Intern Diary

During the first week of interning here at Studio Center, I was able to meet many new faces and I felt very welcomed into this new environment. While working in the Social Media Department under Haleigh and Rusty I was able to learn so much about what goes on behind the scenes with running social media pages and creating content for clients. During my time here I was able to sit in on social media meetings with the marketing team for potential ideas for our clients and discuss new clients that we were trying to pitch to and onboard. I was able to do competitive research for different trends and posts that we could recreate and received feedback on how to make captions and graphics more effective for each audience. In addition, I was able to assist my fellow interns with their own projects which I found to be a great learning experience. For one project I was able to watch how scenes are set up and how many times something can be filmed just to make sure the shot looks how the producers and directors want it to. On another day I was able to help with slate for the scenes and help with moving camera equipment around and I really enjoyed learning a few new things from the video department. Another great experience I had was being able to join in on the kick off call for a new client that we had just gotten! It was nice to be included in the meeting and learn how to interact with businesses in what they’re looking for and the ways that we can achieve that for them. Seeing everyone taking action and writing down deadlines for when things were to be completed really gave me insight that my classes were not able to provide for me. I would definitely say that I had to learn how to get creative with how we could create content for some companies but it was a great experience to step out of my comfort zone. Overall I had a really wonderful experience at Studio Center and I would say to other students looking for somewhere to gain real life experiences and make connections, this is the place to be.

Week one: 9/9/24 - 9/13/24

I began working at Studio Center as a video intern this past Monday. The staff extended a warm greeting to me. I acquired a lot at orientation, and I became enthusiastic about the projects I would be working on in this role. I began the week by observing my supervisor to see how the department and client meetings proceed. I gained insight into how everyone contributes and works together to complete each project by attending the department meetings. When I was given my first project to complete with my peers, I got thrilled about working with others who shared my career ambitions. I arrived later than the other interns, so they had already begun another project, but it felt nice to know they wanted me to contribute in some manner as well. I've been thinking about potential directions for my final video project since I was informed what it would contain. I can't wait to see what the upcoming weeks have in store!

Week 2: 9/16/24 - 9/20/24

Overall, my second week went very well. I shadowed my assigned editor, Gia, while she edited a video for a construction company. It was remarkable to see how rapidly she edited and matched multiple pieces. I viewed several videos she edited, and they all looked fantastic. I witnessed a meeting for a video shoot that is coming up in a few weeks, and it was fascinating to see how the video shoot process works. I enjoyed how the scriptwriter for the heating and cooling company's commercial, Colair, had a vision in each of his scripts as he read them to us. He described each commercial's scenario and wardrobe, as well as how it should unfold. This week, I met with Dwenda, my supervisor, to discuss my project's procedure and timing.

Week 3: 9/23/24 - 9/27/24

This week, the other interns and I presented our Fake Video project to Dwenda, our supervisor. She gave us great feedback in areas in which could be improved but overall we did really well on our presentation and working together on it. My part of the project was the wardrobe and she gave me feedback on getting permission from companies when using their clothes in films for copyright purposes. I found that really insightful because I initially didn't think about that. I mapped out my schedule for my intern documentary project and started brainstorming ideas on how I want to do it. I’m excited to plan everything out and see how everything comes together.

Week 4: 9/30/24 - 10/4/24

I had the pleasure of observing two client shoots this past week. On Monday, I served as the slate for the first one. I had a great time doing it and gained a lot of knowledge about what goes into doing a client shoot. Together with another intern, I helped create the cardboard boxes that would be used for the shoot the next day on Wednesday. I had a great time helping to construct the set because I had never assisted with set building before and it was quite enlightening to see a prop manager's perspective. The next day, I shadowed the DP on the shoot, and because that's what I'm interested in for my job, I appreciated getting the perspective on that. This week was really informative overall, and I loved gaining all of the knowledge and experience I did.

Week 5: 10/07/24 - 10/11/24

This week, I worked on my project and started asking interns that’d be interested in participating in my project. I’m really excited to see how everything will turn out. Later in the week, I assisted the other fellow interns on their film project. I had a takeaway from it as I was observing. Which is, everything may not go as planned so learn to adjust when everything may not.

8/30/24

Week 1 Journal

My first week has been a great, and wonderful experience. On my first day I got to meet the wonderful staff at Studio Center, and the different departments they work in. It was really cool to see the green screen room, editing rooms, and the multiple recording studios. This was my first experience being a part of a business meeting relating to film. I also think it’s awesome that everyone can bring their dogs while working at Studio Center, I don’t know many other companies that allow that. I can’t wait to learn what advice the editors, and other professionals on the video team would be willing to share. I am the most excited to work on / help out on the real shoots that happen at Studio Center throughout the six weeks I'm here. I can’t wait to see what I will learn next.

9/6/24

Week 2 Journal

My second week was great overall. I was able to present a pitch, which was great practice for another pitch I had later that day. My team and I have actually combined many elements from each of our pitches in one narrative with a horror twist. We have arrived at the conclusion that I would DP, Cam op, and Edit this upcoming project. Which I am excited about since I have never worked on a horror film before, and the creativity that can be added to the shots and edits. My favorite part of the week was job shadowing Seth. It was refreshing to see the editing process from a professional's perspective. I was impressed with the little time it took for him to know exactly where to cut and align various clips for a Christmas comercial in Premiere Pro. I also learned a bit about color grading, and various questions I had regarding Cinematography and Editing. Overall I have learned quite a bit this week, and I can't wait to see what the next week has to offer.

Week One: August 26 - August 30

This past Monday, I started my position as a Video Intern at Studio Center. I met the staff and felt welcomed by everyone. Orientation was insightful and got me excited about the projects that we’re going to be working on. On Tuesday, I got the opportunity to observe and help with the process of shooting a video for a client. I was fascinated with the experience and am looking forward to doing it again. For the rest of the week, my fellow interns and I brainstormed ideas and put together a pitch presentation for our short film project, which we will present next week. It was interesting to hear everyone’s ideas and see the product of what happens when a group of creative people put their minds together. Being able to collaborate with interns with similar interests will benefit me and I’m thrilled to be able to work with them. I can’t wait to see what the future weeks bring!

Week Two: Sept. 2 - 6

This was week two of my internship, and my group and I have been working hard on our Video Project. We’ve brainstormed and given each other feedback in order to come up with three pitches. On Wednesday, we gave our Film Pitch Presentation to the Video Department. I’m pleased with how it went because the Video Department gave us awesome feedback that we can use for our project and projects to come. After the presentation, my group and I discussed which story we were going to proceed with. After making our decision, we decided to still take a few elements from our other ideas to really make the video interesting. Next week, we will finalize our scripts and present once again. I’m looking forward to progressing our project!

Week 3 Journal

This week, the other interns and I worked on the Fake Video project, where we act as the studio crew, and our supervisors act as the client. We were given commercial scripts, and we worked together to assemble a presentation and budget sheet. We made a list of needed props, wardrobe for the actors, and scouted possible shooting locations. Our On Camera intern helped us with the casting. Next week, we are presenting our presentation and budget sheet to our “clients”, and what we came up with will be compared to what was used in the actual commercials. I’m looking forward to learning more and getting feedback so we can be prepared for our actual film. In addition, we went location scouting around the Studio Center campus to confirm shooting locations for our real video project. We ran into a hiccup with one of the locations, but we are using our creativity to make it work. I’m excited to see how we progress even more next week!

Week 4 Journal

This week, we met with Sean to get thorough opinions about our script. He gave us useful advice to help us make our story more cohesive and we are using his tips to make minor changes. My team and I are currently working on shot lists and establishing shots. As the producer, there is a lot of pressure when it comes to making sure everything is in place while on a time crunch. However, my team and I work well together and we are making efficient progress. There are a few more details that we need to finalize during this pre-production phase, but I am ready to take on the challenge and make sure that this process goes smoothly.

Week 5 Journal

This week was very productive and exciting. We did the last preparations for our montage shoot. As the producer, I made a call sheet containing the necessary details for the shoot to make sure that everything was in place. I received feedback from my supervisor who gave me guidance on the responsibilities I need to complete when we have our big final production. On Friday, we shot our three montage scenes. I set up scenes and took notes about our takes so it will be easier for the editor to put everything together. The shoot went smoothly, and we wrapped ahead of schedule. Our official shoot is in two weeks, and I am confident and excited about putting our ideas on screen.

Week 6 Journal

This week has been primarily client-project focused. We were given the scripts for the scheduled shoots in advance so we had context about what they were all about. When we came in on Monday, we were tasked with copying question portions of the script onto cards to help the talent execute the scene properly. Afterwards, I took on the producer duty of observing and taking notes during the shoot onto an excel sheet template. On Tuesday, a fellow intern and I helped the props manager by creating boxes to use for a warehouse scene. I had fun since I didn’t have any prior experience with building sets. For the remainder of the week, I worked on finalizing my crew and other details for our final production scheduled for next Friday. The days are going by quickly and shoot day is almost upon us!

08/22/24 - 08/29/24

My first week as a video intern has been awesome. Day one began with introductions and a warm welcome from the staff. I was also fortunate to participate in three client meetings, where I observed how staff worked as a team to talk through client’s needs and expectations. It was interesting to see first-hand how client projects move through the preproduction to the post production phases of development. I was even provided an opportunity to help out with one of the client projects, which was a great practical learning experience. Additionally, I collaborated with fellow interns on developing script ideas which we’ll have the opportunity to pitch and film within the next month. Overall, it’s been a super rewarding week, and I’m really excited to be here!

09/02/24 - 09/06/24

In just two days, I’ve gained a tremendous amount of knowledge. This week, our intern video team, including myself, pitched our concepts to Studio Center staff for an upcoming project. It was an incredible experience to present our ideas and get REAL feedback, which helped refine our ideas. I also had the chance to dive into editing, learning how to organize footage using Premiere Pro. On top of that, I shadowed the casting team, gaining insight into the process of selecting talent client projects.

This week's highlight? Playing around the BINGO! It was a fun, competitive break, and I loved seeing how engaged everyone was. I'm excited to see what next week has in store!

09/09/24 - 09/13/24

This week, I dedicated significant time to writing and refining the script for our video project. Collaborating with my teammates made the process smoother and helped work out some kinks. We also began location scouting, seeing that some of the spaces we had in mind would not work as intended. This experience gave us a clearer understanding of how challenging it can be to translate ideas from script to screen.

In addition, we worked on an intern "Fake Project," where Studio Center staff acted as the client. This experience took us through the entire pre-production process—breaking down the script, finding talent and props, and creating a budget before production. Although the project initially felt intimidating, once we began working together as a team, it wasn’t so bad and we had fun working on it.

09/16/24 - 09/20/24

Week 4 began with the interns observing an interview shoot for ODU. Key takeaways included the interview setup, which featured boom mics, 3-point lighting, background lighting for depth, and a two-camera configuration. One camera was mounted on a dolly, while the other was stationary on a tripod. The DP operated the camera dolly, with the assistant racking focus remotely. The producer conducted the interview off-screen, directing and asking the subjects questions. The entire process was fascinating. After the shoot, the interns assisted in tearing down the set. For our video project, we confirmed locations and shooting schedules, finalized the budget, and completed the video pitch, which will be presented on Monday. Additionally, we had a meeting to finalize the script and discuss a potential name change for the project.

09/30/24 - 10/04/24

During Week 6, I had the opportunity to observe a client shoot on-site, which took place both in the studio and an employee's office. It was exciting to witness the behind-the-scenes process of commercial production. In Week 7, we moved on to the video intern shoot for Fearcatcher. The week kicked off with recording the script's voiceovers in Studio Center’s sound booths. The actual shoot day was hectic. Serving as the director came with its challenges, especially managing the pressure of time constraints and the unexpected obstacles we faced.

One of my key takeaways from this experience was the critical importance of effective communication. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to complete the shoot within the allotted time due to crossed communication. However, I left the experience with valuable lessons that will inform future projects.

Week of 08/19- 08

On my first day, I was included in one of Studio Center's client meetings. In this meeting, I learned how Studio Center plans and discusses the client's wants and needs for a project. I personally thought it was interesting to see how everyone gave their own opinions respectfully. I also learned how to create a casting deck this week. A casting deck consisted of the actor's name, headshot, and video reel if needed all on a PowerPoint slide. It was fun to see all the different talented actors from around the world or local.

Journal week 0826-0830

This week as an intern was really full of excitement for me. I created a call sheet early on for a shoot on Friday. I was able to fill it out on my own first then I received guidance on little parts of the call sheet that I needed to fix. I also was able to slate on another set this week. I really enjoyed slating because as always the little things matter on set to make life easier for the post production team. I learned a lot when I sat in a meeting that consisted of signing talent to Studio Center for on and off camera work. As I listened to the contract and what it detailed it was very informative to hear and see what is expected from the talent. Finally, this week I really enjoyed being on set Friday. I was able to interact with all the talent and help guide them throughout the set.

09-05-24

This week I was able to do a lot of independent work on the things that I learned such as creating a new blank deck and inserting talent into it. I'm happy that I am building up on my skills and applying them as I go. I learned how to use backstage in depth and post casting onto the web. I also enjoyed picking out talent I thought would fit the role that the client was asking for. It was nice to know the work I did on picking talent is going to possibly be one of the clients choices. Also this was my first time playing bingo with everyone, it was a nice break from work. Everyone was fun and competitive and such a joy.

09-12-24

This week I was able to do a lot of more independent work such as creating talent decks for clients. I also sent out projects for talent that I thought fit the description of what the client is asking for. I also was able to connect with the video interns and work on two projects with them. During this process we all were combining our ideas and utilizing everything we have learned thus far to push our projects along. Overall, this week wasn’t intense, however it was good to be able to get an assignment from my supervisor and excel at it.

09/16-09/19

This week I did a lot of independent research. My supervisor handed me tasks and I was able to do my research diligently and help with projects. I also presented my first fake intern project to my supervisor. I did really well and got honest feedback. This project made me realize how detail oriented the work can be. It was also fun to be on set of a documentary piece. It was very nice to see how everything looked and turned out. Overall this week consisted of paying attention to detail when doing research for clients and being able to help my supervisor on projects when needed.

09/23 - 09/26

This week I was able to sit in on two voice-over auditions. This experience was fun to be a part of because watching how the auditions are recorded and edited was cool and insightful. I also enjoyed sitting in all the meetings that ranged from clients meetings to meetings with the marketing team here at Studio Center. I love crossing over to other departments and being able to listen and engage with others. That experience is important to me, because I am gaining more learning tools.

09/30 - 10/03

This week I was on set for a cool project. I was able to enjoy the full day of slating and I also helped redesign the set with the Studio Center’s crew. The more that I intern here the expectations are becoming more clear and high. I really enjoy that even though I am an intern I don't feel as such when I am surrounded by all professionals. The hands-on experience is amazing. I really love that the crew also gives out good pointers when you're on set. The vibe here at Studio Center is welcoming on and off set. It was fun watching cool stunts on set as well.

10/21 - 10/25

This week I created my first contact call sheet for an upcoming project. I thought that was fun to do. I also got good news on talent that was cast for decks that I created. As time began to wind down I am getting closer to being done with my internship here at the Studio Center. Therefore this week I also started working on my project for my internship class for school. With this project, I am supposed to display all the work I’ve done here at Studio Center. So I am excited to showcase that work.

6/17/24 – 6/21/24

The first week of my internship here at Studio Center has been action packed! I began my first day with a small orientation of paperwork and getting acquainted with Studio Center’s staff through a tour guided by Helen. I was introduced to my supervisor, Sammy, who has already taught me so much in my first week. While much of my day consisted of getting to know some of the basic do’s and don’ts of the company, I also learned how to organize a call sheet as well as creating a pitch deck for an upcoming casting call.

On my second day, I came ready to attend a meeting with Sammy in which we discussed the types of voice-over talent the client was looking for and organizing when auditions would begin to take place. The middle of my day consisted of an intern meet and greet with the CEO, William “Woody” Prettyman! Not only did I get a chance to meet other fellow interns within the company from other departments, but we also got to speak with Woody and hold a Q&A session with him. Toward the end of the day, I assisted Sammy with contacting a list of clients to inform them of an upcoming audition, as well as updating voice-over talents’ information in spreadsheets and the auditions site.

I have already learned so much, not just about Studio Center itself, but also about the process of talent management! I’m looking forward to my next week here as I will continue to learn more from working with Sammy!

6/24/24 – 6/28/24

I started the second week of my internship here at Studio Center by assisting Sammy with updating forms for new voice-over talent, and added new talent to the company’s databases and began to create profiles for them. I also attended a meeting with Sammy that reviewed the “Production Job Schedule,” which was providing status updates on projects with many of the current clients. On Monday, I spent much of my time scouting online for potential talent that would be required to speak a specific language. The task was much more challenging than I had anticipated but I was glad to have learned what websites are frequently used to scout talent on. I ended my day with updating more talent information and Sammy showed me a few clips from “Windy Weatherfoot,” an animated show that Studio Center talent voiced! I was provided a little information about the complexity of voice-acting for children.

On my second day, I spent more time updating information for differing talent and was shown how casting calls are created.. I had the opportunity to shadow Graham on a recording session for a narrated piece that would be heard in a museum in Washington D.C.. A tech issue occurred that resulted in the session being rescheduled to later in the week, but I gained a lot of knowledge on the recording process of the project. I was handed a script to follow along with throughout the session and was able to gain a better understanding of how the recording is set up. Due to having to leave the session an hour and a half earlier than expected, I spent the rest of the day updating information in a database for Studio Center’s Voice-Over Academy!

I completed my last day of the week by filling a pitch deck with headshots for an upcoming shoot and shadowed Graham on a second recording session for the museum. As the tech issue was previously solved, I was able to see the recording process in its entirety! While I paid more attention to the software and jargon being used previously, I took note of the directions being given on what parts of the talent’s speech to emphasize on. It allowed me to understand what the editors hear and are looking for.

7/1/240 – 7/5/24

This week consisted primarily of working with my other fellow interns to develop a pitch for an intern testimonial video to advertise Studio Center’s internship program! On Monday, I attended a meeting to review the week’s job production schedule and spent most of the day brainstorming video ideas with interns from the video and social media departments. We took the time to decipher whether it would be best to create one large video or a few smaller ones to promote our internships. We also critiqued videos created by interns in the past to decipher what we did and didn’t like in order to improve upon our own work.

On Wednesday, I spent most of the day collaborating with the other talent and video interns to continue creating a pitch and finalizing all of the information we needed in order to present in the following week!

On Friday, I attended a final mix session with the video and audio interns to see how they finalized one of their intern projects. Zaire, one of the video interns, and I spent much of the afternoon researching TikTok trends that we could do for Studio Center!

7/8/24 – 7/12/24

I’m continuing to learn more about the industry throughout my internship here at Studio Center! This week, I worked with a few interns to finish our Intern Testimonial Pitch, and also was able to present it to Sammy, Dwenda and Rusty. We went over the ideas that the interns and I curated and discussed which ideas would be shot within the following week.

Zaire and I have also been working on a mock project this week, in which we are creating a presentation centered around the preproduction for an upcoming commercial shoot. We have been working on creating a list of props that would be needed, making wardrobe decisions, creating a schedule and budget, and scouting locations for the commercial to be shot at.

7/15/24 – 7/19/24

During the fifth week of my internship I was given the opportunity to create a pitch deck from scratch for another upcoming shoot! While I previously had experienced putting in headshots and names to the deck, I had not yet formatted it from the beginning and categorized it myself. I worked with Zaire to pitch our “Fake Project” to Sammy that was centered around the pre-production of an “upcoming” shoot that had actually already been shot a few years ago. We learned about the location scouting process, figuring out how to arrange props, and how the budgeting process works for a commercial shoot.

On Wednesday, Sammy held a meeting with a few of the interns to explain a few of the job sites that she recommended we grow acquainted with in order to continue growing in the film industry. We reviewed the process of a master and targeted resume, LinkedIn, Backstage, and many other job sites that we are able to use in order to network within the industry.

I also had the opportunity to sit in for a client meeting, in which we discussed which four out of five scripts would get approved for upcoming spots, and any questions or concerns that arose about the upcoming project. I was provided with the task of searching for costumes for one of the actors in the shoot!

7/22/24 – 7/26/24

The sixth week of my internship here at Studio Center included a lot of creating pitch decks for upcoming casting calls! I found it very exciting as this was the most diverse range of castings that I had the opportunity to help with. I was directly involved with pitch decks for educational videos, hand modeling and an HVAC company. I learned how to continue scouting for talent through the networking site, casting sites as well as messaging voice-over and screen actors information about upcoming auditions.

This week, I also had the opportunity to shadow another Audio Producer, Peter, as he worked on recording and mixing a voice-over for a game that is very similar to Dungeons & Dragons. I learned a lot from watching the talent try different accents to best appeal to the vocabulary being used in the script!

I also attended meetings for the weekly Job Production Schedule and watched Xavier, a video intern, pitch a draft of his project to the team. We were all given the opportunity to give him constructive criticism on his project in order for him to continue improving on his work!

7/29/24 – 8/2/24

During the seventh week of my internship, I started off by attending the weekly Production Job Schedule meeting with Sammy. I spent much of the day adding headshots to a new pitch deck and searching for submitted auditions that are members of SAG-AFTRA. Toward the end of Monday, cleaned up some outages for talent and updated their status as well on the company’s website.

The rest of my week, I spent most of my time organizing an Excel spreadsheet that arranged what states each talent was from with their information. As Studio Center has quite a large roster, I took my time to make sure I could find all of the talent’s information and that it was well organized. Lastly, I created easily accessible links to a recent pitch deck for each talent’s audition.

8/5/24 – 8/7/24

The eighth and final week of my internship was full of many tasks oriented around making sure I had all the documentation I needed for my class credit. On Monday, I worked on one more pitch deck by creating a casting sheet and inserting more headshots. I also attended my very last Production Job Schedule meeting with Sammy, as well as getting approval for all of the projects and pitch decks I worked on to submit for my class credit. I spent much of the afternoon working on my final report, which consisted of reflecting on my internship experience.

On my very last day, I spent my time doing lots of clerical work and curating my Studio Center blog. The clerical work was updating last week’s daily auditions report and cleaning up more recent outages for talent within our website.

I have enjoyed every minute of my internship here at Studio Center! I gained so much knowledge and experience from working with Sammy, my fellow interns, and being able to shadow the Audio Producers on their projects. There are many different opportunities for interns at Studio Center and it has been amazing being able to see how all of the different departments work, separately and together.

College: Old Dominion University

College Degree Program: B.M. with emphasis in sound recording technology

What have you loved about the program so far?

I loved how it feels like a home away from home. Everyone is so friendly here, but at the same time, they’re passionate about their craft. It’s been an amazing experience the past two weeks getting a tour of the audio and video department, as well as meeting the other interns!

What are your expectations?

I expect to learn more about post-production, as well as audio engineering techniques I can use in Pro Tools for my future work!

What do you plan on doing in the future with the experience learned during the internship?

I plan on using it when I work with others in a studio as an audio engineer/producer. Whether its music production, live audio, post-production, I’ll always incorporate everything I learn in what I do in the future! :)

6/17/2024

I am at Old Dominion University studying media studies with a minor in sport management.

I have loved being able to get a hands on approach and learning all about pro tools.

What I plan on doing in the future is to get into a career with sports broadcasting and television post production.

6/6/2024

With excitement, curiosity, and optimism, I came to the first day of my internship ready to learn and experience what it’s like working with Studio Center. From the moment I walked through the front door, I was welcomed and acknowledged by every single person which lifted the feeling of intimidation off my shoulders as I toured the building for the very first time. I was in awe seeing the different types of departments you could work in along with the amazing people I hope to collaborate with one day. I met some of the other interns and would eventually have to work with them on a “fake” project which I thought we did a really good job on. I met the wonderful Sammy Alonso who explained and showed me what I would be doing for my time here as an intern. She also showed me how to do a casting deck and I was able to put one together for a company that is currently looking for actors. Overall, this first week was fun and collaborative and I’ve already learned useful things that will benefit me in the future. I look forward to the experiences and opportunities I’ll receive as I continue working at the Studio Center.

6/13/2024

This week was filled with so many opportunities that I’m so grateful to have been part of. On Tuesday I went to a huge mansion to help with the behind the scenes of a TikTok commercial. I was able to meet the lovely Dwenda who showed me how to slate for a scene and that’s the role she had me doing while I was on set. It was a pretty easy role but it was interesting being behind the camera rather than in front of the camera as I normally would be. There’s so much more that goes into filming a scene that I wasn’t aware of because I’ve only seen it from the actor’s perspective. It’s a completely different experience on the tech side of it all. I had an amazing time working with everyone and I feel like everyone was very informative and open to the frequent questions that I would ask. Overall, I had a really great time on set and I look forward to the next time I’ll have the opportunity to do so!

6/20/24

This week was very chill. I learned how to add new talent to the Studio Center website which was very interesting because I was able to see what these new signed voice over actors have done as far as their demo reels. I love looking at people’s resumes and seeing the different opportunities they’ve done in the past because it gives you a sense of what their skills can be used for in future projects. I hope to one day be added to the amazing and extensive roster of talent that Studio Center represents. Another interesting thing I did this week was look up music for a client. I also worked with the video interns on getting information on the cast as far as who they’re looking for to be on camera. I also helped the social media intern on their ideas for TikToks which was a fun and collaborative assignment. We’ll be filming those ideas next week which I’m very excited for. Overall, I enjoyed this week’s work and I look forward to all the upcoming projects that we’ll be doing!

