This is my fifth year teaching Independent Filmmaking for Ocean County College’s Community Education Program. It has been a true joy teaching young teens on through people in their 50s who truly love and appreciate film and video. Each student has not only learned, but also brought their own unique visions to my class.
Film and digital video amaze me. They can sometimes be that perfect marriage of writing, acting, music and camera technique. The first project I have my students do is a five-minute movie with no dialogue. This project must contain an introduction of characters and setting, a conflict and a resolution. This teaches them to express visually without having to fall back on dialogue.
I have gotten to view a fascinating array of projects over time. There has been a realistic suicide attempt, a meditative trip to India, Martial Arts parodies, Film Noir and even a frighteningly realistic newscast on terrorism.
It’s amazing how connected the world can become through film and video.
Through my affiliation with Ocean County College, I was asked to be on the panel of the Ocean County Library Student Film Festival the last three years. I was happy to view even more short films and ideas by young filmmakers. It was even a reunion of sorts as old students from my class attended and some are even planning on submitting films next year.
I have gone on to encourage many of my students to post their films on YouTube because a local producer told me last year at the festival that people in the industry were watching. Many have recently acquired work and good money from their creativity. I have my own YouTube page with things as varied as a Jersey Devil trilogy, a tribute to the late author Ken Grimwood and his classic novel “Replay,” several comedies and horror films, a few memory pieces and even a music video I shot for musician Lou Pompilio.
Making films and videos is a creative process. The more you observe, the more you become inspired. The more you do it, the more you learn. When you are ready, there is now a home for your work to be displayed. YouTube and many other Web sites out there just may give you the shot you need to work in the film industry in some capacity. Like I tell my film students, “Short film projects may lead to long time movie making. You never know!”
Darren
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