Gabe Jacobsohn is not just an average senior; he is the man behind the ideas of major WJ film productions. Jacobsohn’s interest in film production dates back to middle school, where he was involved with the theater crew and the production process of stage. He worked on sound production, which reflects some of the things he is in charge of at WJ.
Jacobsohn’s middle school success continues at WJ where he has directed many films including “Every 15 Minutes”, this and last year’s homecoming videos and other films. Jacobsohn is also involved in some clubs such as WJ S*T*A*G*E crew and has been the treasurer for the Theater Honor Society for two years.
Jacobsohn has been involved with tech and production since elementary school.
“I’ve always been behind the scenes, like in first grade I remember [first grade teachers] always had me go around and turn all the computers off at the end of the day,” said Jacobsohn. “That was my thing. Then it always kept going from there,”
Jacobsohn’s passion for stage and technical production followed him through high school and later became a gateway for his interest in film and movie making.
Jacobsohn has always had an interest for film, like when his family needed help with making videos, he was always interested. “I started studying up on cinematography and different filmmaking techniques so every time I heard [WJ] would do a video I would always get involved,” he said.
Jacobsohn enjoys dealing with technical production because there is a wide experience available with film, sound, set production and more techniques. As an inspiration, he looks up to “Inception” film director, Christopher Nolan.
“[Nolan] does a really good job on focusing the audience attention exactly where he wants to go, and that’s what I try to do,” said Jacobsohn.
He has gone on to make a huge impact on WJ by helping out in some of the biggest school productions such “Every 15 Minutes”(a movie done at WJ in 2010 that focuses on the dangers of underage drinking), “The Daily Lineup” and the Homecoming videos.
His involvement in these films started out when he got involved with the morning announcements. Once he was associated with, “The Daily Lineup” it was easier to get into filming movies for WJ.
“The TV club has a big role in filming movies because we do most of the filming, so since I’m kind of heading the club, I ended up taking to position of Co-director,” he said.
Once he took that position, he started working on videos like the 2011 Homecoming video and “Every 15 Minutes,” which has been one of his favorite films so far.
“Every Fifteen Minutes was my favorite film, because it was all done in a one day, and it was interesting to see how it came together,” said Jacobsohn
This year, he has taken the role of being the student producer for the morning announcements and the main director of WJ films.
Jacobsohn has also taken the lead in organizing the Homecoming video and some aspects that go into filmmaking. Jacobsohn explains that the process was much easier and faster compared to last year’s Homecoming video, because there was more time to film it. He said, “We spent 3 and half months on the video this year whereas last year we only spent about three weeks on it.” Although having a smooth run coming up with the ideas, he did face some obstacles with the camera. This did not stop him from filming the huge fight scene that will appear in the homecoming video this year.
Jacobsohn has dedicated a lot of his time to helping make WJ films production more interesting.
“I try to watch movies and try to incorporate good techniques in making the films,” said Jacobsohn.
His passion stretches through the camera into the things he loves to films. Whether it’s the morning announcements, Homecoming video or stage, Jacobsohn has a strong commitment to the projects he works on.
