Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Kopek.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve always been enraptured by stories.
I was born and raised in Plainfield, Illinois, which is a suburb an hour south of Chicago. Reading and writing was something I’ve always felt called too, even before I could comprehend words on paper. My preschool program was not responsible for teaching its roster of three-year-old students how to read, despite my protests, so my parents decided to take teaching me into their own hands. I took to reading and writing like a fish in water, and that hasn’t changed.
In high school, I took part in the campus newspaper, The Fielder. I worked my way up from a staff writer my sophomore year to being an Editor-in-Chief as a senior. All while turning out bylines and devouring books, I was an avid fan of visual media. I practically lived in the world of Harry Potter, from the books to the movies, and you could always find me on the couch every Sunday evening watching the newest episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead. From ten years old, I can remember being obsessed with finding out how movies were made, how the wizards cast spells, and how the walkers looked so realistic.
I’d only considered myself an observational appreciator of film and television, and I had my heart set on being a writer. In my first year of college, I’d picked a small liberal arts school that wasn’t too far from my hometown, and I was majoring in journalism. I took a film studies elective course, and it was there that something clicked for me – my urge to pursue filmmaking had somehow outgrown my love for journalism. I transferred to the Savannah College of Art and Design in my sophomore year of college to study film and television, and I haven’t looked back.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road was most definitely not smooth along the way, but it’s the challenges I’ve faced that have formed me into the person I am today.
The biggest struggle I’ve experienced was the death of my Grandma. Some girls might say they’re a daddy’s girl or a mommy’s girl, but I was definitely a grandma’s girl through and through. Both of my parents worked, so my Grandma would be the one to pick me up from school and the one I would spend a lot of my time with. She was my best friend.
My Grandma’s name was Rose, and she was the one who stoked my creative fire the most out of anyone. The first stories I would write were dramatized recounts of how we’d spent our weekend together. She would drive me to the local craft store and let me buy colored pencils, or painting kits, or anything else artistic that I wanted, always with a smile and a “don’t tell your mom, I don’t want her to get mad at me for spoiling you.”
As the years went on, her memory started to slip, and she was diagnosed with Dementia. Her health began to decline significantly, and she passed away a few days after my birthday in January of 2021. She never forgot my name or who I was, even at the very end.
My Grandma was the main reason why I stayed close to home for my first year of college. I couldn’t fathom the idea of moving states away from her and missing out on spending time together. In some strange way, amidst my grief came a freeing feeling. I had no reason to stay close to home anymore, so I began investigating schools I could transfer to to pursue the art I felt called to and left Illinois for Georgia.
Her absence in my life is one I feel deeply and daily. It saddens me that she hasn’t gotten to see me flourish as a person and a filmmaker and that she won’t get to meet my partner or my new friends. I think grief is something we’re burdened with when we have a profound love for someone who’s no longer here, so I carry my love for her every day with the hopes that she’s looking over me with pride.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I consider myself a filmmaker above all since I do a lot of different kinds of work to support the films I’m a part of. My niche in filmmaking is camera operating, which was an interesting discovery given my affinity for writing. I’ve logged countless hours behind a camera and found a love and admiration for Steadicam operating specifically. I enjoy the physical challenge of it.
When operating a Steadicam, you become one with the camera in a way that’s hard to articulate. I’ve been operating for over a year now, and it’s one of my favorite aspects of movie-making. I was inducted to the Society of Camera Operators as a student member in July of 2023. The SOC is a guild of fellow camera-operating creatives, and it’s such an honor to be recognized in that way.
When I’m not fastened to a camera, I try to get involved in all aspects of filmmaking, from pre- to post-production. I’ve written and directed, produced, and edited a handful of projects over the last few years. It’s through my experience in those areas that have really cemented my interest in camera operation.
More recently, I’ve just wrapped production on my B.F.A. capstone film, a documentary called Green Eyes about a coffee shop in Illinois that roasts and serves coffee. I am the director, producer, and cinematographer on the project, and have the privilege of working with a handful of fellow talented filmmakers to see the documentary through to completion.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
It’s always been a goal of mine to be a published author, so something surprising about my creative work that I’ve been playing close to the chest lately is that I’m currently drafting a manuscript.
My creative partner and I are also close to launching our film production company, which has been a months-long labor of love to prepare.
I’m so excited for all of these big creative things coming up.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hannahkopek.wixsite.com/hannah-kopek
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahkopek/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL4E8XNPibrAy64Q9T9RW_Q
