MONTAGUE — Erving resident Kim Kosloski is a one-woman film crew — directing, editing and shooting her own mini-documentary on the subject of her choice, the Whistle Stop Café in downtown Millers Falls.
As a junior at Full Sail University, an online college based out of Florida, 24-year-old Kosloski is studying cinematography and decided she wanted to do her mini-documentary on the cafe.
She said she married into the family and wanted to do the documentary to help get the café publicity and for her documentary assignment.
The café, which serves breakfast and lunch, opened in October and is run by Wendell resident Dan Hunt.
Hunt also cooks at the café with his sister who waitresses and his mother who washes dishes.
He said he started the café because he had been cooking for a few years and wanted to make his own schedule. It took him two years to renovate the space, which was previously an antique clock shop.
Hunt said Kosloski married his cousin and the two recently moved near the café, so he agreed when she asked to do the mini-documentary.
“I didn’t particularly like being filmed,” Hunt said. “It was somewhat uncomfortable, but I realized it will get the name of the café out there.”
Kosloski spent about a week filming, using camera equipment provided by her school. As part of her tuition, Kosloski received a Sony FS5 camera, lighting kit and other supplies for filming.
“I have one class a month and this month was a class on production and post-editing,” Kosloski said.
For this course, Kosloski was tasked with filming a five- to eight-minute mini-documentary, which included getting insurance and permitting necessary to film in the business.
She said she received approval for the filming a week earlier than she anticipated, and she finished before her classmates.
“My classmates are filming this week, so some of the things they’re learning about filming, I could have used when I was filming,” Kosloski said. “Next time I would try to communicate more about the specific type of shots I wanted.”
Kosloski said she aspires to be a film editor and found filming challenging.
“I wanted to get the shot I pictured and (Hunt) would cook something and I’d miss it,” Kosloski said. “It’s easier to stitch together someone else’s film than trying to get all of the shots myself.”
However, “getting the shot” was one of the rewarding aspects for Kosloski.
In addition to the filming, Kosloski said she learned she prefers to film events, like weddings.
“I actually filmed my own wedding, with some help from some friends,” Kosloski said. “I just set up the cameras and edited the film myself.”
Editing the mini-documentary will take about a month, and it will be posted on Facebook, Kosloski said.
Hunt said working at the café has been exciting and he looks forward to seeing the film.
“It’s exciting,” Hunt said. “We’re getting regulars and we’re hoping more and more people will stop down.”