March 15: Despite leaving my ID access card, I had a fairly relaxed day at the office. I sat with Julian who’s one of the editors at CUNYTV.  He was finishing an edit for an interview on the artist from Broad City, Mike Perry. Today was one of those days in the office where things are so chill I start to freak out over boredom. What’s nice about the editing room is that it’s cool as in bring a hoodie if you’re planning to be there for more than 5 minutes. While working people will come up to you to alert you on nearby work so there is this constant management of time, something I’m starting to get better at. I actually said my first no today. It was for a transcribing job that I would have to do in my free time. I usually feel bad for saying no but I’m starting to set my boundaries for what I’m not just willing to do but capable of doing. I’m still sort of playing catch-up with my class work and even though it’s near to completion, I wouldn’t want to dive in shortly after coming up for air. We’re still going over the cartoons which we plan to animate so learning how they go about that was a bit of a learning curve. It’s encouraging me to revisit the computer.  Today I co-edited an interview with Steve Coogan and John C Reily for their movie Stan and Ollie which portrays the later years of legendary comedy duo Loral and Hardy. I have a lot of editing experience so it’s nice to flex my eye and it’s even greater when people say, “I want your opinion.” I know, it sounds self-serving but it’s not. I want or I like your opinion in truth means “help me”; nothing more satisfactory. Today was very chill, especially in those freezing editing rooms. The biggest treat of the day is that when I left the station, everybody and their mama was in t-shirts due to the temperature hike. Hello Spring.

March 13:Rough weeks.. Everyone has them. If I were on the job, I’d be fired already. Sat with my supervisor and her supervisor for a small pep talk to check in on my progress. It was sobering as much as inspirational. Subconsciously, I don’t believe in myself so I see a fraud when I’m looking in a mirror. This is what causes me to self sabotage but moving back to the internship is the direction we’d want to go. Not some inner monologue of self discovery. I worked on a stop motion intro for one of the channels so I got to work alone. One of the producers had seen my stop motion reel and was inspired to have me bring that skill to the table. I’ll admit, I had Not done any stop motion projects in about two or so years and most of the projects were me just playing around my house with shoes but nevertheless I did them. For 2 hours, I shot over 400 frames while slowing moving and re taping cut out letters for a 16 second video. I see why I haven’t done one of these in forever. For the most part they take forever but still, it’s a satisfying medium because you see your own slave-labor brought to life.

March 6: So we’re doing a shoot on yours truly for a Day in the Life spot. Being interviewed is a tough gig because you’re forced to speak candidly which isn’t easy at first but when you have the lovely cameraman Kalin and fellow intern Sonia churching you up, one tends to loosen up. Why not shoot at school in the new beautiful Pearl building. So we did a few takes around the school and I think we’re going to head to my job at some point but that’s enough spoilers for 1 post. Even though you’re allowed to mess up and start over, a part of you tries to be mindful of the time so nerves of steel are all we ask. The biggest takeaway of the shoot was “be yourself and people will respect you.” I was a bit nervous at first because I’m a fairly jovial, gregarious individual so when working with a stern Eastern European transplant for the first time, there are moments where you question the degree of your interactions. I speak candidly and I constantly laugh and smile so of course by the end of the shoot, we’re high fiving. Also when you open up about your life which I had to do, not to mention on camera, they get to know you better.

February 27:Isaac Mizrahi shoot- I come in expecting to go over the interstitials for the the latinas video and end up going on a shoot to interview fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi who’s promoting his memoir. The reporter who I was assisting happened to be a fan of his in which she even had the advance copy of his memoir on her person. The shoot was to be of an intimate nature. It was held in his office which is actually a studio apartment so there was a homely vibe which lent to a chill work environment. My job is to assist in any capacity so I set up tripods, cameras, mic, lights. Sometimes you have to move furniture around when setting up a shot so being mindful of the property of others is important. I’ve worked with the same gear on a previous shoot so I was aware of the nuances regarding the equipment. Like I said before, same equipment but different people. Every camera person just like any creative has their own method and quirks when setting up for a shoot. Reading the room is another big part of the game. It might not seem like a huge deal but being able to move this here and that there for someone whose responsibilities are mainly technical is a major help which the crew reassured me of many times throughout the course of the shoot. The only shots I took were the ones the reporter requested I get of her and Isaac by way of her smartphone for thumbnail purposes. From time to time his assistant would update me on how much time we had left. No pressure at all. Just like any other shoot, we return the equipment to the gatekeeper himself Vincent who’s thrilled when things are put back where they belong and brought back in one piece.

February 15: I found myself drawing cartoons to support an interview for The Latinas show also known as interstitials for video. I’m not the best illustrator but I know how to get an idea across and that’s just what I did. I spent the afternoon sketching up cartoons associated with the responses given by the interviewees. The idea light was flickering non-stop when this project was presented to me. I was a tad nervous which is a good sign before any performance. Draw like your life depends on it I say.

Getting thrown into makeup and reading from a teleprompter for the first time ever was quite a way to start the morning, let alone this being my first job as an intern. I learned they apply makeup in order to prevent the glare that is caused by the oils in our skin. Rose, the makeup artist explained this as matting. So off we go to the studio where the Sexual and Interpersonal Violence Prevention and Response Course is being shot and there are a few other “talents” being shot one after the other. The studio is spacious and packed with lights so it has this mix of intimidation and intimacy depending on your state of mind. My supervisor Tinabeth hands me the script as I wait for the previous people to do the read. We’re all reading from the same script so you can imagine it being a situation where we finish each other’s sentences. Being that it’s for a course for personnel, sentences weren’t finished. I know because I helped edit it and what I mean by helped edit, I sat next to the editor, Sam and gave input on who says what, who to start/end with. It helped that I just so happened to be wearing a button up shirt because my supervisor did sort of this “aw shucks darnit” thing with her lip when one person who happened to have exceptional auditory presence was wearing a t-shirt. The control room is like the voice of Oz. They’re in another room watching the whole thing and well-controlling everything. Collaborating is a big part of studio life and sometimes you get to wear many hats in the course of a day.   

I

It’s my first day as an intern at CUNYTV. It’s a television station for CUNY. They produce a array of segments and shows surrounding the culture of New York City. I believe the name says it all. My responsibilities are :

* Attend meetings

* Pitch story ideas

* Research

* Fact Check

* Source B-roll

* Interact with in house library team

* Production Assist on Shoots

* Production Assist on Edits

* Production Assist in the Studio, Control Room & Green Room

* Assist in online social distribution for assigned show.

I arrived on time as you should the first day. I got acquainted with the other intern. For the first 2 hours, I sat through meetings. The format was a pitch bin. As a fly on the wall , I observed people presenting ideas some even on the spot or as it may have seemed. Some were even massacred on the spot even after many attempts of resuscitations. These are hardworking people…..Well, of course they are. They’re running a television station for crying out loud. I was given a segment to produce which may seem like a tough order on your first day but because I was given the opportunity to do my own thing, I looked forward to do creating it rather than dreading it. One thing about being an intern here is that you’ll never be bored/or short of work. As soon as the meeting ended, i further acquainted myself with the staff and as I’m shaking hand, I’m being pitched projects and before you know it, I have to jet off to class and now I have 4 different projects rolling in my head. It’s quite a rush. You also have to know where to draw your line and I’m not saying just come right out say no, I’m too busy. When an idea is being pitched, you’re given the opportunity to think it through and reconvene with that colleague. This place respects the email system and at the same token are very personable. I lucked out with this crew.