6/27/24

This week I spent my time working with the social media intern, Taryn, on her TikTok project. For this project we were assigned to film and edit three TikTok ideas that Taryn presented to Sammy. The first TikTok was based on the 10 best internships at Studio Center. The first thing we did was record some b-roll footage for the TikTok and then used the CapCut app to bring it all together. The second TikTok was “things at Studio Center that just makes sense” so we went around both buildings recording things that were spontaneous and out of the ordinary which was very fun to record. The last TikTok we did, which was also my favorite one, was interviewing some of the workers at Studio Center asking them what the last movie they watched and if they liked it. The question definitely caught people off guard and made them think but it was a fun/funny video to record. Overall, I enjoyed helping out with that project and hopefully those videos do well on social media.

7/3/24

This week was a very relaxing and enjoyable week. I worked back to back days here instead of every other day but I honestly enjoyed it. On Tuesday, I did a lot of computer work but I was able to learn more about the database and how it’s like adding new talent to the roster. On Wednesday, I was able to collaborate with 3 interns I had never worked with before. One of them was the other talent intern and the other two were video interns and they were all really friendly and easy to work with. We worked on our testimonial ideas and what we individually wanted for each of ours. We came up with ideas such as a Hot Ones episode, Vogue 73 questions, a day in the life, and a game show concept. I really look forward to putting all of these different ideas together and I’m sure I will learn a lot more about being behind the camera and of course being in front of the camera. Overall, this week was smooth sailing and we were able to get a lot done in a short amount of time. Next week should be a lot of fun :)

Wednesday May 22, 2024:

On my first day on set, I was given the opportunity to use a GoPro to shoot behind the scenes videography on set. I was taught that I should leave 3 seconds before and after each shot that I was shooting in order to make the editing process smoother, along with making the final product less montage-like and cleaner. I worked on finding creative ways and angles to take shots. The employees at Studio Center were very willing to give me advice about how to perform my job better, about the film industry, and about how their job impacts the set.

June 3, 5, 7, 2024:

Throughout my second week at Studio Center I was given plentiful amounts of advice regarding the film industry and how Studio Center works. I was given the opportunity to get more hands on and start a documentary project about being an intern at Studio Center. I had a meeting with one of Studio Center’s editors to provide me with insight into the working of Premiere Pro, I worked with my partner to create a pitch deck, and began planning out the documentary more thoroughly. I learned about all the different types of gear that Studio Center works with as I was loading and unloading equipment and was taught different lighting techniques with different lighting tools.

June 10, 12, 14, 2024:

My third week at Studio Center I was implored to become hands on and creative with the documentary that my partner and I planned out. While my partner acted as the interviewer I was the DP for each shot. We began with shooting B roll that we thought was interesting and fit to the mood of Studio Center we were trying to express. Then we worked with multiple audio interns to film interviews of interns and a previous intern, ultimately leaving room and time to edit and create a voiceover for the next week.

June 17, 19, 21, 2024:

My fourth week at Studio Center I began editing the clips and audio for the documentary. I had to experiment with pacing and properly telling the story with the right clips. I had to find the music that fit the intended vibe of the documentary, along with weeding through unnecessary clips.

June 24, 26:

In my fifth and Final week at Studio Center I edited in VO’s from my partner into the documentary, which pulled the story telling together. I met with Gia, one of the editors, and she helped work with me to finalize my edits. Then on my final day I went over the final edits with Gia again, worked on audio mixing with Dave, and completed the project! Now it is time to present!

Week One - 5/21-5/23

My first week at Studio Center went as I imagined it would. I got to meet another intern I will be working with, a lot of industry professionals, and have already begun planning for future assignments. Day one I was pretty nervous at first, as I could tell my fellow intern was as well as we wanted to make a good first impression. We were greeted with professionalism, courtesy, and respect which eased the nerves. We then were separated to get some exposure to our respective interests. Xavier went off to listen in on an audio recording session while I was being taught more about Adobe Premiere from Oz. I am much more experienced with Davinci resolve which made it seem intimidating, but Oz made it feel less intimidating and much easier to understand. I am looking forward to becoming more comfortable with this software, as it is expected you know it for a lot of jobs in film. Finally, I went to talk with Seth, another editor. I don’t recall if we had any set goal we were supposed to reach together, but we ended up just talking for about an hour. We talked about our mutual passion for editing, the film industry, and personal experience. Day one was overall very welcoming and interesting and it made me excited for the coming days. Day two was much simpler in comparison. Me and Xavier brainstormed ideas for the film we will be making together at Studio Center, then finally met with our internship supervisor Dwenda which went well.

Week 1 May 21-23/2024

As I am completing my first week interning at the Studio Center, I have already learned so much within Video and Audio production. On the first day I was able to meet editors and just get insight on how the job actually goes. I was able to attend an audio session as well, with real clients on the call to get a real sense of how business is conducted. I’m very grateful and excited to be able to do my internship with Studio Center. Bailey is another video intern, he and I were able to meet one on one with certain editors and get some insight and advice. I am also excited to be able to work on a short film project throughout the summer as well. I've also had to do some editing training on Adobe Premiere, to see where my skill level is at. One of the editor’s (Oz) was able to explain how editing something is just like making a sandwich or cake; you need to have the right ingredients to create a masterpiece. I was told to be creative and think outside the box as well instead of being basic or doing the bare minimum, when given a task. I've noticed as well how busy productions and shootings can get, and how aware you have to be in order to find a solution when encountering such challenges. To end this week’s journal entry, I would like to say that I will be learning a lot in the future, but ready to see what work I can really do with all the skills and information that I have obtained.

Week 2 May 28-30/2024

As I’m completing my 2nd week here at Studio Center, it’s been great being able to get more comfortable and familiar with the area. This week has been a week of planning and crafting with the short film that Bailey and I are working on. Bailey and I also presented a Pitch Deck, with 3 concept ideas in which to figure out what path we wanted to take to create the short film. Creating this pitch deck was new to me because I have only done storyboards in my past, but thi gave me insight on what is needed when wanting to present ideas to clients. It’s been very good working with Bailey because we bring many ideas and different skills to the table which in the end will make this project more efficient. Tuesday, I was able to join in on a crew meeting with the employees at the Video department, just getting a daily insight on their everyday agenda. It’s interesting as well to see the different kinds of clients and upcoming shoots that everyone has to keep track of as well. I was also able to sit with Bailey and Taryn, who is a social media intern at Studio Center and was able to meet and do research on Tiktok trends within relation to Studio Center. The research was very engaging and learned a lot within the different types of trends presented and what really makes things viral. To end this week’s journal I’m prepared to start getting things ready for when it comes time for production,it's a smooth process.

Week 3 June 4-6/2024

As I am completing week 3, which is crazy to say already, time is moving so fast. I was able to learn so ,uch this week, especially from other interns as well. On Tuesday Bailey (intern partner) and I conversed and decided on which concept we both wanted to continue with. We decided on creating a detective noir/comedic film called LOST LUNCH. We were able to create a new entire pitch deck about this film while also creating a short script for the film as well. Planning everything out for this project has been very engaging and beneficial to better my knowledge or understanding how to prepare for production. I was also able to work with 2 other interns, creating a Fake production project, with a budget etc. Our job was to create and present locations, places, people on how we would want the shoot to look and pre planning it. On Thursday, Bailey and I had the opportunity to meet with the Creative Director to give us the best advice on our script and pitch deck. We were both able to get great insight on how we can better our production, but also think about possible outcomes on how our film could end. As well as presenting the Fake production project to Sammy, were presented as if this was a real client meeting. I learned a lot especially on what or who really needs to be a part of the set up for production to make sure you have a satisfied customer/client. To end off the week, I am very excited to be learning more about productions and hopefully will be able to be a part of a shoot soon to better my knowledge and experience.

Week 4 June 11-13/2024

Since I’ve officially completed Week 4 of my internship, I can say that I’m retaining so much information and enjoying my time working here. Tuesday was another day in the office trying to make sure we were on track for pre-production for LOST LUNCH. We were making small changes within the script, until we reached the ending. At first, I wasn’t confident with our ending because it was very basic and not as creative as we would have thought. When we got some advice back on the script Bailey and I talked over again and came to an agreement on what we want and the ending. On Thursday, I was able to be a part of my first production shoot, with Studio Center. I was able to learn so much that day, from how the setup should be especially when needing to make adjustments to the light. To know what kind of setting and people you need to cast when working with clients and production. Working with the crew who was at the shoot was an informative experience to understand how important every role is within production.

Week 5 June 18-20/2024

After wrapping Week 5 of my internship here at Studio Center, this week has been more of a being in the office type of day. Nonetheless I still was improving and learning to better myself and skills. Tuesday, I was able to create a set prop list for pre-production for my film LOST LUNCH. Making sure to get ahead of all costumes and props that will be needed for when it comes time to shoot. I also was able to get some practice in transcribing a commercial ad for my supervisor, making sure I did what was asked of me. Tuesday was also a good day as well because I was introduced to BINGO day as well here at Studio Center and it was a great time with the employees and taking a work break. I’ve started to realize here that everyone loves their job and what they do. They make sure they get the work done, when it’s time to focus, but as well as having fun with the job and making it as memorable as it can be. Thursday, I was able to meet with the Creative director again to go over the script and get some final input on the whole thing. With the informative feedback received from the meeting, Bailey and I were able to converse and determine the final steps and actions needed in order to have a confident and complete script. Bailey and I had another meeting with one of the casting interns to determine what kind of talent we're looking for when assigning roles and presenting the characters within the film. For next week, I hope to keep on track of pre-production, and to get a complete layout of how everything will look, especially when it comes to the crew.

Week 6 June 25-27/2024

Finishing up Week 6 of my internship here at Studio Center, this week has been mainly focusing on finalizing everything within the production of my short film. My partner Bailey and I have been working together on constructing a shot list & call sheet. Tuesday I was able to meet with my supervisor Dwenda to do an evaluation checklist and discuss how my performance has been since the start of my internship. Bailey and I also had a meeting with Dwenda and Chris going over the shot list and how we manage the outline of it. Thursday I have been reviewing and breaking down the script for LOST LUNCH and how the call sheet will look when figuring the timing and placement of everything. Having the role as producer is an interesting task because I have the responsibility of making sure I have a layout of how the day is going to look when we shoot. As we are coming closer to completion I plan on having a completed call sheet by next Tuesday, to make sure we stay on track with everything. I also, how things can come up when planning or pre production and how important it is to have a back up plan as well.

Week 7 July 2

This Week (7), has been a very chill, but productive day because as I was finishing up the Call Sheet, my intern partner Bailey was working on finalizing the shot list. In the beginning with 4th of July being on Thursday really gave us limited time on when we work. On the shot list we originally had 31 shots to work with and with the help of Bailey, we were able to trim it down to 22. Tuesday was the day we were put to the task because at first we had a small misunderstanding in the morning but eventually resolved the situation and continued to stay on track on completing our documents. I was worried all around when completing the call sheet because I was training to manage our limited time that we have in order to get all the shots we need in one day. I see the challenging side of what it means to be a producer because you're in charge of basically setting up how the day will look when it comes time for filming. At the end of the day I was able to complete and fill out the call sheet with all the information given, but will still need to revise a few things. I'm looking forward to next week for our actual shoot day, in hopes that everything goes well.

Week 8 July 9-11/2024

This Week (8) was the week where I was truly put to the task in bringing the short film to life. Originally we planned on having our shoot day on Tuesday, but we were told to prepare to change and adjust because the day may not go as planned. And that's exactly what happened, and with that had to adjust the call sheet as well. We also had a time conflict with one of our talents as well and was worried that we weren't gonna be able to find a replacement in time. We luckily were able to get Bailey's Brother Ryan, to fill in for our talent before the day of our shoot. When Thursday came around, I prepared myself in the best way possible. When I arrived to work Bailey and I immediately got to work and started setting up. As Bailey was getting the room together for our first scene, I was making sure all talent was on time and crew and making final adjustments to the call sheet and shot list. We started off a little behind schedule and I was worried that we weren't gonna have time for all the shots we wanted. After a while, Chris gave us some insight on how we can manage our time better but also, don't try to follow everything verbatim. He gave us some ideas on how we can get better shots and still have time for the other scenes as well. Overall everything worked out through schedule, I was nervous at first and a little displeased just because I felt we were behind on the day. I do say after getting all the shots and through everything I was satisfied and how the shoot went. It was a great experience, but directing and producing comes with many skills and you also have to know how to not let your emotions get the best of you.

Week 9 July 16-17-18/2024

Entering Week 9 of my internship has been nothing but great experiences and a lot of hours on the computer. This week has been more grinding and setting up everything as best as I can, especially since Bailey is out of the office on Thursday. I’ve been working on putting everything together as much as possible but also getting the color grading down to a point where me and Bailey both feel comfortable in how it’s presented. My goal is to make sure that the short film's appearance is as best as it can get, especially when I received guidance from Oz on how to set up everything to make sure all files are organized. With the understanding of color grad I aim to still give the film a noir style to fit the theme. I also am realizing how much potential color grading and editing can have making your whole project look like a masterpiece. The first few days sorting and getting everything to a rough cut was a little stressful just figuring out where everything goes. As I started to get a hold of where and how I should set up all my clips and audio files, the process itself became more effective. I hope for Week 10 that Bailey and I are able to put our heads together and knock out the rest of the editing that we have to complete.

Week 1 May 6th - 10th

Crazy how fast this first week went by but here I am at the end of week one writing my first journal entry. This week has not been the typical slow transition that you would get at other internships. You know the ones that are filled with paperwork, long explanations about the company or role, and etc. Not at all, since my first day things have been moving with little time to get truly settled in. I love it! It’s not moving too fast where I am uncomfortable but it is going at a pace where I feel like I have a purpose here. This week has been very productive for me, especially for the first week. On day one I was in meetings with Dwenda all day. These meetings varied from pre-production meetings that discussed very important information to be able to move forward to production. All the way to post production meetings with editor/animator Gia about the process of finalizing projects. On day two I did my intern orientation with Sammy as well as got some good insight on how casting works. She told me about how you always have to be ready to call an audible in this business which in her case involved stories about having to find talent at the last minute and dealing with last minute client requests. I also got to sit in on an audio session with Andrew. I was able to see how certain radio commercials work and learned a lot about how important it is to get the write levels of sound in your mixing. On day three (Today) I learned where the attic is lol as well as started to make a puzzle which I’m guessing is a prop for a shoot. I never actually got started on the puzzle though because Dwenda needed pictures of car seats that are being used in a project ASAP for the client. So I took those for her and while she was in a meeting I went to go pick up some walkies and headsets from this place a couple minutes away. I also raided their candy bowl but the nice lady told me to so I was just helping her out. Now I’m going downstairs to see if Chris needs help with the shoot he’s on now. I hope I didn’t write too much but all in all it’s been an eventful first week. Can’t wait till next work.

Week 2 May 13th - 17th

It is now the end of my second week and I definitely say it has been an informative one. I spent some time with other departments throughout the week and it was cool getting to know how things work outside of video production. I started out my week by meeting with Gia, one of the editors here and she gave me some great insight. She made sure I knew how to correctly import my files as well as how to organize them in an efficient way. She also showed me some quick tips on ways to help me during the editing process as well. After that I did some research on the Studio Center website to find out more in depth about what they do hear. I already knew after week one that they have their hands in many different pots but I wanted to get more detail to prepare for the documentary project. Once I did a good amount of research I got to sit in on some post graduate interviews of the students who attend the voice over school here. I got to see one of the students do some of her voices and it was so cool to hear how her voice could just switch like that. On Wednesday I was a part of another meeting for a commercial and even though I was in a meeting for the same commercial last week there was still so much to learn about the pre-production process. After the meeting I went to sit in a voice over meeting with Graham for a breast cancer commercial. I had the opportunity to see how the process works with the client in the meeting along with the talent. It is a long process but very interesting to watch develop. All in all this week has been very knowledgeable, I can't wait till next week especially because I get to meet my fellow video intern I’ll be working on the documentary with.

Week 3 May 20th - 24th

Going into the third week into my internship here at Studio Center I am starting to feel like I am understanding how things function here. This has been an exciting week for me here at Studio Center. I had the chance to finally meet some of my family interns which was cool because feeling like the only can feel a little weird sometimes. The staff here are great people but it definitely feels nice knowing it’s other interns like me running around this place. I think it would be nice if we were to have a small intern so we can talk to each other about our experiences and what we have been doing here. I know I have the documentary about the internship to do and I think it would be great for the project. I also got the chance to be on set for an Ad council/ NHTSA commercial. This was for sure the highlight of my week. To get the chance to go on a set and learn from people who have been in the business for years was amazing. They came with so much knowledge and experience that they didn’t mind sharing. Everyone was so easy to work with and was willing to let me pitch in wherever I could. I was just so happy to be on set and I ended up slating for the shoot so I'm basically the 2nd AC if you think about it. I also met with Heather today and she gave me knowledge about graphic design that I didn’t even know existed. She showed me how graphic design is essentially connected to everything nowadays.

June 3rd - 7th

So this is my fourth week and now we are getting into creating the documentary. There hasn’t been anything else on my schedule than to start planning and working out the stuff for the documentary. This is new territory for the both of us because we’ve only done narrative work in the past. We are taking on the challenge with much enthusiasm and optimism with hopes of putting out a great project. Wish us luck and see you next week.

Week 6 June 17th - 21st

This week has been filled with so much work on our intern project. I really enjoyed the shooting of this documentary. Interviewing the other interns for our project was really fun, I was excited to get the chance to talk to other interns about their experience here at studio center. I just finished the voice over for our project and we’re finishing up the last draft to bring to Gia so we can have our final draft done by Wednesday.

Week 7 June 24th - 28th

First off it is crazy how it is already week seven of my internship. The time has really been flying and I am enjoying every part of it. This week was my intern partner’s last week and it was really fun working with him. We spent this week finishing up our intern documentary project and making the final touches to be able to present it. Our presentation went well and we received some great feedback. Hearing all the feedback was nice. Hearing the different perspectives and approaches that the other professionals would have taken without them discrediting our choices was a very uplifting experience. Today Gia and I went and did some final revisions after the presentation meeting to finalize the project.

Week 8 July 1st - 5th

This week was very informative for how things go in terms of pitching ideas. Brianna and I were in the conference room all week working on pitch decks for various projects. These projects varied from social media tasks all the way to intern testimonials. It was cool trying to put a new spin on the intern testimonials and being able to have free reign to give it new ideas. I can’t wait to pitch our ideas next week and see what they like and don’t like. We also started a mock project were we create a project from the start.

Week 9 July 8th - 12th

This week we got to pitch our ideas and it went very well. Dwenda, Sammy, and Rusty really liked all of our ideas and picked two for us to focus on. It was great to hear constructive feedback on our work. Brianna and I also finished our mock project and that budget was rough, Something neither of us had seen before and it was difficult to navigate at first. Hopefully when we review it on Monday we can understand it more. I also was able to help the Tuesday and Thursday video interns with their project and that was fun to be a part of.

Week 10 July 15th - 19th

This is my final week here at the student center and I can’t believe that my internship is coming to an end. This week I spent all of my time finalizing my projects that I had open. Monday Brianna and I presented our mock project which Sammy said we did really well on. This was a relief because we were not as confident in the budgeting as we would have liked. Wednesday I finished editing my behind the scenes video for the AD council shoot which was like a full circle moment for me since that was my first shoot that I was a part of. Friday I finalized my behind the scenes project by adding the background music. I also got a bomb pop from the ice cream truck that came today. I have really enjoyed my time here at Studio Center and I would definitely recommend it to others. I have already if I’m being honest. Thank you Studio Center and I hope I can come back and work here again.

Week 2 Journal Entry

This week was about getting my idea of my film onto paper. I ended up not finishing the script this week, but I did get the bulk of the idea out onto paper. I’ve enjoyed my time so far here and have enjoyed getting to talk to Chris has been very insightful. On Thursday, I got to meet all the other interns and talk with them during the intern luncheon. The crew here talked to us about what each of them do here and that we all can talk to them whenever we have questions. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to get to direct my short film.

Week 3 Journal Entry

This week was all about finalizing my script, getting my locations, props and cast together, and start creating my mood board. All of this was to prepare for my pitch meeting next Thursday. I finished the script Tuesday and on Thursday I worked on creating the mood board. The short film I wrote is going to be fun to film and could surprise people when they see it. I will finish the preparations for the pitch meeting next Tuesday.

Week 4 Journal Entry

This week was a fun week. This was the week that I would give my script pitch. Tuesday I helped Chris and Loni organize the prop closet and then Oz gave me a Premiere Pro tutorial. On Thursday I gave my pitch for the short film that I wrote. It went well. We talked about different ways in which we film it. I am looking forward to filming this. I need to edit the script some, but that’s not a problem.

Week 5 Journal Entry

This week was some of the same stuff that I did in previous weeks. I continued work on the commercial ad that Oz set me up with. I will have it finished next Tuesday. I also worked on finalizing the script. There weren’t many things that I needed to fix but I was able to fix the mistakes that needed to be fixed. I also got to sit in with an audio session and see how voice overs for ads are created. It was a very interesting process. Next week, I get to join the scouting of the MEB site.

Week 6 Journal Entry

This was a very busy week. On Tuesday, I got to join Nathan and Chris on the scouting of the MEB site. It was informative in the process of scouting, but I don’t know if I’ll go to the shoot because my God was that disgusting. That one room that was pure sulfur and your eyes practically burned while in there. Now Thursday was much better because I got to experience the Austin Heating and Power shoot. That was a fun day and I got to work on my behind the scenes shooting.

Week 7 Journal Entry

Everyone was busy this week, so I was given small tasks to do. On Tuesday, Dwenda tasked me in making sure the GoPro’s had charged batteries in them because they were recording the audio sessions that were going on all day. I also had the task of finishing the ad commercial that I had been working on for two-three weeks now. I finished it and Oz showed me what he ultimately did on his edit. On Thursday, I got to eat a waffle and worked on creating my storyboards for my short film. I can’t wait to film. This is gonna be great.

Day 1 Studio Center Internship

Thank you, Studio Center staff, for making me feel so welcome. As Helen showed me around, it felt a little like the first day at school, but your smiling faces helped me feel at ease. Your audio and video production facilities are awesome. Plus you have my favorite table soccer and table tennis games. To quote Annie, from the movie Annie, “I think I’m going to like it here”. My first task was attending a 2-hour sound production meeting with Dwenda, Graham, the Client (Mosquito Joe), and Anjuli, a voice-over (VO) actress. Graham went through a 44-page script and recorded the VO directly onto the Pro Tools timeline while matching it with the video. I was impressed with how much was accomplished in the meeting and how well the talent nailed the lines. Especially, as she was working remotely from California. It was also great that the Mosquito Joe client could listen to the recordings and give feedback in real-time. After lunch, my first assignment was to collect details of famous and/or successful Norfolk State alumni for Tyler (Editor). I also started work on a project to complete during my time here. I enjoyed my first day, and I am looking forward to learning everything Studio Center has to teach me.

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Today, I finished off the intern questionnaire that I started last week. Then, I met Chris in the studio for a lesson on interview lighting setup. This was an excellent opportunity to review what I had covered in university. My takeaways from this session were:

1. Light from back to front and don't be afraid to dress your background

2. Isolate lights to see their effect (make sure other lights or light sources are off)

3. Don't be afraid to mix color temperature lights. For example, using 3200k tungsten on darker skin with 5400k daylight on the background.

4. Create flattering subject lighting by using techniques such as halo and Rembrandt lighting under the eyes

5. You can create a pleasant MCU shot with a blurred background by using an 85mm camera lens about 6 feet from the subject,

6. Try to have a monitor on set to review your setup- even if it’s a mini-HD monitor on top of the camera.

Week 5 Diary

I met Ken from the graphic department this morning. He showed me a Studio Center storyboard for a 60-second commercial. The storyboard helps the client to see the commercial's mood and style before it’s shot. Ken explained that Chris, the director, also produces a storyboard that focuses on shot framing, movement, and compilation. Finally, Ken showed me how to use Leonardo AI, to find storyboard images.

After my meeting, Chris and I practiced shots to help show Ozzy’s dog eye perspective of working at Studio Center. I also spoke to staff about their interactions with Ozzy and their office dogs.

After lunch, I met Ozzy and William Prettyman, Studio Center CEO (aka Woody), to get to know their relationship, Ozzy’s personality, and how Ozzy spends his day at the office. I also met Piper, one of Ozzy’s office dog pals, and her owner, Zach. I used the information I gathered during the day to write my story outline and key scenes.

Photographs (1& 2) Ozzy, (3) Piper and Ozzy, and (4) Ozzy & Piper at the staff bingo session.

Week 6 Diary

Today I attended a meeting with Graham (sound engineer), Dwenda (Senior Producer), Center Point Energy (client), and Alannah (talent in the studio). The client reviewed the script, and Graham recorded dialogue and edited the sound in real time. After the meeting, Graham made final changes, using Pro Tools, and sent the finished version to the clients using Frame IO.

