Digital Cameras for Aspiring Student Filmmakers

Funded Nov 17, 2022

Since these digital cameras have arrived in our school, our filmmaking club has been learning about all of their features, and all of the ways in which filmmakers set up "shots" to film their scenes. The students have learned how to install the batteries and sd card, how to maintain the lens and lens cap, how to zoom in and out, how to mount the camera on its tripod, and of course, how to use the right buttons to begin filming! The cameras have excited and delighted students who are entrusted to operate them.

We currently have two groups within our filmmaking club working on two different projects using the cameras. One project is a documentary featuring our schools' Enrichment Clubs. In this project, students formulated questions for club facilitators, are collecting "b roll", and are learning techniques for clear sound recording. They will be editing their footage into its final form once they have finished this process for all of our clubs. Our second project is a silent film, which will eventually become part of our 5th grade showcase. Students created a shooting script for their silent movie, and will use the equipment to film the scenes in the coming weeks.

This equipment has meant so much to the students who have gotten to use it so far, and the reach of this project is about to extend well beyond the 16 students in our filmmaking club. Our 5th grade is now preparing to film their own original movie musical, "Hooray for Hollywood!". The more than 50 students in the grade will be rehearsing, recording, designing, filming, and editing this project together as a grade. This equipment has become a part of the mobile film studio that will enable this film shoot to happen at a level that would not have been possible without your generous donations. I can't wait to see all the finished products these young filmmakers are working on thanks to you, and I am even more grateful than they are that they have this incredible opportunity. Thank you all again!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Grilli