Saratoga Afterschool’s multimedia students have been continuing their exploration of the broad world of media arts and production. These young creatives have been learning everything from scriptwriting to camera work, showcasing their talents through various projects, including their involvement in the Black History Month performance.
During one of their lessons, the class delved into styles of film production. One student, Herard, particularly enjoyed watching movies and learning about the distinctive approaches of various producers.
The students’ journey took an exciting turn with a field trip to BRIC Arts & Media—an arts and culture center that teaches prospective media makers. They received firsthand experience with professional television production, supplementing their classroom learning and helping them prepare for their Black History Month project, where they filmed and edited a performance into one-minute videos.
“I learned how they control the TV stations and how to work the camera and the adjustments that you can make with it. That was really amazing and interesting to me,” said one sixth-grade student, Michaela. “I didn’t know how to zoom in, but now I know, and that is kind of cool to me because … learning how to use a camera—I always wanted to do this.”
The students took turns in various roles, such as acting as mock journalists and writing scripts for their peers in front of the camera.
“[The trip] helped because when we went there, they showed us rooms that had different roles in media. They had one where they controlled the channels and another where they controlled the cameras,” said Quesia, a 13-year-old student. “They had us take turns reading a script from a teleprompter—written by another person—so we wouldn’t know what we would be saying. It was good because it showed us a different perspective of how they do the news.”
“I wanted them to see not just the different career possibilities but also the abundance of studio spaces where you can create freely,” said Francina Smith, Recreation Coordinator who leads the multimedia program. “They were able to see how some of the people’s projects—community people, everyday people—were on a platform, like websites, TV stations, etc.”
The multimedia team didn’t film the Black History Month performance live, as many were needed for other essential roles such as lights and stage management during the show. Instead, their fellow afterschool students reenacted the performance without the audience, and the multimedia team filmed in sections to capture the show on video. Students then applied their editing skills, using newly learned framing and storytelling techniques, to create unique perspectives of the performance—some students filming the dance sets while others focused on the singing.
The class recently moved on to scriptwriting as they continue their media journey, with stories ranging from haunted houses to tales of friendship and betrayal.
“This has been my favorite project because this is so interesting to me, and I get to show my creativity,” said Michaela. “I currently have my eyes set on being an actress or a dancer, but I feel like [scriptwriting] might be something I take a shot at.”
With each project, the multimedia program not only teaches technical skills but sparks creativity and ambition among the students.
“Our goal is to teach them as much as we can because media is such a vast platform,” said Francina. “We want them to learn to be confident in their creativity. It’s my hope that they carry an understanding that they have power in anything that they do [and get] exposure beyond their situation, because then they are able to see the possibilities in life.”