In the afternoon, I completed my film project pitch, script, mood, and storyboard,

I will present this to Nathan and Dwenda next Wednesday. This week was another great week, I enjoyed seeing how Studio Center uses audio equipment and software to add dialogue to commercials.

Week 7 Diary

I met with Dwenda to review my behind-the-scenes (BTS) assignment next week. My task is to shoot and edit a two-minute film of a client’s experience of being on set. Mia Rea is the Marketing Director for Chapman Insurance Group, based in Florida. She is coming to Studio Center (SC) to watch them shoot six 30-second spots for her company. This BTS film is aimed at school children and will show Mia’s role and experience on set. We also discussed my pitch, mood board, and script. My 4-minute film is called Ozzy’s Office Day. I finalized my script in the afternoon and began working on my call sheet. The shoot day is scheduled for March 27^th.

Week 8 Diary Chapman Insurance Studio Center Studio Shoot

I arrived at 08:30 am to set up my camera and familiarize myself with the set and crew. I was the behind-the-scenes (BTS) videographer on the Chapman Insurance campaign shoot. The special effects manager showed me how his team rigged the desk, chair, lamp, and mock computer so they could be pulled on cue to give the illusion of flying away. He showed me how he used a floor seat and track to pull the desk, which had wheels to help it glide smoothly across the vinyl floor. Also, how props were tapped onto the desk so they wouldn’t move when it was pulled. I interviewed Chris – writer and co-director – who explained how he came up with the campaign script and what he hoped it would achieve. I also interviewed Mia Rea, Chapman Insurance Marketing Director, about her job, the success of a similar campaign, and her role in today’s shoot. After lunch, I took over as chair puller and discovered there is an art to pulling it on cue while ensuring it hits its mark.

I enjoyed seeing how the crew worked together to ensure a smooth shoot - the audio, gaffers, special effects team, DOP, writer/director, hair and make-up, client, and producer. It was useful to see how Tyler, the editor, advised the DOP and gaffer on the type of camera settings and set lighting to help with green screen editing. I also found it helpful to see how the client, producer, director, and DOP were able to collaborate on set to incorporate changes to the script and shoot in real-time. Finally, I loved how the amazing actors were able to bring their characters to life funnily and entertainingly. What a great day!

Please see the photos of my day on set at the top of the gallery.

Week 9 Diary

After last week’s busy studio shoot, it was good to focus on preparing for my project shoot. I met with Sammy, Casting Director, who gave me helpful advice about who to invite to participate in my shoot. She also arranged for staff to take part. I completed my shoot schedule and call sheet. Due to a Studio Center shoot taking place next Wednesday, my shoot has been moved to Thursday afternoon. In addition, Woody has a meeting at 3:30 pm, so I have to ensure their scenes are complete by 3:25 pm at the latest. Although next week’s shoot will be tight, this experience has taught me that I need to be flexible when planning for a shoot as things can change. It has also shown me the benefit of working collaboratively.

Week 10 Diary Wednesday, March 27th

I met with Barbara, a professional animal trainer, at the weekend to discuss this week’s shoot. We discussed the shots and techniques to help the dogs perform on camera. I enjoyed learning the tricks of the trade and listening to Barabara’s vast experiences on television shows and films like Being John Malkovich, I am Sam, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This week, I focused on finalizing my script and writing my shot list, shoot schedule, and call sheets. And sending this information to everyone on the shoot. I also met with Chris, my DOP on the shoot, to discuss my shot list and shoot style.

Week 11 Diary Thursday, March 28th

Today’s experience was a great lesson in being flexible, as we reorganized filming to fit around changes on the day. We got some nice interview footage from Teddy, Macy, and their human costars. Unfortunately, the camera broke so we had to wrap early. I hope to get more footage and edit my project during my last two weeks at Studio Center. Despite today’s setbacks, we had fun due to the talented canine actors, who made us smile. Thanks to my wonderful crew, Barbara, and Studio Center staff.

See Photos of Barbara working with Teddy and Macy in the photo gallery.

Week 12 Diary Wednesday, April 10

This morning, I had a telephone meeting with Caine Parker, my assigned project editor,I called at 10:15 am, and it was a few minutes into the call before I realized that the local time in Las Vagas was 07:15 am! But Caine was a good sport about it, and his calm and helpful nature made me feel at ease. The main challenge was that the footage I shot didn’t match Ozzy’s Office Day script, so we discussed how we could move scenes around and add stock footage to be able to produce a short film that met my original intention. It was a very productive meeting. It helped me see how an experienced and professional editor can add value to the film’s production by suggesting different ways to compile footage that still meets the director’s goals. As a result of our meeting, I wrote a new script called Office Pals and sent it to Caine and Dwenda. I also sent Caine photos I took at the shoot to add to the end credits.

18:24 Caine sent me the rough cut of Office Pals. It looks great, and although it was not my original Ozzy’s Office Day script, it met my original theme perfectly.

I will write the human and dog voice-over dialogues, to record next week.

Week 1

Dear Diary,

This first week at Studio Center has been a whirlwind of excitement! The people here are amazing; the camaraderie makes the environment so welcoming. They’re very friendly, supportive, and passionate about their work. There are even a couple of people who come from the journalism field which lets me know that I can pivot whenever I’m ready and land somewhere great! I'm actually working towards incorporating the journalism aspect into my final video project. It’s in the planning stages so I won’t speak too much about it just yet. I'm thrilled about getting hands-on experience with the editing suites – it's like stepping into a creative playground. Exploring different departments like audio and social media has me even more eager, drawing parallels to my on-campus job at the Mace and Crown at ODU. Here's to an exhilarating journey ahead!

Best,

LB

"My name is Emily L. and I interned at Studio Center in the Social Media Department. This internship allowed me to learn more about digital marketing and marketing on social media. I got to watch Haleigh Brooks and Rusty Waddell brainstorm with clients about how to bring a vision to life through social media, and learned the importance of collaboration and effective communication. While I have already had social media experience, I learned so many new things about the field and how to be successful. I was able to create social media graphics for Studio Center clients and receive feedback from my supervisors, which was extremely helpful in finding my own content style. The internship also allowed me to work on my technical skills such as using Photoshop, Canva, and Capcut to make content. I also got to assist in video production when help was needed and it was super fun to try something new. For anyone considering doing an internship at Studio Center, I highly encourage it. The experience I've had is invaluable, and if I had any advice to give to future interns it’s don’t be scared to ask questions and to explore the other departments within Studio Center."

Week 1

Wrapping up with my first couple of days at Studio Center I can say I am extremely grateful and excited to be here. In such a short amount of time I have learned so much. Being a Talent Intern I’ve been able to get a first hand account of the department and learn how the casting works. From the protocol for corresponding with clients, how to distribute casting calls, create talent decks and so much more. Alongside meeting people in other departments and learning how the work done in the talent department manifests itself into actual shoots. With all that being said I am looking forward to learning and doing more in the coming weeks.

Week 2

With the conclusion of my second week I’ve learned even more. This week I was able to see how the different departments work and strategize to complete projects. Seeing how different meetings and calls are made to ensure everyone is on the same page. Along with that I was able to sit in on another VO session with Shipley. While in the session Shipley taught me some do’s and don’t to recording VO. From the setting up,to editing, directing talent and bouncing the session. While spectating I got to see just how many of the ads and commercials from tv and/or radio are created which was awesome. Another highlight of the week was on National Video Games Day where we got to play some video games to celebrate. It’s been such a pleasure to learn and work with everyone.

Week 3

This past week at Studio Center was one I won’t ever forget. I was fortunate enough to work on the set of a shoot, where I learned how everything works in person. The experience taught me something from nearly every part of the production from talent, stage design, script management, lighting, audio and camera operation.One of the coolest parts of working on the set was being an extra in a couple of the shots. Studio Center has taught me so much in these past few weeks, expanding my view of what it takes to work in the industry. I’m looking forward to showing some of the behind the scene footage in my video capturing the magic in action. After such an eventful week I’m excited for what will go on in the following weeks.

Week 4

Most of this week entailed meeting with social media to talk about how their daily operations work. Getting to talk to Rusty and Haley was a great conversation and learning experience as to how they plan, create and execute their work for in-house content and client’s. They hold a great deal of responsibility for how a client's online presence shows up to the masses. After my date with social media, I was able to help with creating and organizing talent decks for upcoming shoots. Alongside creating casting calls for shoots coming up in the near future. It’s amazing to see the growth of my knowledge and abilities from week 1 to now. I am looking forward to learning more and more in the coming weeks,

Week 5

This week at Studio Center I dove into the scripts of the other interns. Being the talent intern I was meeting with them to discuss their wants and needs for talent for each of their videos. Getting specifics on their vision for the talent from what kind of roles, ages, ethnicities and more they are looking for. Besides preparing for the different videos I recorded a vlog of my week here at Studio Center. In the vlog I captured parts of the editing and audio recording process here, seeing how everyone gets to their work on a “regular” day.

Week 6

This week I was focusing on preparing the casting for upcoming intern videos. First was communicating with one of the interns about how they were looking to deliver their vision.We discussed how they were looking to have each scene portrayed and the placements. I also went over the call sheet for the upcoming intern video next week. Seeing what roles I'll be in and what to prepare for going into the weekend. For the end of the week I drafted up a casting call to have the future intern video that we’ll be working on.

Week 7

My last two weeks at Studio Center have been a total rollercoaster, in the best way possible! I've been diving headfirst into intern projects, learning the ropes, and getting a taste of the real-deal action in the studio .But what's even more exciting is the holiday season slowly creeping in, and the office is getting a fantastic makeover with Halloween decorations everywhere. It's like a spooky wonderland, and it definitely adds a bit of a twist to our work environment. It’s all leading up to the annual costume contest that will happen on Oct. 31st.

Week 8

This week as a talent intern at Studio Center has been incredibly fulfilling and exciting. I was honored with being able to interview interns for Studio Center testimonials and my interview. It was amazing to capture everyone’s experiences while here at Studio Center. As well as capturing my own interview and being in front of the camera. On Halloween, the studio came alive with creativity as everyone dressed up in elaborate costumes. It was an amazing sight to see how the entire office came together for the costume contest. Followed by Spooky BINGO which brought out everyone’s competitive spirit. It was the most fun for me as I won 2 of the 3 rounds of BINGO. Overall it has been another amazing week here at Studio Center.

Week 9

Since my last journal entry I’ve done a great deal of work from working on intern projects to working on my own project. It was an awesome time working on the intern Christian’s project and see the vision come to life. Then the following week I was focused on making my project and ensuring I shot all the footage needed. The interviews for my project were an awesome experience for me and showed me just how much I enjoy doing interviews. All which came together for my project that turned out amazing. I have to say a huge thank you to Sammy. Chris, Dwenda, Kat, Nathan, Mercedes, Allen, Oz, Paula, Shipley, Sam, Christian, MK, Dynasty, Emily and everyone at Studio Center for being so amazing and helpful during my time here. Now typing my last journal entry I can say that I will miss being here and working with everyone, but am excited to see what lies ahead in my future. To all interns that will succeed me, I charge you with being the best you whenever you're in or outside of the walls of Studio Center, know that your vision matters and you can reach all your goals. While simultaneously continuing to be a student that listens and digest information.

October 2, 2023 - October 6, 2023

As for this week at Studio Center, I was mostly finalizing details within both my script and shoot date. Aside from that, MK, Jordan, and I met up with Chris for a bit on Monday to all help brainstorm some ideas for each other’s video script. I was also able to show Chris the shoutout I gave to him on my music video for his help with the color correcting/grading, to which he was happy to see. On Wednesday, I checked in with everyone involved with the shoot to make sure that they’d be good for November 3rd. Sam and I also met up with the social media department to get some cool footage of the nationwide alert test. Unfortunately, it was rather anticlimactic. On Friday, I’ve pretty much wrapped up my viewing of the Adobe Premiere tutorials and am looking forward to actually implementing assets next week!

September 18, 2023 - September 22, 2023

As I wrap up my first week as a video intern at Studio Center, I am pleased to say that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time. On my first day, Kat showed me around the two offices, and introduced me to everyone. Dwenda and Nathan were both able to get me up to speed as I wasn’t able to actually attend during my first two weeks. I was greatly informed about my future video project by Nathan, and I believe that I have a solid plan going as to what I want to make. Both of my supervisors welcomed any and all questions I had ready to fire off. Afterwards, I was able to help set up the props used for the Colair commercial alongside Evan, who gave some great advice about the video industry and the pros and cons of freelancing. He even prompted me to come in the following day to gain some more production experience, as I was on set for my first ever commercial. I was also given the tasks of using the slate and using a GoPro to document the behind the scenes of the shoot. The GoPro was definitely something that I was used to already, but the slate was an entirely new experience. Despite it being a rather simple task, I think I put too much pressure on myself to get it right; thus, making myself overly anxious. Though, on the second day of the shoot, I got more of the hang of it. After being on slate, helping rearrange set pieces, and cleaning up, Dwenda asked me if I wanted to star in the commercial. As much as I like being behind the camera, I don’t mind at all being in front of it. Regardless of me probably only being in the final product for no more than a few seconds, I am very grateful for the opportunity. For today, my last day, I was able to get more technological and industry knowledge about the audio production industry under Shipley’s guidance. I think it’s something that’s often overlooked and taken for granted in the media industry. I was excited to learn about such an underrated skill, and hopefully I’ll be able to take this newfound knowledge and adapt it within my own projects. All in all, for my first week, I’d say I had a blast and I can’t wait for the weeks to come. (Also, special thanks to Sam, Edwin, MK, and Jordan for being so nice!)

Christian Le, Video Intern

Week 1

09/08/23

In the days leading up to the start of my internship, I held onto the idea that I was familiar with the atmosphere of Studio Center and that is how I filtered any doubt or negative thoughts about beginning. However, my expectations weren’t what I had prepared myself to feel. I couldn’t figure out what was different; The building looks the same, everyone is still very kind, they still have cookies…I kept trying to figure out what about the environment felt different.

I end up pushing that out of my mind and go on to help with a commercial for AUSTIN, meeting Dwenda. I aided with BTS footage and even slated for two scenes. It was cool to be a part of a shoot on just my first day as an intern.

As I helped alongside the crew, it dawned on me that my purpose for being at Studio Center was different than before. I wasn't an actress arriving on set, eating snacks in the break room while I waited for my scene, I was there for something bigger for myself. I see growth towards the person that I want to develop during my time here.

Week 2

09/11/23

Today, I had more time to work solo in a new private workspace. It’s nice, and I was able to indulge in the peace and quiet of pre-production. I had a chance to surf the studio center page, exploring some of the past intern projects and using them as a source of inspiration as I continue developing my story. I do have some questions for myself regarding the direction I have taken and still am trying to nail exactly what I want to say. Much work to do.

Week 3

09/18/23

I pitched my script, a project that has transverse various genres and phases to get to its final form (even though you never feel like it’s final, at least I don’t). Each phase of development brought new layers to the story. I could sense that everyone was on the same page, offering suggestions and sharing their thoughts when I had concerns. I really want to be collaborative with this project and I’m confident that SC will help me with the resources and team to make this a cinematic reality.

09/22/23

Today I had the privilege of spending a few hours with Shipley. He really showed me the wealth in audio in film and the extra precautions he takes to ensure good quality. It really is valuable and admirable when people go above and beyond for seemingly small things, because the reality is that they can make or break your product. He spoke about breaths, and reverbage and how much cleaner they make your audio. We listened to examples, and now thanks to Shipley, I will never not hear when audio technicians don’t clean up the breaths. Today was so fun!

Week 5

This week in post-production land, I dove into the realm of sound and music, searching for the perfect auditory spell for my project. I’ve been previewing a rough cut of the project to some members of the team to see things I’ve missed or see what they’re seeing from a non-biased POV.

On Halloween, I took a break from sound and organized the costume closet -in a witch costume. This felt silly but honestly refreshing to be whimsical, and go through what I saw as a time capsule. As I delved deeper into the closet and attic, I recognized some things from the website and others, I imagined what they’d been through -how many hands found comfort in the pockets of this jacket between scenes? Thoughts like that quiet the world around me, allowing me to find what I need to hear: the movie in my mind.

Also, I got to launch a carton of milk at the stand-in host of Hot Ones! (interview coming soon)

Week 6

I began my video project's post-production this past week. It's incredible to realize how many more adjustments I could make to really elevate my video. While filming my video project, I wanted to use a smoke machine during my shot, but we had an issue, so in post-production, we added the right effects to make the cutaway look good. I was out for travel the other 2 days I was scheduled to work.

Week 5

Although it was an exhausting week at Studio Center, it was vital to my internship. When I filmed my video project last Tuesday, I considered myself to be a perfectionist, so I was overwhelmed while prepping for my shoot, but the staff who worked at Studio Center helped me stay sensible. Under Chris K.'s aid, my video idea became a reality and the result was incredible to watch. I can say that the video was successful although the pre-production phase was tough. The following day, we worked on intern confessionals, in which we discussed our experiences interning at Studio Center. I appreciated it. For the past few days, I've been currently working on my video project's post-production.

Week 4

Due to my fall break, this past week at the studio center was shortened, yet I still received by far the most hands-on instruction. I was able to participate in the Mosquito Joe's shoot on the first day. The moment in question was quite amazing because it took place in a unique location and the crew made effective use of the property. That Wednesday, Christian (an intern) and I worked on the script for the first intern blog the next day. This script consists of B-Roll and voiceovers. Despite the short week, I still gained a lot of useful knowledge.

Week 3

Week 2

The second week of my internship started off well,I noticed that I wasn’t as nervous when I arrived at the building compared to the first week. The first day of the week I was in charge of re organizing former hard drives. This task was very time consuming. I did this for a total of 48 total hard drives, which took me around 2 and a half hours to complete. This task made me realize how important developing organizational skills is during your career. The second day of the internship started with Nathan creating me an Intern schedule, then I continued checking hard drives. The third and last day of week 2 saw me shadowing Chris , we spoke about my future goals and aspirations. He recommended I watch a documentary on Youtube called “Light and Shadow”. This documentary was great and showed many cinematographers giving advice about the field. This week was busy, but I look forward to starting my video project script.

Week 1

The first week of my video production internship has been fun, on the very first day(September 5th) Nathan went through and covered the basics of the internship. We covered simple things like what would be expected from me and various assignments that I'll work on throughout this internship . I was excited to know that my final project would be something I create, I'm glad I have the opportunity to show some creativity. Kat was delighted to give me a tour of both buildings which to my surprise were bigger than what I imagined. My second day of the week we worked on the prep work for a shoot the following day. The prep consisted of measuring and cutting out the material, then taping objects that were a sore eye to the camera. Day 3 and the final day of my first week was the actual shoot day. I was in charge of the Go-Pro and I also had the opportunity to slate before a few scenes. My first week was fun and I’m glad I had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience so early.

Week 5:

Week five was a lot of preproduction and preparation for my video project, although I also helped out in the process of making another intern’s project as well. I helped Chris set up the lighting of the green screens on Tuesday, and on Wednesday and Friday, I acted a part of one of the other video intern’s projects.

Week 1

I loved my first week at Studio Center! It started with answering a few fun questions like favorite movie and favorite ice cream flavor. My answers were sent out to everyone in the office so they got to learn a little bit about me. I was then taken on a tour of the audio and video buildings where I was amazed at the recording studios and office spaces. I then met my internship supervisor, Sammy, and we reviewed my requirements. I shadowed her for the rest of my first day. It was interesting watching Sammy work on castings. The next day I went on Studio Center’s website to do some more research on the company and understand who I was working for. I attended a meet and greet with William Prettyman, the CEO of Studio Center. I found his advice and stories to be engaging and pertinent to young professionals. The third and final day of my first week, I had the chance to sit in on a commercial shoot. I helped slate and recorded behind the scenes footage. I learned the inner workings of what happens during a live shoot. I felt very welcomed and learned a lot about Studio Center in my first week. I cannot wait to see what the rest of my internship holds!

Week 2

My second week at Studio Center was just as great as the first! On Monday, I worked on casting decks. These are slideshows for a specific shoot that show an actor’s name, headshot, and audition video. I watched every audition and had a say in if it was good or not. If I thought it wasn’t good, I had the chance to speak up and say that I didn’t think we should add the person for consideration. On Tuesday, I watched more audition videos. I had to pick my top five and see if they matched up with Studio Center's picks. My next task was to fill out a job jacket to see if everyone from previous shoots had all of their forms in so we could pay them. After that, I researched bus drivers to see if we could find any to cast in an upcoming shoot. On Wednesday, I sat in on an audition demo. It was interesting watching the audio side of the business and how voiceover acting works. I then had to update contact details for actors on our roster and check to make sure all of our voice over actors had labels on their demos. On Thursday, I had to work on a last minute casting deck. So far I've found my favorite task to be working on decks because it gives me a chance to make something aesthetically pleasing for the clients while learning about the talent I’m sending them as well as giving my own thoughts and opinions. I really learned a lot about casting this week!

Week 3
I enjoyed my third week at Studio Center! I did a variety of tasks first of which was choosing my top picks for an upcoming commercial and seeing if they matched Studio Center's picks. I was surprised with how many I guessed correctly. I then listened to audio auditions to make sure there was nothing wrong with them and could be sent to the client. After that, I picked four people to highlight from our roster. These were people I liked listening to and have not been seen recently. I listened through a lot of the roster and found it interesting how different everyone's voices are. I most enjoyed listening to the kids. I had to email several people to re-audition with feedback the client gave them. Lastly, I met with one of the video interns to learn about the video she's writing. I'm in charge of casting so I needed as much information as possible. I'm excited to be in charge of my own casting.

Week 4

This week was a lot of fun! On Monday, I met with a video intern to double check that everything was set for the shoot on Wednesday. I made sure everyone was still available to shoot and figured out what props were missing. After that, I watched auditions for some fun, new voiceover characters. I enjoyed hearing how the talent wanted to portray these interesting personalities. I then continued working on our talent audit from last week. I went through our roster and figured out who has not submitted for the majority of auditions we sent them. Moving on to Tuesday, I was assigned a lot of miscellaneous tasks. I had to go to Walmart to get a pickle jar, popcorn, and name tags for the upcoming shoot. I searched our buildings for the rest of the items. I double checked that everyone had all their paperwork turned in for the upcoming Voiceover Academy Session. I worked on a presentation to make it look nice and did some research on the subject. On Wednesday, it was time for the shoot. I was cast as the lead, Jane, for this intern video and I was excited to work as an actor in a professional setting. This was a great experience to learn how videos are shot because I'm usually part of live productions. We finished shooting on Friday and I can't wait to see how the video turns out.

Week 5

Each week at Studio Center keeps getting better! On Monday, I sat in on auditions for a new cartoon. I could really see how each voice brought something new to the table and gave these characters different personalities. After that, I finally finished the talent audit. I feel very accomplished and happy having that done. On Tuesday, I worked on a casting deck and watched auditions. I had a lot of notes. Through my internship, I feel I have learned what to look for in auditions and what makes an actor a good or bad candidate. On Wednesday, I worked on a contract sheet. I went through all of our talent and marked which contracts they have submitted. I accomplished a lot of tasks this week at Studio Center!

Week 6

My time at Studio Center has finally come to an end. I am very sad and almost in tears writing this. On Monday, I worked on a casting deck and watched the auditions. On Tuesday, I spent time with the social media team to learn more about that side of the company. I did some research on competing businesses and saw what worked for them. I then sat in on a recording session for a drive-through. I made a wardrobe deck showing what the actors would wear for an upcoming shoot. I made phone calls to schedule demo updates for kids because their voices change very frequently. I was very anxious about this, but it ended up going well. On Wednesday, I met with our marketing person and found a lot of great advice. I wanted to learn all the different aspects of Studio Center and this definitely helped. I received a gift for my time at Studio Center and that is when it really hit me that I was leaving. I sat in on a meeting, worked more on the contract sheet, and sent my last casting call. I had the best time at Studio Center and would not change it for the world!

Here's my first log of the intern diary:

This first week of my internship has been a good early experience. Everyone I’ve worked with and had interactions with has been super nice and encouraging. I’ve started to lay the groundwork for the video project that I have to do, and I’m enjoying the process of coming up with ideas. Yesterday I got some insight into how lighting and camera tech works in helping do the setup for recording interviews for other interns. I also did research this week on finding companies that Studio Center could rent a bus from for a project, which while a little bit monotonous, was surprisingly interesting because there were far fewer places that had buses than I originally thought. Overall, I had an enjoyable first week, and I look forward to doing more soon.

Week two was more involved than week one in a good way. I met most of the other interns throughout the week and they’re cool people. I finalized my idea for my video project, and now have to work on a more detailed script. On Wednesday, I met with Seth and had a good conversation about editing and got some good information out of that interaction that should be helpful. Thursday was when I got to help out with a commercial shoot this week. I captured BTS footage and also did the slate, and though that was a bit nerve-wracking because my job actually had a bearing on how the shoot went, it was still a useful experience. On Wednesday, I met with Seth and had a good conversation about editing and got some good information out of that interaction that should be helpful.

Intern Diary Week 4
Week four was mostly spent working on and finalizing my script for my video project, but I also got practice with Adobe Premiere, and that was a fun experience. I presented my script to Nathan and Chris on Tuesday, and we brainstormed on additions and improvements and came up with some good stuff I think. Wednesday was when I rewrote the script with the additions, and I also formatted it into a more standard style. On Thursday, I started to look into props and preproduction items I might need, as well as creating the storyboards.

