The Art of Filmmaking

New class gives graduate students a crash course in digital cinema and web development

When the 12 students walked into Hedberg Library June 21 for the first day of Carthage's new course Media and the Moving Image, they were teachers, writers, artists and graphic designers.

When they walked out five days later, they were filmmakers.

They were exhausted filmmakers — weary from 15-hour days and a workload even the instructor called intense — but filmmakers nonetheless.

Students in Media and the Moving Image learn to use the video equipment before setting off to begin shooting their short films.

"Give yourselves a hand," Professor Paul Chilsen told them at the course's closing film festival. For the students, the screening felt like the finish line of a marathon. They had spent five days building and designing their own web sites, and acting as sole writer, director, cinematographer and editor of their own short films. Some had chosen to work from 8:30 in the morning until midnight to complete the course's two big projects: a one-minute silent film and an online e-Portfolio. As each film's debut earned applause from the class, the novice filmmakers were visibly elated — and relieved.

"I can't believe I did that," remarked art teacher Stephanie Slamar after watching her film, "The Garden," debut on the big screen. The film followed a frustrated artist as she captured the beauty of a garden's flowers on canvas. "It turned out way better than I thought it would," she said.

"You're all filmmakers now," Professor Chilsen congratulated them.

"And web developers," added co-instructor Christine Wells. "It's been a heartwarming week for us, and we are so impressed with your two big accomplishments."

'An Amazing Class'

Media and the Moving Image is a four-credit graduate course in teaching media literacy. Offered for the first time June 21-25, it is the inaugural course of Carthage's new Rosebud Institute, a joint initiative of the College's Communication and Digital Media Department and the Office of Adult Education.

Above: A panel discussion was held the first night of the course, featuring professional filmmakers, actors, writers and directors. Read more. Below: Students work on their e-Portfolios.

"I learned more technology in this one week than I've learned in my whole life."
— Kenosha art teacher Stephanie Slamar

Participants created film projects using Flip HD video cameras and Final Cut Pro editing software, and learned how to display, manage and share those projects online through their own web sites. Day and evening sessions addressed the concepts, skills and techniques of digital cinema, digital citizenship, podcasting, movie-making software, and grant writing. A panel discussion featured experts from the film industry: filmmaker and author Christopher Bowen; writer, director and actor Jay Leggett; screenplay writer and producer Dana Olsen; and cinematographer Joe "Jody" Williams.

"I learned a tremendous amount," said Ms. Slamar, who teaches art to K-8 students at Kenosha's St. Joseph Catholic Academy. "I learned more technology in this one week than I've learned in my whole life. It's been an amazing class."

The Rosebud Institute seeks to teach the basics of reading and writing in a cinematic language. Its courses are open to anybody, but Media and the Moving Image is directed at teachers and counts toward Carthage's Master of Education degree. Teachers are taught ways to embrace current media trends in order to help their students communicate and learn.

"We are immersed in a culture of spoken media, written media and — like it or not — motion media," explained Professor Chilsen, an associate professor of communication and digital media at Carthage. "As we formally teach our students to function in the first two, we must consider that their future demands proficiency in the third as well. By equipping ourselves with some basic tools, we can better equip our students to communicate and thrive in an increasingly mediated world."

Engaging Students Through Film

Professor Chilsen is the director of the Rosebud Institute. Ms. Wells, a National Board Certified music teacher in Deerfield, Ill., is the institute's program manager. She recently graduated from Carthage's Master of Education program, where she tailored her studies to focus on creative arts and learning.

"I use technology a lot in the classroom," Ms. Wells said, adding that she tested an e-Portfolio module with her fifth-grade students last year. "I've found film to be very valuable. It pulls together so much that we want our students to know anyway: critical thinking, writing, writing in narrative form, filming, and having an end goal and an audience in front of them."

