A new program at Sag Harbor Schools has encouraged a creative outlet for students via video and screenwriting. The Sag Harbor Filmmaking Workshop hosts two workshops – a middle school workshop for grades 6 through 8 and an elementary workshop for grades 4 and 5. The after-school program is run by Sag Harbor Elementary School's teaching assistant, Kevin Quinn.
Since its inception in 2023, the filmmaking workshop has produced four original short films. One film, “The New Girl”, produced by the elementary workshop, is an official selection of the 2024 Kids First! Film Festival, is a nationwide film festival based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
“The New Girl,” which stars elementary students, Mia Shannon and Riley Gilmore, tells the story of a young student struggling to make friends at a new school only to be understood by a fellow classmate after he reads her notebook.
Students involved in the short film included Madeline Frederic, who pitched and directed the film, and producers, Nina McLean, and Pryce Carey. Cinematography was done by River Zahir and Ethan Reed, and editing and screenwriting were done by the entire elementary filmmaking team. Other roles for the elementary students included sound, gaffer, art directors, storyboard artists, assistant camera, and more.
“The filmmaking workshop emphasizes creativity, diversity, kindness, and collaboration as a means to make art through film,” said Quinn. “Students love the freedom and responsibility of producing their own art.”
In both the middle school and elementary workshops, students brainstorm original film ideas and pitch them to their peers. Once an idea is selected, the students develop and write a screenplay and select actors. The film is produced with a Sony FX6 Full Frame Cinema Camera and edited using Adobe Premiere Pro.
“Students learn all of the roles on a professional film set and, to get inspired, watch screen excerpts from classic and contemporary cinema,” said Quinn.
After completing a short film, the students premier them to a live audience of invited peers.
“They work very diligently to realize their ideas from script to screen and have a blast doing it,” said Quinn.