Weekly Reflection 1: Headfirst into Maisel

WEEKLY REFLECTION 1: May 15, 2022

6:45 p.m.

This week, though only amounting to five days of work, was absolutely jam-packed with information and exposure to the television and film production industry, and frankly, it is difficult to verbalize all that I have soaked up in such a small period of time.  To start, I can confidently say that nothing has gone as expected so far; every expectation has been completely blown out of the water. Coming into Senior Project, I was optimistic but simultaneously aware that The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a large-scale, professional production that is being worked on seven days a week. With this information, I expected to get some idea of what occurs behind the scenes at a studio as prestigious as Steiner Studios, but the generosity that I have experienced from the people within this production has been more than I could have ever asked for or even imagined. Right off the bat, I was thrown headfirst into a table read and a production meeting, and was treated as anything but an outsider. The crew took me in happily, and within five days I have already learned so much. I have learned about a handful of the essential components of production: Art, Design, Logistics, Execution, Direction, Post-production, VFX, and so much detail within all of these that my notebook will need a replacement within the foreseeable future. Furthermore, I have benefited immensely from all I have learned and witnessed in the past seven days. I have already gotten a strong grasp of the time, effort, and pure dedication that the industry demands, especially for the positions that I can envision myself pursuing after I graduate. I have benefitted from seeing that every step of the process is far more laborious and complicated than I had previously believed, but not any less intriguing to a young student majoring in Film and Media studies. What I’m doing on the set of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, is not simply helping me accomplish my goals, it is fueling my interest in the industry and in the art of filmmaking in every way possible. If I were to walk away from this project today, I would consider it a success, so the fact that I still have over a week left with this incredible group of people is truly amazing and I can’t wait to see what’s waiting for me in the coming days.