2nd Weekly Intern Diary

This week during my second week at Studio Center I was able actually do stuff. On Monday, I was able to sit in on a Production team meeting which I found really interesting because I was able to see how all of the departments come together to stay on track with their schedules for different projects and to brainstorm ideas. On Wednesday, I helped Dwenda find yellow school bus rental companies for an upcoming shoot which was cool because I never knew how many bus rental companies there are. Doing this also, unintentionally, helped me better understand the Virginia area, as I’m not from Virginia. On Friday, I helped go through and tag different videos on Simian which I liked because I got to see the range of videos that Studio Center produces and for the different companies. Along with that, I also went through the hard drives and helped make lists of what projects are on each hard drive. Lastly, I sat in on a meeting for a car commercial and got to see how it was made and somewhat see how the animation designs for animated commercials are done which I thought was really interesting.

WEEK 4

This week at Studio Center was relatively more chill than last week. Most of this week was spent working on the script for my video project. I also spent some time making an accompanying visual PowerPoint presentation for when I would have to pitch my script. I didn’t pitch my script until Friday, and at first, I was really stressed about it, but it actually wasn't bad. Instead, it was much more laid-back than I had thought it would be and much more collaborative than I thought it would be. For the most part, Dwenda and Chris liked my script, which really surprised me, considering it was the first script I've ever written. After I pitched my script, I was assigned an editor to work with for the post-production of my video project and got revisions for it. Next week, I will go over my script with the revisions I got today for when I will have to re-pitch the script.

6/26-6/30

This week at Studio Center was around the same level of chill as last week. On Monday, I met with Chris and learned a lot about cinematography, which I found really interesting considering cinematography is one of my favorite aspects of media. Aside from that, for the rest of the week, I mostly just worked on my script and met with Sammy and one of the other interns, Lucy, to talk about the casting for my video project. Revising and re-pitching my script was actually easier and less stressful than when I had originally pitched it because I didn't have to make that many revisions considering Chris and Dwenda already liked the majority of what I pitched to them last week. As of right now, I only have to make a couple more revisions before I actually have to give the script to the talent. When it came to the casting meetings, I was really surprised by how specific the questions they asked me about the castings were; I never actually thought about how specific I would need to be when it came to casting people in a project. Ultimately, we decided that most of the cast would most likely be made up of other Studio Center interns. In addition to what kind of people I needed, I also had to figure out what specific wardrobe each character would have. This ended up being relatively easy though considering most of the characters in my project would just be wearing regular work clothes, but I didn't realize that was also a part of the casting process.

Weekly Intern Diary (7/10-7/14)

This past week has probably been my most stressful week at Studio Center. On Monday, I gathered props and storyboarded the shot list for my video project. Doing this before I had to actually film anything for my project actually made the filming of it easier but it also built up my anticipation for when I actually had to film the video.

I started filming my video project on Wednesday and finished on Friday with the help of Chris, several other interns, and a few other Studio Center employees. When I started filming on Wednesday, I was really stressed out about it because I had never really directed anything before, but with the help of Chris, I was able to get through it. During the first day of filming, the biggest struggles I faced were thinking too far ahead to other scenes when filming a scene and having to film the scenes out of order of when they happened in the story. I think these two things go hand-in-hand because I would overthink what would happen in the scenes that would happen either before or after the scene we'd be filming and then it would make it harder for me to keep track of what comes directly before and after the scene we would be filming at the moment. Another aspect of directing I found challenging at first was allowing the actors to improv lines and/or actions how they wanted to. Once I told the actors to improvise I was surprised because the lines and/or actions that were improvised were a lot closer to what I had imagined when writing the script than what I had originally told them to do, which was a very pleasant surprise.

When finishing my video on Friday, it felt way easier than when I started on Wednesday because I was significantly more comfortable with the whole process. Along with that, most of what we were filming was in the green screen studio and with one person so most of what was filmed on Friday was relatively easy compared to what was filmed on Wednesday. Overall, I actually really enjoyed directing/producing my video project and it made me less stressed out about having to direct/produce future projects.

Weekly Intern Diary (7/17-7/21)

This week was much more chill than last week. For the majority of the week, I waited for the intern hard drive of the raw footage of my video project so I could actually start editing it all together. I ended up getting it on Friday and worked with Chris to do an "on paper" version of my video so I had some sort of foundation for when I actually started editing my video. When I actually started editing my video, I realized that it would be a bit more complicated than I thought to put together, but it's still really fun and interesting to do. When I finally moved to edit my project on Premiere Pro, I honestly really enjoyed it and worked with Chris on how exactly I should edit the clips together. Besides that, I helped the other video production intern, Matthew, with his video project since he was starting to film it this week. On Wednesday, Matthew and I gathered props, some of which were much harder to find than others. On Thursday, the day Matthew finally started filming his video project, I was more of the Assistant Director than an actual actor in the actual video project. I really enjoyed this because I got to help keep everything on track, which, by default, also helped me stay on track with what was happening. There was an initial setback at first because we were filming "on location" in the upstairs lobby area but had to move to the greenscreen studio at the last minute. This ended up being fine and Matthew ended up filming the majority of his video. I finally got my raw footage hard drive on Friday which I was really excited about because I find the editing process really cool and because I was/am really excited to see how my project would look when I finally put all the scenes together in one video.

Weekly Intern Diary (7/24-7/28)

This was my second to last week here at Studio Center and it was somewhat stressful. Similar to last week, I spent the majority, if not all, of my time editing my video project. This process was relatively easy considering all I had to do was choose which "takes" to use and just cut them down. The hardest part about this was being very careful about the little details/continuity of different characters from shot to shot. This was especially hard considering the fact that I had remembered that I didn't film some of the dialogue from a specific camera angle, which would later make keeping the preexisting continuity harder to keep up with because what I had originally had in mind wasn't there to add. I found ways to work around this though, such as using a wide shot instead of a close-up to show two characters interacting. Changing the camera angle(s) and/or framing, along with using different greenscreen takes/edits really helped fix these issues. Also despite the fact that my video project was originally supposed to only be one to one and a half minutes long, my video project ended up being closer to five and a half minutes long.

Final Week

This was my final week at Studio Center and it was relatively chill. On Monday, I showed the first draft of my video project and got feedback on it. For the most part, I think the rest of the Video Production department liked it, which made the whole experience a little less stressful. For the rest of the week, I took the feedback I received from Monday and edited my video down from around five and a half minutes down to four minutes and 15 seconds. By the end of Friday, I finished what I was able to do editing-wise and I really liked how the video turned out but I wasn’t able to show the final draft because of scheduling conflicts. Before I left, Seth and I decided that I’ll (hopefully) just join the morning traffic meeting virtually on Monday to show the final draft of my video project, fully edited and audio mixed.

Here is my last intern diary. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity!

Thank you,

Erness Anne

Intern Diary: Week 13

4/24-4/26

On Monday, I was told that my video wasn’t able to go through mixing because there were, apparently, some parts in my video that didn’t have audio. Luckily, I was able to fix it really quickly before it was sent back to the audio building for mixing. Later in the day, I got to watch Kiannah’s video project and I really enjoyed it! After that meeting, I continued my task of organizing the hard drives and I was able to get 27 out of 96 done. On Wednesday, it was my last day as a video intern at Studio Center. When I got there, I gave thank-you gifts away to those who had helped me with my video project. The gifts were mini trophies with labels such as Best Actress, #1 Producer, #1 Cinematographer, etc. I thought they were really cute and so did everyone else! After that, Seth and I added the mixed audio that was sent from the audio building into my video before presenting it one last time to the video department. They really enjoyed it and they liked the changes Seth and I made! Overall, I really loved my experience at Studio Center. The people are so nice and talented and I definitely learned a lot more about filmmaking and editing that I know would benefit me in the future. Hopefully, I can get a chance to become a video editor one day as this experience pushed me into a direction that I know that I would enjoy!

Intern Diary: Week 12

4/17 - 4/19

On Monday, I presented my rough cut of my video to the video department. I was somewhat nervous about presenting my video because I didn’t know if the others would find it funny. However, they actually enjoyed it! They also gave me good suggestions on what I can do to make it better. Mostly adding close-ups to get the actor's reactions and cutting clips down that feel too long. On Wednesday, Seth and I fixed the minor changes to my video and now all it has to do is be sent to audio for mixing! For the remainder of the day, I helped organize hard drives by inputting all the projects into Google Docs and Google Sheets. I was only able to get through 15 out of 96 hard drives, but I’m hoping to get through a lot of it before my last day next Wednesday. Other than that, it’s been a good week and I’m happy with all the progress I’ve made!

Intern Diary: Week 11

4/10 - 4/12

This week I made a lot of progress on my video! On Monday, Chris helped me with color correction. I’m personally not a big fan of doing color correction because what may look good in my eyes, can look bad to others, but I’m really happy that Chris was able to help me. On Wednesday, I finally added the title, credits, and music to my video. Seth showed me this website called Universal Production Music which has free music with no copyright issues. If you have a song that you like and you want to find something that sounds similar to it, all you have to do is copy and paste a link to the song on the website and it will show songs that sound similar. I think it’s really cool! I didn’t get to present today like I thought I would, so now I have to present on Monday, but for the most part, I’m really happy with how my video looks! I just hope that everyone else does too.

Intern Diary: Week 10

4/3 - 4/5

On Monday, I met with Seth to go over my rough cut for my video project. He gave me suggestions on what I could improve and showed me how to sync audio. I’ve never synced audio before and it’s very tedious because you have to make sure that the audio lines up precisely with the video. On Wednesday, I continued editing my video project. I met with Chris who gave me suggestions on what I can improve like changing how the video starts, adding reaction shots, and zooming into the actor's faces slightly. Towards the end of the day, the video department met in the conference room to watch Kiara’s video project. I really liked her video and I think it stands out because it’s half reality and half animation. Next Wednesday, I have to present my video project and I’m a little nervous, but for the most part, I’m really happy with the editing that I’ve done so far.

Intern Diary: Week 9

On Monday, I got to help Kiannah finish her video project since we weren’t able to finish it last week. I also got a chance to act in her video for two scenes! On Wednesday, I finally began editing my video project. I personally like the editing process because it’s tedious and it’s really satisfying to cut footage at the right point, put it together, and watch it play out the way you want it to. I was able to finish my rough cut by the end of the day and I can’t wait to continue editing next week! Today, I also had to do my intern testimonial for an SCO (Studio Center Original) video. I was really nervous about the interview, but it went by fairly quickly, and I was told that I gave really good responses and that made me feel really reassured!

Intern Diary: Week 8

3/20 - 3/22

On Monday, I got help with Kiannah’s video shoot. I was the producer and throughout the shoot I was helping set up equipment, moving set pieces around, and using the slate. We, unfortunately, weren’t able to get all the scenes filmed today, so we have to continue filming next Monday. On Wednesday, it was an easy day because I got to work on my paper edit for my video. For the paper edit, I have to write a description of what’s happening in the clip, write the specific in and out time of the clip I want to use, and write how long the clip is. Chris helped me get started and once I got the hang of it, I realized that it’s actually really fun and easy! Doing the paper edit actually helps with visualizing how you want your video to look like and it saves a lot of time when you're editing the actual video because you already know which clips you want to use. Towards the end of the day, I was able to complete my paper edit and I’m ready to start editing the actual video on Monday!

Intern Diary: Week 7

3/6 - 3/8

On Monday, I met with Chris to discuss an easier process for editing my video. What he did for me was he created a chart that consists of a shot description, in/out cue and time. This is called a paper cut edit and what I do while I am looking through my footage is I use the chart to write down which clips I should use and at what times. After our meeting, I met with Seth and he was explaining to me how to use Adobe Encoder and Adobe Premiere, two software that I’ve never used before because I will be editing my video soon. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to edit my video today because the footage took quite a while to upload and had to be pushed back until Wednesday. On Wednesday, I got to help Kiara, another video intern, shoot her video. During the shoot, I helped assist with decorating the set and I even got to use the slate again! I unfortunately wasn’t able to edit my video because I was busy helping with the shoot, but once I come back from spring break I know that I will have enough time to work on it.

Intern Diary: Week 6

2/27 - 3/1

On Monday, I mostly had meetings to attend. I met up with my editor Seth to talk about what the post-production process is going to be like after I am done shooting my video. I then met up with Chris to look over my storyboard and we went to the locations where I am going to film my video in Studio Center. Towards the end of the day, I met up with Erika, a talent intern at Studio Center and an actress for my video, to go over lines for my script. She has a lot of experience acting in the past and I love how she embodies my character! On Wednesday, I got to film my video. I was excited, but also very nervous because I don’t have too much experience with directing. I’ve only been a director in one other student film so I did feel like I wasn’t doing enough with directing my actors. However, everyone was being really supportive, encouraging, and giving me good suggestions and it really helped me get through the process. What I found funny during filming was that my name was misspelled on the slate and my film is about someone who’s name keeps getting misspelled! What a coincidence. Overall, I’m really happy with how the day went and it was definitely a learning experience for me!

Intern Diary: Week 5 - 2/20 - 2/24

On Monday, I got to sit in with the video department for their weekly meeting. This is something that I get to be a part of until the end of my internship. I then got to meet with editor Gia who specializes in animations and I got to see some of her work, which I thought was really cool. Later that day, the other interns and I met up with Chris and he taught us about three-point lighting: key light, fill light, and backlight. Chris and I later talked about creating a storyboard for my film and we discussed what shots may work in my film. On Wednesday, I got to shadow Allen, the audio engineer. I got to sit in and watch him conduct a voice-over session and it was really interesting to see and hear how the process goes. On Friday, we were given the task to research photos/videos about Pernell “Sweetpea” Whitaker, a professional boxer from Norfolk, Va who passed away a few years ago. I then got to meet with editor Tyler and I later met up with Chris to further discuss my storyboard and locations of where I am going to shoot my film.

2/13 - 2/17

This was a very simple week overall with small tasks that I had to complete during the week. On Monday, we were given the task to revise our scripts and to collaborate with the talent intern to discuss casting actors for our scripts. On Wednesday, we had to look on TikTok and find popular trends that the employees at Studio Center can participate in and post just for fun. After the other interns and I found some TikTok trends we had to create a presentation that we will have to present at some point. We then got to meet with Allen to talk about his experience as an intern at Studio Center and how he ended up working here after he graduated, which was pretty cool. On Friday, I presented my revised script, discussed when I will start shooting, what role I will play in my film, and what role I will play in the other video interns films. I also met with Seth, who will be my editor for my film, and we discussed the editing process. I can’t wait to see how everything will turn out as I am about to start the pre-production process soon!

2/8

On Wednesday, I got to present my pitch for my script. I was really nervous about presenting because I had initially thought that I had to present in front of the whole video department. In actuality, I only got to present in front of Alyssa, Dwenda, Chris K., and the other interns which was reassuring, but I still was nervous. When we started talking about my script, they gave really great suggestions on what I can do to improve my script. They also gave praise on what was strong in my script! Although there are some minor things that I have to incorporate, I am still happy with my script overall and I can’t wait to produce it soon! I also got to meet with Oz, one of the editors, and it was interesting to hear his process of editing videos for Studio Center.

2/6

On Monday, the other interns and I cleaned the storage room once again. Compared to the first week, the storage room is much more organized, and cleaner, and has a lot of space to walk around! For the remainder of the day, I was working on my script because on Wednesday I have to pitch my idea for my short film that I will be producing here very soon. I was collaborating with the other interns, trying to come up with an idea for my script, but it was really difficult. However, Chris K. came into my office and gave suggestions on what we can do to help with writing our scripts. One of the things that Chris K. suggested that really stuck with me was “Think of something that has happened in your life.” I decided to incorporate this idea into my script and was finally able to come up with an idea that I really like!

2/1

On Wednesday, I got to help with a shoot which I was really excited about! When I got to Studio Center, the crew was getting everything set up almost immediately, but before I went into the studio where they were shooting I was given a GoPro. My task was to record everything that was happening behind the scenes of the shoot. Anything that was happening with the actors, director, camera operators, lighting, and sound, I had to be there to record almost everything. At some point, I got a chance to use a film slate, also called a clapperboard, in-between takes and it’s used to synchronize the audio and video during post-production. Overall, I thought this week was very busy, but also very fun because it was my first professional shoot that I got to be a part of. It was just interesting to see how much work and time goes into a shoot that is made for a 30-60 second long commercial!

1/31

The second week of my internship was way more productive than the first week. On Monday, the other video interns and I got to help Chris K. prepare for a shoot that was going to take place on Wednesday. We cleaned the studio that was going to be used for the shoot and painted wood pallets yellow, which were going to be used as part of the set for the shoot. Chris also showed us how to use a camera dolly which is used to create smooth camera movements. I thought it was really cool!

1/25

Today I got my own office which was really cool! I also got to help Chris K., who is the director of photography at Studio Center, clean the storage/prop room so there was a lot of heavy lifting that had to be done, but it was really nice that I got to be productive. Overall, my first week at Studio Center was very simple yet exciting because I have the opportunity to intern at a place where they specialize in what I am interested in, which is video production. I can’t wait to see what the next few weeks have in store for me!

1/23

Today was my first day at Studio Center and I got to meet Kat who gave me a tour of the audio and video buildings where she introduced me to everyone from the different departments. Everyone was very kind and very welcoming! I later got to sit in with the video department for their weekly meeting where they discussed what tasks they needed to complete like which videos still had to be shot and edited. From there I got to meet Dwenda and Alyssa, the senior and junior producers at Studio Center. They gave a basic rundown of Studio Center’s history and showed examples of past interns’ works because, in the next few weeks, I have to write a script and produce it here at Studio Center so that will be very exciting! Later in the day, Alyssa was explaining the steps to producing a video such as how the clients are involved, all the expenses that go into it, and what post-production is like, but throughout the whole process her dog Maple kept roaming around her office, scratching the floor, and playing with a squeaky toy to try and get our attention. I found it really cute and really cool that Studio Center allows dogs in the buildings which I don’t think many businesses do. For the remainder of the day, I was with Kiara, the other video intern (and friend because we go to the same university), and we talked about script ideas for our video projects.

Intern Diary Week 10 (4/3-4/7)

By Kiara Kyle

Monday 4/3:

Today was very good. I got to work on editing my video project. I’ve learned a lot about editing on Premiere Pro and I’m glad that I could be able to do this on my own to learn a new skill. I am sad that it’s my last week but I’m excited that my video will be completed once the week is up.

Wednesday 4/5:

I have to turn in my project today so I am able to get feedback from all the editors, Dwenda, and Chris. I am close to being as done with it as I can be. Gia has been helping me do things that I never knew how to do. She also introduced me to a cool youtuber that can help me learn how to edit things on premiere as well. I turned the project in and got the feedback. It was all very helpful and it was nice to understand if things were confusing or not. Overall I’m happy that I got some feedback from everyone and I’m excited to present it once all the changes are made.

Friday 4/7:

I finished all the parts I had to do to complete my video project. I think it looks awesome and I know once it’s mixed it’ll look so awesome. Gia helped me do some color corrections and taught me how to do credits and subtitles on my video. It was so much fun to show everyone my project. All the other interns here at Studio Center loved it. Gia said she’d send me the final product once it’s all done. I’m sad that it’s my last day here but I had the best time here at Studio Center and I can’t wait to take all the knowledge and experience I’ve gained here and incorporate it into other projects I do.

Intern Diary Week 9 (3/27-3/29)

By Kiara Kyle

Monday 3/27:

Today was a very productive day. I finished the splicing of my video and now I need to work on the animation portion with Gia and the audio and color correction. It was so productive. Gia and I got a lot done on the animation and it’s looking great. Can’t wait to see how it comes along. I also got to perform in Kiannah’s, another video intern, video project and it was a lot of fun.

Wednesday 3/29:

It was so busy today. I had so many things to do and I felt very professional and felt very happy with the day. I had a great interview about my internship as a whole and it went really well no matter how nervous I was for it. I also had a great meeting with Samantha about casting and it's very cool to understand that process more. I even got a special project I get to help Oz with so that’s super cool. I also realized next week is my last week here and I’m so sad and so nervous that my project might not get done in time, but I think Gia and I can do this.

Intern Diary Week 8 (3/20 - 3/24)

By Kiara Kyle

Monday 3/20:

Today we started Kiannah’s, another video intern, shoot for her film. It was a lot of fun and the actors she got for her film are really good. It was a lot of fun to learn more about lighting today as well. Chris showed examples of how to put gels onto the lights to create a different type of color for the lights to create them warmer or cooler for the scenes. It was also cool to see how much lighting can change the mood of a scene. Overall quite exciting.

Wednesday 3/22:

I got to continue editing on my project, but there were some setbacks today. I got to finish my paper edits and I even got to help Chris with his paper edits for a commercial. I felt very professional and very helpful. However we couldn’t update the computer so I wasn’t able to get any further than the paper edits but that’s okay because I can make more progress on Friday.

Friday 3/24:

My edit is coming along so well!! This is so exciting and I am having so much fun. I did a sort of second paper cut to help organize myself a little more. I finished the first scene of the video and it looks amazing. Chris gave me a cool suggestion and now I just need to do it but since I’m a beginner at editing it’s a little challenging. I’m just so excited though. I think this will turn out great especially with the great ideas that will be put into play once I finish my rough cut.

Intern Diary Week 6 (2/27-3/3)

Monday (2/27):

Today I got to meet with Oz, one of the editors here at Studio Center. It was a very interesting conversation. He helped me to understand just how competitive the film business is and exactly how I should try to impress people. He talked to me about how to put a story together when you’re writing a script or even just editing a video. He taught me how important it was to be able to create a story and he also taught me how important it is to be able to note the little details in films that directors did well. The talk was very informative and helpful and I can’t wait to meet with other editors and people here to learn more about the industry.

Wednesday (3/1):

Erness Anne, another intern here, had her shoot for her short film today. I got to be the producer on the project and the continuity person. It was super cool to see how the shoots would be going, but also I learned a lot from her shoot that I can incorporate into my own shoot next week. I learned about how important set design is and how it’s crucial to make sure that there isn’t anything in the shot that the audience would question. I feel like after seeing her shoot I am more prepared for my shoot. I also found my lead for my film. So great day.

Friday (3/3):

So I had a little bit of a setback. The lead I found for my film has now told me that they can’t do it anymore since it’s their last day. I have to find a new one by Monday. I met with Samantha and Sarah, another intern, about how to find other actors for the film. I hope I get someone by Monday so that they have time to memorize the script. I also need to find other actors for my other roles so I am kind of stressed. More and more setbacks but I think I can make it through it. It’s all a part of the business to be able to adapt and work in a time crunch.

Intern Diary Week 5 (2/20-2/24)

This week was a pretty cool week. I got to sit in on another of the weekly meetings about the editing projects and projects that are gonna be coming up. I like to see how they organize those meetings. After the meeting we got to discuss what we’ll be doing for the rest of the internship. I have a lot of meetings set up and I’m excited for them because I get to learn more about video and production. I know that after leaving this internship I definitely know that I will be prepared for my future in the film industry.

Friday 2/17:

Today was a good day. I got to present the final draft of my script to everyone and it went great. I got some great feedback about the animation style. I even got to meet with Gia and go over sounds, text bubbles, and the animation look of everything. It was really good. I really feel a part of the filmmaking process and it’s nice to be able to help the other interns on their projects as well so I get to learn different positions of the filmmaking process.

Wednesday 2/15:

Another slow day in the office but I did get some fun tasks to do. I met the talent intern Erika today and she’s super nice. I got to collaborate with her and the other video interns on cool Tiktok trends we can do to be able to post on Studio Centers page. It was pretty cool to see the content that Studio Center posts on TikTok. Some of them were very funny, especially their Halloween costume contest video. After that, we got to talk with Allen who’s an audio engineer who also works with auditions for voices for radio commercials. He was an intern at Studio Center who now works here and it was interesting to hear how he caught the eye of the audio engineer here so much that they hired him. Sounds like an amazing opportunity for him. It was nice to sit around and talk about what we wanna do in the future with film and what we wanna do in the film industry. It was also helpful to hear about how the film industry is here in Virginia Beach compared to other places. Overall it was a good slow day that was productive.

Monday 2/13:

It’s been kind of slow today. I have revised my script for the next meeting with Dwenda and Chris. I also met with the talent intern to go over the specifics of what type of actors and actresses I’ll need for my script. I wrote down the costume ideas for each character and just to feel productive I also searched up different prices for props to see what props I need to get. Overall pretty slow.

Friday 2/3:

Oh my gosh, I loved today. For some background, I love to organize things and make them look pretty and neat so that everything can be found easily. So today I got to organize and clean the Studio Center Storage closet. It was so much fun. I also got to help clean up the studio since the shoot was over. I can’t wait to continue organizing and filing on Monday.

Wednesday 2/1:

Awesome day today. We started with the shoot for Absolute Services. It was a ton of fun. I got to film people backstage while they were filming. I even got to try out slatting for a film. I was super nervous but it went great and I can’t wait to do it again. It was so cool to see how an actual commercial is made. Everyone was working together and collaborating on ideas of what should happen and what shots they should get. It was really fascinating and it was a great way to learn about filming without just learning about it in a classroom.

