Hi, I am Kylie Ow, a final year student from the School of Communication Studies in NTU and I would like to share my internship experiences with you. The time I have spent in MTV Asia News & Specials, the department I am attached to, is truly a fulfilling and exciting roller-coaster ride, which seems to be ending just when it is beginning.

I started my internship one and a half months in advance for want of anything better that I would like to do, and I have not regretted my decision. The internship gives me the chance to produce my own programs, mingle with trendy kids on the streets and rub shoulders with international artistes like Ant & Dec, Jeff Chang & No Doubt. It also enlarges my horizons with unusual happenings all over the world and allows me to improve on my research and organizational abilities. My knowledge of television production is also further enhanced.

I am involved in the “Specials” side of the department rather than the “News” area. Over here in Specials, we are basically in charge of coming up with two programs, one of which is TV MTV and the other is Out of the Box. The concept of TV MTV involves getting trendy, young people from the streets to become temporary video jockeys. From there, we select the best links to throw together with hip music and colorful visuals. All these appear on the studio set that is made up of many television sets to result in a totally cool one hour show that airs five times every week.

Out of the Box is an entirely different cup of tea. It is a short but highly profiled program airing five times a day on all three of MTV’s Asian services. The program features young, edgy, new and creative people and stuff. The program basically tries to show a fresh perspective on anything that is unusual and interesting to the jaded viewers. It covers just about everything in good taste from sports to fashion, music and innovations without much restriction.

For starters, I am given the task of consolidating a system to record visual inserts, which are sourced and used in the editing of Out of the Box packages. This “character building” exercise has prepared me for the busy days ahead, where interesting things just keep on happening with or without notice.

One of the best things about the internship is going out on Out of the Box shoots. I really enjoy those sessions of covering stories, getting what we need for editing via instructing and briefing the crew and talents. Sometimes, I even get to polish my camera techniques by  shooting extra footage that is useful for editing purposes, with a Hi-8 camera. Going out on TV MTV shoots is just as fun since I get to interact with lots of people, the curious onlookers of all ages as well as my young talents. Going on those shoots is also interesting in the sense that it is not everyday that one can get people queuing up on the streets to do something that takes up time, for free. I find it heartwarming sometimes when my talents recognize me while hanging out in the area and approach me to make small talk.

The most fantastic part of the internship is of course having the chance to come out with my own Out of the Box packages. Everything from the idea conceptualization to the approval, the research, the preparations for the shoot and finally the editing of the rushes is one long and tedious process. However, I must admit that I enjoy every single moment of all that work despite the inevitable problems that crop up from time to time. The problems serve only to test my organizational abilities and public relations skills as I strive to solve them.

The tremendous satisfaction that I derive ultimately from seeing the completed packages on air after days of hard work is beyond words. They are definitely worth the input of time, effort and much more. There is also the instant gratification of knowing that the packages will be seen all over Asia, in at least 51 million homes. Words also cannot describe the wonderful feeling I get when I hear feedback about my packages. If the comments are negative, I just feel that “Hey! At least people are paying attention to your package to bother telling you about it. Hence, whether it is good or bad, as long as you know that you have done your best, so be it. You can always learn from your mistakes and after all, to each his own. You do have positive feedback as well.” This ability to think positive got me through a privately much criticized package but which when aired later proved to be very popular with viewers.

Besides the above mentioned, there are of course other tasks like tons of never-ending paperwork, hundreds of music videos to scan through for potential inserts, and rushes from all over the region and sometimes the world to view through. I also have to be constantly on the lookout for new ideas and keep my ears alert for upbeat and catchy tunes to use for edits. Another significant part of my internship is the frequent shuttling regardless of rain or shine to and from the MTV office to the studio, audio and editing suites where the heart of the action lies. These trips, especially when it is raining and I am in a hurry, laden with lots of tapes and files could be quite tricky, but to my relief, I have not suffered any great embarrassment.

I have gained much precious experience, not to mention become great friends with my helpful colleagues who have been wonderful in teaching me all I could absorb from this internship. MTV Asia has indeed provided me with a better understanding of the industry and I am truly thankful to my departmental head and the School for providing me with such an excellent opportunity to prepare myself for the working world.