See the impact that the Arts Equality programs have on our high school teachers
I’m a TV Production teacher at Southern Regional High School. I teach a four-level course where the students compete at the national and state level. Out of all the competitions that we participate in, The10 Day Film Challenge is one of the most organized events. It has become a yearly competition that my students and I look forward to participating in. And the best part about it, it’s free! Competitions often become costly with either individual or group fees. Since 10 Day Film Challenge is a free event I’m able to have all of my students participate. It gives them an opportunity to see what competitions are like and helps them gain real life skills. After my first year with 10 Day, I built the competition into my curriculum. It’s now a course requirement at the second level and I also have students practice difference aspects of the competition throughout the year.
~ Leah Lukas, Film Teacher, Southern Regional High School, NJ
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The Ten Day Film Challenge is one of the highlights of the year for our students at Clearview Regional High School, and we use this project as a teaching point throughout the year. For instance, when we teach a lesson about film genres we use the information from the contest as basic information from which we expand. This is only one example as we use this contest in discussions about cinematography, production planning, production team organization and editing just to name a few. We also engage in a Ten Day Film Challenge practice in the fall in which I give them prompts and ten days to complete a film. All in all, this program has been one of the best things to happen to our program in my twenty years as a Media Communications teacher.
~ Mark Mozzachio, Film Teacher, Clearview Regional High School, NJ
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The 10 Day Film Challenge is the perfect storm when it comes to class engagement not only year round but even for incoming 9th grade students. From the previous years films (which are so helpfully archived on their YouTube) as an instructor I can have my students watch and study where they need to be in storytelling, cinematography and editing.
My classroom is now an award winning film class thanks to the 10 Day Film Challenge. While this can be intimidating to new students I’m able to jump in and inform them of how those students were just like them, whom if which never touched a camera and never imagined writing a screenplay let alone win state championships in the 10 Day Film Challenge. I'm grateful for this platform that Gary Joseph, Mike Nicholson, Damiso Josey and Lawrence McCleery have created because each year it continues to infuse my classroom with a renewed energy for storytelling in all phases of film production.
~ Jay Espinal, Film Teacher, Thomas Edison Charter High School, PA
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The 10 Day Film Challenge acts as a concrete application for nearly everything I teach about film from September to June. Students are motivated knowing that what they learn in class is necessary for success in the competition. For example: The 10 Day requires copyright free music so I teach them to use Garage Band. The 10 Day requires an Opening Title Sequence so I teach them After Effects. There are so many aspects of filmmaking that are required for the 10 Day that I teach my students all year long.
Ultimately, these kids are motivated to see their projects on the big screen, as the 10 Day Film Challenge provides, and consequently do their absolute best.
~ Cheryl Mugia, Film Teacher, Spring-Ford High School, PA
----------------------------------
The Ten Day Film Challenge has greatly impacted my curriculum in an extremely positive way. From the beginning of the year we talk about the major projects throughout the year. The Ten Day Film Challenge is circled on the calendar as one of the main events of the year. With my level one students we have projects where we layer on the technical aspects of filmmaking. For example one of the early projects that I do with my level one students is a Silent Film Project. It is a great way to make a film and not have to worry about, light, color and sound as the films are black and white with an old timey soundtrack.
After those films we take fables and modernize them so that students do not have to be too concerned with the story but instead get to focus on the production values.
In direct preparation for the 10 Day Film Challenge I created a 5 Day, 1 Minute Film Challenge for my students to prepare them for the stress and time constraints of the challenge. After the 10 Day Film Challenge my Level 2 students begin work on a feature length Senior Video Film where they apply the skills gained throughout the year towards a longer 30-40 minute film.
In short the 10 Day Film Challenge has helped me to structure my curriculum while providing students with a rigorous, well organized competition with filmmaking peers from around the globe. It is has fast become a major part of what I do and how I structure my year.
~ Chris Hazel, Film Teacher, Salem HS, NH
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I am delighted to share some thoughts about how the Ten Day Film Challenge benefits my students throughout the year. Former TV producer, I am not the multimedia technology teacher at Middle Bucks Institute in Bucks County. We have had a four-year relationship with the Ten Day Film Challenge, I have found this year-long practicum to be one of the most beneficial and emotionally rewarding programs of its kind.
My second-year students just finished editing, The Appointment, a prepared lesson plan produced for schools by the Ten Day folks. While some media assignments can drag on, students eagerly engaged in this editing process - telling the story from the perspective that they get to choose. And this is only one success story of curriculum planning and student engagement spawned by 10-Day. Throughout the year, my first, second and third year students apply techniques and team-building skills to theory and projects based around story-telling.
In October, students reflect and write research papers about cinematographers and directors, then learn to distinguish different genres by their structure. In January, students edit with tools supplied by the festival, while others begin crafting their own short movies, honing craft. In March, students begin engaging in social media which carries through the months of April and May. The two-week festival is very intense, yet eagerly anticipated by every student, as it represents an opportunity to showcase the skills that they have been honing all year. Beyond this benchmark, students then engage in post event activities and hopefully the national showcase.
