Buchanan High sophomore wins multiple awards for family-focused documentary

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Clovis student's past and practice helped him gain aggregate awards successful a determination video competition.

Austin Gejeian is simply a sophomore astatine Buchanan High School.

The videography pupil grew up watching his gramps enactment tirelessly connected their family-owned workplace and proceeding stories astir however it each began.

"I ever thought, not lone would that beryllium chill to, like, marque a movie astir it, but that'd beryllium benignant of thing like, benignant of a chill memento to person successful our family," Austin said.

So, to fulfill a people project, that's what helium did.

Through 3 abstracted video shoots, helium filmed his grandfather's story.

It starts connected the farm, successful the rider spot of his grandfather's truck.

He spent hours compiling his footage and editing it into a more than three-minute-long documentary.

Then helium submitted it to the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Student Production Awards.

His enactment went up against students from crossed the bluish fractional of California, Nevada and Hawaii.

An "Award of Excellence" is the apical grant students tin instrumentality home.

Of the 21 that were awarded, Austin took location five.

"I was like, if I, if I triumph one, okay, that's great. But winning five? That was thing I dreamt about. That was, I truly didn't ever deliberation that was really going to travel true," Austin said.

Austin was awarded for his audio and sound, directing, editing, photography and wide for his non-fiction abbreviated signifier video.

Videography Teacher Dan Pearce says Austin blossomed this year, and helium knew the documentary was precise good done.

Pearce has a past of award-winning students, but not to this degree.

"To person 1 student, participate 1 project, and triumph 5 pillars of excellence -- which means he's going to get crystal pillar trophies for this task -- I've ne'er had that hap before," Pearce said.

He says since Austin inactive has 2 much years of precocious school, he's optimistic astir Austin's aboriginal success.

"You triumph thing truthful aboriginal and past you're conscionable benignant of chasing that, but I judge he's got the endowment to bash that -- to one-up himself," Pearce said.

With his newfound success, Austin says he's considering pursuing filmmaking arsenic a career.

One day, helium hopes to beryllium a director, but, for now, he'll absorption connected mounting the barroom adjacent higher adjacent year.

"Obviously, there's unit for the future, but it conscionable feels great. I mean, I'm just, it's conscionable a blessing. I conscionable americium truly excited for the future, obviously," Austin said.

All of the grant of excellence recipients volition present determination connected to the nationalist competition.

That means Austin's enactment volition beryllium up against winners from each 19 chapters crossed the US.

The nationalist winners volition beryllium announced successful the fall.

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