My Time at PAC 14

Garrett Roe
28 July 2016
CMAT 495

Over the course of this summer of 2016, I have been interning at a public access
channel out of Salisbury, Maryland. Known as PAC 14, this television station is more
than a public access channel. They are a community. They are the link to the community
issues. This station is only available in Wicomico County, and their motto is Your
Community, Your Channel, Your Story. Their goal when PAC 14 launched in 1998 was
to attract the local community to tell their own story with the help of PAC 14s equipment
and editing stations. They offer a free local producer workshop once a month, usually on
the 3rd Monday of the month. PAC 14 is a non-profit station, and they provide public,
educational, and governmental (PEG) programming.
As a media production major, this internship was a great stepping-stone towards
getting my foot in the door in the production business. I got to have a hands-on
experience at PAC 14 that might be hard to get at larger television stations. With an office
of 4 people, it is always busy, but the task at hand is always getting accomplished. The
intern always has something to do. The intern is never left without a task. There is always
a station ID that one could make, or a PSA that one could edit.
Going into this internship, I was unsure of what to expect. I was not confident
with my video editing skills. However, I wanted to grow. I wanted to improve. I told my
boss from the first interview to throw anything at me, and I would do as I was asked to
the best of my ability. I felt that with this attitude that I would be able to go to this
internship and learn many things and develop my skills the way that I expected to.
The goal of this essay is to stress that even with a lack of confidence, anybody can
learn new things and succeed at them. Prior to this internship, with the video-editing
program that I was using, I had only seen it a handful of times. I had never used it. I was

somewhat nervous going into this because of my tendency to overthink things and mess
them up. I was afraid that with this editing software, my expectations would often fall
short. As a matter of fact, they often exceeded my expectations. At the time that my
internship started, I was not very confident of my camera operating skills, but I strove to
improve in that area as well. I also strove to improve my communication skills, especially
on a professional basis. This was my first opportunity in the work force, and I wanted
nothing more than to prove that I was a well-versed, educated intern with the capacity to
help PAC 14 going forward. I also wanted to prove to myself that I could develop my
skills and be ready for a future in this business.
When I arrived at PAC 14 on my first day, which was May 24th, 2016, I was
shown the Final Cut Pro software. Upon seeing tis program, and its many different
functions, I was unsure if I would be able to adapt to this program. However, after my
boss, Mr. Creig Twilley showed me the basics of the program, I was ready to make an
attempt at using this program. I was handed a PSA, a simple 90-second video on grilling
safety. Not knowing all of what Final Cut Pro had to offer just yet, it took a little while to
get used to the program. I had to ask many questions and be shown many features within
the program. This first project took me three days to edit. As my confidence grew while
editing this piece, the more I experimented with different features in future projects.
After showing this piece to my boss, and everyone involved enjoying it, I began
to be assigned to bigger projects to edit within the station. However, the first big project I
was assigned led me to a tool that I had never heard of called the Multicam tool. With the
projects that I edited where this tool was required, I have usually required assistance in
setting this up. If the audio or the video was not in sync, the project could be made more

difficult than it needs to be. I was soon being handed hour-long pieces, sometimes two
hour-long pieces for editing.
One aspect that surprised me during this internship when it came to editing was
my pace. When I edited in Avid Media Composer, it would take me around a week to edit
a simple 90-second piece. However, in Final Cut Pro, I could finish short pieces within an
hour or two. I found Final Cut Pro to be user-friendly, and it eased my transition into this
program and internship, making my edits a huge success. My pace of where I was
submitting projects both surprised and scared me. I was afraid that the employers at PAC
14 would always expect me to submit work at lightning speed. However, I prided myself
at submitting work that, in terms of quality reflected the amount of time that I spent on it.
As long as my work was done in a timely manner and was completed with quality, that is
what mattered most to them.
Two projects that I edited stand out to me, both in quality, and in pace. One is the
annual SWAC luncheon that I helped to shoot. This was a landmark piece for me,
personally. With this, I learned the importance of shooting for the edit. In other words, I
shoot the piece in a way that does not make things extremely difficult in the editing room.
I learned this the hard way, not necessarily with my own camera, but from the gentleman
who was with me shooting on a secondary close-up camera. As I was editing, many of his
clips that I wanted to use ended up not being usable. When that happened, that is where I
learned the importance of shooting for the edit, as this piece became difficult to edit. I
had to rely on many wide shots where I thought his close-up camera could make for a
great shot, but it ended up being a moving nightmare. However, in the editing room, this
piece took six hours to edit, and it was a two-hour production! I anticipated this taking

