The Creative Careers team helped Vadim secure a placement that has renewed his ambition for future success.
I’m a BA (Hons) Graphic Design student completing my placement year at a video production agency called Liquona, as a post-production intern.
I secured this placement through the support of Creative Careers. They connected me with Liquona. I want to thank everyone who guided me through this process.
I wouldn't have made it without their help. I advise everyone to use Creative Careers.
Since starting my placement, the experience so far has been a whirlwind of creativity and learning. I'm here to give you an inside look at what it's been like.
Being part of a creative agency
Liquona is a creative agency that brings together experienced TV filmmakers and post-production wizards who do 3D, VR, editing, and SFX. There are new things every day, from stop-motion cartoons to interviews about architecture.
My role is in post-production. I assist with editing footage, adding music and special effects, and turning raw, desaturated footage into vibrant, cheerful, and engaging short clips. Learning about colour and layouts at Portsmouth helped inform my work in video production. I hope to apply those principles to real-life commercial projects.
I’m also updating Liquona’s branding guidelines, collecting all the company’s design bits and pieces, and formulating an overall style for them. In some sense, I’m collaborating with every team member who contributed to any visuals by using their work.
Embracing challenges
One of my most challenging projects so far was creating a 3D animation for a green energy company. The company is transforming an old oil refinery into a hydrogen production facility. The challenging part was the quick turnaround to complete the project. But, I gained an insight into how organisations and businesses work. I have found planning and building relationships with clients and freelancers to be interesting and eye-opening.
Something else I’ve noticed is that trust plays a key role in this field. When people work with Liquona, they know the filming crew will be there on time with all the equipment working. Also, they’re kept updated on the progress during post-production.
Self-discipline is really important as this role comes with lots of responsibility, such as finishing projects on time. This aligns with another observation I’ve had while working here.
The most successful people I’ve seen so far are cheerful and fun to be around on top of their professional qualities. It so happens that those people eat healthy, come to work on a bicycle, and wake up early too. This highlights the importance of having a balanced lifestyle with a reasonable amount of physical activity because health is the foundation of everything. From good health comes good spirit, hence people choose you to work with.
Key takeaways from my placement experience
I’m only midway through my placement, but it’s already made an impact on me. I expect it will make a lasting impression when I return to my studies. I’ll do everything to organise my day most efficiently and plan out realistic and achievable deadlines for my work.
This experience has taught me that time management is important and I need to focus my efforts on things that will help me move forward.
Again, health matters. When health is in order, it is easy to wake up, go out and do things. A healthy life is a life on easy mode.
Prior to this placement, I worked as a freelancer doing some coding, and on 3D passion projects in my free time. My experience of working at Liquona has reinforced an ambition of mine: I’d like to run a creative agency in the future.