Video Production Students Shared Projects in Mini-Movie Showcase

Westminster College students in broadcast communications instructor Bradley Weaver's "Video Production" class shared their one-minute mini-movie projects in a lunchtime showcase Nov. 10.

Students began the project with pre-production (planning, storyboards, scripts, casting) and managed, scheduled, and shot the movie-which couldn't exceed one minute (without credits)-on a Flip Video camera. They put the final project together in post-production while meeting the restrictions of the time limit, format, and target audience, which in this case, were fifth-graders.

Fifty-one fifth-grade judges, including children of Westminster faculty and staff as well as Megan McCurdy's class at Northgate School, selected Mackenzie Summerville's "CHAMP" the best in the individual category. "CHAMP" tells the story of a young man stalked by a stuffed cow named Champ and can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b824E4WYxOI.

Guest judges for the group project were Westminster alumni Christopher Norris, a 2008 graduate who is entertainment director for the Erie Seawolves, and Jonathan Joy, a 2003 graduate and videographer for MTV's "The Hills." They selected "Sweet Dreams" by Bradford Arick, Amber Pecora, and Matt Pereslucha. The movie can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdALgP-CuoQ.

"I've used this project in video production for several years now as a way for students to take video production skills back to the consumer products they have at home," Weaver said. "Many students say they want to try making movies or scripted television shows, but they don't realize how much work-and even money-goes into that kind of storytelling."

"The project affords them an opportunity to learn the basic elements of storytelling and video production, while also realizing the news and sports productions at WCN and Titan Radio [Westminster's television and radio stations] are about storytelling that's nonfiction," Weaver added. "Local news and sports allows them a daily opportunity to tell stories to an audience without the restrictions of budget hassles or the labor and time needed for pre-production, production, and post-production."

Weaver, who has been with Westminster since 2000, earned an undergraduate degree from Alderson-Broaddus (W.Va.) College and a master's from the University of Kansas. He is currently engaged in doctoral studies at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education with research involving media literacy and issues of teaching journalism. Weaver has worked as a broadcast journalist since 1985.

Contact Weaver at (724) 946-7238 or e-mail weaverbl@westminster.edu for more information.