me a couple of days to edit, and even told my boss as much, so I was surprised when I
finished up so quickly. I think we both were surprised when the piece was completed the
next day. What I came to realize was that once the multicam tool was set up, it did not
require lengthy editing, especially if the editor knows what they want to use.
The other project that stood out in my mind was the A1C PSA. We were creating
a series of diabetic-related PSAs for the Wicomico County Health Department. All of our
PSAs were good and factual, but this one stood out because of the overall quality. This
was shortly after we began downloading our elements through a Digital Juice account, so
prior to this, we were using all standard definition backgrounds and were fairly limited on
music. With this account, we could use high definition backgrounds, and we had an
expanded music catalog. I used a blood related background, and had dramatic music to
convey the overall seriousness of the PSA. I also had information on A1C that we
deemed important to put in the PSA. Combine all of these elements, and I thought it was
one of the best projects I did during my time at PAC 14.
Before I began my internship, I would rate my camera skills at a C+ at best. I
thought I was decent working the camera. I always attempted to stay with the action
shots. However, looking back on things, I was not that great with the camera. My biggest
problem was setting up the camera, and directing my shots. I vowed to improve on the
areas that I was lacking in.
In my first few shoots with PAC 14, I would usually operate a static camera. That
was always easy, because all I had to do was press record and stand there until the shoot
was over. However, over time, I began to be assigned to moving cameras. This was
something I was never comfortable with before, but I was thrilled to give this a try.

There were two shoots in particular that I went on where I felt that my camera
skills greatly improved. This was the day that I shot the annual SWAC luncheon. I was
manning a close-up camera on the right side of the Great Hall. On this day, I wanted to
work on my zooming in and out, as well as my panning. I was able to succeed at both,
often using a slow zoom to get close to whomever the focus was to be on. The panning
took a little longer that day to become successful at, but by the end of the shoot, I was
happy with my progress.
The other shoot that stands out to me was an edition of Delmarva Today. This
occurred on June 17th, and I shot this with my boss. On this day, I manned the camera that
focused on the guests of the show. On this shoot, there were three guests, and I had to
make sure that I had adequate close-up shots of all of them. What I would do is as soon as
the host, Don Rush would mention their name to ask them a question; I would pan my
camera to that particular guest. It actually helped in the editing of that particular show
because as my camera would pan towards that guest, I would stay on the shot of Don so I
would not get any movement of the guest camera in the edit. I thought that was a great
trick that made my editing better for not only that days edition of Delmarva Today, but
for future edits of the show.
One aspect of this internship that really surprised me was the communication and
camaraderie that happens in the PAC 14 offices. Because PAC 14 is small, the employees
in the office have the opportunity to not only get to know each other really well, but also
the clients that come in and check out equipment, learn how to use the equipment, or
produce shows in the studios. With 4 employees there, each employee looks out for each
other, what is best for the team, the product, and the station. One might think with an

