My name is Sanni, I’m a 21-year-old media production freelancer from Southern Karelian, Ruokolahti, now living in Espoo and working mainly in production department and training my skills in screenwriting too. At the moment I’m participating in the Blockbusters Gang’s Junior Program 2019 Fall edition. Yippee! Couldn’t be more excited.
As a Junior I perform two internships during the program, one as a Office Intern and one as a Production Intern in a film shoot. My office internship has started this week, on Monday, 7th of October, so there’s not yet much to tell (except we were waiting Mökö to come visit us and bring Kauppalehti with it) but what I now like to do, is share my two last weeks with you guys when I worked as a Production Intern in an Art Department at a series shooting of Tack Films.
In August, at the beginning of the Junior Program BBG gave each Junior own ”Junior-Godmother” whom they could ask anything about working in a field and who’d help them out with questions about industry and internships and, basically anything. Mine was Pauliina. We had a cup of coffee with Pauliina, who worked as a Production Manager in production, before shoots and discussed what kind of shootings it would be and what my role would included. I had a good feeling about everything.
Shootings started and in the crew there were 4 Gang members: I, Tove (our Script Supervisor), Charlotta (our Caterer) and Pauliina, of course. I guess Pauliina was still working when the photo below was taken…
I helped Catering first with very basic tasks. The next day my role as a Caterer’s help switched to the Art Department’s help. The following two weeks I worked with the Prop Master and the Set Decorator and it was amazing, couldn’t imagine better.
Because the series was targeted to small children, age between 4 and 7, the setting wasn’t bulk, everyday condo with a normal people. I’d say it was exactly the opposite: Fairytale world with the princesses, palaces, servants, pixies, glamour and glitter! It was a step into the different world, the world without any problems. Honestly, it didn’t feel I was working. I was just visiting some kind of fantasy world. One day we even had cotton candies as a crafty!
I really liked working in an Art Department. Besides the production was specific and had a rather small crew, to me the visual aspect was important. When working for instance as a PA, you don’t need to think about aestethic or an appereance of a setting. But when helping the Set Decorator you definitely do. I also like working in a set so the role fitted better for me.
I truly appreciate that the Art Department gave me tasks that were relevant to the production. They showed me a huge wardrobe, Artistiasu in Kerava, we went together into the woods to pick big branches and entire juniper (!!) as a setting in studio. We transferred all this ”forest” with a basic-sized van. Even one small juniper was in a cabin with us.
I really enjoyed the whole production and felt a bit sad when the last shooting day was over. After all why I’m still smiling when memorizing the production, is the whole period of the time I felt like I was useful and needed.
– Sanni