JTWO's [INC]ubator Project Brings You "RED"


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Project Breakdown:
My main interests as a filmmaker are cinematography so from the start, I knew that I wanted to create a visually focused piece. Throughout my two years at college I’ve found it easier to independently write, shoot, and edit projects. The main genre of film that as been easiest to pull this off in is mini-docs, so from the first day of brainstorming I knew I did not want to make a documentary. I wanted this experience to be very collaborative, allowing myself to focus mainly on directing. My biggest struggle was to write a narrative that would be logically achievable in the short time I had. Being inspired by previous interns blogs, I decided to brainstorm a story based on what I had available to me. The two main resources were my friend Kayla who would act and the location of her house (also my cool internship friends).

Music is one of my main sources of inspiration and I try my best to listen to new music as I brainstorm. The main song in this short was what I based the story off of. When listening to it, I felt many different emotions and themes but went with beauty because it made most sense to me. Now since the song can go in many different thematic directions, I wanted to take on the experimental genre for the film, so that when others watch the film they can interpret which emotions it sparks for them.

During my pitch to the JTwo crew they could definitely tell I had a solid foundation of what I wanted visually but had tips to make sure I drive the emotions. Around this time was when I started to focus on how I will be using lighting.Throughout the short the three main color tones are (1) Warm – when she is getting ready, (2) Cool/Moonlight – when she comes home, and (3) Red – to show her hidden emotions. 1 and 2 blend together in the final shot to show irony in the balance of these two sides of her emotions surrounding beauty.

On the day of the shoot, Chris did an amazing job taking my storyboard to reality, Vi used her creativity to set design the rooms along with handle wardrobe, and Jordan was a huge team player helping from lighting, slate, and anything else needed. I haven’t had this collaborative experience on a project I wrote and directed in a really long time and having such a great crew was amazing. Through editing this project and learning about the proper structure of sequences and organization, it was truly rewarding at the end comparing the first cut and how the timeline looked, compared to the last one and visually seeing the growth the project had even after filming took place.

Overall, the experience creating this project is one that has made me really inspired to create more narrative work. Even though the pre and post production took all the time it needed, the entire shoot was only one day. It makes me think, how many more amazing projects I am sitting on that can be accomplished with just one day of shooting, a few great crew members, and resources already available to me. All I can say is, I’m ready to find out.

Meet the Director

Saba Ahmed is an undergrad at Temple University studying film and media arts with a concentration in cinematography. Gaining an understanding of how visuals work through cinematography and editing, she hopes to tie it all back to telling real stories when directing her own work.

This project was created as part of the JTWO [INC]ubator Project. A semester long internship program built from the ground up to give young filmmakers, content creators, and all around hungry for a challenge individuals a place to stretch their creative minds while preparing them for the road ahead.

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Credits

Writer and Director – Saba Ahmed
Cinematographer – Chris Tocchet
Set Designer – Viveka Galindez
Editor – Saba Ahmed
Production Assistant – Jordan Brown
Actress: Kayla Gleason
Music by MUSICBED


JTWO's [INC]ubator Project Brings You "Sweet Home Alabama"


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As I brainstormed ideas for my intern project I knew that I wanted to do something meaningful. I thought about doing a documentary on a non profit, or something along those lines. But I wanted to push myself and get creative, but also tell a meaningful story. I thought of this short film as an opportunity to show my skills, creativity, and absolute passion for film. This was going to be my first film I had ever made, and I wanted it to be the best project I had ever made.

As I thought about concepts I knew I wanted to do something that was current on the news, or a topic being talked about. After days of brainstorming I put together the script for “Sweet Home Alabama”. A short film about a young girl who gets pregnant by her rapist in a futuristic world were abortions are ilegal. I was TERRIFIED of pitching this story. I was afraid of getting a solid no from the team, and honestly I was ready for it.

I pitched the story, and I got the ok to move forward. I could feel a slight doubt in the room as to how I was going to accomplish all of this. But I was happy that the story got approved, now it was just a matter of making it happen.

