Reel experience

by the students.

Funding for the first three episodes came from The Grable Foundation. Steeltown is seeking sponsorships from companies to underwrite a new season.

The Reel Teens are a culturally and economically diverse mix of kids. Some are dropped off at Steeltown’s South Side headquarters by their parents. Others take three buses to get there.

”They’re a microcosm of society. They come from all different backgrounds, all different disciplines,” Mr. Bartley said. “Some kids want to be on camera. Some kids don't even want to go near a camera unless they’re behind it.”

They’ve learned to pool their talents and work as a team.

“You learn how to use the camera, do sound, edit, preproduction, how to budget [and] getting the story outlined,” said Hazell Carpenter, 17, of North Braddock, who’ll be a senior at Woodland Hills High School. “You also learn everything you have to worry about during production, like the weather and location, and do we need lunch or a bus?”

He is fascinated by the impact media, especially social media, is having on culture.

“Media and society are becoming faster and faster. You can post a video and it can go viral within seconds.You can look up and look back down and there’s like 17 notifications.”

He wants to be a music therapist and use the production tools he’s learned to support that work.

“I want to make documentaries and films to help people who are struggling figure out different coping mechanisms and ways they can change their anger, depression or anxiety,” he said.

Zainab “Z” Adisa, 17, of Friendship is a senior in Pittsburgh CAPA’s literary arts program. A visit by Steeltown Youth and Media director Brett Wormsley to CAPA sparked her interest in expanding her range as a writer.

“I thought to myself, ‘Wow! it would be so cool if I could actually see my writing off the page,’ ” she said. “If you want to be a producer, you have to understand how the sound works, how the lights work. You really get the feel of the industry. I feel like I have a lot more confidence than I did going into the TV show.”

Watching Alfred Hitchcock movies and other classic black-and-white films as a kid sparked 17-year-old Alex Hunter’s interest in making movies. The Pittsburgh Allderdice High School senior, who plans to go to film school, has a YouTube channel — HiTop Films.

“I came to Steeltown wanting to direct and write, mostly. I learned how to do everything,” he said. “Directing and writing are still my main focus, but I found that working with actors and acting was really cool. I would not have had as much interest in that if it wasn’t for the program.

“Before I came to Steeltown, I’d always do everything myself. They taught me to collaborate more and be more of a team player. It only makes your stuff better to collaborate. It kind of put my ego in check.”

They also learn valuable real-world lessons. Mr. Hunter recalls one shoot that went awry.

“I was directing and starring in that segment, so it was a really stressful day. We started setting up the lights, and it blew a fuse. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. That was a really good lesson about the film industry as a whole.”

Guiding these students through the transition from media consumer to media creators has been a rewarding adventure, Mr. Bartley said.

“They can shoot all the video in the world, but unless the purpose is to tell a story, it’s not going to work. They have to keep in mind what they’re shooting, why they’re shooting it, so they can tell a story.

“I’ve taught them the basics of journalism and creating television. But they teach me how to promote it on Instagram and Twitter. That’s how they’ve reached the audience they want to reach.”