
Connecting with students through the medium of film is one of the aspects of teaching that I am most passionate about. We take film making very seriously in Room 208, probably because there is no shortage of inspiration to be found in each other and the process of learning. Sometimes it seems like the world readily discounts what middle school students might have to say because, yes, middle schoolers can be immature, squirrelly, and obnoxious. But they can also be serious, ambitious, humorous, and even poignant. Even after integrating student film making in the curriculum for six years, students can still amaze me with what they are able to produce.
Last night, my students and I attended the 2013 DigiCom Student Film Festival. We had a blast watching both our own work and the work of other students. One of my students was awarded a video camera for directing the award-winning film, "Identity Crisis." Last year, he won a video camera for directing a film noir piece, "The Lady In Black" and editing the award-winning, "Spitball Love." He has been an active student in my video production class for the last two years and a member of the after school AV Club that I advise. Film making is his heart and it shows. I love knowing that we have been able to forge a teacher-student bond based on the creative process of film making. When he geeks out about a new script idea or a special effect he's working on, I geek out, too! It's awesome.
Award-winning films from Room 208 that were shown at last night's DigiCom include:

coachella_valley_middle_schools_showcase_at_digicom.pdf |

students_show_filmmaking_skills_at_digicom.pdf |