Monday 1/30:

Today was fun. I spent the entire day with Chris the Director and Cinematographer at Studio Center. He had me painting and cleaning up the set for the shoot on Wednesday. The painting was very messy, but it was a lot of fun, especially while doing it with the other interns. Chris also taught us about a dolly. It helps move the camera smoothly when filming something moving. It was super interesting because I have been fascinated by certain tricks you can do to film certain scenes like someone walking. I hope that I get to learn even more about camera tricks. I’ll have to ask about it one of these days.

Wednesday 2/1:

Awesome day today. We started with the shoot for Absolute Services. It was a ton of fun. I got to film people backstage while they were filming. I even got to try out slatting for a film. I was super nervous but it went great and I can’t wait to do it again. It was so cool to see how an actual commercial is made. Everyone was working together and collaborating on ideas of what should happen and what shots they should get. It was really fascinating and it was a great way to learn about filming without just learning about it in a classroom.

Friday 2/3:

Oh my gosh, I loved today. For some background, I love to organize things and make them look pretty and neat so that everything can be found easily. So today I got to organize and clean the Studio Center Storage closet. It was so much fun. I also got to help clean up the studio since the shoot was over. I can’t wait to continue organizing and filing on Monday.

Monday 1/23:

Today was my first day at the Internship and it was great. I got introduced to everyone by Kat and they were all very welcoming and friendly. I was very nervous when I first got there because I thought I’d mess something up but everyone is very understanding and nice. I got to meet my supervisors Dwenda, senior producer, and Alyssa, Junior Producer. They let me sit in on their weekly meetings where they talk about what needs to be finished and when. They also discussed what new things will be on their way. It was very informative on sort of how projects are worked on and it’s that they give certain projects to certain people. After the meeting, they showed me a cool presentation on what the internship is and told me that I will get to make my own video and write the script for it. I’m really excited about this because it’s what I want to do in the film industry so I get my first real go at it. They even showed me examples of the past intern's videos that they made. When that was done they let me go to my temporary office with my friend/the other intern Erness Anne where we discussed ideas for our scripts. After a while of working on that we talked to Alyssa about what it’s like being a Producer and what she does. It was interesting to learn that they work with creating the budget and that they’re the ones who assign the projects to certain editors and producers. Overall this was one of the best days of my life and I’m excited to continue my internship here.

Wednesday 1/25:

The second day of the internship and it was fun. Today I got to work closely with the director/cinematographer, Chris. However, before any of that work started I got shown my very own office where I get to work. It’s so cool that they give me my own workplace. I feel very professional. After I settled in I then went to work with Chris. It was a lot of fun to help prepare for the shoot that they’ll be doing next week. All I did was help clean the prop closet out but it felt like normal theater things. It was nice. It was so cool to see all the equipment that he uses during shoots. I’ve always been torn because I don’t always know if I want to just be a director. I’m glad here I get to look at every department a little closer so then maybe I’ll truly know if being a director is what I want. I’m also super excited about being able to help with and see an actual professional shoot next week. Can’t wait to tell you all about it.

Friday 1/27:

On the third day of the internship. It was fun and very informative. I helped even more with setting up the set for the shoot next week. I was even painting some set pieces. This all reminds me so much of tech week. That’s what we call the week of the play because it’s when we finish setting up the set pieces, painting things, and making sure everything is prepared and ready to go for dress rehearsals. It felt very familiar and in my alley of skill sets. In between all of this, I also got to ask Chris and Evan, the boss of the shoot that’s happening next week, some questions about actually filming. I asked them what they think the most important thing is to prepare before a shoot. They really gave me a lot to think about. They told me that it’s all about knowing your story and how you want to tell it. It gave me a lot to think about and honestly I don’t think I’ve ever thought about something like that before. They were telling me it’s not just about things being cool, it’s about how all the elements come together to create something that has meaning to the audience and that every shot has a purpose in how the audience will feel. I know what they mean because I’ve analyzed musicals and theater performances, but now I need to start thinking about this in the way of my work as well. I can already tell how much of an impact this internship is making on me and the work I do. I’m excited to see how much I grow while here.

Intern Diary #8

This was my last full week at Studio Center as an intern. These last few months have been so much fun, and I am excited to see what is next in the future. I do have one more day left next week, then I will be going on my way. Everyone has been so friendly and this experience has taught me so much about the industry. I hope other interns in the future take the time to do well, and take in as much as they can during their time here. Overall, I think out of my two other internships this one has been the most informative. Thank you Studio Center for such a great experience!

Intern Diary #7

This week I was able to work more on my video project with my editor Tyler. We got most everything cleaned up just a few more sounds to add here and there. I really like how it is coming together, I especially love the suspense we created in the film! This whole process has been amazing, I'm so happy I get to work with people who want to see me succeed. Overall this week was pretty busy with the video editing but it went very well!

Intern Diary #6.

This week I was mostly sitting in with my editor (Tyler). We are just about finished with editing the film, just a few minor changes. I really like how it is coming out and I am very proud of myself. I also got to watch another video interns film, they did a great job! Once my film is finished I will be wrapping up my time here at Studio Center.

Intern Diary #5

I had so much fun this week, mainly because on Monday I got to shoot my intern video. It was nice seeing everything come together, and move from being on just paper. The actors I chose were so nice and eager to work. I also got to work more on my directing skills and figuring out when and how to give direction. Unfortunately, we did not finish the shoot on Monday, but next week we are filming again and should be wrapping up. On Wednesday I and Tyler (editor) were able to look at some of the footage and chose scenes we liked for the final video. I would say this week I was able to come out of my shell and work my hardest.

Intern Diary #4

I had so much fun this week, mainly because on Monday I got to shoot my intern video. It was nice seeing everything come together, and move from being on just paper. The actors I chose were so nice and eager to work. I also got to work more on my directing skills and figuring out when and how to give direction. Unfortunately, we did not finish the shoot on Monday, but next week we are filming again and should be wrapping up. On Wednesday I and Tyler (editor) were able to look at some of the footage and chose scenes we liked for the final video. I would say this week I was able to come out of my shell and work my hardest.

Intern Diary #3

This week I got to tidy up my video project. I was able to work more on my script and present it for the final time. I enjoyed talking with everyone about the updates I made, I think this project will go very well! I also got to talk with Tyler who will be the editor of my project, we went over a couple of ideas he had in mind. It was fun collaborating because I love adding new things to my project to make it even better. Overall this week was very productive.

Intern Diary #2

Starting off my second week we finished organizing the storage room and got all the props logged into the system. I then started my script for my intern project, It was fairly easy because I already had an idea. I just had to get it all onto paper. On Wednesday I got to pitch my idea, I'm so excited it got approved. Lastly on Friday I got to revise my script to make everything flow better.

Intern Diary #1

My first week back as a video intern was great! I was super busy all the days I came in. On Monday we got to help Chris with getting everything ready for a shoot we had on Wednesday. We helped move some things around, and some of the other interns got to paint. On Wednesday was the actual shoot, and I got to see everything in action once again. It’s always so cool to see the studio transition for a shoot. I also got to shoot some behind-the-scenes again! On Friday it was mostly an organizing day in the studio/storage closet. Overall it was a great first week back!

Week #11

This was my final week at Studio Center. This week was mainly focused on finishing up my intern video project. With the help of Tyler (editor) we are getting closer to finalizing everything! This was one of the best internships I could have done. I got to learn from amazing people every single day. I don’t think I ever had a day where I didn’t learn something new about the industry. I want to thank everyone that is a part of my journey, it really means a lot!

Week #10

This week was very short for me I only came in Thursday and Friday. On Thursday I got to sit in a few audio sessions with Allen. It was nice seeing the whole process right before my eyes! Allen was explaining everything he does for sessions, so I got some real insight. Friday I got to work a bit more on my project, getting ready to finalize everything so it’s all good to go. I am so proud of my work and I can’t wait for everyone to see it!

Week #9

This week was very busy, I got to help and complete many things. On Tuesday I got to help Annie (video intern) with her shoot. I mostly helped Chris (DP) with any extra hands he needed as well as Allen (audio). On Thursday I got to sit with my editor (Tyler) for my intern video. It was really fun talking through the process and coming up with the vision I am going for. We got through a lot and I am so excited to see how it turns out. On Friday we are finishing up Annie’s shoot, I actually am acting in one of the scenes! Overall this week I got plenty done.

Week #8

This week I got to help Tyler (editor) with finding some footage for a video he was editing. Although I have edited before it is always nice to see the process and video being put together. I also got to sit in with Gia (editor) she’s very talented, I loved seeing all of her work. Friday was pretty relaxed I got to help find talent for another interns video project. Then I also got to look a bit more into my clips for my final project.

Week #7

This week was very exciting. To start off I got to shoot some more of my intern video. Because my video is supposed to be spooky, we got to shoot at night, I had a lot of fun coming up with different shots. Especially because the scenery was so different. Next, I got to help with the shoots they were filming here at the studio. I got to help with time codes and doing slate! It is a learning process but in all it was very interesting. Lastly at the end of the week I finished up my intern video shoot. It was such a fun process especially because I got to collaborate with different people!

Week #6

This week was a lot of fun! I worked so much more on my video project. Learning all that goes into making a film even if it’s short, there is so much to do. I got to meet with the editor, and we talked about the final look I’m going for, even though it’s in post it was still fun to talk about. We still have more shooting to do next week, so there is a lot more I need to do. Meeting with the actors and everyone that helped with the production was my favorite part!

Week #5

This week was filled with work. I was working a lot more on my intern project so getting everything in order took some time! I got to learn about call sheets and how to fill them out, as well as how to get a team together for a shoot. I was also able to sit with Tyler (editor) we went over my project and I think in the end our collaboration will make the project 10x better! Overall it was a great week can’t wait to start filming.

Week #4

This week I got to sit in with Chris K. (who showed me how he puts a set together for clients. We also got to talk more about how you work with lighting for cameras. This week I also got to pitch my video project idea. It was fun to actually pitch my idea like a client would, it gave me real world experience! I got to learn from the best and I will definitely be taking their tips along the way with me Another week in the books!

Week #3

The past two weeks have flown by! Being at Studio Center has been stunning. I have witnessed amazing projects from start to finish. I am very eager to come to Studio Center every morning. I love being surprised by the projects we do and clients we get to work with. I have been creating talent decks, updating current talent information, and even uploading new talent in Studio Center! I also have been able to meet and work with the other interns. I am super excited to help the video interns create a short! I am super excited to come back next week and continue learning from everyone around me.

Week #2

This week I got to secure an idea for my intern video project. I got to talk with the casting intern about how I can get actors for my video and she explained the whole process to me. I also ended up drafting a script, which I haven’t done in a while! Also this week I went on a video shoot with Dwenda. It was very exciting, I got to see what all goes into creating a video. And I got to see how every crew members job ties into the video making process. Overall, it was a great week!”

Thank you!

Week #1

Good Morning,

Below is my first diary entry. Thank you!

“My first week here at Studio Center as a Video intern was great! I was able to meet almost everyone that works here in the Virginia Beach location. I will say that everyone is very friendly and I felt welcomed right away. Not to mention that the cookies everyone talks about, are to die for. I got to meet with my supervisor Dwenda, who is amazing! I got to help her with some planning and she discussed what else I will be doing while I am here. Overall I can’t wait to get started, there is so much I want to do and learn!”

Week 9 Final Week

Dear Studio Center,

These past 9 weeks have been truly enlightening. Not only do I have more confidence in myself and in my abilities, but I’ve learned so much about this industry. I learned about casting, filming, planning, and all the in-between. I’ve sat in on voice-over auditions, done slate for a commercial, created many casting decks, and lost bingo too many times. I know that I came to Studio Center to find out if being in the entertainment/film industry was for me. Thanks to Studio Center I learned that I love this industry and I can’t wait to find my place in it. Besides the academic and career stuff, I also learned life lessons. I think that having Sammy as my supervisor was a golden ticket. Sammy always left room in her busy day to ask me simple questions like how I was. She helped me in more ways than just being a supervisor; she was a friend and I greatly appreciate her. I made so many friends during my time here as well. Thank you to everyone in Studio Center for being so kind and welcoming to me and all interns. Being an intern at a production company is intimidating, but everyone here made it the best experience for me. Thank you, Studio Center! I will always remember you!

Week 8

Hello! This week at Studio Center was very relaxed (which was just what I needed after last week). I created two casting decks this week. One of them was a deck of kids! I was able to see the kids' auditions while putting the deck together. It made me super happy to see so many children go after the dream they wanted so young! These kids are also extremely talented, which wowed me. I also was able to sit in on some voice over auditions! Even though I did not have a super active week, I was still super happy to be here!

Week 7

This week was great! I was on set for a real commercial! This was my first experience on set, and it was soo much fun! I was given the opportunity to do slate for the second day of the shoot. I was super nervous but once I knew the flow of shooting it became super easy. I also did BTS for the same shoot (no not the world known Kpop group). I got to film behind the scenes for the commercial. This was really exciting for me because I love finding moments when people are working and focused. I also think BTS is super important for those interested in working in the film industry. I really hope I did well. Besides the commercial I got to help the other intern Kiannah with her film. It is a super cool film, and I am super proud and excited to see the final result! Today there was a cookie contest. I tried almost everything, and I have to say… Studio Center has some great bakers and chefs. I think my favorite was the dark chocolate and peanut butter cookie. Whoever made those cookies has my respect. Thanks for another fun week, Studio Center!

Week 6

This week at the studio has flown by again! I have really enjoyed my week with everyone here. I have created more talent decks and worked with other interns on their projects. I am going to be casting two short films for the video interns! I am super excited and determined to find the perfect cast for them. I have also explored more than just the talent department. I have talked and met with audio engineers, producers, and directors. I love being able to learn from people in other departments because it helps me appreciate and understand the flow system that we have at Studio Center! From casting to pre-production to recording to editing and more in between. Studio Center has also helped me learn about the many different positions and professions there are in this industry, which not many students know about. So, thank you Studio Center!

Weeks #4 & #5

The past two weeks have flown by! Being at Studio Center has been stunning. I have witnessed amazing projects from start to finish. I am very eager to come to Studio Center every morning. I love being surprised by the projects we do and clients we get to work with. I have been creating talent decks, updating current talent information, and even uploading new talent in Studio Center! I also have been able to meet and work with the other interns. I am super excited to help the video interns create a short! I am super excited to come back next week and continue learning from everyone around me!

Week #3

This week went by very fast for me! I feel more comfortable in the studio and in the office. I’ve learned how the new talents are set up in the Studio Center systems and I’ve learned more about the clients Studio Center works with and their expectations. I have also met other interns and started collaborating on projects. I am very excited to say that I will be casting two short videos for the video interns! I am super excited and nervous to do this. The only way to learn is to do it! I am super excited to see what is new next week.

Week 2

My second week being at Studio Center has been very exciting. My supervisor Samantha has given me multiple opportunities to sit in on voice-over sessions. Studio Center has amazing clients and extraordinary talent. I never thought I would hear sessions and projects for such large and well-known companies. Hearing what it is like to work with these companies has been enlightening. Large and well-known companies seem super intimidating to work with, however the skilled staff at Studio Center create an atmosphere that can uplift and relax any moment. I hope this rubs off on me. I am super excited to work with such talented and dedicated people! See ya next week!!

Week 1

My first week at Studio Center was fantastic! Sammy (my supervisor) has been so welcoming and kind to me! Even though I had no idea what I was going into, I am super excited to continue my semester here! The staff have been super kind and fun! I love the atmosphere and the feeling of being with a work family. Today was Football Friday! We all wore jerseys, ate pizza and wings for lunch, and played bingo. I almost won but someone beat me to it. I got to sit in a voice over audition with Allen (super cool guy by the way). He showed me his super cool audio systems and what he does every day. I already know this will be a great semester with everyone here at Studio Center! See ya next week.

Week #1

I’ve really like how everyone acts like one giant family at Studio Center, they even bake cookies for both the workers and clients all over the facility. I love how approachable everyone is, the professionalism in the workplace. Everyone works as a team to get the job done, even though they may be in separate workspaces. Work at Studio Center looks like an interlocking brick system that runs very efficiently!

I expect to keep learning about Audio Operating at Studio Center as I keep wanting more time to work here. I think things are great right now and my time at Studio center is always the highlight of my week, and I think that I’m just getting started. I expect to learn more and make more connections with everyone at Studio Center. I expect to improve on the skills that I know already and learn new ones.

I plan on applying the skills and knowledge that I’m learning about, to my career inside and outside of Studio Center. I value the time I’ve spent here so far, and it feels like I’m learning a lot here in such a short amount of time.

Week 5

This day marks the end of my internship. I had such a great time and made so many connections. This week I rounded up filming clips for the Tik Tok video and edited it. I had the opportunity to work on two upcoming castings, that is, I created job listings for both of them with the help of my mentor then, I created a talent deck for each casting. Also, I updated headshots for some talents on the website and rounded them up with some voice-over auditions. I learned so much during these two months, everyone was nice and always willing to help.

Jisrelle M., Talent Intern

Week 4

This week I finalized the intern video script, budget, and call sheet. I presented the entire project to my supervisor, and she gave me feedback on the questions that I had. Also, the studio center is currently transitioning to a new website. I had to add the talents on the old website to the new one which was very interesting. I always thought you needed coding to just automatically do that, so it was interesting to be able to manually do that part. I did not add the new talents on the website since we are transitioning but I created a folder for them to make it easier to find them later on. To continue, I sorted out the talents that were missing some information on the website and added them to a separate excel sheet. I assisted in a Spanish voice-over for Popeyes as well. Finally, I met with other interns, and we brainstormed on a Tik Tok video that we have to film on my last week of internship.

Jisrelle M., Talent Intern

Week 3

This week, I brainstormed on the script we have to film for our intern video. I realized that writing a script is not easy and you have to add every sound/image detail you would like during the shoot. I finished writing everything with my co-intern, we made a possible budget for the shoot, and we created a call sheet. While making the budget we were guessing and then compared it to google results to have a possible budget. I had the opportunity to do other stuff as well this week which include editing talent information on the talent page, preparing some gift cards for (future) clients, updating some new talent pictures on the website, and finally assisting with two demos (one was a political demo and the other was for a job interview). Overall, I enjoyed this week very much, it was fun, and having a co-intern made everything funnier.

Jisrelle M., Talent Intern

Week 2
This week, I reviewed and created several talent decks for different clients. I also had the chance to watch their shorts and choose which one I would have picked if I was the client which was really fun. I went to the other building for a voice-over recording for a retirement house. I did some research on advertising companies as well as production companies. I learned how new voice-over talents are made. They were lengthier than when doing on-camera talent forms. On Thursday, I assisted with a shoot for a training video. I read the script beforehand, and I was allowed to do the slates and record the behind-the-scenes using the go pro camera.

Jisrelle M., Talent Intern

Today, Wednesday marks the end of my first week of internship. On the first day, I had a tour of both buildings and met a lot of people. I am working with a co-intern in the same field that helped me on my first day as well. Throughout this week, I learned how to create a talent deck, how to catalog new on-camera talent, how auditions and voice-overs work, and how to create a job listing on different platforms. Overall, it is an interesting and fun environment to work in. I did not know what to expect when coming here but I really enjoyed it.

Jisrelle M., Talent Intern

Week #8

This week at Studio Center has been nerve racking but enjoyable. On Tuesday and today, Friday, we shot my video. Tuesday started off on the wrong foot. On top of not getting any sleep, one of our talents had to leave the project the day it was set to shoot. Thankfully, the other interns and even some of the staff were willing to play parts. The Director of Photography , Chris K. and had a bit of creative differences at first but after explaining my night before, we reached an agreement. The entire rest of the shoot Chris was especially kind to me, making sure I liked every shot we did. We shot mostly in order of my script. Chris brought out a dolly rail that we used for two master shots which looked incredible. Both our talent, MK and one of the interns Chase did fantastic on the first day of shooting. We ended shooting about half way through my script and decided to finish it a few days later.

Thursday was a mostly chill day. I spent the day working on the second call sheet for the new shoot day and sending it to everyone working on the shoot.

Today was the last day of the shoot. We had to start later than we originally scheduled so I had to put out a third call sheet but I think it is good practice for later. We started filming and things were going smoothly until we started moving to shoot the one outdoor scene. Currently it has been raining heavily off and on all day. As soon as we got the camera and audio equipment outside, it started raining and the lens on the camera fogged up. Luckily we decided to shoot an indoor scene while it was raining. Around the time we finished that, the rain subsided so we filmed the exterior shot. Unfortunately, it started raining again so I did not get a chance to get a shot I had in my head. I knew that due to the weather things may be hard to film so I just decided to go with the flow and just let it go. After that, we broke for lunch before finishing the shoot with close ups.

This experience has really made me realize how important it is to be a team player and be ready for things not to go as planned. I would like to thank everyone who worked on this shoot: Chris K., Chase, MK, Kiannah, Alexus, Allen, and Alyssa. It was a pleasure working with you all and thank you for being willing to step in and be actors and extras when needed. Thank you to Alyssa, Dwenda, and Chris K. for encouraging the rewrite to make the script better. Thank you also to Chris Lindval for looking over my script and giving me some pointers to make it better.

Next week will be my last here. It is definitely bittersweet, I’m excited to get to edit my project and have something to look back on. I am excited to be getting ready for finishing school and graduation, but I’ve become so accustomed to Studio Center that I know I’m going to miss it.

Week #6

So today, Thursday, was my only day working this week due to some family issues. I had a pretty good day. I feel I have gotten a lot accomplished that I needed to get done in order to be ready for shooting on Tuesday. I have my script planned out and I have sent it to Chris Lindval to see if there is anything I can do to beef up the writing for the dialogue before we film. I also am in contact with Trinity to make sure we have talent for the shoot. We only have one confirmation so far, but I’m not going to worry over it too much, so many people here at Studio Center are willing to help out. I feel confident that if anything were to happen, we will make it work. For a while, Kiannah and I worked on the call sheet for my shoot. The call sheet has information on who is working behind and in front of the camera as well as the schedule and weather of the day. I need to remember to send the completed call sheet on Monday to everyone involved with the shoot. I have also asked for Allen to help out with audio if possible, he worked on Kiannah’s shoot along with his intern. Hopefully the shoot will go well and without too much trouble. I have some homework over the weekend to make sure that the shoot runs well and I hope I can do it right. Even though I was not here for very long this week, I very much enjoy being in the office. It has been so much fun getting to have a place away from school and home that I feel comfortable and excited to share my ideas.

Week #5

This week has been a lot of fun. Tuesday was mostly a workshop day; I was finalizing my script for my intern video to pitch on Thursday. I also worked on the PowerPoint for my pitch and researched how much everything may cost. On Thursday, I did my big pitch. It was somewhat intimidating because I pitched my first script idea that I thought was too short and uninspired, but to my surprise everyone seemed to like it. I got good advice from Chris K, Dwenda, and Alyssa on how to flesh out my script. I really appreciate their ideas and am excited to get started on the filming process. I also helped Kiannah in the green room by ironing/ steaming clothes for a Christmas themed shoot we will be working on next week. It was my first time trying to use an iron and I do not think the iron liked me very much. Lastly, today, Friday, I normally do not work on Fridays, but today Kiannah started filming her video shoot. I have mostly helped with looking out for continuity and just observing what the shoot is like. During our lunch break, we went over to the audio building and helped Graham with recording audience sounds for a game show video which was a ton of fun and interesting. After lunch we came back and filmed for a bit but realized we could not film everything in the time that was set, so we will work on it next Friday as well.

Week #4

This week has been a productive week at Studio Center. On Tuesday, I wrote out my first draft of a script for my intern video project. While I am glad to have finished it, I still have a few more ideas I plan to write out before my pitch next week. I am excited to get a final idea put together so I can start moving forward. Also on Tuesday, I got to work with Chris K. for a bit building a photoshoot set before being whisked away to go play bingo with most of the office. I really liked getting to work on setup because it got me moving and thinking more about backdrops. Today, I spent most of the day brainstorming ideas for my project. I also got to see what a video pitch is sorta like when the other video intern, Kiannah, pitched her idea. I really enjoyed her pitch and it made me rethink so much of what I had. I would also like to thank everyone for the kind words regarding my cat, it truly means a lot.

Annie, Video Intern

Week #3

After missing last week I was excited to get back into the swing of things here at Studio Center. Tuesday was mostly a day for me to work on the script for my upcoming video project. I think I have most of my ideas down, I just got to work with the other interns to figure out how I will film, cast, and edit everything but that will be part of the work down the road. Today, Thursday, I mostly shadowed Gia as she was finishing working on a video due at the end of the week. I personally find video editing fascinating so I was excited to see some of the process. This particular video was having a ton of trouble rendering so we had to run around in order to find a computer after effects would actually cooperate with. After getting the video rendered, it was quick to add in the music and sound effects. I was shocked at how easy Gia makes the editing process look once everything went her way. I am excited to try out a new editing software soon.Thank you all for the lovely week and I am so excited to get to work on my video project as well as help the other interns!

