Recently, Overlake has seen an increased number of high-quality video projects from our digital media production. A professional quality video presenting Hoops for Hope in January, complete with interviews from Seattle Children’s Doctors. Admissions videos created by digital media production students, and short films and commercials winning middle school competitions. Why?
Chris Schwalm, a relative “newbie” to Overlake who has been teaching digital media production here for the past two years, attributes the recent successes to two factors: better technology, which “offers students the ability to produce at an almost professional level”, and connecting more opportunities to students.
This technology includes a new sound board and microphones, which have been used for videos and podcast production. “If it doesn’t sound good, it doesn’t look good”. This has been utilized by individual students making podcasts, as well as staff projects like “Two Owls Talking Sports” and Jenni Baldwin’s “Alumni Conversations”. The improvement from “personal cameras and microphones” has allowed students and faculty to produce more.
Tools are only as helpful as the projects they are made with, which is where the “opportunities” comes in. Chris shares opportunities with his Digital Media classes through canvas and by connecting media students with other parts of the Overlake community. These connections have included PBS and the Student Television Network. Opportunities to film arts performances and sports games at Overlake have been incorporated into media studies classes. Extracurricular opportunities are coming into the picture as well. 10 students will go to the Student Television Network Convention to compete under pressure to produce content. “They will bring back their experience and knowledge to elevate their own future storytelling in the Overlake Community as well as the rest of their lives.”
This work isn’t exclusive to the upper schoolers. Throughout our conversation, it was clear that middle schoolers have been utilizing the technology and opportunities Chris was describing. A middle school digital media class won Community Feature First Place, Short film third place, and Commercial Honorable Mention at Student Television Network’s Fall Challenge a national media competition, and second place in Horrorfest, another STN competition. A digital media production club for middle school is in the works, where students will aim to produce one story every trimester. This level of achievement is rare for middle schools. In general, “middle schools don’t have access to that equipment. Give them that opportunity, and they will use it appropriately.”
The future of digital production, according to Chris, is in the students’ hands. “It depends on the interest, motivation, and capacity of students”. More livestreaming or live TV productions could be the next step.
Lastly, Chris praises the students for what they have been able to do with the projects and tools offered to them. “The students here, when you put your mind to something, it’s fantastic what they produce. The most impressive thing isn’t the technology, it’s what the students have been doing with it.”
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