RYE, Colo. — Growing up not far from Rye, Colorado, Tristan Owen is more familiar than most with the town's famous landmark Bishop Castle.
"My grandparents had a cabin out in Rye, and over the summers when I was around 10 to 15, my brothers and I would visit them, and we’d see the progress that Jim made over the years," he said.
Now, the junior at Florida State University is garnering national recognition for a documentary he made about the castle's creator, Jim Bishop.
The film has already been recognized by the American Society of Cinematographers, and is up for a Television Academy College Television Award.
"It’s truly special, and I do hope we did Jim's story justice in being able to make sure he gets the recognition he deserves for creating such a remarkable castle," Owen said.
Tristan’s goal with "The Castle Builder" was to show Bishop’s two sides. Castle visitors see his strong persona, but Tristan said Bishop is also compassionate and gritty.
That grit, Tristan said, rubbed off.
He only had help on the film from his co-director Thomas McDonald and sound designer Javier Barranco. Plus, the trio only had six days to shoot the documentary.
"I wanted to make sure if I'm going to be able to tell the story, I need to make sure I have the determination to get all the way through and tell it as best as I could," Tristan said.
The film will be streaming on YouTube March 27. Even more than the recognition he's getting for it, Tristan hopes Jim Bishop's two sides shine through.
"It's truly special, and I do hope we did Jim's story justice in being able to make sure he gets the recognition he deserves for creating such a remarkable castle," he said.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Full Episodes of Next with Kyle Clark