My plan for this semester was simple: I wanted to start seriously building content for my internship portfolio and for my social media. My dream internship is to work in the media field for climbing gyms, and I've had this goal in my head for a long time. The problem was that I was always a bit too shy to really show my work to anyone other than my friends.

That changed last semester.

For an individual project, I made a climbing video. I didn't think much of it at the time, but one of my teachers, Guido, saw it. Not long after, he asked me if I wanted to help him with filming and editing videos for Monk, the bouldering gym in Eindhoven. That moment gave me so much confidence. It made me realize that my internship dream wasn't unrealistic anymore, it was actually achievable.

The first videos we made were meant to be displayed in the gym next to training equipment. Their purpose was to explain how to use the equipment and walls correctly, so climbers could train more effectively and safely.

We started with brainstorming, what format should the videos have, how long should they be, and what style fits a climbing gym? Guido provided the storyboard, and I created the shot list and a gear inventory. Then it was time to film.

At the gym, I chose the angles, filmed all the shots, and later edited everything myself. Since I'm still learning video editing, I watched a lot of tutorials to understand the software better. I kept iterating on the videos and regularly checked in with Guido and other teachers to make sure I was on the right track.

In the end, Guido really liked the videos, and knowing they might actually be used in the gym made me incredibly proud 😊

Because Guido liked how I worked, he asked me to help with another Monk project. This time, we went to Amsterdam to film at a major international climbing event. The best athletes from around the world were competing on boulders set by top route setters from Tokyo.

We interviewed athletes, and I filmed B-roll of the finals.

This event taught me a lot, mostly because I realized how unprepared I actually was. The venue was crowded, and I didn't know where to stand without blocking people. I didn't have the right lenses and really missed having a stronger zoom. I also didn't have a strong shot list, which meant I didn't capture enough or the right kind of B-roll.

When it was time to edit, I only had a few days. I asked for inspiration but didn't really receive any, so I looked at videos from previous years and tried to create something similar. Unfortunately, I don't think the final result fully matched what the stakeholders expected.

Still, I don't see this as a failure. I learned an incredible amount from this experience, and I genuinely had a lot of fun doing it.

Besides the Monk videos, I also made videos just for myself. I took my camera, went climbing with my friends, and filmed whatever felt cool in the moment. These videos aren't the most professional ones, but they are extremely important to me. They allow me to experiment, to make mistakes, and to enjoy the process without pressure.

I believe projects like these are just as valuable as professional ones, because they keep the passion alive.

This semester has been my favorite so far. For the first time, I could fully focus on filming and editing, which is exactly what I love doing. This is my passion, and I can truly see myself doing this in the future, even if it starts as a side job.

I'm very grateful that Fontys gave me the space to explore this direction, and I'm sure I'm not the only student who feels this way about this semester.

Here are all the videos I worked on during this semester. Each one represents a different learning experience and helped me grow as a videographer.