Television and Film

Requirements

  • Only those Television & Film major who will be juniors or seniors during their internship are eligible.
  • Applicants must have completed a minimum of 2 TVF (CAS) production courses related to the area in which they will be interning. The relevancy of your course work will be determined by Prof. Caputi.
  • All students applying for internship credit must have a minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA.
  • All internships must be approved. A list of approved internships, and general instructions concerning internships is available online.
  • Although students may find internships on their own, these must be approved in advance.
  • Internships carry no salary, although in some cases you may be paid a stipend for travel or lunch.
  • No last minute internships will be permitted. Students must register during registration period as prescribed by St. John’s University. Students may not register when the semester has already begun.
  • No student may receive more than 6 hours of combined internship, practicum, and co-curricular club credit (WSJU, Film Club, WRED-TV).

Procedure
All students must attend an information seminar with Prof. Caputi the semester before actually doing the internship. At this meeting, Prof. Caputi will explain the process in detail and what will be expected of you as an intern. Applications will be filled out at that time. No student will be permitted to take an internship without attending this information session.

After filling out the application, Prof. Caputi will check your eligibility and sign the applications. If approved, the signed application and a Sponsor Acceptance Form will then be left with the secretary for Dr. Brady, the chairman or the Communications Department. Go to her in Bent Hall room 374, and she will give you your copy of the application which you will take to a CPS dean who will register you for the internship. You cannot register online for the internship. Take the Sponsor Acceptance Form with you on your first day at the internship, fill it out completely, and have the sponsor fax it to the address on the form.

Television & Film internships cover many diversified and interesting fields in media studies. Search through the Web site carefully and you will find a variety of opportunities that fill your needs. The Intership Web site contains detailed information on each of our approved sponsors. You will probably need to spend some time going through it and copying down:

  • The names that interest you,
  • Their phone numbers,
  • Their address,
  • And the name of the contact person who handles the interns.

Carefully follow the directions given on each sponsor page. You will either call, write, or Fax each intern sponsor that interests you. Hopefully, you will be able to set up an appointment quickly. Send out quite a few (more than five) resumes and cover letters and do it early.
You will need to prepare a resume and cover letter. With some amount of luck, you already know how to do this, but if you need help, the Career Center offers advice and seminars throughout the semester.

Go on several interviews and choose and internship that suits your needs. Find out what your responsibilities will be. Having your sponsor fill out the Sponsor Acceptance Form. (This form was attached to your application). This is a mini-contract between you and the sponsor in which you guarantee the sponsor a certain number of hours on a certain number of days throughout the semester. This must be returned to Prof. Caputi as soon as possible but no later than the second week of the semester in which you are interning.

Assignments
Keep a daily log of your activities. You can and should include information about how you got the internship and what you expect from your sponsoring organization. This may be either hand writte3n or typed, but will be submitted to Prof. Caputi at the end of the semester. Keep detailed records of your activities.

You must submit a preliminary report, explaining your experiences during the first two weeks of your internship. This should be at least 2 to 3 pages long. This report is due during the third week of your internship.

At the end of the semester, you will submit a 7to 10 page report detailing your activities during your internship and your personal comments on its value to you.

Your final grade will consist of:

  • Your sponsor’s evaluation of your performance
  • Your log
  • Your 2 reports
  • Meeting all deadlines for handling in all materials.

You internship should be an extremely valuable and fun experience. Enjoy it, but do a good job, too. We expect you to behave in a mature, professional, and responsible manner. Remember, you represent St. John’s University. Our inters have gained us a wonderful reputation, and we depend on you to continue that tradition.

Forms

Susan Weber
Director, TV and Film Studies Program
(718) 990-7332
webers@stjohns.edu