Lights, Camera, Action: My First Experience Working On A Film Set

I promised myself this summer would be one I would remember forever, and I was most definitely not wrong. As a communications student, I have always done freelance work as a content creator and in the media production world. Considering the many hobbies I have developed in the past, I have always found myself to be someone who practiced and applied their creativity to personal projects. So when the spring semester was wrapping up at the University of Houston, I decided it was time to start applying for internships around the city. The first internship I heard back from would just so happen to be as a costume design assistant for an upcoming feature film production. I decided to take the leap, and jump into this world. This would just so happen to be a great decision I would not regret in the slightest.

I learned so much about film production, life on set, interpersonal communications, and life behind the scenes while also meeting some amazing people, getting to go to unforgettable places, and getting to grow my skillset. This experience really did teach me a lot. I would love to tell you all about my first experience working on a film set, and express why this experience is one I will always remember.

Jumping On The Team

I originally found this position on the Experience Valenti website through their Internship Listings tab. Experience Valenti is a website designed to support the Jack J. Valenti School of Communications students of the University of Houston. That is where I got in touch with Brandon Kafarela, a costume designer based in Houston, Texas, who also carries his own clothing brand Molly X Nikko. After initially talking to him about my experiences, skills, and background he considered me to be the perfect fit for what he was looking for and offered to have me on the team as his costume/wardrobe assistant. As soon as I wrapped up the Spring semester he started to get me integrated and filled me in on the project, sharing his ideas, plans, and timeline of how and what we will be getting done. Needless to say, the work was about to begin.

Preparation

The thing about film production, especially when it comes to indie films, is that the looks department is one that can take much preparation that people may not know of or appreciate. Prior to filming, we had to source and put together many looks for the variety of characters that would be featured on the film. This included sourcing from a variety of places based on the budget we had. Costume shops, as well as stores varying from high end brands to local discount deals were all on our radar.

I also got to practice my interpersonal communication skills as I was asked to reach out to different actors and their agents for sizing information as well as to set up different fitting and meeting times. I also reached out to different sourcing outlets for costume and wardrobe needs. This was done through phone call, email, and text messages. Fittings were always a fun experience, it was great getting to meet some of the cast, prior to filming, and getting to see what wardrobe choices work and which ones didn’t.

There were also a lot of re-castings, and wardrobe returns we had to process through the preparation of the film. Truth is, things don’t always work out, and sometimes we need a different size, something just does not look right, or the actors themselves don’t appreciate the look, so as the wardrobe department we want them to feel as good about the costume choices as we do. I will say returns were probably the least fun part of the job, however it was still a learning experience I appreciated having.

On Set

Being on set is more than just a job, it’s a lifestyle. For this project we would have 12 hour days which would surprisingly go by really quickly. Every day on set was different as most days we were recording different scenes at different select locations around or outside of Houston. This also meant different wardrobe looks depending on the continuation of the scenes we were recording.

Prior to each day of filming we were given a call sheet giving us all the information on location, parking information, call time, and a breakdown of the schedule we were looking to follow. Different characters and scenes were scheduled to be shot at different times, so the actors were each given their own call time to come on to set and be processed for makeup, hair and wardrobe. We were also provided breakfast and lunch, courtesy of our catering coordinator.

On the actual set, I learned a lot of film set etiquette and terminology that I ended up becoming very familiar with and would find myself using a lot as the days would go by. These things would come in handy when speaking to and having to communicate with different people on set who had different jobs and roles.

My role on set typically was to assist Brandon with keeping the wardrobe perfect on camera as well as keeping everything organized and together when it came to putting the costumes on the actors. I also had to take the wardrobe off when their filming would wrap. We wanted to make sure we correctly labeled, separated, and packaged everything, keeping it in great condition while also making sure we don’t lose anything. Things can easily become misplaced and cause a stressful situation if we end up needing the look again for continuing scenes in the future. Speaking of, continuity was a big point of contention we wanted to make sure we kept an eye on. As I mentioned, some scenes were filmed in different locations, but were meant to happen in the same plot point in the film, so we wanted to make sure the characters were wearing the same wardrobe elements, sometimes that even meant having them in the same costume.

The locations we filmed in completely varied as well. Sometimes we would film in secluded far away locations such as farms and houses outside of the Houston area. Other times we filmed in shopping centers, hospitals, restaurants, and office buildings. My favorite location we shot at however has to have been The Olana in Dallas. The Olana is a beautiful large wedding venue that has an elegant interior and such a rich feel to it. We were so blessed to have had the chance to film there for two days and it was honestly one of the best experiences of my life.

A Creative Playground

I know I slightly mentioned the cast and crew but I want to emphasize how great everyone on set was. We all worked as a team to make sure we made movie magic happen and we did an amazing job. Everyone on set, from actors, to production, to assistants were all so great and a pleasure to get to know. We all loved spending time together while working on such a big project.

One thing I want to note as well about being on set is the fact that everyone involved in the production all had such amazing experiences, stories, and creative ideas to share. It felt like everyone had their own independent or personal passion projects they were developing or considering starting soon. It felt like a never ending energy of creativity and inspiration. Many of these people have actively worked in the film industry for years, so they had much going on outside of this film project and hearing them speak on these topics was so eye opening and inspirational. I also met some young aspiring creative minds like my own, and got to share a lot of first time set experiences with them.

Final Thoughts

Overall, my first experience working on a film set taught me a lot about the film industry and production in general. It was an experience I will always remember forever. From practicing my interpersonal communication skills to applying skills I already had in a variety of ways, to getting first hand experience on a professional film set, this job as a costume design assistant was definitely one I’m glad I can note under my resume.

Getting to be around such great creative minds while exploring new locations was also a blessing. I got to learn how so many people in this space think in such abstract and colorful ways, with everyone having their own passion for the entertainment industry.

I am very proud of the work I got to do this year, and the amount of experience I got in the communications world. Between my internship as a costume design assistant, and my social media internship at Texas Tasty, I have been able to build an impressive portfolio as someone who is just barely getting their feet wet in this career. There is a bright future ahead and I am very ready to explore all of it.