During the first week of January, four SCCS students from grades eleventh and twelfth met daily for an intensive dual credit class, Winter Production. This partnership with The Master’s University allowed an opportunity for these students to participate in the production of the university’s first full-length feature film, “The Man from Nowhere”.
“I chose to enroll in this course because I thought being involved in something like this would be a good experience for what I want to do after high school,” shared Alex Afetian, SCCS senior. “Each of us got to choose which area of production interested us and participate in that. I chose cameras and learned more about how they work, how movies are filmed and people’s roles in making movies.”
This course was taught by The Master’s professor Matt Green, who’s own experience in film and video production began in 1999. Professor Green has produced music videos, a DVD concert series and the inspirational film, No Greater Love. This full-length feature film is the culmination of his vision for the department at The Master’s.
“We always knew that the goal was to do a full-length feature film,” shared Professor Green. “We’ve spent the last six years working with students, doing short films alongside other professors, and building up trust with the university. We want to make a quality product that not only speaks to audiences but speaks in a way that we can sell it and it can be a wise investment. We want this to be something we do every year because it’s a huge opportunity for students.”
This faith-based story follows a father and son as they navigate a strained relationship. SCCS students were involved in several aspects of the storytelling and filming from setting up and tearing down equipment to interacting with different members of the production team.
“We worked hard each day from 7 am to 7 pm. My role was helping set up and take down cameras, moving equipment and making sure cameras were working and ready to film,” continued Alex. “This is a field that I have interest in the future, and I can now apply what I learned. We learned something new each day and I really enjoyed that.”
Hands-on learning experiences like this have an impact now and in the future for our students.
“We’re giving students the opportunity over the winter break to work on a full-length feature film with a professional crew and name actors,” continued professor Green. “There’s some power in that for when they go out into the workplace.”
The Winter Production class was one of two dual enrollment classes that were offered to our eleventh and twelfth-grade students over the winter break.