Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO)

My experience as a Photography and Videography intern at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) was one I will never forget. The BSO is a non-profit organization that organizes orchestra concerts primarily in Baltimore. I found out about this opportunity through MICA’s photography department. More specifically, the former chair recommended I apply and connected me with the MICA Photo alumni who is the Art Director at the BSO.

My time as an intern at BSO was centered around working closely with the art director  as my supervisor and her colleagues within the marketing and communications departments. As an intern, I was able to learn about the passion and commitment that goes into managing the art direction of a large organization. This showed me how important it is to market as an entrepreneur as marketing is crucial in getting an audience to engage with created works.

Some of the projects I worked on included producing content that was used for the BSO’s social media. This included things like filming BTS videos of musicians unboxing a marimba, taking photographs of the orchestra rehearsing, and administrative tasks like organizing archival photo files. With these projects, my supervisor was able to show me how to utilize Adobe softwares, technical photo skills to edit photos, edit videos, and create storyboards.

I am most proud of how much I was able to push myself to try new things. Trying new skills often scares me but knowing I had the support of my supervisor and others in the department allowed me to trust trying new things. With this experience, I learned the importance of connecting with individuals and how it takes a team to achieve goals.

It has been a life-changing experience that has given me more clarity on what my life can look like post-graduation. I now have more insight into being a freelance photographer and filmmaker working with organizations. This experience has reminded me that my imagination can become reality and that with determination and patience I will thrive in my career.

SpliceToday

I found out about this opportunity through a friend of a friend. I was asked to provide live visuals for a local musician. After their set, a friend recommended I talk to this one person who works at Splice because he was looking for a camera operator. I later met that person when that same friend’s car broke down near my house. We hit it off and the rest is history. 

This person who became my supervisor works for his father at Splice as a managing editor. He writes regular reviews for a few different platforms (The Spectator, Counterpunch) and makes his own films independently. He has a strong work ethic and occupies himself completely with his work and, when he’s not working, he’s watching more movies. I’ve never met anyone so well-watched.

My main responsibilities ended up being a camera operator and editor, with some content aggregation for Splice on slow days. I helped shoot and sort footage for You’re Going to Live and did some fine-tuning on Hasn’t Been Grounded (My supervisor’s first two features). Under his direction, I had a lot of freedom to experiment with lighting and camera angles that I never got the chance to in my MICA cinematography class. I felt capable and confident, especially when my supervisor would tell me how happy he was with the shot. It made me very proud of my work and myself.

My biggest takeaway is that collaborative relationships can be extremely fulfilling when you find the right fit. I felt challenged and supported at the same time, as my growth was beneficial to his work. He pushed me to watch more, study more, suggest more. I feel that I have developed my on-set communication skills as well as my camera and lighting skills. I know now more than ever what I will be doing after college and where I fit best.

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.

A—Company

The company I interned for is called A—Company. It is a fashion brand based in New York City. My direct supervisor was the founder of the company and the creative supervisor. I found out about this internship through a professor at MICA and the company’s Instagram page where they were searching for interns. I secured the internship by speaking to the founder about the position and what I would be interested in learning from her and helping her do. 

My responsibilities at A—Company varied. I mainly did digital work that revolved around fashion. In my first couple weeks at A—Company, I was editing and retouching eCommerce photos for the new season’s clothing items. After that, many of my weeks at A—Company I spent looking through footage and editing them into short video collages for the website's home page. I also did standard intern things like running errands and updating the email newsletter format. I occasionally created gifs out of the runway footage to add to the new season’s shopping page on the website. I did a substantial amount of research to inspire and help me create proposals for potential video projects. 

My biggest takeaway is that trying something new is very worth it. Through this experience, I was able to gain insight into the moving image aspect of the fashion world which is something I don’t think I would have been able to see so soon if it wasn’t for this internship. This internship also taught me how to make professional proposals. My major and minor both rely heavily on pitch decks and proposals, so this is a skill that will be useful as I will likely have to make many of these in my career.

My favorite new learned skill is set etiquette. I understand better how working on set works and how to engage with other professionals in the heat of creating. The internship allowed me to try something that I have always been curious about, like video in the fashion industry, while clarifying my interest to be involved with producing and directing fictional feature films. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to experience something new in art and meet very kind and patient people while doing so.

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.