office this small, that not much programming can come out of this place. However, a lot
of programs do come out of PAC 14. There are always 1-2 people shooting local events
when needed, and the employees are willing to work with you when you need it.
Personally, I feel as if I have developed my professional communication skills
throughout my time at PAC 14. This was not only my first foray into the communications
business of any sort, but this was also my first foray into the professional world of any
kind. I gave every task at hand the best effort I could possibly give. I was unafraid to ask
questions or for advice whenever I needed it. In my view, the teamwork at PAC 14 made
all the difference in my development as a professional.
In my development as a professional, I always took pride in being available to do
a task whenever I was needed. I also took pride in getting to work on time every day, no
matter what situations were thrown at me. For example, there were several days where a
torrential rain was either coming or had already arrived. I live close enough to PAC 14
where I could get myself to work without the aid of public transportation. That at times
meant driving in the rain. When I would arrive at work, my boss would tell me that I
could have called and waited to come in when the weather cleared. However, that was not
the way I operate. If I tell an employer that I will be to work by 9 a.m., then I will be
there by that time, regardless of what the weather is. I believe in sticking to your word,
because it not only makes you a better person, but makes the company better as well.
To continue, I feel that I have grown personally during my time at PAC 14. Prior
to this internship, whenever I would edit and something would not go as planned, I would
get frustrated and usually leave the computer. Here, I had to learn to overcome my

frustrations and work at making the product was to the professional standard of PAC 14,
as well as my own standard.
As a result of this internship, I am more secure in my career decisions. I have
come to enjoy video editing. While it is not what I would prefer, I do enjoy it now, where
as before, I dreaded video editing. The editing software that I have used recently, I feel
are more user-friendly. In my opinion, anybody could learn to use Final Cut Pro. I could
use some more development into completely learning this program inside and out, but
have the confidence to edit a video and make it look television ready.
There are several aspects of this internship that I am proud of. I am proud of my
development as a video editor. I have grown as an editor and have gained confidence in
my ability to edit a video. With the tricks that I have picked up while using Final Cut Pro,
I feel that I could take less than perfect video, and edit it to turn out better than someone
might hope.
I am proud of my development as a cameraperson. While I wish I were able to do
more with a camera, I feel that with the programs and community events I was able to
participate in, that I got better with a camera. Before the internship, I stressed every time
I had to use a camera because I knew I would mess up my shoot. Now, I have more
confidence to take a camera out and shoot a piece. My biggest stress with the camera
before usually came as a result of knowing I had to edit the particular piece. If the shoot
was less than stellar, that made the editing extremely difficult. If the shoot was good, that
made the editing much easier.

There were a few instances in where I disappointed myself during my internship.

One of those came when I would record voiceovers. At times when I was recording
voiceovers, I would be using an external microphone that I brought in to record with.
However, when my boss and I would listen back to the voiceover, we would determine
that the microphone, and the space of the room that I recorded in interfered with the
output of my voiceover, which would often mean I would need to record the voiceover
again. When this occurred, I would go into one of the studios, and record with a
Sennheiser microphone connected to a camera. When I would import the voiceover into
Final Cut Pro, I would detach the audio from the video clip, then edit what was needed,
which usually was cutting out the gaps where no audio was present, or editing the levels
of the audio.
Another instance of where I disappointed myself during the internship was when
it came to editing. Occasionally, I would struggle to edit a piece depending on the quality
of the video. An example of this was when I edited the St. Francis de Sales Orlando
Shooting Vigil. The audio and the video were less than adequate. I was unsure of how I
could make this video ready to be put on the air. That was before I color corrected the
video and bumped up the audio levels to a reasonable level. Once I did those two things,
and added transitions in and out of the video, it was ready to be aired.
In conclusion, my time at PAC 14 was well spent. I learned more about editing in
just ten short weeks than I would have otherwise. I feel that I have developed
communication skills with my boss and the fellow PAC 14 employers that I can be
confident going into further career opportunities. I am confident in my camera skills, and

feel that I could do shoots of all different types. I learned to not sell myself short, because
if I do, then I will not be successful in this business. The media production side of the
communications business is a competition, and I must be at my best in order to have a
successful career.