Interns

Solveig Lyssand

My winter internship at Access Humboldt


BEFORE: The Expectations 

This all started one November day in my dorm all the way in Hanover, New Hampshire. I knew I would be going home to Humboldt for December, and I also knew I would go crazy if I had nothing to do. So, naturally, the next step for me was to cold email any media-adjacent foundations in the county. Many never responded. Many were wondering what this college freshman was doing and said to come back in 4 years with a degree in my hand. But one was immediately welcoming, excited even. During my first day of my internship at Access Humboldt, I didn’t know what to expect. I was ready to do anything: coffee runs, conduct interviews, shoot b-roll. Instead, I was faced with the question of “What do you want to do?” I almost didn’t know how to answer. I wasn’t anticipating so much freedom. It all seemed too good to be true, but it was true! After some discussion, we decided that I would be doing the script-to-screen process for a short film within two weeks or so. Although I was intimated by the time restraint and the impending imposter syndrome, my fears were quickly managed. I was immediately supported, trusted, and valued by the Access Humboldt Team. The rest is history. I am an Access Humboldt fan and advocate for the rest of my life! 

DURING: The Script-to-Screen Process 

After my first day of interning at Access Humboldt, I went from immensely bored with an all-too-open calendar to instantly inspired. Because of the freedom and support I experienced, I was able to entirely immerse myself into the project to shape it into whatever I dreamed it could be. With a limited budget and a production crew of one, I knew I had to keep things simple, but I was also striving for experimentation and originality. Once I got the idea to use my projector as the basis for my film, I could create whatever I could think of. It was the perfect solution which ultimately made for a story I felt deeply connected to and proud of. Filming itself started off a little rocky. There was certainly a learning cuve with the technical aspects like the camera and the projector. I learned so much every minute, every hour, and every day. I was encouraged early on to emphasis the pre-production phase so that doing into production and post-production was easier. Sure enough, I felt increasingly confident going into each stage of production because of the extensive guidance I was offered throughout the process. 

DURING: All About Reshoots

“That’s a wrap!” can be a misleading phrase. Of course, I was only thinking of it in my head during my one-woman shoot, so it appears I mislead myself. There’s a particular feeling of relief that arises when you think you are done with filming. No more planning your day around the lighting and the traffic and the weather. Given that my shoot was primarily indoors in a controlled environment, I really only fought the filming time battle during my brief outdoor shoots. Regardless, scheduling time to film can be a burden, so when you finally say (or in my case, think), “That’s a wrap!” You believe it. A few days later, you’re sitting at the editing booth and you realize how young and naive you were. Not only do you have to face the great outdoors again, but you also have to reshoot the close-up of shot 12 because of overexposure; you have to fix the focal point of shot 7; and there was zero continuity between shots 9 and 10, so you better reshoot that to save some time editing. That feeling of relief you felt so many moons ago is gone, replaced by betrayal for your own undershot. Whoops. Back to filming. So you do your hair and make-up again, you set up the proper camera angle, and you spend another day in your dark room talking to yourself. Then, you’re done… but are you really? Now you doubt yourself–a third reshoot is unthinkable, do I have everything I could ever possible need (and then some?). Eventually, you trust yourself again. Sure enough, you get back to the editing booth, upload your footage, and you feel that familiar feeling of relief rush through you. But it’s real this time! Although I now dramatized the reshoot process, it was a very valuable experience. It is the clearest lesson of discipline and a promise of commitment to your project. Many of my reshoots ended up being my favorite shots in my film. It was very frustrating, very eye-opening, and very rewarding. 

AFTER: When All Is Said and Done 

Following a nerve-wracking battle while exporting and a brief resurgence while uploading, I am happy to say that all is said and done. The film is edited, done, and shared. I am proud of the piece I put together and none of it would have been possible without Access Humboldt and Christina Marie Jeffers’s expertise and innate trust. I have nothing left to say but thank you. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for providing me with the tools, support, and resources needed. Thank you for everything! Although our time together was brief, I truly did learn so much in both regards to creating an independent project and being confident in myself and my work. So, THANK YOU ACCESS HUMBOLDT! 

Sawyer Chrisman

Access Humboldt Intern 2023-2024


Hello, my name is Sawyer and I am the college Corps Fellow/Intern from Cal Poly Humboldt. My field of study is Communications and International Studies. At Access Humboldt, I help out with KZZH and AH's social media. I am also here to help with any project big or small. If I am not at Access Humboldt, I am studying, watching youtube, or sleeping. 

Jesse Beachman Grijalva Prieto

Access Humboldt Intern 2023 - 2024

Hi, my name is Jesse and my pronouns are They, He, and She. This is my fourth year majoring in Psychology and minoring in Philosophy at Cal Poly Humboldt. 

Ruby Cayenne

Brianna Chapman