Chasing your dreams is scary. My position has initiated personal growth by consistently causing me to step out of my comfort zone by learning skills that will make my dreams achievable. This role delegated structured time each week to deliberately and consistently practice necessary skills for the Entertainment Industry. As a Production Intern for Georgia Bulldawgs Sports Media, I have gained loads of first-hand experience with producing and confidence in my abilities and knowledge. In this role, I dedicate a minimum of four hours a week to post-production tasks such as editing, color-correcting, organizing and labeling files, and creating content for web and social purposes. During each two-hour shift, full-time producers assign me a specific task, and I must have it completed according to company quality standards within the period. To continue, I dedicate an additional six - eighteen hours a week shooting footage at various sports events such as equestrian, tennis, swim & dive, basketball, and volleyball. Altogether, I have learned valuable time management skills, teamwork, and the importance of consistent hard work throughout my role as a Production Intern for Georgia Bulldawgs Sports Media. 

         To begin, during my office hours, I have gained many valuable skills necessary for the Entertainment Industry. Before each shift, I check my google calendar to see which full-time member I will be reporting to and what task they have assigned me for the period. Next, I enter the office, report to the Full-Time Member, and receive a rundown of the expectations for my assignment. Examples of past assignments include: creating a game day is coming hype video, creating this or that social videos, creating an informational web piece, recording player and coach interviews, labeling clips and adequately organizing them, creating senior player’s highlight reel, reviewing the footage I shot and receiving feedback, or practicing filming on campus. The most common assignment, creating a game day hype video, requires that I pull footage from the proper folders and edit together a 30-second clip that showcases highlights from previous games to excite fans for the upcoming match. First, I choose audio that effectively manifests the energy of the upcoming game. Next, I choose the proper sport lockups and end tags to stamp the video professionally. Following, I utilize search engine technology to cipher through the abundant footage to strategically choose footage that will help narrate the story of the upcoming match. Once the footage is uploaded, I then review all the angles of the clips, arrange the videos in a practical order, trim the clips to only include essential actions, alter the speed and size of the videos, and finally color correct each of the shots on Premiere Pro.

        My office hour tasks have taught me essential organizational skills and how to evoke an emotional response when there is a narrative involved. I have learned organizational skills through the meticulous tasks of labeling clips and filing them into the proper folders. Georgia Bulldawg Sports Media covers many different sports, events, games, interviews, etc. Therefore each of the clips must be correctly placed in the correct folders with an accurate label so that each team member can locate it. Furthermore, through repetition, I have gained a good understanding of editing films to evoke an emotional response within the audience. After each video I have completed, I have received various forms of feedback from different Full-Time members in the office. I have considered all feedback and implemented it into practice to improve the quality of the film I produce with each task. I am very grateful for the skills I have learned during my office hours because I plan to apply these transferable skills to other areas of my life. 

        To continue, through shooting at sports events, I have gained valuable technical camera skills and attained a good grasp of cinematography. I have been granted full creative reign at each event and thus practiced different angles and framing to capture the best shot. Furthermore, utilizing aperture, ISO, frame rate, and shutter speed, I can achieve the best color, lighting, and focus possible to communicate the narrative creatively. I attend each event with at least one Full-Time producer and regularly other part-time producers. We arrive at each event two hours early to set up the equipment and shoot pre-game footage. Following this, I individually walk around the area to capture athletes playing the match while making sure I capture a variety of shots. Afterward, I load and label my footage on the hard drive, and I record post-game interviews (either virtually on zoom or in-person). Then the team packs up, and we head back to the office to begin editing the post-game web piece or edit the interviews for usage on georgiadogs.com. The post-game interview deadlines are typically as soon as possible after the event. Therefore I must be diligent and effective with each task I am completing. 

       I have enjoyed this experience because it has allowed a fixed time each week to grow outside of my comfort zone and practice the skills necessary to succeed in the entertainment industry. This role has taught me that I would be interested in a production assistant role in the future and that I can diligently perform in a job with essential expectations and deadlines. I have gained confidence that I will be sure to tap into when applying for roles post-graduation and in my everyday life. Furthermore, I have developed my network by forming meaningful relationships with my co-workers throughout my experiences in this role. Overall, I am very thankful for this experience and the lessons it has taught me while making me a better sports fan at the same time - Go Dawgs!