Grand Rapids — Ottawa Hills High School visual arts students are learning the art of storytelling through digital media, thanks to their art teachers and local creative non-profit organization Mosaic Film Experience.
Known for its annual event and mobile filmmaking contest, MFE partnered with visual arts teacher Jennifer Sharp and digital media teacher Stephen Smith for their first two-week intensive film production program.
Teaching artists — film producer Joshua Courtade and cinematographer Kenny Acker — spent the first week teaching students about the process of brainstorming ideas, writing a script and planning a list of scenes they want to film to tell their story.
‘I love seeing their lightbulb moments, ‘Oh, this is art class.’
— digital media teacher Stephen Smith
Elizabeth Merriman, MFE’s programming and education manager, said students learned how to edit their film clips using iMovie, a free application for smartphones and computers. She supported Courtade and Acker in the classroom and helped students turn their visions into visual realities.
“All stories are written by the students, and it’s fun to see what they’re creating,” she said.
Students Become Storytellers
After learning the basics of digital storytelling, students formed small groups and chose a theme for their two- to three-minute films. They spent class time scouting locations around the school and filmed on iPads provided by MFE.
Junior Taj‘tiana Robinson worked with her group members to create a short film about overcoming a challenge.
“It’s called ‘Standing Alone,’ and it’s about learning how to speak in front of big crowds,” she said. “At the end, (the main character) gathers up confidence to speak in front of a big crowd.”
Taj’tiana said her group started by writing their ideas on paper and it took some time to come up with how they wanted their film to look.
Already familiar with using iMovie, senior Owen Kingston Garrett said Smith helped him learn how to record voiceovers, strip a previously recorded video’s audio and add his own.
Merriman said when creating a high school curriculum, it was important to “not give teachers or students anymore work to do.”
“Teachers are so busy already, and we don’t want to add another thing to their plate,” Merriman said. “This program is designed to collaborate with teachers and align with their existing visual arts and media curriculum.”
Watch another student-made film, “Freezing Reports,” here.
Smith said the MFE program supported Ottawa’s art department goals and enhanced classroom learning.
“This program directly correlates with the skills we’re learning in my digital media class,” he said. “We wanted to get students to do more writing, because storytelling is super important.
“One of the highlights of this class has been students saying, ‘This is supposed to be art class.’ We’re teaching that media and video are art forms, and I love seeing their lightbulb moments, ‘Oh, this is art class.”
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