Final CTE Month Highlight: Film and Video at Crescent Valley High School

Our final highlight for Career and Technical Education Month is our Film and Video Program at Crescent Valley High School. In the Filmmaking 1 and Advanced Filmmaking classes, students work on projects using their creativity and technical skills with guidance from teacher Kevin Freedman. 

Learning the Process

The program covers every step of the process. In Filmmaking 1, students start with the basics: how to brainstorm a story, write a script, and handle the cameras and editing software. The Advanced students take on more responsibility, working with actors, building their own sets and props, and handling sound design. Even though they are at different levels, the two classes often work side-by-side, trading advice and helping each other with projects.

Walking into class, you can see projects at every different stage. Some students were in the studio setting up lights and getting into costume to film scenes, while others were at their desks editing, trimming clips and piecing together their footage. A few were even focused on finishing touches such as adding effects to their title sequences to make them stand out.

The “Timed Edit” Challenge

One of the most challenging projects is the “Timed Edit.” Mr. Freedman gives the students a specific topic and exactly one week to create, produce, and turn in a finished film.

It is a tight turnaround, but it is meant to show students what a real career in media looks like. In the real world, you rarely have as much time as you would like. This project forces students to make quick decisions about which shots to use and how to prioritize their time between filming and editing.

Student Projects on Workplace Safety

Recently, the students had the chance to participate in a special project for the Oregon Youth Employee Safety media contest. Each year, filmmaking students create short ads to encourage other teens to take Oregon OSHA’s Heat Illness Prevention course. This year, Crescent Valley turned in a record 13 entries created by students from both classes. Because the students have full creative control over their concepts, no two videos are alike.

This is our final highlight for CTE Month. We have really enjoyed giving you a look inside our programs and celebrating the career-preparation work our students are doing every day. Thank you for following along with us!