We are delighted to have three awesome interns working with us this summer in Brown Bag Films Dublin!

Sarah (Digital Marketing Intern), Oisin (Intern - Production), and Dervla (Intern - Production) all started with us in various roles across the studio earlier this summer. We decided to catch up with them to see how they are getting on and give a peek into the life of an intern at Brown Bag.

Tell us a little about your background…

Sarah: I am currently entering into my fourth and final year of a BAH degree in Media and Performance Production. Before arriving at Brown Bag Films, I was studying at UCD as an exchange student from Canada. I have always had a love for film and music and over the past few years, I have worked hard to gain as much experience in both fields as possible. While studying at UCD this year I worked part-time as a photographer for a travel company in Dublin. This not only drew my curiosity towards the marketing side of film and media but allowed me to follow my other passion of traveling.

Dervla: I’ve just recently graduated from Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology where I studied Animation, majoring in Production Coordination for my final year.

Oisin: I studied Drama and Films Studies at Trinity College for four years.

Why did you apply for an internship with us?

Dervla: Coming from an animation background, I’ve always known the presence Brown Bag had in the animation industry in Ireland. The variety of high-quality work being produced by Brown Bag Films was amazing to see and urged me to want to be part of their growth in some shape or form. Brown Bag seemed like the perfect place to gain experience and develop my skills in production further. 

Sarah: Although my time at university taught me many valuable skills, I really wanted to have some more hands-on experience. I learn by doing and I hoped an internship would allow me to learn and grow past my theoretical background. I applied to Brown Bag Films in particular because I had seen some of the shows and work coming out of the studio and knew that if I wanted to learn anything about marketing and film, I wanted to learn from the best!

Oisin: I applied for the internship because I’ve always loved animation as a medium for film and television. I was familiar with Brown Bag Films work and I felt that it would be a great environment to learn more about production and the industry in general.

What sparked your interest in animation as a career?

Sarah: I hadn’t contemplated animation in particular as a career until recently. I have always had a love for all things film but never knew in which direction I wanted to go with it. Animation has been an amazing new discovery and I have found it incredibly rewarding to use marketing as a tool to help promote the incredibly talented artists that work within animation and this company in particular.

Dervla: I’ve pretty much been drawing all my life so as a kid I was naturally drawn to cartoons. I always used to pause my old Disney videos and try to copy the characters on pieces of paper - it wasn’t until years later I realised I could actually have a career doing that very thing! So I guess animation just felt like the natural thing for me to pursue.

Oisin: I love how versatile animation as a medium is and the creative freedom it allows and stories it can tell that would be impossible to tell otherwise. I enjoy animation in all forms and it’s a pleasure to work in such a creative environment and one of the many reasons I’m so grateful to have this opportunity.

Describe your experiences and feelings on your first day?

Sarah: I was equal parts nervous and excited on my first day. I was so ready to learn and try new things but I was also scared of the unknown. I am often very quiet and shy when I first meet people, which is not my personality at all, and I was worried it would hold me back from taking full advantage of this incredible opportunity. Thankfully, everyone at Brown Bag Films was more kind and welcoming than I could have ever imagined and I felt right at home in no time.

Dervla: I won’t lie, on my first day I was extremely nervous considering in college you hear about all the things you’ll do when you’re working in the industry or a studio and it’s not until you’re actually doing that you realise it’s a whole different ball game altogether. In saying that, everyone made me feel so welcome so it didn’t take long at all to feel settled and have the nerves go away.  We also had introductions into the different departments, systems and our roles in Brown Bag going forward. It was a great way to be introduced to studio life and made me excited to see.

Oisin: I was nervous about getting started because I knew I was going to be introduced to a lot of new things. Everyone was very friendly and kind and were very helpful in getting me settled in. They also treated us to a meal outside the office for lunch which was a great ice-breaker and helped rid me of any nerves I had when I arrived that morning.

How are things going so far? What are a few things that you’ve learned?

Sarah: Interning at Brown Bag Films has been amazing! I wake up every day so excited to come into work and I often don’t even want to go home! Not only have I learned more in the past 2 months than it feels I have in my last 3 years of university, but I have met so many incredibly kind and talented people that I feel so privileged to now call my friends.

