To preface this article, I am a journalism major with a double minor in creative writing and public relations – I am not even close to being a filmmaking major nor do I have any experience within the film or television industries. If I’m asked to write a news article, interview sources or research a story, it is no problem. But if you put me with a camera or have me working with microphones, I will fall apart at the seams. I am terrified of being on camera and try to avoid it as much as possible.
My best friend, roommate and senior filmmaking major, Jess Angelucci, was beginning her preparations for directing her senior thesis film and asked me to assist her on set as script supervisor. I had never done anything like it before – aside from acting for a small role in another short film – and I was so nervous to hold this important role knowing that so many people would be relying on me. The script supervisor keeps time for every shot recorded and marks down any important information regarding the scene. How was I, the journalism major, going to do all of that?
“The film is called ‘Doppelgänger,’” Angelucci said. “Everyone has a doppelgänger and if you touch yours, you’ll explode. A struggling artist finds out his doppelgänger is a famous actor and decides maybe they should meet. There’s a fun little twist at the end.”
A week before set, I sat down with Angelucci and her director of photography, senior filmmaking major Nick Frangiamone, and we discussed my role. They explained to me what I would be doing, how to go about it and who to go to for all the information vital to the film. I was fearful, but excited to be helping my friends. The first day of set was Friday, Feb. 28, and I woke up that morning anxious that I was going to screw up or be uncomfortable on set; I was proven so incredibly wrong.
We spent half of the day on Friday filming at Casa di Fratelli, an Italian restaurant in Westbury, New York. It was my first time at an off-campus location for a film set where I held an official position. Aside from my job as script supervisor, I was also trusted to be in charge of the music for the weekend and provide good vibes and hype music in our off time. I think it was a smashing success. As far as film sets go, we had a lot of fun.
The day started a little rocky, but I soon managed to fall into a groove and get comfortable with my position. I eventually even grew to love the role and was excited to keep doing it for the rest of the weekend. I was told multiple times that I was excelling in the position, and I felt like I was becoming an honorary filmmaking major.
The rest of the weekend flew by. Suddenly, it was Sunday night, and we were on the final scene of the film: scene 7 shot A, also known as the martini shot. To be honest, I am still not sure why it’s called that. Our actor finished his lines, Angelucci called out “cut” and it was over. Cheers erupted in the studio and tears began to flow – we realized that we did it. We shot a movie in one weekend and brought her vision, four years in the making, to life. Spending the entire weekend with so many of my close friends, laughing and crying the entire time, was truly one of the best experiences I have had since coming to college.
Knowing how much joy filled the room at every moment made my time working on the film memorable, and I got to live through what my friends work on every day. I have so much respect for the dedicated crew, and I am so proud of us and the work we put in. Our ridiculous jokes, dancing at random and leaf blower explosions kept us all together during the fun but stressful times.