Barring none, the Ten Day Film Challenge is unrivaled in providing countless, learning opportunities throughout the academic year. Moreover, our media program will continue our relationship with Ten Day because MBIT students garner so many short and long-term benefits from the relationship: they mature as young filmmakers in a safe, ethical and rigorous enterprise.
~ James W. Davey, Multimedia Technology Instructor, Middle Bucks Institute of Technology, PA
~ Leah Lukas, Film Teacher, Southern Regional High School, NJ
-------------------------------
The Ten Day Film Challenge is one of the highlights of the year for our students at Clearview Regional High School, and we use this project as a teaching point throughout the year. For instance, when we teach a lesson about film genres we use the information from the contest as basic information from which we expand. This is only one example as we use this contest in discussions about cinematography, production planning, production team organization and editing just to name a few. We also engage in a Ten Day Film Challenge practice in the fall in which I give them prompts and ten days to complete a film. All in all, this program has been one of the best things to happen to our program in my twenty years as a Media Communications teacher.
~ Mark Mozzachio, Film Teacher, Clearview Regional High School, NJ
----------------------------------
The 10 Day Film Challenge is the perfect storm when it comes to class engagement not only year round but even for incoming 9th grade students. From the previous years films (which are so helpfully archived on their YouTube) as an instructor I can have my students watch and study where they need to be in storytelling, cinematography and editing.
My classroom is now an award winning film class thanks to the 10 Day Film Challenge. While this can be intimidating to new students I’m able to jump in and inform them of how those students were just like them, whom if which never touched a camera and never imagined writing a screenplay let alone win state championships in the 10 Day Film Challenge. I'm grateful for this platform that Gary Joseph, Mike Nicholson, Damiso Josey and Lawrence McCleery have created because each year it continues to infuse my classroom with a renewed energy for storytelling in all phases of film production.
~ Jay Espinal, Film Teacher, Thomas Edison Charter High School, PA
----------------------------------
The 10 Day Film Challenge acts as a concrete application for nearly everything I teach about film from September to June. Students are motivated knowing that what they learn in class is necessary for success in the competition. For example: The 10 Day requires copyright free music so I teach them to use Garage Band. The 10 Day requires an Opening Title Sequence so I teach them After Effects. There are so many aspects of filmmaking that are required for the 10 Day that I teach my students all year long.
Ultimately, these kids are motivated to see their projects on the big screen, as the 10 Day Film Challenge provides, and consequently do their absolute best.
~ Cheryl Mugia, Film Teacher, Spring-Ford High School, PA
----------------------------------
The Ten Day Film Challenge has greatly impacted my curriculum in an extremely positive way. From the beginning of the year we talk about the major projects throughout the year. The Ten Day Film Challenge is circled on the calendar as one of the main events of the year. With my level one students we have projects where we layer on the technical aspects of filmmaking. For example one of the early projects that I do with my level one students is a Silent Film Project. It is a great way to make a film and not have to worry about, light, color and sound as the films are black and white with an old timey soundtrack.
After those films we take fables and modernize them so that students do not have to be too concerned with the story but instead get to focus on the production values.
In direct preparation for the 10 Day Film Challenge I created a 5 Day, 1 Minute Film Challenge for my students to prepare them for the stress and time constraints of the challenge. After the 10 Day Film Challenge my Level 2 students begin work on a feature length Senior Video Film where they apply the skills gained throughout the year towards a longer 30-40 minute film.
In short the 10 Day Film Challenge has helped me to structure my curriculum while providing students with a rigorous, well organized competition with filmmaking peers from around the globe. It is has fast become a major part of what I do and how I structure my year.
~ Chris Hazel, Film Teacher, Salem HS, NH
----------------------------------
I am delighted to share some thoughts about how the Ten Day Film Challenge benefits my students throughout the year. Former TV producer, I am not the multimedia technology teacher at Middle Bucks Institute in Bucks County. We have had a four-year relationship with the Ten Day Film Challenge, I have found this year-long practicum to be one of the most beneficial and emotionally rewarding programs of its kind.
My second-year students just finished editing, The Appointment, a prepared lesson plan produced for schools by the Ten Day folks. While some media assignments can drag on, students eagerly engaged in this editing process - telling the story from the perspective that they get to choose. And this is only one success story of curriculum planning and student engagement spawned by 10-Day. Throughout the year, my first, second and third year students apply techniques and team-building skills to theory and projects based around story-telling.
In October, students reflect and write research papers about cinematographers and directors, then learn to distinguish different genres by their structure. In January, students edit with tools supplied by the festival, while others begin crafting their own short movies, honing craft. In March, students begin engaging in social media which carries through the months of April and May. The two-week festival is very intense, yet eagerly anticipated by every student, as it represents an opportunity to showcase the skills that they have been honing all year. Beyond this benchmark, students then engage in post event activities and hopefully the national showcase.
Barring none, the Ten Day Film Challenge is unrivaled in providing countless, learning opportunities throughout the academic year. Moreover, our media program will continue our relationship with Ten Day because MBIT students garner so many short and long-term benefits from the relationship: they mature as young filmmakers in a safe, ethical and rigorous enterprise.
~ James W. Davey, Multimedia Technology Instructor, Middle Bucks Institute of Technology, PA
