Arcadia England

Many thanks to Devin D. from Messiah College, who has kindly shared his reflection upon his internship this past semester and all he has gained from the experience.

This past semester, I was placed with a small film company in Soho. It was my first internship ever, so I was nervous and excited. I had no idea what to expect but now, in hindsight, I can say it certainly wasn't anything I could have anticipated.

On my first day, I was kindly greeted by one of my new bosses. Climbing to the top floor, I took my first step into…a two-bedroom apartment.

It certainly didn't look like an apartment, with multiple computers, assorted film equipment, and numerous little accoutrements that gave the space a professional personality. In addition to its small physical size, I would soon discover that this company is technically only comprised of two people: my bosses Nick and Rob.

Day one, and I already felt important."

The company has two sides to its business. One is creating commercial films to be used as advertisements, pitch films used in board meetings, and other assorted projects, which helps fund the other side: independent films.

Nick and Rob are two passionate filmmakers who are constantly exploring new projects, capturing elements of life in numerous short films. Whenever my two bosses take on either side of the company, they hire on close friends from a large network of fellow filmmakers they've developed over time in the London industry. As a result, it's the warmest work environment I've ever seen.

My first day on the job, I began doing tasks very common to previous interns: image research. Commercial films for clients often need miscellaneous footage to convey certain ideas, and finding such footage is a time-consuming job in and of itself. But, despite being somewhat tedious, I realized something: although this was a basic task, the clips I selected and passed along directly affected the company. The clips I found would be seen by clients and determine the success of the project.

That made me happy. Day one, and I already felt important.

I learned that a small company of creatives is amazingly fluid and flexible and...a person's individual talents dictate the niche they fill."

After my first week, during which I helped on a whirlwind film shoot outside in the pouring rain, my boss Rob sat down with me and went over my job description. He gave me a two-page list of the things I'd be doing during my time there.

I did virtually none of them.

Instead, I learned that a small company of creatives is amazingly fluid and flexible, and when working in one, a person's individual talents dictate the niche they fill. I've only been on a few film shoots since the start of my internship, simply due to client needs (or lack thereof). Instead, what my company needed was good writing. And I love writing.

So I wrote more than I ever expected to. I drew up treatments (short documents that use powerful vocabulary and poetic ideas) for clients to articulate the company's vision for their commercial film. Out of the many treatments I wrote, a few have turned into real commercial projects. I can easily say it was the most fulfilling work I've done in my life so far.

Ultimately, my internship has taught me that I'm in the right field. Whatever I do in the future, I want it to be creative because it puts you in an environment with the most remarkable people."

For me, the best part of my internship was being surrounded by creative people who understand the film industry, and who were eager to hear my ideas for potential stories.

I worked closely with  Nick in developing screenplay ideas, and Rob helped me gain valuable perspectives and techniques in filmmaking. Both directors are working to get feature films off the ground, and I've helped with both of their projects in numerous ways. It's made me feel like my time here was truly important.

Ultimately, my internship has taught me that I'm in the right field. Whatever I do in the future, I want it to be creative because it puts you in an environment with the most remarkable people. People who challenge you, who criticize your ideas to improve them, and who know how to be artists in the twenty-first century.