You have an internship this semester! Tell us about it.

I am currently doing a Film and Media Studies internship at Coal Powered Filmworks for the Spring Semester of 2020. In 2019 I did an internship over at the Moving Image Research Collections for my Media Arts major. Film has been something that I have been intrigued with for the last couple of years, and thankfully with the experiences that both these internships gave me, I have been more interested in working in a film related space. Coal Powered for me has been very amazing since I am getting to know more places where I would never imagine to be. Standing behind the camera and looking through the LCD Screen while Wade Sellers, my boss, is doing an interview has been interesting since that has led me to improve more on my camera skills. Also, editing was something that I did not find interesting before getting an internship, but the more I have been exposed to editing, the easier it has been for me to work on projects for other classes. Carrying and setting up equipment, even though it can be heavy and tricky at times, has been a passion as of late since one of my goals is to work on a film set whether as a film director or in any position. Therefore, those are the things I have done throughout my internship, from carrying and setting up equipment for the interview, to edit clips together.

 
What’s the most interesting project you’ve worked on at Coal Powered Filmworks this spring?

I was not assigned to a specific project, but the interviews have been the most interesting projects I have worked on, especially the alumni business students who are getting into a hall of fame. The have been able to travel, like to Charlotte, North Carolina for instance. I have not yet edited those projects, but just going out and listening to people’s histories has been very fascinating. Not only that, putting the equipment in a room and making the shot look pretty on the screen has been something great to experience.

Do you have any advice for students planning an internship?

If you are a student who does not know what to do or where to go for an internship during your college years, talk to one of your professors or mentors. Professors are not meant for teaching only, but to also help students succeed in the future, so take an opportunity to talk to one of them because they might know people who work in a field that you are interested in working on. I talked to Professor Laura Kissel if she knew places where I could do an internship in Columbia and not have to go out of town, and she told me about the many possible places where I could apply for an internship. This is what led me to Coal Powered Filmworks, and so far I have been loving it.