I spent my last semester at the University of Wisconsin-Madison working with eight other students on our senior capstone project, ‘Tuned In.’ It is set in the early 2000’s and follows radio host Jeff as he has a chance encounter with a caller named Lucy!

Being picked by my professors to be the director of photography has been a challenging but fulfilling role. Being part of the process of creating the visual style has really opened my eyes to how many moving parts are required in making a project this large. Working with my director to create shot lists, overheads, and figuring out what equipment to use and when has put my all of my learning over the past three and a half years to the test.

This was easily one of the most nerve-wracking roles I ad ever been in, especially since we only had 12 weeks to create and deliver this project. I had done camera work in previous classes, but never anything of this scale. On the first day of class, Aaron Greer said, “welcome to your part time job,” and he was exactly right. I had no clue just how much work went into creating a short film. Meeting/talking with the crew everyday, trying to read and understand the script, camera test, light tests, and so much more.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I am so grateful that I was able to experience it. It only helped to solidify that this is where I wanted to be going forward in my career, and I am actively working towards this!