Summer Intern Final Project: Hyzer's

GVSU Internship

This summer we participated in the internship program with Grand Valley State University and welcomed Stephanie Kaszewski as our intern. We began the summer by focusing on the fundamentals of shooting (the exposure triangle, composition, frame rates, white balance, etc) and spent a good amount of time on both photo and video work. For her final project, we tasked her with telling the story of a local business. We are happy to premiere the result of that effort here. 

In her words:

As an intern, getting assigned to create my first short documentary on Hyzer's was pretty intimidating. Having no prior experience in creating a documentary, I did not know where to begin in planning how to structure the story. I found myself becoming enclosed and losing my self confidence. It was a struggle for me to move forward with this project because I didn't believe that I was capable in telling somebody else's story.

After I met Nick Lawrence and got to know more about the development of his shop, my anxieties slowly began to settle. It was then easier for me to go forward in planning my short video. As the day of shooting approached, I felt extremely nervous yet excited. The process of setting up the interview and capturing b-roll went very smooth. After a few hours of shooting, a weight lifted off of my shoulders. The editing process was a bit of a challenge but came very natural to me. The feeling of being completed with this project at the end was very rewarding. 

This project not only allowed me to learn about Nick and the story of Hyzer's, but I also learned more about myself as a documentary filmmaker. The Allied Team pushed me in the right direction and boosted my confidence throughout the process of creating this video, as well as throughout my entire time in this internship. I realize now that I am able to create anything I put my mind to as long as I go into a project with confidence and a positive mindset. I have accepted that making mistakes is okay and is a way for me to continue to improve my skills in future projects. I am now proud to call myself a documentary filmmaker. This project has inspired me to persist in creating documentary films and sharing other peoples' stories. -Stephanie