Articles of the Month

On Set with Véronique Cantin

There are quite a few interesting co-op jobs out there if you look hard enough. I sat down with Véronique (a Communications/Theatre student at University of Ottawa) to talk about her current and future co-op positions which have her doing things some people only dream about.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am originally from Hearst, a little town in northern Ontario, and am currently finishing up my 3rd year at the University of Ottawa. I will be graduating from my BA program in autumn 2007 with specialization in Communications and a minor in Theatre. Media, the performing arts, and film are a few of my greatest passions.

You're currently doing a co-op term with the Canadian Forces - Army News (Department of National Defence). Tell us what they do.

Army News is a new project started in 2003 by the Department of National Defence. The purpose of Army News is, first of all, to inform soldiers about changes in the army, as well as to establish links with the Canadian public. Our team is made up of journalists, camera operators, directors, editors and many others. Although the main office is located in Ottawa, there are 7 other Army News teams at different military bases around the country (at Gagetown, Val-Cartier, Petawawa..etc). Our team includes an equal number of civilians and members of the Canadian Forces. Each week, in addition to any special projects we may be working on, Army News publishes two editions.

So, what do you actually do with Army News?

For my co-op internship, I was hired to work at Army News as a video editor. My main job is to use the video tapes filmed by the film crew and to use them to produce stories and reports. I create reports that are sent out to every military base in the country. My position requires a lot of creativity and is recognized as being one of the most important in a video production team. I also had the opportunity to head up the production of special projects to be used for promotion and recruitment. As well, I had the chance to work in other positions within the production team such as production assistant and journalist, which I really enjoyed.

What did you have to take in school to get a co-op term like this?

I registered for a four year communications program and completed each of the required steps of the co-op program (creating a new resume, attending information sessions, doing interviews with employers, etc.). I also signed up for journalism, video and multimedia courses. These courses really helped me to get the co-op terms that I wanted, because they showed employers that I was interested in the positions and in gaining experience in this field.

If someone was interested in getting into the field of video production, what would you recommend that they do? Should they go to school or should they get some software and a video camera and learn the software - or a little of both? How did you start out?

If you are interested in video production, I suggest that you not only pursue studies in this area, but also learn and gain experience by yourself. In other words, get yourself a camera and have some fun! Try creating short films from start to finish! In this way, you will get an idea of which areas of video production you would like to explore in greater depth. Whether you are starting a portfolio or just having fun with friends, the important thing is to try new things and to gain experience. At university, you learn the theoretical part, but it is up to you to find out what you can accomplish using your own strengths and skills. In my case, I took video courses, but I also did a lot of volunteer work in the field. I joined an on-campus filmmaking group and installed media equipment for the Multimedia Distribution Service. I have also created short films for fun in my free time. All these activities have allowed me to gain experience and also to network with people in the field.

Tell us about the project you created for the War Museum in Ottawa.

My boss at Army News referred me to a director to produce an hour-long video that was to be shown at the War Museum in Ottawa. I was responsible for the entire project: carrying out the research, finding new ideas and strategies, developing the production plan, choosing a film crew, writing the questions, conducting the interviews and editing the video. This film was shown at the War Museum to celebrate the one year anniversary of the opening of the new museum in Ottawa. Army News will also be sending the film out to military bases across the country.

What's your next co-op term going to involve?

My next co-op term will be at les Productions Charbonneau, a franco-ontarian film production house. I will be joining their team as an assistant producer and director. My main job will be to take charge of a program that will be broadcast on TFO [editor's note: TFO is a franco-ontarian TV station]. I will be doing the research for the program and will also be working with production on the set. This co-op term will therefore give me the chance to work directly in my area of interest and gain experience that will be helpful to me for my future career.

Seeing that the world of communications is a large one, where do you want to start your career?

It is true that communications is a vast field. I think that this is one of the reasons that I chose it. Communications opens up so many career options to me. I am someone who likes to discover and explore different career possibilities. I admit that it wasn't easy to decide which area of communications I wanted to pursue. At the same time, although I love journalism (written, cultural and electronic) public relations, radio broadcasting and organizational communication, my real passion is video production. But there are still so many things that I want to discover. I am still exploring!

If you had to say something to the youth of Canada, what would it be?

Go for it! Follow your dreams and make them come true! Never let yourself get discouraged. There will certainly be obstacles, but turn those obstacles into challenges to be overcome and you will find the strength to achieve your dreams and reach your goals. You are in charge of your own future; it is up to you to decide what you will make of it. The world is full of opportunities, take advantage of them!

Thanks to Véro for taking some time out of her busy editing day to talk with us and give you guys the scoop on what you can do as a co-op student!