Young filmmakers take first place
April 3, 2008
District elementary students didn’t let “Granny” get away and also didn’t let a chance at a first-place showing in the Show-Me a Movie Video Contest slip through their fingers. Students Cole Lazarus, Collin Horn, Jake Workman, Josh Metje, Jessie Yates, Olivia Smith, Betsy Klausen, Katie Coonce, Kadie Clark, Mikayla Alvarez, Logan Peterson, Megan Bishop and Holly Neece, under the guidance of teacher Gail Bush, produced the short film “Granny Getaway.” The film took first place in the Elementary Show-Me a Challenge division.
The Show-Me a Challenge category involved sharing local environmental concerns and social issues, which promote awareness and public action. In “The Granny Getaway,” students try to track down Granny, a volunteer that doesn’t know just how she is to volunteer. Once the students ask her how she wants to help out, Granny reads them stories and the students talk about the value of volunteers.
The class, part of the district STRETCH (Students Reaching Excellence Through Challenge) program, is comprised of students from BBSD elementary schools.
Kadie Clark, of Chapel Lakes Elementary said, “I learned that moviemaking takes a lot of time. You don’t just pick up the camera and start filming; you have to go through pre-production.”
Betsy Klausen, of Voy Spears, Jr. Elementary added, “I want to make another movie, but this time I want to make it ages longer!”
Requirements for the contest included: a two-minute film written, acted, and edited by students, a storyboard created by students showing shot-by-shot plan for film, a one-page movie summary written by students, 200-word essays written by each student reflecting on what they learned and how their project demonstrates mastery of the Show-Me Standards.
The students had been practicing using different shot types (wide shot, close up, cutaway, establishing shot, etc.) to tell a story. They created a short film based on a character (Granny) whom the students had created as part of a self-directed learning activity. When they found out about the contest, the students changed the ending of the film to reflect information they researched about the value of school volunteers and how to encourage more volunteerism in schools. Several of the girls spent their lunch hour composing the closing credits song as a bonus.
The students won a group prize of $300, which they donated to the WYE library to purchase a new camera for the building. Students also each received a goodie bag with video editing software, movie snacks, and other items.
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