Filmico Pastiche

I first found out about this internship opportunity when my professor told me he was working on a feature film called Stealing Cars and was looking for interns. He said I could request any position I wanted to learn more from. A few months prior, I was on set with him and his wife where I was in charge of Art/Continuity. He told me I would be a good script supervisor, a position I didn’t know existed, so I requested to be script supervisor on his feature.

As script supervisor, my job was to be the link between the director(s) on set with the editor(s) in post-production. Luckily, both my professor and his wife were the directors and editors of Stealing Cars so my job was a little easier than normal. I had to take notes on each take that was shot so when they edit the film later, their process will move faster. I also had to make sure each scene and take were consistent; it’s very easy to get mixed up with props and wardrobe during filming. Everyone on set is so focused on their job that it can be hard to notice if someone moves their arm differently in a take or if they aren’t wearing a backpack that they should be wearing, so it was my job to notice what everyone else wouldn’t.

I prepared by buying books about script supervision and was a little nervous about doing my job correctly. After all, this was my first time doing this job and my professor and his wife were relying on me to keep track of crucial continuity aspects that might ruin their movie. However, everyone on set said I did a great job and even said they’d like to work with me again.

I’m most proud of my willingness to grow and learn because it’s impossible to keep track of every small detail. I could see my progress as time went on and there was always an immediate emotional reward for when I caught something. Each time, I felt like I saved the movie. My biggest takeaway is my understanding of the script supervisor role. A few months ago, I didn’t know it existed. Now I feel like script supervising is a viable career path for me.

Imagine This Women's Film Festival (ITWIFF)

 

Imagine This Women's International Film Festival aims to empower women and non-binary filmmakers worldwide. They promote these great filmmakers so that more people can see women's power and provide them with educational and professional opportunities. I found this opportunity through LinkedIn. It's the first time I have tried social networking with unfamiliar people. For this internship, I did a virtual interview with my supervisor, and she told me I got the Graphic Designer position after one week.

We had a total of 4 Graphic Design interns working together. We all work through a platform called Asana. Every week we have a virtual meeting for 30 mins. Sometimes it's 1 hour. We also share our progress on different projects so we can easily get suggestions from others.

For this position, my major duties included:

● Opening Credits(Typography Animation) for the 7th Annual Imagine This Women's International Film Festival
● Sales for tickets Motion Graphics
● Design Posters for the 8th Annual ITWIFF
● Gifs that people can share in Instagram Stories
● Supporting the design and creation of social share graphics

This Internship experience broadened my horizon and provided me with valuable experience in the head start of my career. And I developed many skills, not only technical skills but also communication, multi-tasks, and time management skills, which are so essential to complete your tasks on time. It's super beneficial to share ideas and thoughts with the most innovative thinkers in this organization. I was still determining my career goal, but after this experience, I found my career interest in motion graphics, so I have continued working on it. In the future, I'll keep working on the things I like, hoping to have more valuable and professional work.

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.

Wide Angle Youth Media

This semester, I had the pleasure an honor of working at Wide Angle Youth Media as a Video Apprentice. Wide Angle Youth Media is a non-profit organization that teaches Baltimore youth media production and graphic design. I had the pleasure of working under David Sloan, Production Manager, where I got hands on experience in their production studio sublet that specializes in documentary. 

My primary responsibilities were to operate the camera while interviewing subjects, filming B-Roll, and editing footage. As I started, we acquired an account from the Maryland Arts Council to document artists all over the state. I have sent the last month and a half traveling to different counties to film for 12 hour days at time and edit the footage during the week. 

My time at Wide Angle has taught extensively about documentary work. I now know how to get the best angle, the best shots, and right lighting in interviews. I know to how to guide interview subjects in their answers to get the best quotes. I have become a much more efficient editor with the critique of my supervisors. 

Upon completion of my internship, I discovered I would like to work full time as an editor and hone my skills. 

Tribeca Film Institute

It all started when I was watching several films on a raining day. These films ranged from documentary to scripted narratives. As I would scroll down at the end of the film to see the credits, I would notice one similar logo. The logo was “Tribeca Film Institute”, or “Tribeca Film Festival”. My interest grew as I started to research them. I was fascinated by their goals and philosophy of finding independent filmmakers and producing their work so that larger audiences can see the films. 

