What's Next?
By Saba Ahmed
As my spring semester was coming to an end, the stress of figuring out what to do with my summer was growing daily. Where do I want to intern, what kind of internship do I want, and many more questions were circling around my mind. One afternoon out on campus, I looked up “Philadelphia production companies” and landed on JTWO’s website. I found their contact email, send them a link to my reel, and got a reply to come in for an interview. From my first interview at JTWO I could tell this was a place where I was going to learn about myself as a creator.
Coming in with a set of tools that range throughout the process of filmmaking, I was excited to grow in these skills which included cinematography, editing, and sound. What I wasn’t expecting to grow in was the role of a writer/director. Seeing myself mainly as a cinematographer, it had been a long time since I created an original piece. By going through this process of creating my own film, I am excited to do it again.
One of the biggest lessons that I learned during my time at JTWO was how important the story is and making sure you are telling it authentically. This theme of “authenticity” has been a prominent one for me this summer and will continue to be for my work going forward. Before entering the internship, I was abroad in South Africa learning the stories of the places I visited and understanding how to tell my experience in the right way. Coming into JTWO, I learned to tell my short film’s story authentically, seeing my fellow interns tell theirs, and understand JTWOs approach as well.
Connecting with people and building relationships is one of the most important things for me as a creator. I am thankful for the new friendships I have made during my time here at JTWO and knowing in the future I can reach out to the people I’ve created bonds with here. As I prepare to start my junior year at Temple University under the cinematography track, I am excited to take the lessons of this summer, the rediscovered passion for writing/directing, and the drive to tell stories right, and have a great year.
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.