Communication Major Reflects on Experience on Movie Set: ‘There Was No Doubt that I Was Prepared For This Role’

As a rising senior in the film production program, I found that being able to work on the set of “Re Entry” was an incredible opportunity. After returning from France where I interned at the Cannes Film Festival, I was deeply inspired and motivated to take as many opportunities as I possibly could in order to immerse myself further into the industry.

The confidence I have gained as a student and at Cannes provided the push that I needed to reach out to the line producer of “Re Entry” in an attempt to work on the set as a production assistant (PA). Just the email alone was intimidating to send, because the commitment to work on a set with a new group of faces was something that I had never done before. While I have had the experience of working on sets, I had never worked on one outside of our program. That made this experience a lot more daunting, as I was joining an already established, well-oiled machine as a stranger who felt intimidated and under qualified.

The feeling of being under qualified is one that I began to overcome as my day on-set went on. I realized that my work on-set was what my professors at the University have been preparing me for all along. While every set is different, and PA work can vary significantly, I was always taught to be eager to learn and to offer help whenever possible. This crucial lesson that I was taught in my time at the University was apparent from the start. It led to plenty of personable conversations with important members of the team.

‘An eye-opening experience’

I had informative one-on-one interactions with people as high up as the director and as hardworking as the gaffers and grips. I even got to talk to famous actors and actresses who I never would have seen myself meeting, let alone work with. I felt like I had left an impression and was proud of the work that I did. There was no doubt that I was prepared for this role, and I have my professors to thank for that.

The pride in myself was also supplemented by being proud of being a student at the University. Since the shoot location was my home base, the Bergami Center for Science, Technology, and Innovation, I was able to provide information about the layout and design that aided in the smoothness of production. I was also able to watch and assist as the modern campus building was transformed into an aeronautics lab through incredible set design. It was truly an eye-opening experience as to how locations can be converted and manipulated in film. I watched proudly as one of my favorite places on campus provided the perfect landscape for a feature length film.

I left the set with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and pride after entering it nervous and anxious about my performance. The quick turnaround of emotions was aided by the skills that I learned at the University and further developed during my time in France. I could not be more grateful and appreciative of my professors who have gotten me to where I am today, and who have given me the confidence and skills to immerse myself in the film industry.

Jess Finn ’24 is a communication major at the University of New Haven with a minor in art.