WESTMINSTER — A dozen 11th and 12th graders at the Compass School have spent the past six weeks studying films, writing screenplays, and producing their own short films in preparation for the 12th Annual Compass Student Film Festival on Thursday, April 14, at 7 p.m. - the culminating event for their filmmaking class.
This interdisciplinary course is a popular course at the school, led by humanities teacher Julia Taylor and science/technology teacher Eric Rhomberg. Taylor and Rhomberg say they enjoy team-teaching the course because students become so invested in the projects, working well beyond school hours to edit, perfect, and complete their films.
From writing a script, recruiting actors, arranging shooting locations, and organizing materials to editing and sound work, filmmaking requires students to develop strong problem-solving and leadership skills.
The students' films are wide ranging and deal with themes such as love, loss, connection - and the romance of pizza. One short film depicts a young girl who tries to deal with painful life experiences by revising these events in her journal, and another follows a family's ritual of setting the table for dinner, while under the surface, the father is still processing the loss of his wife. Not all the films are dramas, as students also wrote and produced light, comedic silent films.
The film festival takes place at Compass School, on Route 5 just south of Bellows Falls, and is open to the public, with a $3 suggested donation. For more information: www.compass-school.org.