Week #2

This week has been more relaxed than last week was. On Tuesday, I was given the task to research some shooting locations for Dwenda in New York City. I was surprised how long it took to find the places. I spent most of the day working on finding locations with a patio and a good view of the city. I felt very accomplished when I sent the list off. I also sat in on a few more meetings. One of which was with clients to show them a video Gia was working on, after watching the video through twice, the clients gave their feedback. I enjoyed learning more about how the video projects are shown to the clients as the work progresses. Today has been a workshop day since Dwenda and Chris K. are out on a shoot. I sat in on a meeting with Alyssa but before that the office got to play two rounds of bingo, which was a lot of fun. Although this week has not been as hands-on as it seems to be around here, I do still enjoy getting to spend time here. I so far have come to enjoy getting to talk to people and just helping out when I can.

Annie, Video Intern

Week #1

My first week here has been quite the hectic first jump into the working environment. I started on Tuesday, bright and early, not sure what to expect but excited to start. First, was the tour of both buildings before meeting my supervisors, Dwenda and Alyssa. I helped out with a little bit of paperwork before helping Alyssa and Chris K. with cleaning storage in anticipation for the end of summer party that Studio Center is hosting. After lunch, I got an overview of my duties as an intern before getting to sit in on a meeting and learn more about how the business side of Studio Center works. It was a fun first day and gave me an idea of what to expect on a typical day in the office. Today, Thursday, the day of the previously mentioned end of the summer party, has been non-stop running around. I started the day setting up the VIP area of the party with Crystal, Heather, and Chris W. We got the tee shirts wrapped and glasses cleaned and dried as well as the tables set with flowers. Afterwards, I helped move all the beverages from the video studio into the tent that the party will be in. Overall, today has been frenzied, but enjoyable and I am so glad to be able to get to know more of my coworkers. Thank you all for the warm welcome, and I am so delighted and grateful to be here!

Annie, Video Intern

After being an "Audio Intern" for a few weeks now, I can say wholeheartedly that I have felt so welcomed by all of the staff I have interacted with. It feels like a big family at Studio Center, and they made me feel right at home. I have learned so much in such a short amount of time working alongside Shippley, it has been incredible! He has a great knowledge of audio engineering and producing, but he also knows how to explain his knowledge to somebody who has little to no experience. In essence, he’s a great teacher and supervisor for interns like myself to learn from. While there is a lot of information to take in during the first couple of weeks, I have always felt like I could stop and ask questions to understand something, there was never a moment questions were discouraged. I expected to be taught how some of the software works and how various equipment is used, but never did I expect to be in control of audio engineering for some auditions or to work so closely on the great projects Studio Center does. Experience really is the best teacher and it’s evident that Studio Center believes that. I expect to continue to grow in my knowledge and understanding of the various tools at an audio engineer’s disposal as well as how to manage and direct talent to produce the best possible product. I also expect to learn more about production audio and how to get the best possible quality during production. In the future I intend to get a job somewhere in the audio field and be able to use my experience with Studio Center as a part of my foundation for professional audio work. I am certainly looking forward to the next weeks ahead!

Over my time at Studio Center, I’ve had a chance to really observe and understand how a successful production company operates. I can’t say an hour has passed where I didn’t gain something from this experience. Coming in as a sales intern I thought it would be hard trying to make my way to the other departments around the facility, but my supervisors Zac, Helen, and Adrian made sure I got a chance to engage in everything that interested me and more. I had an especially great time in the recording studio shadowing Peter, Chris, and Shipley. Every personality at Studio Center is truly one of a kind. I’ve never seen people work this effectively but joke and have fun at the same time. Having a chance to spend time in this space has truly helped me hone in on the career and lifestyle I want to reach in the future. Everyone I have had the pleasure of speaking with has left me with some great advice or just an overall good feeling. I believe Studio Center has a long life ahead of them, so I won't be surprised when I hear about the great work they’re still doing in two or three decades. I can’t say thank you enough and I hope I have a chance to work with this team in the future!

This past week at Studio center has been an eventful one to say the least. Even though I am a sales intern this week I got a chance to go on a video shoot for Old Dominion University. The experience from this shoot was priceless. Over the course of one day we were able to shoot three scenes across the entire campus. Being in that environment has shown me all the obstacles that may arise as well as the small and intricate details that make a good production. After working this close with Studio center it is easy to see why they have such satisfied clients. Being a part of that experience makes waiting for the final product even more exciting in my opinion. I hope I have more chances in the future to tag along on video shoots.

Hey there,
If you want to know what it’s like to be an intern at Studio Center, you’ve come to the right place...Let me start by saying that the Social Media room is where it’s at! Gia and Rusty keep it real, and they have trained me well. If you have a question about anything (Adobe software, advertising strategies & processes, or camera-related things) they’ll help you figure it out. And they’re always super nice about it! I could talk about so many things that I was able to be a part of here...like going on photoshoots, conducting S.W.O.T. Analyses, monitoring social media pages, trying my hand at graphic design, or coming up with ideas for marketing programs. But, the best part of it all was just interacting with people. I love when employees from other departments, like Graham or Shippley, stop by for some conversation or to troubleshoot an audio problem. And it’s always fun when a voice actor, like Kwame, pops in to say hello. There’s a ton of work being done at Studio Center, but everyone is able to maintain a truly welcoming atmosphere in the midst of it—and that...that’s what makes Studio Center a special place to be an intern.

This week here has felt more like school work than actual work. I've been studying a whole lot about Adobe Premiere and After Effects, making sure that when I begin to edit my intern project I won't be too much in the dark if that makes sense. My project seemed to have been pushed back because everyone else's schedules made it hard to get it started, which isn't a big deal, but I was really excited to get it started. We'll just have to see what happens next week and go from there I guess.

This week has been a bit more on the relaxed side of things. I have been able to write a script, budget, and create a timesheet for both my 30 second long and 1:30 long projects this week. The toughest part was probably trying to come up with a good idea and finding people to help me work on it. In the end, I think I've been able to come up with some good ideas that people will enjoy watching and also creating. I'm really excited to get the thumbs up to start working on the projects. It's gonna be fun.

My first week here at Studio Center is really fun and an involving environment. I’m enjoying the work that is being provided and I really appreciate the people that help me through this process. It's my first time getting to be involved in meetings, working with professionals, and especially getting my own office. I swear when I was told that I got to have an office, I was ecstatic. I'm a very simple person and the fact that I get an office makes me feel more like an adult than I really am. Being part of an onsite shoot was also exciting. I got to work with wonderful people that allowed me to get involved and learn many things. Overall, my first week here at Studio Center has been a wonderful and enjoyable experience. I can't wait to see what they got next for me.

This week I had the pleasure to talk to Chris, the Director of Photography, about the craft of cinematography. I found his take refreshing. He drove home the point that visual storytelling is an art and the importance of approaching it from that perspective. We discussed how a lot of budding DPs and videographers get caught up in the race for the fanciest camera: 4k, 6k, 8k, etc. However, a skilled director of photography can tell a compelling story without the bells and whistles. Chris has been doing this stuff for a long time and he has a wealth of information to share. I look forward to working with him on set.

One week in and so far, so good. Everyone has been very warm and welcoming. My first day began with the opportunity to observe an editing session. Watching Dwenda and Oz select the perfect lower thirds package reinforced the notion that every detail matters. Later on that day, I sat in on another editing session with Dwenda and Leah. They came up with creative ways to seamlessly execute changes based on client notes. I also had the pleasure of being part of a Zoom meeting with a client. It was interesting to get an inside look at how the Studio Center team works with clients to create the most effective way to convey the intended message. I look forward to what next week brings.

Week 7

Today marks the end of my internship. What a journey it has been! For lack of a better adjective, I am sad my time has come to an end. It seemed like I was just getting into the hang of things and starting a routine. However, all things must come to an end. I am not good at saying goodbye, but I have a feeling Studio Center and I will cross paths again. I am so incredibly grateful for being able to partake in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I know countless students apply for intern positions at Studio Center and I am humbled to have been selected out of many. Coming into this, my fear was I was too old to be an intern; that was not the case in the slightest. Lesson learned: everyone is on their own quest, guiding themselves through their own timeline, at their own pace, and can start something new at any age! I would also like to extend my gratitude to everyone for welcoming me with open arms and making me feel like I was part of the team. I have made connections I hope will transcend outside of this experience. For me, connecting with others to hopefully leave a positive impact will forever be what I strived for and I think I have achieved that.

Until next time Studio Center!

Week 6

This week was the debut of my intern project! The process of creating it was exhilarating and I am grateful for all the help I received from the Studio Center team. I am thrilled with how the project turned out, and anxiously awaited to see what others thought of it. Well...it was a hit! I went in with the intention of making something so wacky and “out-there” viewers could not help but love it. It brought great joy to me knowing the Mind of an Intern was able to conjure deep belly chuckles from those who have not laughed so hard in years! However, I did not anticipate the song being such an earworm! It has been stuck not only in my head, but the infectious rap also has been on replay by staff and interns alike.

Week 5

I had a blast this week! This week was all about producing my very own project; I would be creating a short video from start to finish. I went from being an active participant in other people’s work to being the one calling the shots. As with everything else, going into this project was intimidating at first and caused a little anxiety. Once I came up with my idea, the ball started rolling...and it was rolling at full speed! My nerves settled fast, and I was able to enjoy the creative process. I got to experience a different aspect of Studio Center, the audio department. Shipley and Danielle were awesome to work with! I appreciate all they did for me with respect to the audio for my project. I went in with a vision and they helped bring it to life. Chris Karvellas, as always, is awesome and with his patience and expertise made me look like a rock star on camera. I am extremely grateful for his skill and willingness to work with interns. With all the pieces to my project coming together, I would now be tasked with editing...which I know very little about. However, Leah took interest in my wacky project and wanted to help me. Leah is a wizard when it comes to editing and I am so appreciative she took time out of her busy schedule to help me. I cannot wait to show everyone the project and I hope people enjoy it as much as I did making it!

Week 4

This week I had the opportunity to be on set for a shoot! It was cool to experience Studio Center staff and talent at work. Witnessing Chris Karvellas in his element was extraordinary; he is very meticulous, and you can tell cinematography is his passion. Watching the talent perform was also enjoyable. The main actor was hilarious. Although it was a smaller shoot, a lot of time, care, and hard work was put into the production. I cannot wait to see the final product. I am looking forward to next week because I start a video project of my own! Throughout the weeks I have been here, I have been a spectator and active participant, but this is my chance to take the wheel and show everyone what I’ve got!

Week 3

I had a very fulfilling week! My fellow intern wrapped the filming of his intern project; it was a blast watching the production come together during the last few weeks. The amount of time and effort put into it showed true skill on multiple levels by everyone involved. My supervisor informed me I will be producing my very own 1-minute 30-second video. I am extremely excited about the opportunity and cannot wait to showcase my talents. Production is slated to begin (and end) on July 6th. I wrote the project myself and even plan on starring in and editing it. I was nervous about the initial pitch of my idea. I worried my vision would get lost in translation when explaining it. However, I knocked the pitch out of the park and everyone was super supportive of my ideas. Here's to another great week!

Week 2

This week was exceptional! I have settled into my role of being an intern after the first week of trying to find my footing. I am glad to be over the initial newbie hump so I can truly be fully immersed in this opportunity. I am starting to build relationships with fellow interns and several of the employees I hope will continue to blossom in the next coming weeks. For me, it is not only about getting the technical experience I crave, but I am also interested in making lifelong connections with people. I got to experience the behind-the-scenes action of an official video shoot with other interns and the director of photography. Chris Karvellas really knows his stuff! It was exciting to witness my fellow interns commit their selves to various roles on set. I highly anticipate making a video of my own and can’t wait to see where the upcoming weeks take me!

Starting something new will always be a little intimidating for me; I did not know what to expect on my first day of being an intern. However, everyone I met was very welcoming and that put my mind at ease making me feel like I was instantly part of the team. I talked with video editors, the creative director, and the director of photography, all of whom are incredibly knowledgeable in their fields. The majority of the employees I talked with wanted to know what I sought to do after I graduate from ODU and where I saw myself in the future. However, I do not know what I intend to do after I finish school...just yet. Through this opportunity, it is my hope to gain insight into not only how different moving parts come together to achieve a singular goal, but also to try on different hats and learn more about my professional interests. I look forward to the upcoming weeks I have at Studio Center.

Working with Studio Center has been wonderful so far. The work environment is very light-hearted and engaging. It is fast-paced yet not too overwhelming. The knowledge I have learned so far has made me realize I may want to pursue a career as an audio engineer in the future. I have been given practice mixes to design and enhance my knowledge of voiceover mixing which has been very helpful. The voiceover talent I have had the pleasure of meeting has been the sweetest people I have ever met.

I expected to learn in-depth knowledge on recording and mixing audio in a professional field. Studio Center has exceeded my expectations in the knowledge I have gained.
After I depart from Studio Center, I plan on applying my new knowledge to the various positions I currently hold and will hold in the future. The extensive knowledge I am learning will be applied to an international acapella group I manage and my senior thesis where I will mix all audio for a student-led short film.

I am studying Commercial Music: Film Scoring at Liberty University. I have loved how friendly and welcoming the staff has been. I appreciate how accommodating my supervisor has been and how open to questions and hands-on experiences he and the other staff have been. I definitely feel that I am growing in my technological understanding of the audio engineering field technically, socialization, and entrepreneurially. My expectations are for my growth in a deeper understanding of pro tools, source connect, and physical audio equipment such as mics and mixing consoles. I plan to begin my career as a film composer, better equipped to record, mix, and master my own scores. I additionally will be able to record ADR and special effects for films as an added benefit to potential director/producer employers.

I have really enjoyed learning the intricacies of the operations manager, Dave Davis. Many of the main tasks of operations are behind the scenes and things most people would not notice. I will be finishing up the roof project and helping Dave start on his upcoming projects. The skills I have learned will help me think critically and solve problems in efficient ways. Often in operations, you must take a second and plan out the task so it can move smoothly and quickly.

Week 4

Today I shot my Internship video. It was very fun setting up the equipment with Chris and hearing his insight on directing and managing a crew. It was a bit overwhelming, but I eventually got the hang of working with the crew and actors. We had a slight delay with the audio equipment, so we had to push our shoot to two days.

On Friday I edited the first part of the video and had a good time setting up the sound design. I really like the footage and I think it lines up with the vision I had in my head. I also spent this time reworking the "shoot schedule" to accommodate the extra date, but the cast and crew are fine with the extra time.

Week 3

Today I was assigned the behind-the-scenes video for the Samaritan House video. It gave me a good taste of what is expected of "bts" videos. They often need to be snappy and fast-paced, syncing music and snappy visuals to keep the audience engaged. I also pitched my script to Erik and Dwenda, and their reactions were very positive. I'm securing my actors today and working on a shooting script tomorrow.

Today I finished up the BTS video for Samaritan and helped with the dog shoot. I also started mapping out my shot list and storyboard with Chris. Finally, at 4:30 I participated in a brainstorming session with other staff members of the office.

Week 2

I was introduced to Dwenda today and she showed me what I would do for the Intern video project. I spent a good portion of the first 2 hours researching effective ads for companies and came up with my idea and script. Dwenda also assigned me some tasks such as reorganizing the internship drive and reformatting the intern packet. I'm quite pleased with how both turned out. My script idea is two interns fighting over the last slice of pizza for pizza day.

On Friday I finished writing my script and finished my pitch presentation for Erik and Dwenda. I'm pleased with how streamlined the process is going. Executing my ideas in an organized way always makes the process easier. I also helped put the finishing touches on the Samaritan House video by reviewing the final video with other interns and peers. Everyone had constructive things to say and I found the process to be quite enjoyable.

Week 1

On Thursday I got the chance to go with Chris and Eric to a location scout for the Norfolk Academy Graduation. Chris and I discussed what would be best for the graduation, and we both decided that a 2 camera setup would be best to get all the shots we need. I also got the chance to meet Oz, where we talked about editing tips and the best way to organize your footage. I found this extremely helpful.

On Friday I got my first editing project, working on the Norfolk Academy Pre Presentation Powerpoint. It was interesting seeing the collaboration between the client and filmmaker, it showed me just how important communication is when creating a product for a client. I also got the chance to work on the subtitling for the Samaritan House video. It was slightly tricky making out what some of the people said, but I helped out with a certain portion.

I just love the people. Every single person I've met at Studio Center is incredibly passionate, talented, and not to mention kind; everyone looks out for the interns' experience and makes sure we are learning as much as we possibly can. Even people in other departments want the interns to observe, help with, and gain experience with their projects. I love seeing how everyone has different roles, responsibilities, and skills, but comes together to share ideas, fine-tune, and produce the best product for Studio Center clients. The social media department has taught me so much in my few weeks here about working with clients, best practices of social media management, as well as photography and videography. I've loved working with various social media platforms and creating content for a variety of clients that are passionate about their businesses.

I expect to keep gaining valuable knowledge on how to work with social media clients, analyzing post insights, and how social media ties into other projects that Studio Center is producing.

I plan on taking what I've learned in the Social Media department at Studio Center and applying it in my future marketing career. The hands-on experience I've gained here is priceless!

This is my final week at Studio Center and I can’t believe it. It honestly feels like last week that I first walked in these doors and got started learning the ropes. Since then, I have worked on several projects, found new talent, cast new talent, and worked on a couple of sets. This internship has been such an amazing experience and I am so thankful that I got a chance to work here. If you’re thinking about applying - do it! I have met so many amazing people and the work here is so engaging and fulfilling. I couldn’t imagine a better place to spend my last semester before I graduate. As sad as I am that this internship is over, I still am so happy I got to be a part of Studio Center for the short time I was here.

Week 9 is done! This week, admittedly was not as fast-paced as others, but a lot of prep work is being done! I’ve been helping to create casting decks for several commercials that are going to be filmed in the future. It’s really fun to go through all of the talents and create a deck for clients to look through our talent. While I won’t be a part of the shoot, it’s been really great learning how to prep and create the casting decks. It’s crazy to think that I only have two weeks left here at Studio Center, it feels like I just walked in the door yesterday and started to figure out how things work. I’ve learned so much and I can’t wait to see what my last two weeks hold.

I’ve finished up week eight and it is crazy to think I only have three weeks left here at Studio Center. It honestly feels like I’ve just started her even though I’ve learned so much already. I got the chance to work on an internal video a couple of weeks back and it was so exciting to work through the filming, see it through the editing process, and then get to experience the final video! What made it even better was that I got to be in the video as well! It’s a project that I’m proud to be a part of and I’ve already shown it off to my friends. This internship has been such a good experience so far and I’m excited to see what else I will learn in the few weeks I have left!

It’s the end of week five and it’s probably my favorite so far! This week I had the amazing opportunity to work as a production assistant on a shoot! I was so excited coming into the job, and it exceeded my expectations. It was so interesting to see how all the behind-the-scenes aspects functioned with one another as well as how the talent worked into the project. I had a great time meeting all of the people working on the job and getting to know them better. I learn best by working hands-on, so the experience was something I will always be grateful for. Hopefully, I get to work on another production soon!!

Week four - done! My time here so far at Studio Center has flown by, but it has been a blast. Ever since starting I’ve learned so much about casting for clients and processing talent. This week I worked on creating a casting deck for clients for an upcoming project. Not only did I get to help create a deck, but I am also going to be working as a Production Assistant on the shoot and I couldn’t be more excited!! I can’t wait to get involved in more projects here at Studio Center and learn as much as I can during my internship.

I have already learned so much in the three weeks that I have been interning here at Studio Center. I was allowed to sit in on several voice-over auditions earlier this week and spend time with the audio technicians here. It was really cool to see how quickly and efficiently the auditions moved while the talent was in there. I also got to watch them record and edit the sound to playback for the talent while there were still in the booth. I even got the chance to go into the sound booth and practice my own voice-over with a script. It was super informative to be in a professional sound booth and see how it sounds when the talent is working in there. Even though I’ve only been here for a short time, I feel like I’ve learned so much already.

Here's my intern diary for this week!

I am finishing my first week here at Studio Center and it has already been filled with excitement. On my first day, I met the entire staff and got a tour of the buildings. I had no clue that the facilities would be so amazing and that Studio Center has one of the biggest cycs on the East Coast. I cannot wait until I get to work on a project here. Also on my first day, I was allowed to sit in on a meeting with a client that was about repackaging videos which really gave me an inside look into how all of the behind-the-scenes operations work.
Meeting the people who work here has been great as well, they are all so welcoming and fun to be around. They even helped me get my tire fixed when I had a flat! It’s little things like that that made me realize this internship would be like no other.

Well, this was it: the final week of my internship at Studio Center. It's crazy to think that it has flown by this fast! It feels just like yesterday when I was in awe of pretty much everything here. As of writing this, I have just finished my final behind-the-scenes project and it is incredibly bittersweet. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sad that this was ending because, honestly, I couldn't get enough of this place. Being able to work with so many fantastic people as well as being able to work on activities I am passionate about, such as video editing, has been a remarkable experience. I really can't (and won't) stop singing praises about this place. If I could say one thing about my time here, it would probably be this: internships at Studio Center are the real deal!

Week 10 is my second to last week here at Studio Center and I find it to be an opportune time to reflect back on what I have done during my internship and how my experiences will serve me going forward. While my hands-on experience has been incredibly valuable, I think what will be the most helpful in continuing my career is seeing the workflow here at Studio Center. I am sure that not every workplace has the same level of communication or the same amount of work put into delivering their product as Studio Center, but I have been able to pick up on the basics and that is what I find to be important. Knowing what to expect in the industry before I even graduate is going to put me ahead of the curve and a lot of people do not get to say that. So, I am certainly glad that I have been able to spend my internship here. Next week marks the end of my internship, so I hope to give it my all!

Week 8 was hands down, the most exciting and eventful week so far. This is the week that the Intern Short Project was filmed! Everyone involved did an excellent job and the results are something to be proud of! The acting was really great, the directing and camera work was incredibly professional, and the audio was very clean. I was given the privilege of editing the short together and it was really fun getting to piece the vision together and come up with a first cut. Now, we wait for feedback, see how we can improve on our current cut, and apply what we learn to future projects!

Week 7 is heading out the door and, I gotta say, time flies by fast! My internship will be coming to an end here soon and I can not say that I am looking forward to it. All of what I have experienced so far has been great and I certainly do not want that to end. That aside, I did have the opportunity to use some top-notch editing equipment this week! Normally, video interns get to use the equipment that is provided to us by Studio Center. However, this week, I was able to use a workstation that the professional editors work on every day! Seeing all of the different equipment involved with the editing here at Studio Center is crazy! It was definitely eye-opening and a bit overwhelming to see it all, but I am glad I did! Looking forward to the opportunity to work with it some more here in the future.

Week 6 is coming to a close and the progress being made with our Intern Project seems to be running smoothly. I have already covered this in previous diary entries, so this week I would like to focus on something that happened this week that caught me by surprise. I was fortunate enough to help edit a video for a client of Studio Center! For starters, the type of project was something I have never personally worked on, so it was nice just to get some experience with that particular type of video. Beyond that, being able to be a part of the editing process for an actual client felt very rewarding. It seems like each week brings about something new and exciting and this week was no different!

As I'm approaching the end of Week 5 I'm left asking myself, "Where has the time gone?!" It seems just like yesterday that I was starting my internship and meeting all of the wonderful people here at Studio Center. Five weeks later and I, as well as the other interns, are finally starting our video project! We plan to shoot in two weeks and I can hardly wait! I have a feeling that this will certainly be one of the prime highlights of my time here. Great things are happening at Studio Center and I am sure that there is more to come!

I am approaching the end of my fourth week here at Studio Center and all of the pre-production work on the intern-led video project is coming along well! It is certainly a new experience for me as I have never worked on this level of detail and planning on a video before. Learning how to create a budget and how to pitch to clients is all really valuable information, so I'm glad that I am able to learn it now instead of having to fumble around after graduating and entering the workforce. Hopefully, next week will be the conclusion of pre-production and all of the interns involved can finally get to work on making something fantastic!

Things have certainly started to ramp up this week! After completing my work on the Behind the Scenes video, I have been assigned the task of editing a Sizzle Reel for some of Studio Center's 2020 projects. I must say that it certainly seems like quite the undertaking compared to my previous assignment, but it is certainly something I am excited to work on. However, there is something even bigger coming up on the horizon: a video shoot handled entirely by the interns here at Studio Center! While the details are still being worked on, I know for certain that this is going to be an invaluable experience. The ability to have hands-on experience with production work is already rare for a film student, let alone being able to find that experience in 2021 given the current state of the world. So, it's exciting to know that Studio Center is giving us interns an opportunity to responsibly produce our own work and build our portfolio. I am certainly looking forward to new developments with this project as my internship continues!

As I finish my first week at Studio Center, I am overwhelmed with excitement for what lies ahead. Any and all expectations I had going into this internship were blown out of the water from the moment I walked through the front door. Out of all of the wonderful things I have been able to experience in my time thus far, I would have to say the thing that sticks with me the most is how welcoming the staff is. Everyone is incredibly kind and the workplace atmosphere is unlike anything I have seen before. Beyond that, I have already started working on editing some Behind the Scenes footage for Studio Center. While I already do a lot of editing in my own time, the resources that are available here as well as the guidance I have received have changed how I look at the editing process. Finally, I was able to shadow during an audio recording session for one of Studio Center's clients. Audio engineering is a fascinating process and I would love to learn more about it during my time here. Overall, I am beyond excited to continue my internship and to see what I can learn from Studio Center.

This week we finally had our shoot. This is something that I have been looking forward to since my first day at Studio Center. The whole day I kept thinking to myself "I made this happen". Of course, like on most shoots, everything didn't go exactly as planned, but it all went right. It was a really good learning experience and I'm happy with the way the day went. I'm excited to see how it all turns out with the final edit.

