On Dec. 6, Pierson Middle School students participated in the Young Voices portion of the Hamptons Doc Fest at Bay Street Theatre. Each year, Pierson Middle School is invited to the interactive event, which demonstrates how media is also educational.
This year, award-winning independent documentary film producer, Eric Stange, gave a presentation to the students on different camera shots. Students were invited up on stage to practice with their own phones. After the presentation, the students watched “Pony Boys,” Stange’s very own documentary film about two brothers traveling over 400 miles from Boston to Canada.
“I really liked that we just weren't sitting there, we got to get up and interact. The documentary about the kids’ journey was really cool too,” said sixth grader, Matthew Dehler.
“Pony Boys” is a 20-minute documentary about freedom, childhood, and adventure that might encourage students to reflect on similarities in their own lives. “I thought it was cool to talk to the man who made the documentary and find out what happened to the boys in the story,” said sixth grader, Cole Baxter.
In this unique experience of learning from an executive producer and the founder of Spy Pond Productions, Mr. Stange, sixth grade ELA, and Science teacher, Eileen Caulfield said, “The students were very enthusiastic and responsive to the presenter. Media is a huge part of our lives, and the Young Voices program demonstrates the educational aspect of the media. The students enjoyed the event and learning about what goes into making a documentary.”
Photo caption: Pierson Middle School students learned camera techniques from an award-winning independent documentary film producer, Eric Stange, at the Young Voices, Hamptons Doc Festival.