Middle School Students Become Filmmakers at Visual Storytelling Summer Camp
They created a storyboard, wrote a script, and made a production schedule. They filmed, edited, and completed post-production. Then, they premiered their film, ‘Mob of the Undead.’They aren’t film professionals – they are middle school students! And this summer, thanks to a collaboration with SUNY Oswego and WCNY, they had the opportunity to participate in a month-long Visual Storytelling Summer Camp, where they learned the fundamentals of audiovisual production and how to tell stories through a digital medium.
Through their daily learning at the WCNY studios, students learned about different camera angles and movements, editing, storytelling, and more. SUNY Oswego professor Francisco Suarez ran the camp and helped guide the students through the storytelling process.
“The goal of this camp was to help students learn how to tell a story in an animated/graphic design setting,” Mr. Suarez explained. “Seeing these young individuals learning new skills and creating new stories has been incredible! I always emphasize the profound significance of education and the endless opportunities it presents. This program was designed to provide these young individuals with the knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities that enable them to tell their stories. They did such a fantastic job and it was a pleasure to see the work they produced.”
Syracuse Latin 7th grader Alex Lilly acted in the film – playing both a zombie and a scientist. He also served as a camera operator.
“Ever since I was little, I’ve always loved telling stories,” Alex said. “This camp has helped me learn how to develop my characters better so they really make sense. My favorite thing has been recording behind the camera. I feel like I’ve learned how I could work on my own to tell stories that I’d like to produce; as opposed to feeling like I’d have to find the right connections to help me do the work. If I decide to move forward in this industry for a living, this experience will definitely help me. It’s been fun and helpful. We don’t have a lot of these resources in our schools, so it’s been great to have this hands-on learning.”
Classmate Tahje Brown served as a camera marker and camera person and also helped out as a makeup artist. She said when she was a student at Bellevue Elementary, she took photos for the school’s yearbook and really appreciated the opportunity to dive further into new aspects of storytelling.
“This camp has taught me things that I really think will help me in the future,” Tahje shared. “I’m not good at ELA, but this has helped me get better at writing. It’s helped me learn to use stronger words and tell a story in a way that makes sense. The best part has been that they teach us things and then give us responsibilities so we can put our learning to use on our own and really show our independence.”
In addition to working together to create their own film production, students also served as a focus group for WCNY, providing their feedback on ‘Jobs Explained,’ a TikTok series that aims to educate middle and high school students about jobs available in Central New York in the entertainment industry.
What a great #SCSDSummerLearning opportunity. We look forward to seeing how these storytellers continue to use their creative talents!