This week was my first time on a professional shoot. I oversaw the filming of the "behind-the-scenes" video. I have always known how much work it takes to put a shoot together, but I feel like I got the best experience when it comes to learning firsthand. Chris was very accepting of answering all my questions even though he was busy. You can tell he has been doing this for a long time because he was so calm the entire time no matter what went wrong. I know that is something I must work on, and I'll be good to go for my shoot coming up soon.

This week I spent some time with Chris, the DP, and we went out and did some fieldwork. Tuesday was my first time learning about shooting a time-lapse. It was different than I imagined. For example, I thought that when you do a 10 to 30-second time-lapse you did not have to shoot for too long, 15 minutes max. But we were outside for about an hour. That is not too long, but I did not know what to expect. I also learned what settings need to be in place before you can start shooting. Along with learning what certain things on the camera are and what they do.

Lighting was very important. You must learn about light and how you want it to work in order to be a great cinematographer. It’s a good thing the sun started to come out because we got a good shot of the clouds and the reflection that was bouncing off the windows of the building. It also started to warm up, so of course, that was a plus!

Week three has been nothing but exceptional. This was a good week. On my first day here I said I wanted to try voice-over. This week I got one step closer to it. I sat in on a session and I honestly do not know why but it was not what I imagined. I do not mean this in a bad way. The session was great, and I feel like because the talent was thrown a curve ball it gave me a good opportunity to watch how she maneuvered through everything. If it were me, I probably would have stressed myself out over thinking it. But watching how she was professional and how the engineer also handled this was great. It helped me see how a professional carry themselves when things do not go the way they expected.

This is my second week here at Studio Center and I have already learned so much. Walking into this experience I did not know what to expect. There are so many people here that don’t want you to just make it by. They want you to be excellent in your craft and I am working towards that excellence every day.

So far, I’ve been learning more about how a production company works. Before I got here, I had no idea how much work was put into everything. Every single detail is thought out, and there are things the viewer never takes into consideration. For example, Chris explained to me how important sound was in any film. He gave me two examples of the same video with different audio. It really made me think deeper about how important it was.

I love how friendly everyone in the office is, I feel as though I am a part of a small tight-knit community. I have had a great opportunity to learn from Ruslan, he is very patient and answers all my questions. I also love the cookies!

My expectations are to learn as much as I can about digital marketing in general, and also to diversify myself by visiting the other departments in Studio Center.

With the experience learned from this internship, I want to help small startup businesses in Nigeria maximize their marketing potential.

What have you loved about the program so far? Seeing a professional setting in action and getting to know how it all works.

What are your expectations? I expect to learn a lot about working with clients and honing my craft so that I can work faster and more efficiently.

What do you plan on doing in the future with the experience learned during the internship? I plan on utilizing the skills and knowledge I obtain to become a better recording artist.

Between the Digital Marketing side and the Social Media side of my internship, I have learned so much more than I ever expected to. Ruslan expanded my knowledge of Google Analytics and taught me about Google Ads. He also taught me how to optimize Facebook and LinkedIn ads. It was so interesting! On the Social Media side, I learned an impressive amount about photography and how it correlates to how customers view the company. I learned how to use Photoshop and bits about editing for social media posts. They even posted my work!

My internship at Studio Center exceeded my expectations. When I entered, I expected something similar to a recap of what I had learned in school and how it applied to real life but I learned much more than that. How it applies, how to optimize, how to communicate with clients, and where to go from there.

Since my internship, I have begun taking classes for Adobe Creative Cloud to enhance my qualities in digital marketing and to continue to grow in the business realm. My passion for marketing has only grown and I am thankful for the time I got to spend learning and growing with Studio Center.

These past couple of weeks I've completed daily audition reports (which record the number of people responding to auditions), researched other studios for an upcoming project, and created PowerPoint files for choices for potential On-Camera talent. I love to write, so Hayley sent me a script for another project to read over and learn about what scripts would look like. I've learned a lot about the process of being and managing a voice actor in a studio setting.

This is my third week in the Talent Management Internship at Studio Center, and it's been amazing! My favorite part so far was when I shadowed an audio producer during an audition, and then went into the booth to practice my own voice acting. I love learning about how production works, from the talent and everyone behind the scenes, and contributing to casting myself. For the past few weeks, I've been adding new talent to the audition website, reviewing edits on a video project, finding Voice-Over Talent that fits specific demographics, and I attended a virtual meeting regarding a company's video project. I'm so grateful to have had this creative experience!

I have been at Studio Center for about 4 weeks now and have learned numerous things. Some of my favorite things about Studio have been the interactions with people, staff, and talents alike but also the hands-on experience in the audio department, like recording an audition for example. The staff has really made me feel welcome and has made great care to make me feel like a part of Studio Center. Although I have learned so much already at Studio Center, I expect that there is much more to learn from a business like Studio Center. I expect there will be more hands-on experience tasks throughout this semester, as well as knowledge from the staff and my supervisor, Shippley. After I finish my internship, I plan to finish my degree at Old Dominion University and then pursue my dreams of music production, whether it is at a home studio or a business studio.

This is all a new experience for me, yet it feels just like home. Those I have spoken with and gotten to know me, I have mentioned my experience with premiere and my own video editing history, though nothing on a scale quite like this. I hope this internship allows me to further my skills and possibly get to that point with my own videos in the future, especially with my lack of ability with After Effects. For now, though, it has been an easy week. Erik, Helen, and Dwenda have been very welcoming. The other interns and employees I met all seem excitable, intelligent, and excel at their tasks. So far, I have only been given the task of a BTS Video for the Compare commercial. It was a bit different than what I expected from the other BTS and reels I was told to watch for a reference as to what I might be doing, despite the freedom and liberty to put it together how I might want to. As of now, I have completed my draft, with music, and logo included, and I look forward to the feedback. There is always that lingering fear, but the way that this place has welcomed me and the energy I feel from this place make me believe that the fear is unwarranted. I look forward to presenting myself as best I can and bringing my best work to the table.

This week I was able to work on multiple projects and assignments. On Monday I worked on closeouts for a couple of different video shoots, getting together all the paperwork to make sure everything was accounted for properly. On Wednesday and Friday, I was able to work on editing a piece for Krabbe Connect. I’m really excited about this piece as I believe it is such a touching topic and I hope it will be able to touch the hearts of others as it did mine. I’m looking forward to what next week will hold.

So far, I love how welcoming the staff at Studio Center has been. It made adjusting to this new environment so much easier. I also enjoyed the hands-on experience I get to have here, including listening to different voice actors and getting to give my opinions and also getting to organize the roster of people who plan to attend certain casting calls. Overall, I like how Studio Center has an emphasis on doing amazing and hard work while also having an amazing workplace.

My expectations are to learn more about the technical parts of being a talent director. I know a lot of the job is to keep clients happy and find new ones, but I want to learn more about the specifics. For example, I learned that there is such a thing as “non-union” and “union” actors and when hiring someone; it’s important to note if they are union or not. I think it would be very interesting to focus on the details because those are the things I need to know if I want to be successful in this career field. I also expect to gain more connections and experience in general throughout my time here!

If my plans pan out the way I want them to, I will be working for an agency in a media-dominant city (Chicago, Atlanta, etc). I will be a talent manager myself, and work with music artists and the music industry.
I would also love to be an A&R rep. Either one would be amazing. If possible, I would love to be the next Scooter Braun!!

Thanks for everything, my internship has far exceeded my expectations!

I can't believe it is already the final week of my summer internship!

This week I finalized my creation of a Wikipedia page for Studio Center and got to sit in more political audio, which was again very fascinating. I've really enjoyed interning here and have learned so much, all while being surrounded by great people. Studio Center is a special place filled with unique work and people who are always eager to help.

I feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity and would highly recommend it to others looking for a fun, challenging, and engaging experience!

It has been another great week interning here at Studio Center! I've dove deeper into my work on creating a Wikipedia page for SC, observed another video shoot on site, and best of all, sat in 2 audio sessions in the booth.

I'm looking forward to presenting my draft of the Wikipedia page with an overview of what Studio Center does and descriptions of each division. Hopefully, this will help grow the SC platform and generate new clients.

The highlight of my week has been sitting in on Spanish and political audio. I've always followed and been very interested in politics so this was a very unique experience for me. Not to mention, the way audio engineers multitask by mixing sound and communicating with clients/talent is very impressive.

Over the course of my internship, I've learned a lot and have enhanced my writing, speaking, and professional communication skills significantly. I'm excited to see what's in store next week!

I'm enjoying my internship here at Studio Center more and more every day!

Outside of sitting in both client and internal meetings, my main focus this week has been creating a company page on Wikipedia for Studio Center. Chris gave me a brief overview of what we're looking to get out of it, and with that, I've been tasked with writing and structuring the page to best market Studio Center services. I also spent some time researching Government RFPs that might gravitate clients toward the marketing and production services offered here. I'm very thankful for the chance to enhance my research and writing skills through unique opportunities like this.

The highlight of my week, however, was the video shoot for "Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia" filmed here on site. Prior to this, I'd never witnessed the behind-the-scenes of a major film. It was really cool listening to the steel drums band in the lobby, interviews in the cyc studio, and most of all, seeing the Studio Center team collaborate to carry out a successful shoot. I even got to practice slate for the different interview takes! I learned so much during the shoot and have to say it was one of the best experiences I've had here so far.

In the coming weeks, I'm looking forward to finalizing my work on Wikipedia, recording another "In The Green Room" and more audio and video sessions!

Week 4

I can't believe it has already been a month since I started interning here. Time flies when you're having fun and learning a lot! This week I observed the initial graphics and website redesign meeting with a new client, Born 2B Great. This was interesting because prior to the discussion, I didn't know much about graphic design and all the specifics of the creation process.

Chris and I worked together to create a Wikipedia account and make the 10 necessary additions to existing pages. It took a lot of patience and a long time to complete, but it was an important step to becoming a verified user. Next week, upon Wiki approval, we'll be creating a company page for Studio Center.

Throughout the week, I also had the unique opportunity to brainstorm questions, and write and finalize the "In The Green Room" scripts for next week's filming. I'm looking forward to participating by interviewing Olivia and then being interviewed by her!

Week 3

It has been another awesome week interning here at Studio Center! Each day is unique to the last & filled with real-world tasks. This week I finished my research proposal of potential charities for Studio Center to become involved with. I'd been working on this project for quite some time, weighing the pros and cons of each organization, so it was really cool to see it all come together.

I also observed and contributed to social media and paid search meetings. In these two meetings and especially the PR Newswire alternatives conference, I learned a lot of valuable information about networking. I'm eager to learn as much as I can about marketing, journalism, and all things Studio Center. All of the staff here but especially Chris Wilson, have made my experience very fun, engaging, and filled with strategic learning. In the coming weeks, I'm looking forward to getting a glimpse of more departments here at Studio Center and helping out with "In the Green Room" among other things!

Week 2:

This week has been filled with exciting new experiences! In addition to contributing to social media and LinkedIn meetings with Chris, I got a glimpse of what Hayley does as Talent Manager and Dwenda as a Producer. During my time with Hayley, she explained how unions work, and how talent is recruited and gave me a general overview of what she does. I also learned about the ins & outs of Dwenda's job as a Producer preparing for shoot days, which was really interesting and something totally new to me. I really enjoyed my time learning a little about these two careers and look forward to more opportunities in the coming weeks!

The highlight of this week, however, was my voiceover session with Graham. It was really fun reading scripts with different specs and it made me appreciate how talented top voiceover talent is. I've done a lot of public speaking but prior to today, I had never recorded in an audio booth which was an awesome experience.

It's only been two weeks and I've already learned so many terms and tactics in marketing with Chris and other areas of production. I'm very grateful for this unique opportunity and can't wait to see what else is in store!

The first week of my internship here at Studio Center has far exceeded my expectations! I knew I'd be learning a lot about marketing, but I have also had the unique opportunity to observe and take part in other departments' work. Among the real-world tasks I've been working on such as creating charity proposals, I've observed an audio session, "In the Green Room" filming, and a conference to discuss the RFP for an upcoming video shoot. One of the audio sessions I observed with Peter was for a voiceover recorded in Spanish. This was really cool to witness since I'm studying Spanish & am fascinated with the language. Prior to the audio sessions, I had no idea how complex and fine-tuned a voiceover is.

To conclude my first week, I met with my Uncle Woody, CEO of Studio Center to recap the week and ask some questions. It was awesome to hear a glimpse of his day-to-day job as CEO and the qualities/non-negotiables he considers for hiring in marketing. The staff here is very friendly and eager to help, making it a great environment to learn and grow. It has only been a week and I've already learned a lot of interesting stuff!

What I’ve loved about my time at Studio Center is how open and diverse the culture is there. Everyone is different with their own unique skillset, and I’ve been able to learn from those people. I’m really into graphic design and imagery, so working in the social media department gave me the opportunity to not only show my skills but learn more about strengthening them and marketing them. Studio Center is such a pro-learning culture, in that the people there actually encourage you to learn and soak up as much as you can while you’re there. I was able to design for multiple businesses, learn the aspects of product photography, and experienced the process of video production, even to the point of writing and starring in a video for Studio Center’s social media platforms.

Honestly, I plan on getting a job at Studio Center in the future. And if not, I’ll take the skills and the content in the portfolio I’ve continued to build during my time at Studio Center, and use them to lead my own marketing team at another organization someday.

Thank you for another great week!

This week, I helped prep, set up, and take down equipment for a film shoot. Several days before the shoot, I loaded the grip truck and organized items that would be used as set dressing. The day before the shoot, I helped pre-set up lights and set dressing for the following day. I also went to Lowe's with another intern to pick up supplies for a different shoot the following week. As I was helping set up, it was fascinating being able to see the Director of Photography’s process for lighting a scene from back-to-front – starting with the background and ending with the elements closest to the camera lens. On the day of the shoot, I assisted with all elements of the production, including moving and taking down the equipment and clapping the slate. It was a great week and I learned a lot about the filmmaking process.

This week I helped in various areas around the Studio Center office. At the beginning of the week, I was a production assistant on a client shoot that involved extensive green screen shooting in the studio. I had a lot of fun clapping the slate, running to grab water bottles, and setting up and taking down equipment. I learned a lot about how to light a green screen properly and film green screen footage correctly as well. Later on, in the week, I helped reload and organize the grip truck and assisted with the completion of some budgetary paperwork regarding the shoot.

Week 6

This week, I edited a beach-themed video that will be played in the background of an upcoming band performance shoot. I collaborated with the DP and another video intern to test the video on TV screens to see if the colors, transitions, and pictures in the video showed up as intended. I also assisted in preparing for a shoot next week by helping the DP rig lights from the ceiling of the studio, setting up additional lights on C-stands, cleaning the green screen, and prepping the green screen for a touch-up paint job. Lastly, I helped the producer catalog receipts from a recent shoot that will get sent to accounting.

Week 5

This week, I helped shoot a comedic interrogation-style video with the social media interns for Studio Center’s social media channels. The video starred many members of the Studio Center staff and it was fun to film along with them. It was especially fun to collaborate with fellow interns when putting together the project. By helping with that video, I learned much more than I ever had, compared to doing hands-on work in school. The time that Chris took to show us what we could do to set up, why we would set up a certain way, and how we could approach shooting, was extremely valuable. I am excited to see the finished product.

Week 4
This week, I edited a blooper reel for Studio Center. While filming an ad spot that starred lots of the Studio Center Virginia Beach staff, there were lots of bloopers and the staff wanted a video made that highlighted the experience. I was able to apply skills I had learned from a previous editing project at Studio Center to this project. One of the coolest things I learned while editing the video was that footage shot at 60fps could be reduced back to 24 fps without much hassle (shout out to "the Cesar" for showing me this). This trick allowed me to use more footage in the blooper reel than I originally thought I could. I was proud of the finished product and I hope the staff really enjoys it!

This week, I helped a producer with pre-production tasks for an upcoming out-of-town shoot. I helped with logistics by learning how to fill out various types of paperwork and I helped search for various props. Additionally, I attended an intern luncheon with Studio Center's CEO, listening to lots of helpful words of advice and eating lots of delicious catered food. I also sat in with an editor very often this week - he was editing two projects I had been a part of and it was really cool seeing his thought process as he put the projects together. Lastly, I worked with opacity masks and Lumetri Color in Premiere Pro, coloring a time-lapse of the Lesner Bridge in Virginia Beach. I had never done such detailed color work before - I learned a lot by testing out different methods to effectively color the footage.

This week, I finished editing a Behind the Scenes video I had started the previous week. I sat down with the in-house DP to walk through my edit. He helped me tighten up its pacing so as to tell the video's story better. I was learning about the little moments within the footage that could pull a piece together. Ultimately, by searching for little moments within the footage I was provided, the piece was much stronger than before. Additionally, I began familiarizing myself with Adobe's Lumetri color tools, practicing with a time-lapse I assisted in shooting as well as on the Behind the Scenes video I finished editing. Lastly, I sat in on a client meeting to observe how commercials are produced and I watched an audio engineer begin mixing my "Behind-the-Scenes" video. I have begun learning how my experience producing student projects can be applied to video projects on a larger scale. Likewise, I have learned much more about how I can streamline the audio mixing process for audio engineers in the future with how I export and store film deliverables.

My first week has been both productive and exciting. On my first day, everyone I met was extremely friendly and welcoming. I felt at home within minutes of stepping through Studio Center’s doors. This week, I edited a Behind the Scenes video for a film shoot at ODU, helped organize the grip truck for future film shoots, and searched through stock footage for a client’s commercial. I have learned not only about editing techniques but also how to properly handle certain types of film equipment. Additionally, I’ve already been asked to help on a film set in the coming weeks - I am incredibly excited to be a production assistant on the upcoming commercial shoot.

So far I feel very good about my decision to intern here. I definitely was caught off guard being added to the video production team right before a big shoot day, but overall I think it was a beneficial experience. I’ve never been on a set with so many people, usually, it’s been just me and 2-3 other people. I’m a little rusty using Adobe Premiere and I think Final Cut Pro is more user-friendly, but I know that I need to get better at using Adobe since it’s the most widely used editing software professionally. I’m getting the hang of it, and I think being in an environment with peers who can help me will really positively affect my learning process.

I can't believe it's already my fifth week at Studio Center. First off I love interning here. It's been a great experience. I started off doing logos for Mind Body Connect 360 and have proceeded onto starting to make the website. Since then, I have worked on Systems of Technology of Virginia and Thomas Automation Management. Jaydee and Edwin have given me the opportunity to try to design these logos and websites to provide me with experience. It's been interesting to see how all these different types of fields, like photography, videography, audio recording, and graphic design, all work together for one client. A couple of weeks ago, I got to work with Graham over a voice-over session. It was really cool and so different to me. I enjoyed looking at the script and hearing the talent do its thing. It's crazy how some of these people talk and the words they can pronounce. Overall this internship has been a great experience, and I can't wait to see where it takes me in the next couple of weeks!

Thanks so much!

I have loved being able to learn about the production and entertainment industry so far. It is a new experience and I have had a great time getting hands-on experience in recruiting and maintaining clients and client relations. I have also enjoyed seeing how everyone gets along so well and the great team dynamic at play in the office.

My expectations were to learn more about Studio Center and see how they recruit clients and get new business. It has been interesting to see the amount of hard work and research they put into each and every client and every potential client.

I hope to apply the research, customer service, and analytics skills I’ve learned during this internship to further my hands-on knowledge in my business analytics minor and apply these skills to my future career endeavors.

Interning here at Studio Center has been a great experience that I’m so happy to be a part of. The staff here is very friendly, conversational, and happy to help me learn. So far, I’ve been able to shadow and experience the behind-the-scenes process of graphic design, videography, photography, and even audio recording in a studio. It’s been fascinating to see how a lot of these incorporate into social media marketing, which is the focus of my area of study. Getting to see the intricacies of these varying creative practices first-hand have been really exciting and I’m sure I’ll be able to use pieces of everything I’ve learned as I pursue a career in communications.

This internship had been nothing but amazing! When I first started interning at the Studio Center the staff greeted me with warm smiles and knowledgeable information. My supervisor made sure that I put my skills and experiences into work that he felt I was ready for. Whenever I asked if anyone needed help no one pushed me away, instead, I was able to create and help with projects. Everything about the program was amazing and I couldn’t have asked for anything better!

I hope to meet more of the staff and get to know what their jobs are here at the Studio Center. I also hope to help with bigger projects and gain more experience!
I plan on using the skills gained to the best ability for my future career in film. Another goal of mine is to give my knowledge to others who would love to work here or any other company.

So far, I have loved how friendly and knowledgeable the staff is. Any time I have questions about something I’m working on or how certain things work, I am given answers with enthusiasm and in great detail. I am very grateful for how much I am learning in such a short period of time. Throughout the semester, Studio Center is giving me the opportunity to gain certifications such as Google Adwords and Google Analytics. Interning at Studio Center has allowed me to see a lot of the things I’ve learned throughout my academic career in a practical setting.

I expect to continue to learn new things and gain new hard skills and certifications. I hope that this experience will cause me to stand out to future employers as well as give insight into what my day-to-day tasks would look like after graduation. I believe that my time here will allow me to enhance my networking skills by meeting like-minded individuals and business professionals.

In the future, I hope to use the new skills I am gaining here at Studio Center in a professional environment within the film industry. I would also like to use my new knowledge of paid search to help in my own business endeavors. This experience will be extremely helpful as I strive to become a marketing consultant for small, local businesses in the Hampton Roads Area. I am very proud to be a digital marketing intern at Studio Center in Virginia Beach and am very excited to see what the remainder of the semester will bring!

This week was very fun, myself and other interns engaged in a luncheon with the owner of the company. We discussed future business here at Studio Center. He asked us questions about our time here and how would we rate the company from 1-10. I got to know some of the other interns, and now we share group chats to help each other. We enjoyed a great lunch and shared our schools and some background knowledge about ourselves. Everyone was so open and nice. It was a great time; I did not know we had so many interns here at Studio Center. Coming together with the other interns was a great way to network.

This is my third week here at Studio Center and everyone is extremely nice. I work under Chris Wilson in the marketing department. Chris is very smart and a strategic thinker. I have a list of projects I will be doing during my time here. My first task was to reach out to universities and colleges and gain knowledge about their alumni associations. Another assignment I did was researching media outlets making a contact list and providing my manager with all the key people in that business such as general managers, market managers, assignment editors, reporters, news divisions, writers, and editors. Furthermore, I have been obtaining knowledge and getting my work done sufficiently.

I have been at Studio Center for about three months now and I truthfully can say the atmosphere here is amazing and fresh. I learn something new each week, and working in the talent department I have been introduced to a completely different world. There are so many moving parts and crazy deadlines that Studio Center is expected to meet. I love how this internship has shown me the best way to solve a problem under pressure. I was sitting next to our Production Manager Mercedes. A client had been double booked for a voice-over audition. Immediately Mercedes calls the talent and is able to get them to get to our site within fifteen minutes for the audition in the meantime gets on the phone with the client and with confidence is able to occupy the client and defuse the situation with lunch until the talent arrives. If I was in such a situation I would be so stressed I would've needed a moment to process how to fix the problem before even finding a solution. I just admire all the lovely ladies in this office because they are setting the bar high for me and reminding me that I can follow my dreams. I just need a little bit of that Mercedes confidence.

Week one at Studio Center was really fun, everyone that works here welcomed me with open arms. I love how when you walk in you are immediately greeted by the lovely Crystal and a tray of sugar or chocolate cookies depending on the day. I currently work underneath Haley who is the Talent Manager for Studio Center. I love how I am able to see firsthand how talent is picked, the process for auditions, and how Haley stays on track of which talent has been submitting auditions and who hasn’t. There is so much that goes into choosing the proper sound and looking for the various clients that Studio Center is tasked with. The highlight of my first week was sitting in on a meeting with the creative team for an upcoming shoot they were setting up with a potential client. Just sitting in on that gave me inspiration and it was just so cool to see how the behind-the-scenes setup for a video shoot goes. Make sure talent is available, lighting, producers, etc. I can’t wait for what my next week at Studio Center has to offer.

These past two weeks I’ve been organizing footage from a previous shoot, synching the audio and video content, and cataloging the interview footage for the next editor. Though this task is tedious, it showed me the importance of organizing one’s footage and how to label files clearly. Lastly, have been given a tutorial on how to use After Effect’s Mocha to replace greenscreen. I look forward to using the skills I’m learning in After Effects in future projects.

This week I finished editing a three-minute reality TV sizzle. I received notes for improvement the week before and was able to finish the task Monday. This project was challenging, but I received plenty of helpful feedback. At the end of the week, I explored keying a subject on a green screen, creating light wraps, and color correcting in After Effects. Overall, I had a productive week meeting deadlines and learning new skills.

Working on a training exercise with the help of Joe, one of the video editors and motion graphic specialists. It’s focused on green screen keying, light wrapping, and reducing green screen spill on the 2019 MEAC footage. It’s been challenging but a huge learning experience in After Effects and Premiere. On Monday, I collaborated with Chris, the in-house DP, and Erik to design the lobby set for the company’s upcoming Christmas video.

