Hello, my name is Eli Saliba. I am the current ETV Endowment Intern at SCETV’s branch in Beaufort. I am a rising senior at The College of Charleston studying communications and film.
Week 1:
At around 8:30 a.m., I arrived at the station for my first day of interning. I pulled into the parking lot and found a spot that looked out over the beautiful Beaufort River. The sun was still rising on the horizon. I walked in and was greeted by my kind supervisor, Holly, with a tasty breakfast, which was a pleasant surprise since I was a little too nervous to eat at home before leaving. She showed me my personal office and gave me an overview of what we would be doing for the next ten weeks. She told me I had picked a crazy busy, but perfect time to come down. ETV Lowcountry had just started a major renovation period as I was arriving. A new studio was being built for the second season of By The River, a show that interviews authors from South Carolina and others from parts across the Southeast. This show is going to be the main focus for the next three to four weeks, so all eyes are directed toward that.
The show collaborates with the University of South Carolina Beaufort and their students who run most of the production aspects during the time of shooting. New cameras and lighting were being installed, a state-of-the-art mobile control room sat outside and Prince of Tides author, Pat Conroy’s personal collection of books were awaiting being placed on the shelves of the new home library-esque sound stage.
Over the first week, there were many miscellaneous things I helped out with, in order to make sure the following week’s shoots went smoothly. I helped with decorating the set with props and books, the installation of lights and microphones, assembling equipment, and laying down the new floor of the set. The USCB students were a major part in the pre-production setup as well. Toward the end of the week, the class and I began training on how to work the cameras and control room. At first, everything seemed way over my head, but as time went on, things began to slowly start clicking. By Friday, besides a few touch-ups, the set was completely done and ready to be used for the following week. At this point, my job was to make sure I was learning the equipment and making sure I understood the process of how things would go next week.