Project Introduction
Pre-Production (Trimester 1)
At the start of this project we examined a variety of Sci Fi premises (multiverses, artificial intelligence, alternate history, alien contact, social science fiction, etc) to generate a collection of storylines and script synopses. Each week included a “writers’ room session” to facilitate collaborative ideation. By the trimester’s end the class generated over 600 pages of original writing that included everything from character sketches to full-length screenplays. The trimester culminated with Script Slam where each writing team acted out a “warm-read” scene from their screenplay and shared their screenplay, character sketches with a panel of filmmakers, writers and artists. The panel then selected one screenplay that would move on to be produced by the whole class in the next two trimesters.
Production + Post Production (Trimester 2 + 3)
At this point in the project our mission was to create an actual film production company. Each student took on at least 2 jobs that were essential to the film’s success. While one student might serve as a lead actor and line producer, another student focused on special effects and location scouting. Behind the scenes we had students who focused on production management, finance, and promotion – all of which were essential to creating the film and premiering it to a sold out audience at the Savoy Theater in Montpelier.
Grade Level
High School (9-12)
Content Area(s)
English Language Arts, Media Production
Graduation Expectation
Creativity : Apply creative and practical problem solving when producing and presenting new work.
Professionalism: Work collaboratively
Instructors
Brian Boyes and Alex Macomber
Artifacts
The Youth of Annwyn
“When a tough-talking teen rebel wakes up with no memories in a frozen wilderness, she must face the puppet masters that watch her every move, or be killed along with her friends by those whose secret she knows.”
This short film was written and produced by the Sci-Fi Movie Production class at Cabot High School.
Teacher Reflection
This project was all about creating an experience that models a professional arts production company. It was about providing space for students to think and behave like professionals. That being said, it was also an incredibly ambitious project of which we are immensely proud. It was a great example of the power of youth and adult partnership to create new work that has an impact on our community. Throughout the year, there were many times where we all wondered – how are we going to pull this off? Whether we were trudging through fields covered in snow up to our waists in freezing cold weather or editing until 3am night after night, students and teachers worked together to bring this project to life. Initially this project was slated for just two trimesters. In order to pull it off, we created an independent study for our final post-production team to give the time, space and credit for the additional 12 weeks of work.