Hey everyone! My name is Marina Cilento, and I am a sophomore Digital Media Production student here at Mount Saint Mary College! Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to work with one of the most well known production companies in the world, Fox, on a TV show shoot that took place right on our campus in the nursing labs!
The shoot went on for two days total, one day was used as a set up day, and the next day was used as a filming and break down day. The set up day allowed me to work with some of the coolest people I have ever met, the scenic designers! They immediately took me under their wing, and put me to work.
Dressing the nursing labs to look like a real hospital room meant unmounting equipment from the wall, which often led to paint coming off with it. Although this may sound like a nightmare to the average person, it's just another day for scenic designers. Right in front of my eyes, like magic, they mixed the exact color of paint used on the wall, and repainted. One of the projects I got to help with was putting frosting on the windows, which fun fact, the nursing department left on the windows after they finished filming!
The filming day was just as exciting as I imagined. The energy on set was electric - the constant movement, collaboration, and focus of a real production team was amazing to witness. I got to be alongside the director of the show, the script supervisor, the show runner, and last but not least, the star actors of the show: Ghostbusters and Young Sheldon star, Annie Potts, and The Handmaid’s Tail’s Josh Charles. Both actors were incredibly kind and took the time to talk to me and make me feel welcome. It’s wild to think that after two full days of work, the scene they filmed was only a few minutes long, and they packed the whole thing up like a well oiled machine. It’s a reminder of just how much effort and precision go into every moment of a large scale production.
Ever since I was little, I have loved to tell stories, and that’s why I find myself wanting to go into this industry. Everyone has an interesting story to tell, and I feel blessed and privileged that I have the opportunity to help people express themselves through the media for the rest of my life. While scenic design isn’t the career path I plan to pursue, the experience gave me a deeper appreciation for the many roles that make a production possible, the people behind them, and their stories.
Working alongside such inspiring professionals showed me that no matter where you come from, you can find your place in the industry. The crew members on this set all came from different backgrounds and lived very different lives, yet still all ended up at the same place; on the Mount Saint Mary College campus filming a TV show. If that is my starting point, there is no telling where this field will take me next!