If you’ve ever wanted to create a film, the ETHS Filmmakers Club is the place for you. Filmmaker’s Club is a place where you can collaborate with others to create short films about anything. It is an inviting community where all ideas, people, and skill levels are welcome.
This club has been around for quite a while. According to last year’s sponsor, Amy Moore, who teaches film and photography classes, the club came to be because a member of the safety team, a former actor, wanted students to have the opportunity to create films. The club contains a wide range of high schoolers: some are dedicated to filmmaking, while others are there to have fun and make friends. The Filmmakers Club is a place where both can occur simultaneously, and many students develop a passion for film and filmmaking through this unique experience.
Ms. Primm Hague, this year’s sponsor, shares that the goal for this year is for students to collaborate and have meaningful discussions about the projects that they’re working on. Not only does Hague want them to talk about their own work, but she also wants the Filmmaker’s club to be a space where members can discuss movies that they like, and new films that are coming out.
“It’s a place to build community within the filmmaking sphere,” said Hague.
ETHS is one of the few schools to be fortunate enough to have such a large arts budget. Members of the filmmakers’ club are able to use state-of-the-art equipment for their films. Joining the club gives you access to the entire Adobe suite for free. Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Lightroom, and more. Students use Canon cameras to film and have access to a green screen, special lighting, special lenses like a telephoto lens or a wide-angle lens, drones, and more.
“We would all make up ideas and everybody would just shout them out,” explained Junior Beverly Daley, a member of the club. “We would bring them all together and make [the film].”
Daley had a blast last year creating many films, and she especially enjoyed making comedies. While the club was a lot of fun, there is one thing she wishes was different.
“This year, I want to have more people, and I want to be more inviting to different people. Last year was okay, but not a lot of people came.”
“My favorite thing about the club is that you get to learn more about filming. You can think you know so much about it, but you get to learn more things and learn how to do cool things,” shared Junior Oliver Pickup
The Filmmakers Club teaches students all aspects of filmmaking. It teaches them how to use the cameras and navigate the equipment, how to write a screenplay, how to edit films, and so much more. The next Filmmakers Club meets on Tuesday after school.
