Port of Spain, February 3, 2023: The Trinidad and Tobago Film Company Limited (FilmTT) held a very exciting edition of its Meet the Practitioner Series with Lisa Wickham titled Lessons with Lisa on Set. Six (6) interns were selected to join FilmTT and Lisa Wickham on set to gain valuable insight into what it’s like to work on an international co-production.
One of the interns, Ezekiel Thomas, who recently interned at FilmTT under the MPowerTT Programme, under the Ministry of Sport and Community Development, stated, “What I thought I knew was nothing compared to actually being there and doing it; understanding the production and not just holding a camera. I learned a lot about the paperwork side of things. To me, that is 60%-70% of the production and the rest is the labour itself. I gained a lot of knowledge and I hope that the journey hasn’t ended, I would like to work with FilmTT and Lisa Wickham again.”
“I was super excited because I have a lot of respect for Lisa and I also love what FilmTT is doing, so those two things coming together was awesome. The experience on set for me was intense, but in a good way. I got to meet people whose names I’ve heard but never met before. It was my first time meeting an international cast in Trinidad and getting to work closely with them was really cool. I got to see how talented and how human they are. Through this initiative, I can see the industry, especially the young people, benefitting a lot from experiences like this.” – Leanda Taitt, Managing Director, Believe Productions Limited.
Another MPowerTT intern, Justin Williams, found his love for Grip work through his time on set. “I had no idea about FilmTT but since I came here, it’s been so mind-blowing and working with Lisa has been amazing. When I went on set with Lisa and met the Grip, Mark Poulis, eventually I got to work with him and it made me want to learn more about it.”
Lisa Wickham, President & CEO of Imagine Media International, is a media producer-director-TV personality in Trinidad and Tobago. She is best known as a Producer, Line Producer, Location Producer and Director for films, TV Shows, advertisements and music videos including Home Again, Girlfriends Getaway, Hero: Inspired by The Life and Times of Mr. Ulric Cross, Forward Home: The Power of The Caribbean Diaspora, The E-Zone TV Series, Lisa Wickham’s E-Zone, BET Turks and Caicos Jazz Show, BET St. Lucia Jazz Show, Chef Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen, Tobago and Trinidad Episodes, Girls Cruise, Tobago and Trinidad Episodes, Love and Hip Hop Atlanta Season 8, Trinidad Episodes.
“We have these young interns who have been immersed into an experience, they got pushed and stretched. I told them it’s like a pressure cooker! And when they are done, they are going to be amazing in the industry. For me, it’s energizing and for them, it’s growth. It’s also growth for me, so many people gave to me, and now it’s my turn to give back.” – Lisa Wickham.
On November 30th 2022, FilmTT held the very first session of its Meet the Practitioner Series: Location Management with one of the industry’s most experienced location managers and fixer, Princess Donelan. The practical workshop took place at the Cocorite Fishing Facility and focused on how to scout, pitch and manage a location. Since then, the series has been greatly applauded, especially by many up-and-coming film industry enthusiasts.
“For this fiscal, FilmTT held workshops with over 45 film industry professionals who were able to gain knowledge and first-hand experience in the areas of distribution, export potential and international industry standards, to name a new. We will continue to host these exciting and interactive sessions to encourage knowledge sharing and capacity building.” – Leslie Ann Wills-Caton, General Manager, FilmTT.
For more company updates, follow FilmTT’s Facebook and Instagram pages: @discoverfilmtt.
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