A few things I have learned while at the company? I feel like there are too many to count! I have learned an incredible amount about Photoshop including, editing photos, creating posters, understanding adjustment layers and yes, learning how to make people and things disappear out of pictures. I have also learned how to write blog posts, take better photos and create gifs along with a long list of other things.

Oisin: The internship is going great and it feels like we’re learning something brand new every day. I’ve learned a lot about what goes into creating a single episode from speaking with creatives from different departments and from sitting in on meetings for the shows. We’re also being trained in the software needed to complete day-to-day production tasks. From working here I have a much greater understanding of how the industry functions.

Dervla: Things have been pretty great so far! My mentor Lauren has been amazing at getting us used to life here and easing us into the different tasks a production assistant undertakes. Getting to see various different projects at different stages of production has been a great help in learning how each one varies to the other.

Describe your typical day-to-day activities?

Sarah: My typical day starts off with checking my email to see what tasks I have been assigned. This could include new blog posts to draft up, a heads up on an event that I will be photographing later that day or some spreadsheets to fill out. I usually then grab a coffee and begin tackling the various jobs.

After lunch, I usually will get a crash course on a new Photoshop tool or lesson on graphic design and head to work learning the new skill. These are things that I will usually then integrate into my other work. For example, I could spend a few hours learning how to create gifs and then create new and fun gifs for the website or a new blog post that is coming out. The end of the day comes around before I know it and I often have to pry myself off my desk at 6. This is usually due to me being fascinated by a new tool or technique I want to perfect or a project that I want to put out that looks just right. This is a struggle of being a perfectionist. However, I always head home eventually to sleep as fast as I can so I can come back the next day to learn something new!

Dervla: Considering it's still early days, a lot of it has just been sitting in on different types of meetings and sessions of various shows here. It has been great to get a feel of what actually happens on the production of a show and how that links in with the tasks of a production assistant. Moving forward, we’ll most likely be helping out with different production tasks such as conform boards, script breakdowns, visual deliveries, etc. 

Oisin: Every day can be very different but mostly we sit in on meetings for the various shows that are in production to see how the different stages of the process are managed. We also have one-on-one meetings with different members of each department in order to get a greater understanding of everyone’s role in Brown Bag Films. Once we become fully settled and more confident in the job we’ll be given more day-to-day tasks.

Has your internship been as you expected and if not what’s been different?

Oisin: I didn’t really know what to expect when I began since this is my first experience working in an animation studio! But I’ve appreciated how they are taking the time to introduce us to their working environment before giving us any high priority tasks. My mentor, Mel, has been very helpful too, giving me the opportunity to ask any questions I might have about the role or production in general!

Sarah: This internship has surpassed my expectations. I originally thought I would come here, learn as much as I possibly could and return to school. Instead, I have made wonderful friendships, discovered new passions and opened myself up to a whole new side of media that I never even knew existed. This job has allowed me to see my potential and learn that hard work does pay off. The one expectation that did come out as I expected though was that I realized I really am learning from the best.

Dervla: I suppose it’s been different than what I expected considering managing short films in college is completely different to what you’ll be doing at industry standard but that’s what makes this experience so valuable! It really helps with the transition of working in a college environment to that of a professional arena and why I was so grateful to receive an internship here!

What would be your dream job/role in animation and why?

Sarah: My dream role in animation would be to continue to work in Marketing but create more promotional videos. I would love to combine all I have learned here in design and photography and add the added element of motion! I think this would be a great way to combine what I have learned at school with what I have learned at Brown Bag Films.

Dervla: For me personally, I really enjoy working in the production side of animation and feel like I’d love to progress my career in this particular field. Ideally, I’d love to gain the experience and insight to work my up to a production manager of some sorts. But who knows what the future holds! 

Oisin: I’m very interested in pursuing a career in production at Brown Bag and I want to explore the opportunities here and find the role that I am best suited for! I’m not sure exactly what the dream job is yet but I’m sure this internship will help me figure it out!