Working as a Production Trainee

This post is written by Venla, our part time Office Assistant and Production Trainee who was working in a TV series production called Justimus Duo for August and September of 2020.

Last August I was working a bit over a month in a comedy TV series called Justimus Duo season 2 as a Production Trainee. The production was hectic: although the shooting days were on average 8 hours long, they included loads of shots.

This meant quick transitions, last minute changes, swift adapment and problem solving. I really got to practice my pressure resistance which I have found very useful to myself. Our first day of shooting included a location on a cruiser ship which was available for a limited amount of time, schedule was tight and there were of course the talents and background actors to take care of. It was crucial to keep calm and prioritize. From this I gained lots of self confidence and courage. On busy days it was important for me to be alert: if I couldn’t think of anything to help with I asked straight away how could I help. And there was almost always something I could do. On shooting days it was my duty to drive actors from a location to another. I also helped out our Production Coordinator both with casting the background actors and directing them on set. That taught me how to handle and communicate with bigger groups of people.

During the production I got to see what it is like to make a TV series during a pandemic: you have to be extremely careful and keep an eye on the health of your own and the closest people around you. This was important for me especially because I spent a lot of time in a car, driving actors from one place to another. Face masks and hand sanitizer became close friends to me very quickly.

Despite the hecticness, the atmosphere of our crew was always warm and light: we were making comedy after all. I noticed how big of an impact a positive attitude has because even on the busiest days I arrived home tired but feeling lucky and happy. With the lovely people I worked with I could jump to another production at any time without hesitation!

Production Intern / Office Assistant