Student documentaries showcased at The Moviehouse
Holden Slater, Benjamin Sprague and Nolan Howard took center stage as their documentaries were showcased in a first public showing at The Millerton Moviehouse March 12.
A question and answer session followed the films. The young filmmakers were joined at the showing by professional filmmakers Alix Diaconis and Brian Gerston, and Eugene Brooks Intermediate School cinema arts teacher Darrin Butland. This is the second year that district students took part in the bootcamp and film showcase.
“They did fantastic,” said Butland of the district students. “I was very pleased with how they presented themselves. They were very eloquent. We had some of our quietest and shyest students get up on stage, and they shared their feelings about the workshop and what they learned from the weekend working on the documentaries. It was great to see them open up and get out of their shells.”
The students participated in a two-day filmmaking bootcamp with the professional filmmakers as they wrote, directed, filmed and edited a documentary that was less than 10 minutes about a business in Millerton.
Slater and Sprague, participating in their first bootcamp/showcase, filmed and edited their documentary on Candy-O’s, a candy store.
“I liked interviewing the owner and seeing how you can make a documentary,” said Sprague, a seventh grader.
Slater, a fifth grader, added, “I had a ton of fun, and the documentary was awesome, especially when you got to edit it.”
Both students shared they enjoy sampling some candy with Zotz being their favorite. Zotz, a hard candy with a fizzing powder center introduced in 1968 and produced in Italy, comes in an assortment of flavors such as cherry, grape and orange.
Howard’s documentary was on Oblong Books in Millerton, a bookstore that just celebrated its 50th anniversary in October.
“They have very creative and fun to read books,” said Howard, a freshman participating in his second bootcamp/showcase. “I thought making a documentary film about it would be very interesting, too.
“I really enjoyed the editing process because it’s cool to see how the film comes together after filming.”
All three students appreciated the support of The Moviehouse, the professional filmmakers and Butland. They agreed they will participate in a future bootcamp/showcase. The student filmmakers and Butland are hopeful that more pupils will take part in the next bootcamp/showcase.
“It’s great we have that open door where we can work together, collaborate and provide a wonderful opportunity for the kids,” said Butland.