what the intern reeeally does at work

Hmm I realise that I don't really explain what my job scope is really like at work here.

Okay so if you're interested, then carry on reading. Nooo I'm not (really) slacking at work at all :)

Well, the last few times, as you notice me talking about the typhoons and bird flu issues, it's because I was working for the news production section of the scmp.com team. So I help write max 800-word articles for the website, find pictures to sometimes accompany the leading stories and upload them on the Internet. That's when if you were to search for 'Angela Seet' in the search engine box of scmp.com, you would be able to find the articles (abstracts that is, unless you subscribe to the paper).

But that was months ago already, and each article is only up for seven days before it somehow disappears. Don't ask me why, I tried to ask one of my colleagues and he just said he wasn't sure, but that it would "disappear".

Almost as though while the Internet is our main source of communication and information now, it also has a bad habit of being hungry.

So that was news production. After that, I moved over to help the multimedia section of scmp.com. The multimedia team produces videocasts and podcasts for that section on the online platform. We usually accompany some reporters for their stories (if they are interesting) to film the interview or story. So the podcasts/videos would be published on the site on the same day as the story.

Admittedly, these last few weeks are more hands-on, I get to move around, meet more people and get out of the office - though the previous stint did help to polish and give practice to my writing. Here, I have to switch to writing for viewers or listeners instead.

Hmm a matter of fact, I almost could get a chance to help film a high-profile interview that the film editor would be doing today. It's the leading actors of the movie Red Cliff, for the sequel that is coming out soon. Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Chang Chen - imagine how exciting that would be :) but weeeeell, apparently the A-list actors are slightly fussy and have declined to be on camera (such an irony) so only the reporter can be there.

The videos are really very straight forward and nothing too fancy, just to accompany the print version of the story. Here are some examples:

The Garcia Thrill Riders - a family of motorcycle stunt performers



Hong Kong martial arts actor Donnie Yen - for the movie Ip Man



Taiwanese girl band S.H.E - during the New Year countdown I think



Asian Games Show 2008 - Exhibition sponsored by Sony



Bill Clinton - at the closing of the Clinton Global Initiative 2008



Okay that's some of the videos that I've helped out with. Can't say they are stunning, but they are pretty adequate just for that three minutes to make some online presence for the paper I guess! Haha

Other than that, I help to do podcasts. Mainly helping to produce the paper's daily news podcast, SCMP Today - which has to be ready by the night before the actual paper is printed in the morning. That's why the late(r) nights when on the audio shift.

There's the choosing of music, writing up of the news summary, recording two interviews with reporters for two segments and one for the international news, editing of all the bits and mixing them into one podcast.

Here's one usual SCMP Today news podcast.

And as the year came to an end, I was tasked to pick out songs that we have used on the podcasts. We use 30 seconds of each of the four songs in one podcast and because it's five days a week - imagine how many I had to listen to. I had to pick out five for each of the ten music shows we were going to have.

Here's one of the SCMP Today music shows.

Other times, it's just doing voiceovers for some podcasts.

This is one which we did for the Clinton Global Initiative, it's the dialogue between former President Bill Clinton and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

So there, that's roughly the summary of what my job really is about. I'm due to go over to the Marketing department but there's only three/four weeks left (SUPER FAST EH) so not sure how that is going to go.

Meanwhile Multimedia is babysitting me.

Yes yes yes, there are loads of undone posts, but those really would come up soon, just that with pictures and all that, I really shouldn't be doing those at work :)

Hope all had a great new year and well, hopefully 2009 treats us well :)