The making of “Sweet Home Alabama”

As a designer, moodboards and color palettes are a must in everything that I do. One of the most important things for me in a film/design is to have strong visuals. Below is the mood board I created.

Most of the inspiration for my ideas came from music videos/ Tv shows and photography. Artists such as Sia, Lady Gaga, Macklemore where huge influences for this film. One of the Tv shows that inspired me the most was ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’.

Shooting day:

​What a day. What a day. Picked up Chris ( intern ) and drove over to the shooting location. Chris was shooting the video as I was directing. The weather was not in our favour as the sun came in and out and it was raining. I was worried because I had pitched beautiful sunset scenery that was impossible to shoot because of the weather. I was a little stressed but had to overcome any issues and continue shooting. My main character was also nervous as she had never really acted before in her life and I kinda forced her into doing this. I knew she had it in her to be a great actress, and she did amazing.( Big shoutout to Chris Tocchet for being one of the best cinematographers I know, he captured exactly what I had envisioned. Thanks Chris!)

Editing:

As I went to edit I realized I had so much footage that I would not be able to use as the story was dragging. I needed to keep it short and simple. With help of JTWO ( Shout out to Maria, Omar, Justin and Steven!) I was able to finalize a great cut to show the team.

Takeaways:

One of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my career as a creative is to shoot a rape scene. It was uncomfortable and disturbing. As a director I knew I needed to be very responsible and mindful on how I talked to the actors and the crew. How I talked about rape, specially when explaning to the characters the scene. This is when I realized how important it is to direct in film. I had to make an uncomfortable situation somehow comfortable for everyone in the room.

Shooting this film has forever changed me and I want to give JTwo a big THANK YOU for believing in me and helping me make this happen. I have pushed my creative limits and have made a short film I will always remember, especially because it was my first film ever.

Meet the Director

Viveka Galindez is graphic designer with a passion for film making.  She loves coming up with new ideas/concepts , creating mood boards and making a project come to life. She is hoping to continue her career in film as she knows how powerful and influential film can be.

This project was created as part of the JTWO [INC]ubator Project. A semester long internship program built from the ground up to give young filmmakers, content creators, and all around hungry for a challenge individuals a place to stretch their creative minds while preparing them for the road ahead.

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Credits

Director – Viveka Galindez
Assistant Director – Jordan Brown 
Cinematographer – Chris Tocchet
Sound – Steven Layton 


JTWO's [INC]ubator Project Brings You "Taking A Shot"


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There is something incredible about being able to come together with people you barely know, and create four meaningful projects in the span of three weeks. Being able to leave my mark on these stories is something that will stay with me for a long time.

While these sets had their challenges, being able to work with three other filmmakers who were passionate about what they were doing made the process that much easier. I had the position of director of photography for all the projects created this summer, which meant I had the job to make everything look good. While I am very comfortable with a camera in my hands, directing, set design and interacting with the actors is not something I am great with. That is where the other interns really showed what they can do. Being able to have people on set contribute in such an impactful way, in ways I couldn’t, really helped to tell the story and move the shooting days forward efficiently.

There were many things I thought this bootcamp experience would bring, this included getting on sets with JTwo, which happened many times, shooting projects with the other interns, and finally learning how other creative professionals work with each other and how they produce content efficiently and creatively. This was one of the aspects of the bootcamp experience I think I gained the most from. Watching how DPs work with the directors and vice versa was amazing for me. Listening to them bounce ideas off each other and come up with solutions to problems was inspiring and fascinating. I would say that was the most important thing I learned from these few weeks. To be successful in this field, you have to be able to solve problems, and solving problems is not enough, you have to be able to find solutions fast.

I am extremely happy with how the projects turned out this summer. We were all able to make projects that not only showed our strengths and capabilities, but also how we could tell captivating and compelling stories.

The project I took on was not my original idea, this was because the nonprofit that I was supposed to make a documentary on had a hard time finding the time to film with me. So this meant with the remaining days I had left, I had to come up with a new idea, film and edit a whole project. The project I decided to work on was a documentary on my friend who dropped out of school to start his own production company. This process was a lot of fun for me because I had the opportunity to get really creative. My friend gave me more opportunities and freedoms that working with an actual client wouldn’t allow for, this meant I got to try new shots and new storytelling strategies that I hadn’t before.

