Filmmaking at Columbia Academy
By Mar’Konash
Teaching film at Columbia Academy was one of the most transformative and enjoyable experiences of my life. The way it was set up, I was supposed to go in and teach the middle schoolers, but I was the one learning more than I expected. It was an exchange of creativity, ideas and information. I did my best to instruct them on filming at different angles, and they taught me extensively about things like Fortnite.
I can confidently say that, if you ask any one of them about the difference between a 50mm shot and a 135mm shot, they would be able to tell you. And I can certainly attest to the fact that subjects like ‘making and losing friends’, bullying and ‘which class period is the best’– is just as important today as it was ten years ago– when I was in the 8th grade, but the most important thing that I took away from this experience was how much this generation pays attention to everything. Not only are they cognizant of the current social environment, but they also have a lot of powerfully clairvoyant things to say about where they feel we’re headed as a society. And they should be heard! I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to bring to their attention an extra outlet (filmmaking) for them to express themselves.
Thank you Columbia Academy, thank you Inverted Arts.
Enjoy one of the short films that the students created!