"I've found film to be very valuable. It pulls together so much that we want our students to know anyway: critical thinking, writing, writing in narrative form, filming, and having an end goal and an audience in front of them."
— Christine Wells

It's an excellent way to engage students, she said. Take a history class: each student could write a paper about a specific topic in history, or students could work collaboratively to create a film project re-enacting a historical event. They'd have to study the topic, write the script, prepare a storyboard, prepare for the shoot, do the filming, edit the project, and screen it for their classmates. In the process, "they'd learn and internalize that history more than they ever could by writing a paper," Ms. Wells said. "It's a real authentic way to pull all of these things together."

Ms. Slamar agreed. As an art teacher, her classes are usually low-tech, she said, but this fall her middle school students will have laptops. She enrolled in Media and the Moving Image to get some high-tech ideas for her classroom. After making a short film herself, "I would love for my students to make little art history movies," she said. "They could choose an artist and make a movie about that artist. I think that would be a fabulous way to learn."

The e-Portfolio portion of the course was also inspiring, said Cindy Renaud, a teacher at Kenosha's Harborside Academy. "I'm getting a lot of ideas that I can take back to the classroom," she said. She teaches English, digital media and yearbook, and is pursuing her M.Ed. at Carthage. "Our students are required to have portfolios for graduation. In today's world, I think it would be beneficial for the students to do e-Portfolios."

Daunting Workload Boosts Adrenaline, Collaboration

The students in Media and the Moving Image brought to the course a wide range of skill levels and goals. Some had taken film classes before; others had never held a camera. Some enrolled to learn film editing; others wanted to learn web development. The instructors met the students where they were and offered suggestions for their individual goals, but stated upfront that the week would not be easy.

"This is a class where you are going to make things, do things," Professor Chilsen said Monday morning. "It's going to take an insane amount of time," Ms. Wells warned.

"The nature of film editing and production is to be immersed and live your film."
— Christine Wells

"I was scared at first," laughed Rita Gentile, a music teacher at Lincoln Middle School in Kenosha. "The tasks seemed very daunting in the beginning, but once we were in the thick of it, and then almost done, it didn't seem so terrible."

In fact, the class bonded within the frenzied world of filmmaking.

"I was worried at the beginning of the week that people would be really isolated in their own boxes, creating their own films and distancing themselves," Ms. Wells said. "But here you see all this collaboration, and people from different areas of education working together, giving each other feedback, helping with each other's films, and helping with cuts and acting. This is exactly what I hoped would happen."

Besides, "the nature of film editing and production is to be immersed and live your film," Ms. Wells said.

Film Fest: The Big Reveal

In the end, the projects came together beautifully. The students created web sites that will provide ways for them to communicate with parents, organize choir programs, and showcase their own work or that of their students.

The short films included "World Coup," in which an employee watching the World Cup gets caught by his boss; "Number One Fan," which personified a classroom fan abandoned by its teacher over summer break; and "Crude," a commentary on gluttony and the Gulf oil spill. Ms. Gentile created a short film starring her 4-month-old son, titled "Flying Fish."

"I'm shocked that it came out as good as it did," Ms. Gentile said. "I think it's interesting that every single person in this class is going to do something different with what they've learned once they leave."

"I think it's interesting that every single person in this class is going to do something different with what they've learned once they leave."
— Kenosha music teacher Rita Gentile

Peter Pham, a graphic communication instructor at Gateway Technical College, created a film titled "Sandwich Lust": "The sandwich becomes a metaphor for desire," he explained. "This guy makes a sandwich in the morning. He's really looking forward to it but knows he's not supposed to eat it before lunchtime. He keeps nibbling at it all day, and by the time lunch rolls around, it's gone. It could be a metaphor for a lot of things, such as a savings account."

Mr. Pham said shooting the film went well "but because I'm new to it, there were mistakes to be made. If I make another movie in the future, hopefully it will be even better."

That's exactly the point, Professor Chilsen said. "We weren't here this week to teach you how to be great filmmakers," he said. "This is a process. You're always able to go back, start again, and make something better and better and better. You've learned the basic tools. What you do with them — and what your students do with them — who knows?

"It's like Coppola says: Put film in a camera and anything can happen."

Related links:

Learn more about the Rosebud Institute.
See the one-minute silent films created in Media and the Moving Image.