Meet the Director

Chris Tocchet has been making short films and documentaries for four years now. Being able to tell a story through cinematography is challenging but very rewarding. He loves being able to make simple shots look beautiful and interesting. This is how Chris leaves his mark on every film he works on.

This project was created as part of the JTWO [INC]ubator Project. A semester long internship program built from the ground up to give young filmmakers, content creators, and all around hungry for a challenge individuals a place to stretch their creative minds while preparing them for the road ahead.

Learn More

Credits

Director – Chris Tocchet
Cinematographer – Chris Tocchet
Sound – Steven Layton 


JTWO's [INC]ubator Project brings you "Park Avenue"


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I always wanted to tell stories that mattered, and I feel like I was able to do exactly that here. I pitched the idea of creating a short documentary about a prison reentry center, which essentially helps people adjust back into society after getting released from incarceration. It started off slow. The initial reentry program that I was going to base my film around conveniently bailed on me the day after the pitch. After running around Philly like a chicken with its head cut off trying to find another reentry program to focus on, I ran into The Center for Returning Citizens (TCRC). I was put in contact with a man named John Thompson who was a current employee at TCRC and had been incarcerated. I knew I wanted to include him talking about his life, wrapping up with reentry programs helping released prisoners.

After we established a date to meet up in person and film, I decided I wanted to take John to the neighborhood he grew up in. He told me it was going to be his fourth time back in his old neighborhood since being locked up for 37 years. Other interns, Chris and Viveka, joined me to help create the film. We began the day with an interview at his office. I chose not to record video the interview to avoid ever using any “talking head” footage (this was a questionable choice, but I’m glad I made the decision). I believed that it would take away from the story. After the interview, just shy of 50 minutes, we began to film him in his office, in Center City and finally in his old neighborhood in North Philadelphia.

As we filmed, I was able to talk to John 1-on-1 more about what it was like for him to grow up, serve time and now help people who are released from prison as well. We connected and I learned to appreciate his story and his personal growth. After we said our goodbyes, we gathered our last bit of broll of Philadelphia to move onto the next phase; editing.

My first cut of the film that I showed to JTWO was five minutes long. That didn’t go well. There was a cycle: I got feedback, I improvised my own edits, my improvisions didn’t work, got more feedback, made more improvisions, improvisions still didn’t work and repeat. Eventually I ended up at a 3 minute 22 second cut that myself and the company agreed on. I created 18 different sequences on premiere and spent the last week staying after and coming in on my day off until the cut was done. It’s just part of the grind.

In the end, I am happy with the outcome of my project. I was able to capture an important story of someone who was given a second chance and able to turn his life around. These are the stories that I want to tell, and I was glad I was able to do exactly that through this internship.

Overall, this has not been what I was expecting. The whole time we were all very handsfree and on our own to complete our projects (minus the times we showed cuts and got feedback on our films). Everything was in our control and I was happy about that because it allowed us to be the creators that we are. I already want to get going on the next.

What’s next for me is working with JTWO on their sets and learning more about their style of filmmaking. I was able to hop on one set already and it was a great experience. I loved to see how everyone interacted with each other and how even with a small crew, a high quality piece was created. After this summer ends, I’ll be able to go back to college confident with new experiences under my belt that only help me grow as a filmmaker.

Meet the Director

Jordan Brown is a filmmaker from Lebanon, Pennsylvania who is passionate about social justice. He creates narrative and documentary films that address issues across the spectrum. Jordan is currently studying film at Ithaca College and plans to write and direct his own films which he considers to be realistic fiction.

This project was created as part of the JTWO [INC]ubator Project. A semester long internship program built from the ground up to give young filmmakers, content creators, and all around hungry for a challenge individuals a place to stretch their creative minds while preparing them for the road ahead.

Learn More

Credits

Director – Jordan Brown
Cinematographer – Chris Tocchet
Sound – Steven Layton 
Story Supervisor – Omar Alqahtani
PA – Viveka Galindez