That's a Wrap!

Over the last two weeks, we've wrapped up our first summer session. Last week, we started with a little show and tell. Club Leader Jane brought in her Canon 7D DSLR to give our young filmmakers a first look at the type of camera that a lot of independent filmmakers are using these days. The Canon 7D shoots full HD quality video at various frame rates, at a reasonable price, and can be found on many movie, music video and commercial shoots, so our young filmmakers were getting a look at the latest technology.

Later the students wrapped up the editing of their music videos, and created a DVD cover in Photoshop (see below). Then we said goodbye to Club Leader Jane as she was leaving for the rest of the summer. She will be missed.


We started our final day of the summer session by gathering permission slips for our trip to WGN studios and discussing "The Real World," which included copyrights, and getting a job/internship (making a reel, making a resume, and making business cards).

We then played a game we like to call "Film Terminator," where our young filmmakers get points for guessing film terms based on clues (kind of like the old television game show, $10,000 Pyramid). These points went towards a point system that we started this summer called The Frame Game. Students get points for attendance, good behavior, and performance, with the top two performing students getting a ticket to the Chicago Bears game this weekend.

After Film Terminator, they had pizza and snacks, and the students showcased their music videos (we will post links to their works at a later date). You got the feeling that our filmmakers were really proud of their accomplishments, and they should be. They have come a long way in a short period of time, and personally I am looking forward to seeing how they progress in the future.

Production, Post Production, a Production Company Name and Logo and a Planned Field Trip

At Cabrini Connections Video and Filmmakers Club, we have had a busy July. The young filmmakers shot their first music video. They were up against the clock, only having one session to shoot, and you could tell they all realized that shooting a music video can be quite challenging. See below for more production pictures.


Also, they have begun editing their music videos, and we are excited to see the results.

In addition, they came up with a production company name to put on all of their productions from here on out. They brainstormed and voted on production company names and talked about what they thought goes into making a successful production company. The name they agreed upon was Reel Talent Productions.

Below is the logo for their production company, which they designed and created in Photoshop.

















We also found out that we are going on a club field trip at the end of August. We will be taking a tour of the WGN television studios. This is quite an opportunity as WGN has a storied history in both the Chicago area and nationally, and it will be great experience for the young filmmakers to see television production up close.

Learning a Craft

This week marked the final meeting of the Video and Filmmakers Club for this school year. I have only been working with these young filmmakers for about a month, but I feel like they are making gains every week, and I have even learned a thing or two myself. They have come a long way considering the program didn't even have a camera or computers to edit on until very recently.

The goal of Cabrini Connections is that every child who joins the program in 7th or 8th grade is starting a job and career of his or her choice by age 25, and if the youths continue at the pace they are going, I think they are on their way to that goal. Like Club Leader, Michael Alexander says, the students are learning a craft. Who knows, one of these kids might be the next Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) or Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker).

This week, we put the finishing touches on projects for the Year End Gala Dinner (I will post more on that later), handed out awards (Most Valuable Team Member, Best Writer, Best Actor, Most Improved Camera Operator, etc), and celebrated a successful year with pizza and treats. Then we watched the four short films that the students put together (with the student's permission, I hope to post links to their work soon), and had fun taking pictures. You can see a couple of the pictures above.

Although, the school year is over, the work doesn't stop. Shu-Ling is taking over as Club Leader (Michael, we will all miss you), we are putting together an exciting curriculum for a program for the summer that will start on June 21st, and we are bringing on Jane, a new volunteer. We are all excited for the summer.

Donations to Cabrini Connections, make programs like this possible. In addition, if anybody is looking for an editor, one of our students is looking for summer work. Let me know, and I will point her in your direction.