Recently my work has consisted of transcribing interview footage from a previous Dollar Tree/Family Dollar shoot. The transcribed footage will be used to rehash an HR video. I’ve completed one green screen keying exercise. I will begin greenscreen keying some 2019 MEAC basketball video footage later this week. It’ll be challenging but I look forward to the practice and improving my skills with After Effects.

These past two weeks I’ve been organizing footage from a previous shoot, synching the audio and video content, and cataloging the interview footage for the next editor. Though this task is tedious, it showed me the importance of organizing one’s footage and how to label files clearly. Lastly, have been given a tutorial on how to use After Effect’s Mocha to replace greenscreen. I look forward to using the skills I’m learning in After Effects in future projects.

At Studio Center, I'm learning in-depth technical techniques about audio engineering and mixing. I really enjoy the conversations with my supervisor as we geek out about the theories and concepts of audio engineering.

I would like to gain as much hands-on experience as possible and then transition into working for a commercial studio. I want to ensure that when I do I'm ready!

I want to continue to audio engineer, mix and master my own music as well as other artist and production entertainment companies' music. Also, I would like to work for a commercial studio like Studio Center.

At Studio Center I’ve loved that I’ve been able to shadow so many different departments, as it’s given me real-world experience in all aspects of casting and production. I hope to learn more about networking, casting, and finding voice talent/clients by working with the websites necessary for business development, as well as supervisors in the company. My goal is to be a screenwriter and voice actor, so having experience in and learning about production companies such as Studio Center is not only valuable for the future but very interesting as well.

Everyone at Studio Center is willing to help you learn. My expectations are to learn Adobe Premiere Pro and to learn the daily duties of being a producer.

I plan on becoming a TV Producer for a sports company.

My final week has been quite hectic. There have been numerous shoots that have been conducted this week. I recently helped set up the lobby for a Holiday video and at the end of my last week, began to edit the video together for Studio Centers Favorite Holiday Movies among the staff. It was such an amazing journey. I've been taking on numerous edits and trying to get videos done as quickly as possible. I started on Monday with dealing with After Effects and trying to understand Mocha, while on Friday starting on the Holiday video to be my last project at Studio Center, well hopefully not last but well see. It is bittersweet to see an end here as I would love to stay, but that is out of my hands and I'm so glad for the time I've had.

This week, I studied keying and green screen tactics. I have little knowledge of After Effects, so having to use it to complete a working draft of the practice proved quite difficult. Yet, when I reached the end and had to use my own problem-solving ideas to correct the issue. This brought a sense of joy as I had to use my own skills to learn a new set of them for use with After Effects. In the end, I was so glad to have been brought in to work at Studio Center and now my skills with the editing suites have tripled.

I have reached the official 2-week left mark, and it is unbelievable.

The highlight of my week was sitting in on the conference call between the Studio Center team that will be undertaking this video/photography project and the globally renowned client that this is for.

It was especially nice to see the talent deck that I created full of casting options for the clients to look at being discussed in this meeting.

If nothing else, I gained insight into what occurs before the team gets the "ok" to proceed with planning for a shoot. Really cool!

Nowhere else have I learned and accomplished something new, even at the end! Never a boring moment.

What college students can say that they had the chance to personally interview the CEO of a company for their school project?! This student can!! In a project conducted to bring awareness to the major inconveniences that construction near Studio Center has caused, Mr. Prettyman, CEO of Studio Center shared insight not only on the nuisance that the construction brought about but also on the triumphant history that led this company to be right where it is today.

That experience helped me remember that behind even the most successful companies are times of challenge and obstacles that nobody sees. Learning the history of Studio Center, beyond what I have read online and in newspapers shed a light on just how important every individual's role is at Studio Center, even the interns!

Every day, every week I am growing professionally. I never thought I would be able to say that an unpaid opportunity proved to be the most valuable experience I have received so far.

This week I was able to contribute to Studio Center's list of potential clients by scouting out different marketing brands and creative studios that we could possibly collaborate with.

I was also able to choose varying demo scripts that our voice-over talent can choose from to best showcase their signature personality and voice.

Being invited to sit in on casting and sales meetings led by the CEO provide me with an all-inclusive observation of how Studio Center exceeds its goals consistently. This also proves to me that although very creative and artistic, business acumen and networking know-how behind the scenes are what set them apart from the rest.

This was by far one of the more exciting weeks I've had at Studio Center so far.

After observing one of the commercial shoots and shadowing the lead video producer, Eric, and the rest of the production team, I was given the opportunity to have a featured role in a MEAC Sports promotional video highlighting the approaching basketball season.

This was a very rewarding opportunity for me because I usually help behind the scenes with talent and casting, so being the talent was really fun!

I haven't been with Studio Center for a full month yet, and I already feel like part of the family! The environment is professional, but fun and creatively motivational for everyone. As a talent management intern, I got hands-on experience not only adding new voice-over and on-camera talent to the rosters, but I also had the opportunity to sit in on recording sessions and interact with the talent in person. My favorite part so far was being invited to a commercial shoot for 2 big-name law firms, where I got to see casting and production plans turn into reality. This experience is simply unforgettable.

I can't believe it's already my second to last week at Studio Center. I started the week off doing a New Year's graphic for Bay Local. They're hosting a "roaring twenties" themed New Year's Eve party, so the graphic got to be stylized in a "Gatsby-esque" way, which was super fun. After that, I spent the rest of the week on another site design, for a landscaping company. I was looking back at some of my previous site designs for clients, and I think this came out better than most of the older ones!

Thanks!

My big project this week was a site design for Primero Staffing (a bilingual company that connects low-skill employees and employers). Potential designs from all the designers on the project were due Thursday at noon. Since I also come in on Fridays, I got to devote the very end of this week to doing more design work for my own career documents and website -- I went through my site and resume and made sure all the design elements were consistent and designed a nice header I can use for cover letters. Reed also took the time to show me examples of his own designs for his cover letters and resume, which was helpful.

Have a good weekend!

Thanks

I actually spent most of this week working in InDesign, which was different, since I use Illustrator for most of what I make at Studio Center. I love working in InDesign, though, so I didn't mind the change. After I finished up my Studio Center brochure, Jaycee and Reed assigned me another InDesign project: formatting a packet for a price proposal for Studio Center swag. I'm really glad I worked on that, because I think it pushed me as a designer -- not really in terms of visual aesthetics, but in terms of logistically figuring out how to fit a lot of different kinds of information on one page, haha. This afternoon, I got back to Illustrator with another quick social media graphic for Bay Local.

Thanks!

I worked on a few different shorter projects at the beginning of this week. Bay Local in Virginia Beach needed another social media graphic for an event, so I spent Tuesday morning working on that. I was able to do some hand-lettering for it, so that was great. Thursday, I designed some more concepts for an older Studio Center project doing billboard designs for a client. After those, there weren't any more specific projects to work on, so I've been doing more long-term projects Reed suggested, based on my portfolio and interests. Specifically, since I'm interested in graphic design for print media, I started a brochure for Studio Center Entertainment and worked a bit on reformatting the way I'm displaying some of my book design work on my website.

Thanks

This week I made a couple of different sets of digital ads: employment ads for one of Studio Center's clients, and ads for submissions to Studio Center's Halloween scream contest. It was an interesting week since those are obviously two very different aesthetics; I really liked the variety.

Thanks,

Since my last intern diary, I've worked on a few different projects. I've made another web template, which I'm pretty happy with, and helped Reed out with making sure images are the correct sizes for a site mockup he's building in basecamp for a client. I also designed an interior page for a site based on a homepage that was already done. That was a new experience for me, since before that I've only made mockups for homepages, versus doing an interior or expanding on someone else's design, so I'm glad I got to do that. I also have a business card now -- Reed mentioned that Studio Center makes a point for its interns to come away with things they can use, so I got to use some of my time here to design a business card for myself since I'd never made one before.

Thanks,

Week five means that I'm already officially a third of the way into the semester, and my time at Studio Center. This week, I took edits on my designs for the Halloween poster and digital ad. I made adjustments to a couple of my existing designs and made one new one so there would be another really creepy-looking option. Since I finished that, I've been working on making more website design templates in Adobe Illustrator for Reed. He sent me a couple of images of website designs to use for inspiration for my templates, which was really helpful. I like formatting larger amounts of text, and how many different sections you can incorporate into a website's design, so I'm glad I've been getting a chance to work on that. Also, looking back at my older templates, I can tell that I've started to improve as a designer.

Thanks,

At the very end of last week, I got to make another graphic for the burger restaurant in Virginia Beach, which was fun. Since then, no new client projects have come in that I can work on, so I've been continuing the website templates for Reed. The nice thing about making templates in between projects is that, since there's no assignment beyond just making a template for practice and for possible future use, I'm able to really experiment with the designs and focus on what I want to improve on as a designer.

Thanks,

My last week at Studio Center was split between two fun projects: a social media graphic for a burger restaurant in Virginia Beach, and a poster and digital ad for Studio Center's annual Halloween costume contest. It was great because they both had very different tones, and left a lot of room for me to be creative and play around with my designs. It's also time I mention one bonus of working at the Richmond office: the dogs! Since I have been here, three separate employees have brought in three separate dogs I got to meet, including a tiny puppy (that's not "design" or career-related, but it has been a major bonus for me, haha).

Thanks,

This week was entirely focused on making a website mockup for a company that manufactures construction equipment. It was intimidating at first, just because I initially had no idea of visual aesthetics that are associated with that industry at all, but I think I figured it out, and I'm really happy with what I made. Multiple designers made mock-ups so the client would have options, and they were due at noon. I didn't have any trouble making the deadline, so that was also a plus.

I spent most of my first week here working on a mockup of a homepage of a website. I'd never done any sort of web design before, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Since it was a mockup and didn't have to be functional, I got to make it in illustrator. I hadn't known before that there were real-world projects in which a designer could design the look of a website without having to actually do any coding at all, so that was definitely pleasant news. I also spent a few hours learning how to format pitch sheets and am going to spend next week making some digital ads for the studio.

Thanks,

Ellie

After dealing with the everyday stress of college life, although sometimes hectic, Studio Center is the highlight of most of the interns' lives.

With the upcoming campaign season, I was able to research political media companies and add them to our Salesforce page. With this information, we can reach out to these companies and hopefully make them clients of ours, so that our amazingly talented voice-over artists can do some political spots just in time for the season. Since the children on camera and voice talent are always growing, I get a chance to determine whether it is time to record new demos or add new pictures to our website to reflect their maturation.

This semester is flying by, and it's making me sad!

These past couple of weeks, since I've gained mastery at adding new on-camera and voice-over talent to the rosters, Hayley walked me through the process of terminating talent and removing them from our rosters and website. I also had the chance to sit in on very important casting meetings and learn how Studio Center attracts new clientele, as well as positively maintains the existing relationships they have.

The highlight of my week was collaborating with an intern from a different department and putting my new knowledge to the test by showing her how to complete tasks I learned how to do.

I am ever grateful for this opportunity.

What I treasure about an intern experience here is that every week is different than the last, and the immersive projects we are given help us see that we are actually contributing to the company, and not just doing 'busy work.' This week I was tasked with accumulating all the talent options for a fortune 500 client's commercial. Managing communications with our usual way of contacting talent, as well as using 3rd party sites to garner more talent options proved to be a task, but it widened a variety of options.

I have had a fantastic experience with Studio Center this summer. I got to witness each step that the studio's projects go through, from the idea stage to the final product. I have been able to see how clients, talent, and Studio Center staff communicate and work together to achieve great results. It has been a pleasure to participate in this process.

One of my favorite things to do has been to put together slideshows of talent options for clients. These slideshows are a client's first opportunity to meet the people who could become key players in their videos and photo shoots. I like seeing Studio Center's diverse talent pool, matching people to projects where they can succeed, and wondering who will be chosen to star in clients' projects. I have also enjoyed looking for potential clients who could benefit from Studio Center's services. Hearing that one of the businesses from our potential client list is interested in working with Studio Center is always exciting!

The people I have met at Studio Center are welcoming and fun. Every day there is an interesting game going on between the staff or an amusing conversation to hear. I am very thankful for all of the knowledge these people have helped me gain.

Abby, Video Intern

This week, Studio Center was preparing for multiple commercial shoots. I got to put together slideshows containing all of the talent options the clients could choose from. I also communicated with the talent so that they knew their emails had been received and they were being included in our talent lists. It feels good to know that both the talent and the clients are being looked after, and it's interesting to see how projects grow as the right talent is discovered!

Abby, Video Intern

Tyler put us with Cesar today so we could watch the audio for one of our projects get mixed. I thought the audio sounded good already, but I was blown away at how good it sounded after mixing. After that, Tyler showed us how to sync the audio in FinalCut. That was really helpful since I use that software to edit at school.

Sarah, Social Media Intern

I got the chance to go out on a food shoot this week. We went to Zoës Restaurant to take photos of some of their new menu items. I assisted in lighting and styling. It was awesome to see how much really goes into just one picture. We walked around the plate to find the best angle, set up the tripod, found the right frame, and started shooting! There are a lot of small details that made big differences. I’m looking forward to the next one!

Erika, Social Media Intern

This week we checked out the liquify tool a bit further in Photoshop. Rusty showed us how to make smiles look even more natural, and how to enhance eyes for headshots. There were a lot, so we got to practice on a few of them and that was pretty fun! After that, Tyler taught us how to key out a green screen in FCPX. We learned how to add layers to make some interesting effects and how to make it look like we were anywhere in the world (or on the moon!)

Summer, Social Media Intern

Working at Studio Center has been a very cool experience. While I was working in the Talent division this week, I got to experience the behind-the-scenes of how actors are chosen, organized and managed by the Studio team. I also got to look around each of the different fields, and it was very interesting to see how they all work together. The people here are all great, and the atmosphere seems to bring out the best in all of the workers. Hopefully, I can continue to meet people and learn more about media production, as this seems like the type of place I could see myself working.

Joe H. Talent Intern

Today we did a cool mixture of things. We started the day off with Cesar in audio to assist in mixing a video project we’ve been working on. Afterward, we did a good amount of research for a golf apparel brand that we’re hoping becomes a new social media client. Then Rusty taught me how to use the liquify tool in Photoshop when editing portraits. That was awesome! I never knew that you could totally reshape someone's face that easily!

Sarah, Social Media Intern

This week, I engaged with the casting process for multiple video shoots. I built lists of talent who matched the descriptions our clients were looking for, organized slideshows where the talent and their auditions were listed, and even sat in on the recording of a video audition! It has been fascinating to view every step of the casting process, from the initial talent search to the final casting decision. My understanding of the casting process has become more intimate and detailed, and I appreciate being able to witness how the departments of Studio Center work together to create high-quality media items.

Abby, Talent Management Intern

This summer, I have enjoyed observing how Studio Center, talent, and clients work together. I've helped build Studio Center's roster of talent by researching potential talent and adding new talent to the database. I have also researched and sent letters to potential and new clients. The Studio Center environment is a great place to learn; the people I interact with are very kind and have lots of experience and advice to share.

Abby, Talent Division Intern

This week was a really interesting one, as I got to leave the office and observe a video shoot out in the field. I really appreciate the opportunity to see other sides of the company, despite it not being a normal part of the job I signed up for.

The video shoot I got to observe was a music video for a local rapper. It was a pretty low budget, but the studio and hired freelancers managed to get it done fairly well, clearly putting a lot of effort into the project regardless. The music video took place in a dark, creepy basement, where we put up red lighting, hung chains from the ceiling, and set up a smoke machine. It definitely created a very dark, but "cool" atmosphere for the talent. I'm excited to see how the music video turns out.

Joe H., Video Intern

My Overall experience at Studio Center:

I started my internship here at Studio in January and it was the best decision I made to intern at this incredible company. The people here are so nice and it’s like we are all family. Everyone is here to help everyone. I am an intern for Edwin who is in the Web Design Department. He taught me how to use Concrete and make mock-ups for websites. I also got to sit in and watch how videos are made, like behind the behind-the-scenes. I’ve learned so much more about Illustrator than I knew when I started. I loved that I got to work with a bunch of different companies every day. I enjoyed that I got to bring my own creativity to everything that I created. From Captain George’s to Mermaid Winery. I love the idea of creating mockups for a website and then going into Concrete to see it come to life. I never realized how much goes into making a website before this internship. I enjoyed every second of it. This was a great 3 months at Studio Center. I am so blessed that I got to broaden my horizons in web design and got to meet amazing people through it.

Weekly:

This week I worked with Edwin on adding photographs to the new Captain George’s website that we were creating for them on Concrete. I learned that it’s a long process to find the right picture to use. This process could take hours.

This week I was working on making mockup pages for MEB’s new website. I first started out with the home page mock-up. Once that was completed, I did three interior pages. Their about page, their work, and their services. I really enjoyed being creative and creating a bunch of different types of pages for the same website.

This week I got to work on a company’s website that is just getting started. This was a new challenge for me to work on something that doesn’t exist yet. I got to be creative and think outside the box a little. I had a lot of fun working on this project because it was something I had never done before. Usually, I am redoing websites that already exist and have a reference on what the company is but in this case, I got to be creative.

Alexis, Design Intern

This week at Studio Center I got the privilege of doing an extremely fun task, I was able to go on a video shoot. Being able to get out of the office and see an extended part of Studio Center is a real treat and I learned to appreciate the process behind filming. This experience as a whole was unique as I would like to engage in the art of filmmaking one day. Another fun part of my week was dealing with talent, this experience made me feel like a true Studio Center employee as I was able to sit in on an audition call with my supervisor, Hayley.

Jonathan, Talent Division Intern

Over the course of these last couple of weeks, I got to learn a lot about both audio engineering, and marketing to customers. I even got a chance to record my own voice-over in one of the audio booths, seeing what it is like to be a voice talent for Studio Center. In fact, I'm considering voice acting as a future career path. Being able to experience all of the different departments in the company has allowed me to see it from all different sides, and the workers here have been very supportive throughout my entire internship!

Joe, Audio Intern

So today I started working on my first "mock-up". Time for me to start applying all that I've learned about Concrete 5. I have an idea about what I want to design and I am hoping it looks great when I finish. The client is a Bread and Breakfast/Cattle Farm near Charlottesville. Looks like a beautiful place. Hope I do it justice.

Tyson, Digital Division Intern

Today I worked with Edwin (one of the senior designers) to learn more about the preferred CMS, Concrete 5. Easier than WordPress once you get the hang of it. Edwin is also teaching me more about typography, selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading, tracking, kerning, color, and any element that can affect a design. I'm learning a lot.

Tyson, Digital Division Intern

There was a coffee commercial shoot this week that I got to work on with Studio Center. It was great to see how simple the shoot was. There was only a table in front of a white background, an actor, and coffee and kitchen props. This all put together combined with the way that it was filmed simulated a kitchen. It made me realize how simple filmmaking can be if you think creatively and plan ahead. The director and producer worked together to make sure that the client was pleased with the progress. It’s always nice to see this kind of collaboration in person because I know that I will have to work with clients in the same manner in the future.

Thank you,
Mark R., Video Intern

This week at Studio Center, Kevin and I spent some time going through my checklist. He showed me how to properly read Office Tracker and what each color represents. Kevin also showed me how to properly navigate through Firstcom. We pulled up the YouTube website and found a Subaru commercial. I picked it apart, wrote down my own Specs, and searched through Fistcom to find a piece that fits that spot. It was a fun activity and it really helped me understand how to write Specs and find compositions that will work best.

Andrew, Audio Intern

This week at Studio Center I got to experience real-world situations that impact how a day can go if not fixed. I sat in on a session with Alan where Source Connect kept cutting out on both ends and how he got around this hindrance. I also got to experience the importance of making sure that every piece of equipment and software works before a session, even hours ahead of time before one starts. This had to do with video playback with Pro Tools and how jittery and unreliable it can be at times.

Besides the situations where things went wrong, I had a blast this week as always. I was able to do 7 auditions with no supervision and I felt determined and confident enough in my abilities to do so. I am also grateful and lucky to be here when things start going awry because it is something that is inevitable and that happens in any field, regardless of how old, hi-tech, or reliable a setup might be. This experience was a great learning tool on how to keep a cool and collected head while the importance and knowledge of signal flow are put into practice full force.

Hector, Audio Intern

This week I finally finished the pre-editing knowledge videos of the tutorial for Final Cut Pro, so far the tutorial has pushed me away from Final Cut even more than I was since I have been using Premiere Pro for a while. I hope that the editing videos help out the program because now I do not see myself using Final Cut in the future. Alongside the shoot scheduled in early November, I will be at the front desk welcoming guests and answering phones while the regular employee takes a short break I am looking forward to how my previous experience at VCU will help me here at Studio Center.

Morgan, Video Intern

I spent the first half of the week running a search on a stock music website for a rock song. I pulled a number of selections for David to pick from and put in his video.

The second half of the week focused on finishing the scripted exercise for the moving company. It took a while to make sure that the cuts were in the right place and the movement of the actors looked natural while also following the storyboard as close as I could.

Kyle, Video Intern

This week was the last week of my internship. I had some issues with electricity because of the hurricane so I hope you all don’t mind the late submission. I should have written this right after I left. I relabeled a ton of B roll and I reorganized the grip truck. There wasn’t much going on that day. I also learned more about the F3 and False colors. Guess who went home and studied false color that night. I listened in on Chris and Eric talking about a recent video they made. It was a corporate video and they were talking about each shot, cut, and voice-over. What added value and what took away value etc. They were very detailed orientated which was pretty cool. Obviously, I wasn’t examining the video like they were (partially because I couldn’t see it very well) but I was very intrigued by their thoughts. From what I could see of the video the only thoughts that came to mind were, “looks good. Looks professionally.” This entire internship process was insightful and it gave me something to aspire to. Hopefully, I’ll see them again one day. I still have to go to lunch with Joe, I still haven’t even seen the fancy hidden restaurant he was talking about.

Umoja, Video Intern

This week I had the amazing opportunity to work with Chris Karvellas, Director/DP. I and another intern worked with him to set up the studio for an interview the next day with a client. Chris first had us create the basic setup, which meant moving flooring and furniture into the studio. Then we set up the camera. In doing so Chris showed us the difference between lens mounts (EF and PL), let us practice mounting lenses, and taught us how to pass off lenses to other crew members in the safest and most efficient manner. We practiced ensuring the lenses were on snugly and securely.

I set up the ARRO lights in the studio and he continued to give us lessons on cinematic lighting, including how he planned to use the depth of the studio and glasses filled with water to get a nice bokeh in the shoot. We painted the back wall a light, almost coffee-colored brown. He explained that he liked the “earthy” look to it and that when all the elements combine together it will look as if we shot the interview in a living room, giving the final video a personal feel.

The next day during the shoot I came in and the crew was there. We took turns sitting in the interviewer and interviewee chairs to focus the cameras and to get the lighting just right, moved background items around to create the bokeh, and tested the sound equipment.

I saw an example of Chris’ dedication to making the client feel at ease throughout the entire process. The clients, a CEO and a COO of a water treatment equipment supplying company were greeted by Chris when they arrived and spent time talking with him before coming into the studio. He explained to me that the reason for this is that actors are used to the camera but a lot of clients aren’t, so when you have a conversation with them and do research on their company you can then they are more relaxed, which translates to the camera as confident. The client is less nervous about being surrounded by crew members and having such much equipment around them. And during the interview, I did feel like I was watching a conversation, so I can imagine that the final product will be of high quality and be compelling to the target audience.

Not only did I learn more technical skills but I learned a lot about professionalism. Certainly, the clients were excited to be talking about their product and the goals of their company but what I really took away from the experience was the power of video as a form of communication, and how working together harmoniously allows us to create something that will engage the viewer.

-Amy M., Video Production Intern, Virginia Beach, VA

Tuesday I began my very first internship with the Marketing & Sales Department here at Studio Center in Virginia Beach. I accepted the internship because I wanted a challenge, something that was out of my comfort zone. I was somewhat unsure what my role would be and the different tasks or responsibilities I would have. I came in with an open mind ready to do whatever the company needed me to do.

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to sit in on an audio session with Graham. I found so many different pieces of his work interesting. From editing the recorded audio clips to engaging in conversations with the company he was putting the product together for, and even browsing for a song choice that would accompany audio clips, he delivered a magnificent piece the company could use to sell their product to another interested buyer. Graham was working on a pharmaceutical piece, which was very interesting to listen to and experience.

On Friday, I had the opportunity to help Zac Eckert, another employee at Studio Center with a list of leads. With over 200 leads, we needed to transfer these leads from paper to an electronic system. Using Google Sheets, I transferred all of the leads into an electronic sheet making the accessibility of the contacts convenient and efficient for Zac.

I’ve had a great first week here and I’m extremely excited to see what this internship has in store for me for the rest of the semester.

Cory, Marketing and Sales Intern

This week we dove more into ProTools and recording. The major highlight of day 8 was recording my first audition! It was nerve-wracking but I managed to do it with lots of help from my supervisor. He helped me by showing me his favorite keyboard shortcuts and those will hopefully help me become faster at editing the auditions. Day 8 was that but more intense, because I recorded my co-interns 60-second final project, with minimal outside help. My first couple of times doing recordings were a bit fumble-y, but I think I got into the hang of it! I also read a line for his project, and it was fun to see the actor’s side of the recording process. I also watched another co-intern work on a mix of a song.

Best,

Jobelle, Audio Intern