Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

The Perks of Unexpected Opportunities

At heart, I am a quintessential film addict. I’ll watch every film, any film and if it makes it to my favorite list, I’ll re-watch it over and over again. As much as I’m passionate about them, it had never occurred to me that working in the film industry could be a future possibility, until I found a film internship by chance a couple weeks after I arrived in London for the summer.

It all began when I got off the wrong subway station after work at a company that made me serve coffee all day long. This was not the first time that I had a bad internship experience. As I was pondering whether to proceed with this internship for the rest of the summer or to undergo the hassle of looking for a new opportunity, I lost track of my destination, Baker Street, and stumbled upon a tall man with a filming camera walking into a red brick house at the corner of a mews.

At night, I emailed a couple of companies that were searching for potential interns to schedule interviews. The next day, I found myself back at the same corner right off Baker Street and the same red brick house. I was welcomed into the house of filmmakers producing a sci-fi feature film on a string-tight budget. The producer, for whom I will be working, gave me an overview of the film, the company, the crew and welcomed me to the team after an hour of chat.

It all seemed kind of natural and meant to be as I came to join this small but hardworking team of aspiring filmmakers, who give every moment of their lives to filmmaking. We start our days early and return after dark. Throughout the day some are busy announcing the debut of the film to London through social media, some are emailing footage owners for the rights to include their clips in the film, some are in contact with sponsors and others are tasked to organize the next shoot in central London. We often forget to have lunch and have skipped several dinners.

Occasionally, the crew would head out to some of the most iconic streets in London to capture scenes. This is when I learned that the perfect scene requires countless tries. We would be out for hours, filming from different angles, waiting for the sunset and then the dark. The director would describe the scenarios he envisioned in depth to set the mood for the actors, who would then perform several different versions of reactions. Every time, the crew would return with satisfaction, prepared to select the best shoot early next day after a good night of rest.

Because the film relies on a micro budget, everyone on the team is exceptionally diligent in order to economize, even if it’s only some pence, and produce the best quality at the same time. The team is restricted by the tight financial blueprint, but more importantly, they are driven by their passion for films.

I have always been a film lover but never thought about the possibility of pursuing a film career. However, after seeing behind the scenes and working with the crew, I felt somehow more oriented in my college career knowing that I can work for something I love. It is these fortuitous encounters and opportunities in the summer that expand our horizons and mentally recharge us for another year at Georgetown.

Rita Chang is a rising sophomore in the College. Perks of Summer appears every other Wednesday at thehoya.com.

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