Crazy Fast Summer
By Chris Tocchet
This was a crazy fast summer, the days seemed to just fly by. Working at JTWO kept me on my feet and working all the time. From running intern errands, to working on big time sets, there was always something to do and work on.
Filming the intern projects was the best part. Being able to see someone’s idea on paper and convey that with a camera is always something that gets me excited. Seeing the other intern’s faces after showing them takes is a very rewarding moment for me, I love to be able to surprise people with what I can come up with and how I make their vision into a reality.
One thing from my days at JTWO that were the most beneficial for me was how I was expected to work on many projects at the same time. Before JTWO, I would have one main project I was working on and maybe a paper for school on top of that. But over this summer I sometimes had three of four projects all going full throttle at the same time. I had to learn how to balance my abilities as well as how to make certain things a priority over others.
Taking criticism is something that I have always struggled with. At JTWO there is no time to really reflect on that kind of stuff, after one of the editors or producers looked at what I did, they immediately told me what to change (they were always right by the way). I did not have time to think about myself and how I was feeling about the criticism because I had to get back on the computer and fix it. This type of workflow was really good for me, since I got feedback right away I was able to forget about what I did wrong and take the project to the next level with what everyone was saying. This sort of thing I will take with me to college and future jobs and I think will help me stand out as a filmmaker.
The shoot days were always the quickest, even when you had to get up at 4am. On set, everyone is doing something, everyone has a job and knows exactly what they have to do. That is the biggest difference between sets at college and sets with JTWO. In addition the knowledge that everyone has on set is remarkable and being able to learn from everything they do is something that will stick with me for a long time.
Even though my time at JTWO is coming to an end, doesn’t mean that I will stop creating or making new things. I have a strengthened passion for film and I feel invigorated to pick up my camera and make new films.
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.