Many film school students have big dreams of one day working on major motion pictures alongside celebrity actors and directors. F.I.R.S.T. Institute Film and Video Production graduate J.T. Calloway is making that dream a reality! In today’s Film Graduate Spotlight, we’ll get a look into J.T.’s successful career in the film industry.
DEFINING A FILM CAREER PATH
J.T. Calloway’s foray into film was unique: unlike many involved in filmmaking who have had lifelong dreams of working on movie sets, Calloway stumbled upon an article on careers in the industry one day. Since he’d become burnt out at his engineering job, Calloway decided to pursue a career in film.
After debating between film programs at other film schools and F.I.R.S.T. Institute, Calloway decided on F.I.R.S.T. Institute.
“I knew I could meet people and network while in school. I also knew it would allow me to touch cameras and touch the equipment and kind of get a feel for it,” Calloway said.
FROM FILMMAKING SCHOOL TO THE REAL WORLD
After graduation from film school, Calloway started to get bigger and bigger gigs. He’s currently a location manager, where he says he gets to intimately see how every department works and see the whole job and logistics of it. He is in conversation with the front, the decision makers, producers, etc. and gets to work closely with everyone involved in the shoot. He has worked on the sets of big budget movies, including American Ultra with Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart.
“The coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of was Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. I was a production assistant and saw the visual department and stunts and how everything and every part of a movie of that scale comes together. It was also the most brutal shoot I’ve had to do,” Calloway said. “Right now I’m doing a period piece and kind of get to travel back in time which is really cool. It’s cool getting to go back and see period piece items on set, horse and buggies, that kind of thing.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Calloway hopes to realize his dreams of being a producer or director on big budget films in the coming years.
“I see myself producing more in the future. I’ve already done a few lower budget projects but I see myself doing bigger projects. I’m interested it that particularly because it’s interesting as a producer getting to work with five or six projects at a time of varying difficulty and also developing fun projects in between,” Calloway said. “Negotiating deals and talking with actors is also kind of awesome, as is always having something new to work on. I’m a multitasker to the Nth degree so getting five different paychecks from five different projects sounds great.”
Calloway urges anyone interested in filmmaking to push themselves to succeed no matter how demanding the filmmaking industry can be at times.
“Don’t give up if you’re passionate about the film industry. People in this industry battle with that a lot. You know, I spend on average 16 hours a day on set which is a big sacrifice for any job but if you have an end goal in mind and you see yourself at a certain point, it really is worth it,” Calloway said.
Stay up to date with J.T. Calloway’s latest projects on IMDB.
Follow in J.T.’s Footsteps!
There are many careers in the film industry available, and you can start on the road to yours by enrolling at F.I.R.S.T. Institute’s Film and Video Production School. Learn filmmaking hands on, in real studio settings, with small class sizes at a top film school in Florida. Faculty at F.I.R.S.T. Institute are working film industry professionals who have a passion for mentoring the next generation of filmmakers.
Contact us today for more information on how you can launch a career in the film industry and even take a video tour of the campus. Start on your path to a career in the Film and Video Industry at one of the best film schools in Florida today!
