Wildlife Film Festival Obtains Funding for Middle School Filmmaking Program

August 31, 2006 JACKSON, Wyo. The Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, known for its international natural history media event and its community film screenings, is exploring new avenues in Teton County, reaching further into the schools with dynamic education programs. The Festival was recently awarded several grants to carry out a curriculum enrichment program in the Jackson Hole Middle School, "Middle School Filmmakers: Creative Discovery Through New Media." Through the course of the school year, students in teacher Amy Manhart's eighth grade "Video Drama" course will have the opportunity to work with local professional filmmakers as they learn the craft of movie making and create their own films.

"I am excited to bring a new avenue of expression to my students and couldn't be more grateful for the opportunity my students will have to work with professional filmmakers. This gives a whole new meaning to the idea of real-world learning," said Manhart.

Local filmmakers Carol Fleisher, Jeff Hogan, Shane Moore, and members of the Jackson Hole Filmmakers Exchange have signed on to work with classes on shooting, storyboarding, post-production, sound design, etc. Their film genres and skills range from wildlife and extreme sports to pyrotechnics and cinematography, making them a diverse group with much to offer JHMS students.

"This is a potent way to incorporate the amazing intellectual resources of Jackson Hole with the school system. I have been stunned and impressed by how many filmmakers have enthusiastically stepped forward to mentor students filmmakers," said Samford, who has spent five months putting together this project and applying for funding.

Shane Moore, a Jackson native and award winning wildlife filmmaker started making films in high school: "When I was growing up it was pretty difficult to learn about film making. In those days people used large, cumbersome film cameras that were very expensive and editing was a nightmare that involved using a lot of sticky tape. Today the new digital technologies will allow students to make really impressive projects at a fraction of the cost. I'm really thrilled that the middle school children will be able to learn about film making. The new digital cameras and computers allow them to make a real personal statement and I think it will be an increasingly important tool for them in the future. Film making is essentially like writing or speaking because clear, concise communication is critical, so this course is bound to be helpful to students in many ways."

With the enormous popularity of podcasting, online streaming, and other media platforms, it behooves the twenty first century student to learn to utilize modern technology and media making tools. These contemporary art forms not only encourage technology literacy, but also promote self-expression through the use of creative and analytical thinking skills.

The course will culminate in a community Student Film Screening event, held in the new Center for the Arts Theatre at the end of the school year. The Middle School Filmmakers program has received funding from the PARTners, Wyoming Arts Council, the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, and the Jackson Hole Cultural Council.