A look behind the silver screen
High school students go behind the camera with Inclusion Films
Lights shined, sound booms were set into position and the camera rolled at Lincoln Technical Academy on Thursday afternoon during week one of a two-week film workshop with Inclusion Films, headed by Joey Travolta.
Approximately 50 students from all Lodi Unified’s high schools were invited to participate in the workshop and get an inside and hands-on look into the process of filmmaking during their twoweek break. The program was inclusive of students from general to special education backgrounds, all working together to create their own short films for a “Twilight Zone” knockoff called “Bizarre Zone” and commercials/PSAs for a fictional channel called the Sci Why Fi network.
“It’s been wonderful to see all kinds of students come together from all the high schools,” said Liz Zastrow, program coordinator in Lodi
“I’m always amazed by what these guys come up with.” JOEY TRAVOLTA DIRECTOR, FOUNDER OF INCLUSION FILMS
Unified who has worked together with Inclusion Films to bring the experience to Lodi.
The theme for the sixminute short films is STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) which will be accompanied with short public service announcements about random acts of kindness. These PSAs will also be used to share with the district’s elementary schools after they are completed.
One limitation they had going into making these films was that they had to incorporate a set of pre-purchased props from Wal-Mart, even making use of the bag and at times the receipt.
These included a magic eight ball, a calculator, a miniature robot, a toy car and a portable speaker that takes voice commands. Since Lincoln Technical Academy now has robots for certain classes, students were able to make use of those in highlighting technology in their scripts and later filming.
Students worked this week to write scripts and cast parts for their films and began filming on Thursday in different areas of Lincoln Tech. They even had the opportunity to use green screens. One group worked on several takes as a student stepped forward into the frame repeating her lines for that scene. “If this works, I get my family back,” she recited while walking towards the green screen.
Travolta pointed out to students how in between takes that the slate would be marked before beginning a new take to mark if editors should cut in between scenes.
“The slate is a map for the editors,” he told them.
Students like D’Angelo Hernandez, a freshman from Bear Creek High School, and Jan Morones, a freshman from Lodi High School, enjoyed getting to look at what a real film set looks like behind the scenes. There was also a good sense of camaraderie between teens from very different schools.
“I’ve made more friends here than I have in school,” Morones said.
Inclusion Films returned for its second time this year after its debut in 2016 for a short week-long session. Last year, a smaller group of special needs students created and premiered trailers for movies to be judged and invested in during a fictional version of “Shark Tank.”
Now with more time, they had the opportunity to spend more time learning pitching stories, writing, filming, and acting from a more vocational perspective.
The goals are the same, Travolta said — letting students find their sense of self and giving them confidence in the process of making a film and building those skills.
“I’m always amazed by what these guys come up with,” he said. This creative outlet is important in a time when many art programs are taken out of schools, he said.
Travolta works to bring film camps to special needs students in several other areas of country and has partners in several cities of California to teach vocational film workshops like the one happening in Lodi. He often hires several students who have gone through his workshops and has them working in the camera crew or editing.
Final edited versions of films created during this workshop will be premiered in red carpet fashion at Hutchins Street Square on May 22 at 6 p.m.