As an integral part of chapel, homecoming and Night of the Stars, the Video Productions class has the opportunity to capture campus life with their movies. After the departure of advisor CJ Haydock, boys’ PE teacher Scott Callisch took over the position.
?It was my first time teaching video productions,? Callisch said. ?It’s a very technical class and I am not very technical but I have always liked making short videos even before everything went digital.?
Despite a lack of technical prowess, Callisch appreciates the different aspects the class presents.
?Video productions is three classes in one,? Callisch said. ?It is very technical, artistic and involves literature.?
As a new teacher in video productions, Callisch hopes to teach his students life skills in addition to editing techniques.
?Things have to be well planned out,? Callisch said. ?They are obtaining some technical skills, learning on how to tell a story, how to work cooperatively in teams and to be organized.?
Projects like the NOTS class movies, promotions for events like service day and See You At The Pole and documentation of the homecoming king dance give opportunities for students to showcase their hobby.
?I took this class because I like to make videos and I want to get better at it. It’s one of my hobbies,? Domenic Tedeschi, ’12, said. ?When you see the final project it is fun to show it to people, and when they don’t like it they give you good constructive criticism.?
The ability to communicate ideas through sound and picture appeals to many students.
?I chose this class because I all ways liked to express ideas through filming and planing,? Tyler Haritzalde, ’11, said. ?I get to edit film therefor it becomes what I want. I like the filming because I can see all the different angles I can get at the story with.”
While newbies may consider making videos simply “point and shoot”, the class requires multiples steps, such as storyboards and editing, and requirements, such as filming a specific genre, in order to complete a project.
?There is a plan of genres in making videos that we have to follow,? Tedeschi said. ?But in my spare time at home I like to make humorous videos because they are challenging.?
The video medium allows student filmmakers to combine visual and auditory aspects into their ventures.
“I like video productions because it allows me to be creative,” junior Paige Powell, a three-year video productions member, said. “When you write you can only use words, but when you make a movie you can show people what you’re thinking, which is an advantage.”
However, the added dimension also increases the level of work and commitment needed to finish a movie.
“It takes a long time even a short video because you have to work around people’s schedules, and then editing takes forever, because I like it to be perfect,” Powell said. “Most of the time it’s worth it in the end. It feels really good to watch my movie, like it all paid off.”
