Intern Video Production

Being a video producer is no easy task, and that task isn’t any easier when you are an intern producing your first video outside of the Norwich University walls. Skillman Video Group is known for its high quality videos and attention to detail. As an intern, I can only hope to produce a video that is up to SVG’s standards. I have written about all video production and video marketing concepts, but implementing all those stages and qualities was slightly intimidating. No, I don’t have 11 years of experience like our SVG CEO and creative director Christina Skillman but with her guidance and video critiques I was able to produce a video for the company and learn more about the video process.

Topic

Before filming, Christina Skillman and I came up with a topic that would promote SVG and help potential clients be better prepared for video marketing meetings. One thing Christina mentioned really stuck out to me, which was client’s not knowing their message. Though SVG is there to help promote a business and tell a story, we can’t do our job if we are trying to hit a moving target. The concept of a moving target was the perfect angle for the video, so our video’s message would be planning a corporate video.

When filming day approached, I had a list of pertinent questions to ask Christina. Besides hauling in the heavy video equipment, the only problem we had throughout the day was balancing the installed LED lights and the natural lighting. I also decided to film b-roll on a separate video camera from the Sony HXR we used for the interview. However, I found that using two separate camera would make the color correcting process that much more difficult in post-production.

Post-Production Editing

Although I have always loved editing and feel that I am particularly well acquainted with editing programs, the editing process for this particular video appeared to more of a learning curve for me. While at Norwich University I was used to editing on Avid Media Composer. I was able to download Adobe Premiere Pro for to edit, and teaching myself the new program took time and help from SVG’s Marketing Coordinator, Jack Wall. Nonetheless, my 5-year-old Apple computer didn’t like the high-speed program and ultimately put up a huge fuss whenever I went to edit. The entire computer slowed down due to the amount of data it processed, which made reviewing the video that much more difficult. Though teaching myself a new program and dealing with a low-speed computer can be frustrating, I was happy to learn something outside my comfort zone.

Critiques

Putting together a video is like writing an essay. Doing so requires drafts and critiques. Working with Christina and Jack helped me to become more equipped with video production experience, and I am grateful to have had their knowledge at hand throughout this process. Looking at the final draft with Christina was nerve-wracking for she holds her business to high expectations. I was happy to get positive feed back, but even more learn about the mistakes I made, such as being aware of the little things like her shirt being scrunched up which would call for a retake in the real world of video production. Some people lose confidence over critiques and mistakes, but when it comes to video production there is always room to improve. Besides, if Christina and Jack hadn’t given me any helpful critiques I would have just assumed the video was so bad there was no fixing it.

Being able to produce my own video for SVG was intimidating and at times frustrating when editing in post-production, but this internship is set-up to improve and develop experience in this field.

Skillman Video Group LLC is a Boston video production company. Call us anytime at 1-800-784-0140.