This past semester, I’ve had the opportunity to intern as a junior media specialist for local Spokane wedding photographer and videographer, Amanda Munchmore (Amanda Muchmore Media Co.), as well as her team’s creative agency, Averson Creative.
I’m an English major on the writing track with a minor in film and visual narrative. To translate: I deeply love stories and storytelling, particularly in a film context. This internship provided the perfect venue for me to gain some important practical skills for my discipline as well as a greater and richer understanding of the collaborative aspects of the broader film industry.
For this internship, my main role was serving as Amanda’s assistant editor, helping her begin to tackle all of her footage from this past wedding season. There were a shocking number of perks of sitting through hours upon hours of wedding footage. The first thing I got to learn was that “failure” is not only okay, it’s also very important. In going through so much footage, I witnessed Amanda’s creative vision at work. Some shots were gorgeously framed and in focus. Some were not-so-gorgeous. Such is the nature of shooting “documentary-like” footage. Sorting through the footage, I saw the world through Amanda’s eyes and got to witness her risks and course-corrections. Even (and especially) the professionals don’t do everything perfectly the first time, which is an important lesson for a recovering perfectionist like me.
Part of my role with Amanda was also as a “second-shooter” for her photo and video shoots with clients for Averson Creative. These are where I get to dive into the collaborative aspect of this job that I am so deeply drawn to. Not only was I working together with Amanda, but we were also working with clients. There were at least three different visions, yet it all came together so beautifully in the end every time in a way that everyone could be proud of.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to get hands-on experience in a field I’m deeply interested in. In the classroom, I’ve gained so much theoretical knowledge about film and storytelling experience in different genres like fiction and poetry, but nothing can replicate holding a camera and working on editing software to craft a story.
I cannot recommend doing an internship enough. There’s so much pressure in college to know what you want to do, and an internship can be a good way to “try on” a job. Being an intern also allows a sort of automatic assumption that there’s a learning curve and that you don’t have to have all the answers already. Especially as a part of an honors program like Whitworth’s, an internship provides the perfect setting to explore new possibilities and be supported every step of the way.
Madison Gotthardt (’23) is an English major in the George Whitworth Honors Program.