As I reflect on this summer internship, I think about the hard work I put into the video and the patience I had to have while getting the film to look just right. I really enjoy editing film and this internship allowed me to do so. It also allowed me to practice with what I want to do for the rest of life. It’s been a great experience.
I am starting to really edit the film I’ve retrieved and I am so excited to see the finished product. I began filming in late May and I have one more day of filming. The video I’m making will be played at the Orientation banquet and also for next year’s orientation team. This video will be given to student life and they will use it throughout the year.
Today I had to move bags for the incoming freshman to the Residence Life office in the blazing heat. I learned that there will always be parts of any job that aren’t pleasant, but they have to be done. In these bags students get a few CSU goodies, and also a book filled with information about CSU: organizations, restaurants, majors, etc.
The very last thing students do at orientation is a game show. This picture shows students in the Multipurpose Room in the Recreation Center. The winners of the games receive gifts cards to Walmart. This was very fun to film and the students loved being on camera. It made them feel like they were on the real Family Feud game show. I think I enjoyed filming this the most from all that I’ve filmed so far. I tried to get all different angles. I did close ups on students when they answered questions and also wide shots on the audience when they were helping to answer the questions.
Today, I recorded some of the skit that the student team performs for the students. The skit is very funny and deals with real life scenarios that freshman are going to face. The head leaders wrote the skit and oversaw practices for the skit and helped to direct them. This video is a snippet from the end of the skit. The students all love watching the skit and the student team really gets into it. I got some really got shots and angles when recording it. This picture is one of the Oteam leaders in his skit costume.
Today, in the orientation office the head leaders had a very busy day. We began the day by making name tags on the computer for each student and their parents. Throughout the day we were bombarded with phone calls from students and parents asking tons of questions about the upcoming orientation. We counted surveys for all the concurrent sessions and did the paperwork from the previous week. I also found time to edit some of the film and interview the staff members in our office and take some pictures for the video.
Today, I led a concurrent session about “Understanding College Life” to over 300 people including students and parents. My session was about what happens on a daily basis at CSU and I also created a typical class schedule for them. This session was great practice for public speaking, and also gave me practice in leading a presentation. I was nervous at first to be leading a session in front of all these people, but I really enjoyed it.
Not all of the activities we did during the Orientation Team Retreat were easy. There were some very challenging activities, including the high ropes course in the picture. Students were asked to climb a fifty foot pole and jump trying to catch a triangle swing. A lot of the students were afraid of heights so this activity taught them trust, respect, and courage. It was so encouraging watching students take risks and be vulnerable. This was my favorite activity to watch because the team worked together through encouragement and support and got through this activity as a team. This was also a very interesting activity to film.
Be careful up there!
As part of my internship I will be making and editing a video for the Orientation Team to use in years to come not only what students will do on the team, but this video will be played at Orientations next year as well. It will be an interactive video with interviews, interactions on Orientation days, and lots of fun. I will video on the retreat, during days and nights of Orientations, and just the daily duties that go along with Orientation. I am really excited about this video, and even more exciting that I have access to all the resources I need to make a professional video. The NPACE center has high quality video equipment, as well as up to date editing software on Macs, so I know my video has amazing potential. I plan on it being around 20 minutes, which is a lot longer than the videos I edited for Dr. Hart’s Video Production 1 class. That kind of excites me though. I enjoy editing film and I’m glad to have this opportunity through my internship.
We have a lot of fun!
There are a lot of emotions running through everyone’s mind at the end of training week. People are nervous about having to know all of this information and to be able to relate it with confidence to the Freshmen and Parents coming to summer orientations. People are excited to surround themselves around new people and make a lot of new connections, Some of the team is just there, and doesn’t feel any certain way. I know that the three Head Leaders (myself included) are so pumped and ready for Orientations to begin. We have been teaching our Student and Parents Teams since February and we feel that this team is going to do an amazing job and that every Freshman and Parent coming through this summer will feel that they are at home.
Some of our awesome team. Excited for Fall!
Columbus State University Communication Internships 