Weekly Reflection 2: A True Taste of Television

Weekly Reflection 2: May 22, 2022

9:00 p.m.

This week was possibly as jam-packed with information as the first, but with a lot more structure. The first week I was mainly just tossed around between the departments to get a general understanding of each, but this week I was given a lot more room to sit in and experience the true and grueling execution of creating a show as successful and decorated as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. This week I learned a lot more about the months of coordinating and serious logistics that occur and are handled long before shooting even begins. I learned a little about the necessary traits of a professional choreographer, and how laborious and exclusive the dance auditions for a spot on a large television show can be. I learned a lot about the many moving parts of a wardrobe department, and how precisely each costume is crafted in order to suit the vision of the Director of Costume Design, as well as the writers and creators of the show. Hundreds of hours go into simply dressing each actor appropriately for their role, time period, environment, etc, and I was able to see first-hand how the weight of a job as massive as wardrobe is distributed between many different professionals to make it much more manageable. I also learned a lot more about trusting your instinct and your gut as a director when it comes to choosing the final shot or angle for any particular scene as you are trying to film a lot of content in a relatively short amount of time. Apart from Maisel, I learned by experience that watching and understanding a movie is a simple task, but trying to convey your opinion about the movie’s good and bad qualities (in a professional manner) through writing can be very challenging. It is easy to say “I like this” or “I like that”, but assessing the gritty details about a piece of cinema and writing honestly about what works and what doesn’t takes much more effort. I loved every second of this week, whether it was spent on set or on my own. Just like the first week, most everything that I experienced this past week working with the show and its crew exceeded any expectations I may have had. Every instance where I was able to stand behind the camera and witness the work of some of the best filmmakers in the industry was nothing short of incredible and truly a blessing. This last week has truly given me immense perspective as I am no longer just passionate about filmmaking but I have an accurate understanding of what it takes to become established in the industry. Going into college, I look forward to pursuing filmmaking more on my own, but I also am grateful that working on Maisel has shown me that there are far more roles involved in filmmaking that are valuable and exciting career choices for the future.