Even during last month's sweltering heat, Steven Schlansker said he had few regrets about giving up swim lessons in order to study film production. Throughout the two-week program, students learned basic film and editing techniques. The 25-second announcements are scheduled to air on public television throughout August. On the second day of camp, July 13, students sat in 90-plus degree weather in a small classroom crammed with video equipment at the Huff School site in Mountain View for a lesson on basic camera operation and shadowing. Bright studio lights pushed the inside temperature even higher as instructor Helbard Alkhassadeh, an independent video producer, demonstrated how to create soft shadows.
Kids have wonderful imaginations and are very natural storytellers.
Good, it's supposed to be. Steven, who is a sixth-grader at Springer School, said he had experimented with his father's digital camera but had never thought about producing a film before enrolling in the camp. Evy Schiffman, communications director for the arts school, said the idea of the program is to build collaboration among students and to teach them video and technology as a medium for art. School officials said there's been a lot of Community response to the new program with more students signing up for the camp than the number of available spaces. Schiffman said the arts school plans to offer the video and editing program year round.