an interview after my application went through. My supervisor was in charge of the design department in the Syndicate. She oversaw the design team and works with the marketing team to make sure that they create compelling work that fulfils The Syndicates' and clients' criteria.

My responsibilities were to work with the design and marketing teams to create assets for their clients. we would make videos, posters, social media content, and more for multiple people. I am most proud of the video I made to promote the Guns N’ Roses Mexico tour, I was also very proud of the posters that I made for the Laugh Button Live. 

My biggest takeaway was that this would be an ideal kind of job based on my skillset and interests, but it could be potentially difficult to balance personal creative projects. The most important thing that I learned was how things work in a professional environment because I do similar work with independent labels and musicians. I learned more about how the music industry and music marketing work on a professional level. I also learned new motion techniques, such as kaleidoscope effects and lyric videos. This internship helped me to clarify my career goals by showing me how my work could be applied in a professional setting. 

Pentagram

Working at Pentagram Design has been a dream internship and a dream summer. Not only was it an amazing experience to be working at Pentagram, but I couldn’t have asked for a better, more fun team to work in!

Team Oberman does a lot of work in the entertainment industry. I was lucky to be a part of the team that was working on the identity of Space Jam staring LeBron James. My logo made it to the top two and it was an intense ride perfecting it for the final presentation. I was lucky that the director and the producer saw the logo. It is a great learning experience I will always remember. I learnt so much in those three weeks, collaborated with the team and kept on pushing myself. My mentors were incredibly helpful too.

Other than this major project, I worked on the identity for Words of Art, a card game for art lovers made by Scholastic for Agnes Gund’s art collection. That was a completely different experience and a lovely one too. I also worked on the extended identity for Fisher Price which involved advertisements, videos, and bumpers. 

Other brands I worked on were Lovevery, a kid’s brand that does different products. I worked on Jopwell strategy, it is an upcoming brand for job hunting and making connections aimed towards people of color. I also worked on Dock 72 Ferry schedule, an icon for League of Legends, storyboarding for Film Independent Spirit Awards, etc. All in all it was an incredible experience.