Music videos, sport highlights and a full-scale student newscast. These are just a few of the projects East Hartford High School video production students are currently working on.
This year, EHHS launched its new video production course within the Fine Arts Department. The single semester course taught by Chris Siegel introduces students to storyboarding techniques, studio equipment, and filming and editing video.
“I have been working on getting more technology into EHHS since the day I got here 8 years ago,” said Siegel. “Every student comes to me with no previous knowledge and is almost terrified to touch the camera or the iMac. Seeing them getting used to the equipment, the processes, and the routines and then working together to create something out of nothing that they are proud of is amazing.”
Federal grant funding helped secure the classroom’s new iMac computers with editing software. Another grant through the East Hartford Alumni Association and Education Foundation paid for studio lighting equipment, and the classroom’s news anchor desk was made by EHHS woodworking students.
After just a few months of training on this equipment, video production students can now be seen around the high school campus filming activities, athletics and events to showcase through their videos.
“There are so many different things that you can do with just a camera,” said Sophomore Jonah Cruz-Mojica. “We’ve done green screen, we’ve done news, interviews, and I find that really cool because all we had was a tripod and a camera and we came up with so many different things. It really opened my mind.”
To further highlight their work and school pride, Siegel started a video production club which puts on a student newscast. Cruz-Mojica is one of the student news anchors. Junior Rodiana Rodriguez, who aspires to be an investigative journalist, took on the role of producer.
Rodriguez said, “Working with other people has been interesting because in classes it’s usually independent work, but you learn how to rely on a team and what it’s like to work in a professional environment. I definitely learned where my strengths are that I didn’t even know I had.”
Siegel hopes more students will discover video production and help build the school’s program.
“I find this course to be of the utmost importance since not only does it teach our students valuable real-world skills with hands-on training, but it also allows me to promote all the amazing things we do here to the community at large. I really want to change the narrative of what people see and think about this school and the first step is to flood the world with positive and amazing messages and displays of excellence.”
View EHHS Hornet Productions videos by clicking here.