Internships at Focal Point

Focal Point has been partnering with and accepting interns from Stevenson University since the Spring 2018 semester. Since then, we’ve worked with 12+ students from several universities, high schools, and programs.

Jessica Danielle Merrick provided us her insights into becoming part of the team during the Spring 2020 semester

As part of earning credit for school, I had to complete an internship that was part of my field. Thankfully, I was able to land one for the Spring semester, at Focal Point Productions. Although cut short due to the coronavirus, I would say I got a decent amount of experience and interaction for the first part of the semester thanks to the owner, Martin Jenoff.

I got hired by Marty before the beginning of the semester as a Production Assistant (PA). My job was, hence, the name of the position, assist in production. Around for about 20 years, Focal Point is known for doing mostly video production as well as live streaming. Thankfully, I was able to get a taste of both, along with editing.

At the beginning of the semester, my first official live stream was for the Maryland State Youth Soccer Group. Live streamed on Facebook, family and friends were able to tune in and see the brackets of the youth soccer teams for the upcoming season. I thought it was intriguing to see how a live stream works, from the set-up of the film equipment, to the process of the broadcasting.

Jessica Danielle Merrick and Marty Jenoff

Another assignment I participated in was another live stream for Client Network Services Inc. (CNSI) of Rockville, MD. This company deals with combining healthcare system and technology to create innovative solutions for healthcare. My job was to control the audio mixer, which monitored and controlled the volume of the microphone. This also connected through the large speaker used for those who weren’t sitting close to the speakers so they can hear clearly. This was a different task from what I’ve done as a PA so it was interesting that I had control over something as important as audio, especially for those watching at home so they can hear clearly.

Away from live streaming, I have assisted in recorded and edited video production. There have been times where there were in-studio productions at the office, such as ones for American Broadcasting Company (ABC). This was associated with construction companies working on projects for clients and how this impacted their community. I got some practice editing together footage of the interviews.

I got some experience editing other footage such as episodes for a YouTube Channel called David Addi, who is the founder of Fired Up Promotions and does Fired Up TV. The goal is to edit enough videos to upload once a week for a whole year. I was given footage, provided by Zephan Blaxberg of ZMB Media, and put together 1-minute footage of each product, which I am currently finishing up.

Some things that I’ve learned from the cinematography aspect is that it’s important to have everything set up and prepared in advance because 9 times out of 10 something will go wrong, which is also something to look out for, expect the unexpected. There will be things that go wrong with the equipment, simply because it’s common for technology to malfunction sometimes. This also includes having a late client, or someone who may not cooperate as well as you hope. As far as editing goes, keyboard shortcuts are your friend. I have noticed an improvement on how long it takes me to complete an editing project and I am proud of my progress thus far.

In conclusion, for anyone who is interested in cinematography and editing and wish to participate in video production and live streaming while being in a casual environment, I recommend speaking to Marty at Focal Point Productions.