A couple of months went by and I was still searching for an internship. Until one day I was talking to my brothers friend who is a filmmaker himself, and I told him my interest in TFI. He smiled and said that he worked with the head director of TFI on a film. Her name is Amy Hobby. He gave me her contact information and I drafted a email to her. She was happy to see my interest so she connected me to Olivia Creamer who is in charge of the internship program. Olivia and I had several phone calls which consisted in questions of my interest, experiences, and why I want to be an intern at TFI. After several weeks went by and me submitting my resume and portfolio to TFI, I got a email from Olivia saying that I got the internship poison. I was off to New York City. Tribeca Film Institute is a branch of Tribeca Film festival. They are the production and producing side of the company. Their goal is to find and to fund films across the world. The films range from documentary to scripted narratives. But TFI’s most important idea is to select films of independent filmmakers who don’t have the means to support their films, and allowing more women to have a platform to create their work in the film industry.

My basic roles at TFI was to respond to emails regarding submissions. I would also drop off any packages or footage to several places around the city. These were the regular task. But the fun and productive ones consisted of me looking at films and scripts TFI was producing and giving my own critical perspective on the work. This felt great! Knowing that I could actually have a voice in some of these films production. I also attended a feature film production. I pretty much watched and observed the set, but also did small odd jobs like moving things or picking up equipment at a rental store.

But as the summer went on the work slowed down. I was pretty much just doing emails and nothing more then that. Then I discovered TFI’s equipment room. There were lights and lots of gear. I had the idea that I would practice my cinematography everyday. And as I did, I went to the equipment room everyday. Which then resulted in a idea I had to create a film about a isolated intern who escapes with virtual reality and a camera to construct his own world. I will be producing this film for my senior thesis.

What I learned from my experience at TFI is that you have to make your own path in anything you do. For me it didn't mean just because I got an internship at TFI I was all set and I was going to learn a lot. No that wasn't the case. Instead I made my own time to be productive by using TFI resources and lighting equipment. I also talked to all the employees and got their contact information for any further opportunities. So the best thing I learned from my internship was you have to fight for whats yours. No matter what possession you are in, you must prove to yourself and everyone els that you are a hard worker and a professional artist.

Refinery29

A friend of mine posted on his Facebook page about his friend Evan, looking for a studio intern. I followed up and emailed Evan my cover letter, resume, and a curated portfolio of my video and photo work that matched Refinery’s aesthetic. He replied and asked for an interview. Even though I was in Baltimore at the time, I made the trip to NYC for the interview because of how much I wanted it.

Refinery29 is a renowned global media company that is revolutionizing what digital content can be for young women. Refinery29 creates content such as articles and videos of a variety of categories including style, entertainment, health, technology, news, food, politics, careers, and more. They produce video content on subjects that range from documentary series on exploring fashion subcultures throughout the world, to a series about their host trying social experiments weekly, to beauty videos about hair transformations, and so much more.

My direct supervisor was the Studio Production Management Assistant, Katie. Her primary responsibilities were scheduling our two-in house studios and equipment for various producers. She also managed the two in-house videographers for shoots.

My main responsibilities as a studio intern were assisting with studio productions in lighting, sound, and gear set up. I also assisted with set decoration for video productions. I prepped equipment packages for internal and external shoots, which involved building and testing the cameras, and lighting, and sound equipment. Some of the video productions I was involved in was assisting in set up for their Facebook Live series “Ladies Room” and “The Mention”. “Ladies Room” is a show of live interviews with notable authors, journalists, activists, or general lady bosses. “The Mention” is their pop culture round up series where they talk all things entertainment and celebrity related. I would help set up lights and camera equipment.

I am most proud of the helped that I contributed to every set. Every video production requires many hands-on-deck to ensure that things run smoothly. I was proud that towards the middle of my internship I understood how things ran and was able to help the producers and videographers with the things they needed without too many questions asked.

My biggest take-away from my experience was seeing how the female videographers and producers ran things with poise and finesse, and most importantly kindness. This has inspired me to pursue being a videographer or producer, something that I was not able to confidently pursue before.

The most important thing I have learned is the importance of fostering work environment. Refinery29 had an amazing work environment, where everyone was welcoming and was passionate about one another’s growth. This energy transferred to every co-worker I met including executive producers to interns. I’ve learned that being kind to everyone you meet is one of the best things to ensure that productions run smoothly. When everyone knows and

enjoys each other, working becomes less work.

Some new skills I have gained is a myriad of knowledge about camera, lighting, and sound equipment. I know how to handle and build various cameras and troubleshoot settings. I also know how to set up lighting equipment in order to achieve specific looks.

This has helped clarify my career goals in paving the possibility of the occupation of a videographer. It has also set a precedent of what a great working environment looks and feels like.