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Published on 08/04/1999 All articles from this issue

Aspiring filmmakers get their opportunity through new program

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By Linda Taaffe

Town Crier Staff Writer

Even during last month's sweltering heat, Steven Schlansker said he had few regrets about giving up swim lessons in order to study film production.

Steven is among the 12 students who participated in Video & Editing Camp this summer - a pilot program for students in grades 6-8 sponsored by the Community School of Music & Arts and Mountain View Community Television KMTV Channel 6.

Throughout the two-week program, students learned basic film and editing techniques. They also wrote and produced three original public service announcements titled "Save Energy," "Resolving Conflicts Through Communication" and "Think Before you Act."

The 25-second announcements are scheduled to air on public television throughout August.

On the second day of camp, July 13, students sat in 90-plus degree weather in a small classroom crammed with video equipment at the Huff School site in Mountain View for a lesson on basic camera operation and shadowing.

Bright studio lights pushed the inside temperature even higher as instructor Helbard Alkhassadeh, an independent video producer, demonstrated how to create soft shadows.

"Is that confusing?" Alkhassadeh asked students after showing them how to "pan" and "tilt" the camera. "Good, it's supposed to be."

Steven, who is a sixth-grader at Springer School, said he had experimented with his father's digital camera but had never thought about producing a film before enrolling in the camp.

"It looked fun," he said about the class. "I would have had to take swim lessons if I didn't do anything else ... and I've already taken swimming lessons."

Evy Schiffman, communications director for the arts school, said the idea of the program is to build collaboration among students and to teach them video and technology as a medium for art.

"Kids have wonderful imaginations and are very natural storytellers," said Nancy Tieken Lopez, visual arts coordinator. "The project allows our students to see their ideas and stories come to life ..."

School officials said there's been a lot of community response to the new program with more students signing up for the camp than the number of available spaces.

Schiffman said the arts school plans to offer the video and editing program year-round. For more information, call 961-0342.