Pilot Mini-Course Team Helps Develop Future Filmmakers
Originally Published December 21, 2018
While JEP has a long history of working with traditional academic courses, we also pride ourselves on being eager to also explore new opportunities to connect USC students with schools and community organizations in the area. This Fall we were fortunate to have a bright, passionate sophomore School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) student named Rita Konopasky present us with just such an opportunity. Rita participated in JEP in the Fall of 2017 through her SOCI 200: Introduction to Sociology course. Through this experience she came to believe that there may be ways to bring what she was learning in her SCA filmmaking courses into her work with students in the community.
Rita recruited her older brother, Luke, and Kirsten Hoang, juniors in the School of Cinematic Arts, to participate in JEP’s first SCA Pilot Mini Team. Dubbed the “Super 8 Mini Team” after the 2011 J.J. Abrams film about middle schoolers who shoot a movie over their summer break, Rita, Luke, and Kirsten were assigned to Mr. Barbu’s class at John Adams Middle School. While Mr. Barbu was immediately supportive of the film mini-course team, even occasionally offering his own film insights, Super 8 tried to build upon the middle schoolers’ interests in current movies and knowledge of basic filming techniques.
Lessons with the students focused on storytelling and digital media with each JEP team member working with smaller groups of students to shoot their own mini movies. Over the 8 weeks the team structured their time with the students to mirror a real film shoot, beginning with pre-production and storytelling before assigning students to act or direct specific sequences. The Super 8 team also divided up the teaching responsibilities to play towards each team member’s interest, often with Rita working on script writing, Luke introducing directing concepts, and Kirsten editing the students’ final projects. Rita, Luke, and Kirsten were able to build real friendships with their students, even going back after the official JEP assignment concluded to shoot additional footage and interviews.
Sonia Misra, one of JEP’s graduate assistants and a Cinema and Media studies Ph.D. student, also contributed to the mini-course pilot by developing a reflective curriculum focused on documentary film and film production principles to help Super 8 connect in and out of class learning. Sonia was also able to offer advice about teaching filmmaking and translating some of the SCA cinema lessons into the school context. This mini-course pilot also gave me a chance to connect to my film production roots. My undergraduate degree was in Television Production and while other factors have led me happily to the field of education, working this semester with Rita, Luke, and Kirsten has reminded of the passion it takes to create and share captivating stories. JEP is fortunate to have such a great group of USC students committed to empowering other storytellers.
Rita is eager to return to JEP next semester, already recruiting more SCA students and faculty to expand the SCA Film pilot to more local schools. Luke and Kirsten will be busy with a heavier production load in the Spring, but still feel it is a great experience for first and second year SCA students to work in the community. Noted Rita:
“I have learned so much from this mini pilot this past semester. Some of the students in the middle school were passionate about film already, and some of them found a passion within during the course. Many of them did not have the proper resources to pursue their film interest. I hope this program can expand to more schools and give more students opportunities!”
The Super 8 team and the students from Mr. Barbu’s class will be hosting a Film Screening at the USC School of Cinematic Arts this Spring, showcasing what they’ve learned and their final short films. Students, parents, and educators will be invited on campus to see their final projects (edited by the Super 8 team with music and credits), discuss their experiences, and tour the Cinema school with SCA faculty. The goal of the event is to highlight Super 8’s hard work and well as acknowledge the community that has supported the students. But who knows—maybe seeing their films on the big screen might also inspire a few future filmmakers.