WORKING FOR VPA | vpaprinceton

Every September, the Video Production Agency organizes an Open House to introduce its operations, mission to students who are interested in improving their videography skills and having a high pay, flexible, varied and fun on-campus job. We welcome students of all classes and skill levels. What we are looking for are (1) some previous experience with filming and editing (whether this is through academic courses or personal projects and internships), (2) enthusiasm about learning more about videography and (3) commitment to contribute to the Agency throughout the year. Interested students complete an application form and will hear back from us in two weeks.

The Perks of Being a VPA Employees?

There are many.

(1) You will be paid to attend really cool events, lectures, performances that may be difficult to get a ticket to. (You still have to be working of course.)

(2) Being a part of VPA is a great opportunity for you to get more hands-on experiences in editing and filming. You will be exposed to professional technical equipment, customer relations and other aspects of a for-profit business operations.

(3) You could choose to be involved in projects of varying complexity, from more straightforward event filming and editing, to working one-on-one with customers to produce creative promotional videos. Whether your interest is in editing or filming, you will have a wide selection of projects that fit your skills and interests.

(4) We are one of the highest-paying jobs on campus.

(5) As a VPA employee, you will also have various opportunities to attend special seminars on editing promotional videos, DVD creation, audio-video effect manipulation, or more in-depth trainings on filming techniques.

Overall, being a videographer or video editor at VPA could be really rewarding. You will be able to realize your vision, use your creativity in video projects that often have significant meaning to the customers. (Just check out our PAST PROJECTS for evidence of the cool things we have done.)

How We Run Things?

During the school year, VPA films many events, including lectures, talks, dance shows, music concerts and produces promotional videos for many University organizations.

We receive service requests from customers two or three weeks in advance. Employees will be notified of these upcoming projects and are asked to sign up for either filming and/or editing shift. Normally, events will be filmed in its entirety, with limited additional post-production. However, customers could request special projects, whether these are the production of more selective and creative promotional clips.

Any customers’ special requests are communicated to the employee(s) who have signed up for the corresponding projects. Videographers are responsible for the setting up and breaking down of camera equipment at event location before and after the event (You will be paid for this extra time). Editors will then have a period of one week to complete post-production.

Finally, the VPA Office in Holder Hall is at the disposal of employees 24/7 during the school year.

Worried About Time Commitment?

The level of time commitment depends on each employee’s choice to devote more or less time to the Agency by signing up for more or fewer shifts. If you sign up to film an event, you are not required to also edit it and vice versa. Though there is no specific requirement for the number of shifts an employee should sign up for, lack of participation will result in reevaluation of employment status at the end of the semester.

Each filming shift lasts on average about 3 hours, (including setup time) but is primarily dependent on the duration of event. Depending on the type of projects, editing could take as little as 1 hour to more than 3 hours. Editors do have flexibility in when to work during their one week window.

Customer requests and weekly projects vary throughout the year. During busy times (such as the ends of semester), we have up to 3 events a week.

We still have your attention? Great!

If the annual recruitment period (September-October) has passed, you could still emailed us about your interest in working for the Agency. If there are vacancies during the school year or other employment opportunities, we will let you know. Just visit our Contact page and send us a message.