Ms. Teri Bates’s film class and Ms. Lori Leonard’s English 11 class have collaborated to make film magic. Students of Leonard’s English 11 class had the task of finding a poem that related with their life and with that poem, they had to write up a script and pick three locations that had some sort of significance to them and the poem. The students had a large selection of poems they could choose from, whether a ballad, lyric, free verse, narrative, etc.,, as long as it had some sort of meaning to them and they could find a way to incorporate it into their life stories. Film students had the job of filming the English students and bringing the poems to life. After the film students finished filming, they edited the footage to the students liking from Ms. Leonard’s English 11 class.

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This assignment was a very educational and fun experience for both classes. This collaborative project certainly helped first year film students practice their skills of filming and editing. It made them feel as if they were actual film makers. “This assignment really helped me practice my skills and showed me what I am certainly capable of doing as a student with my experience. It broadened my understanding of the task of being a film maker. It also showed me all the exciting and interesting tasks that come with being a camera man and editor,”said Kurt Feldmann, a grade 11 first year film student.

The assignment was not only beneficial for the film students, but it was also revealing for many of Ms. Leonard’s English students. Many of Ms. Leonard’s English 11 students, such as Alaiah Faisal, felt that they were able to test their collaborative skills and that they liked the whole feel of writing scripts and having input to what was produced with their work. Faisal felt that this opportunity opened her eyes to many career opportunities such as possibly becoming a script writer

Many of the film students used Final Cut Pro to make their films which was newly installed on Riverside’s MacBooks. The students enjoyed using the new editing program which is easier to use and more professional than their previous program, iMovie. The students overall enjoyed the project, and look forward to more collaborations in the near future.

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