Assignment #6- Ellis Padgett- Lights, Camera....Action?

Surrounded by a sea of wriggling, squirming twelve and thirteen year olds- this was not how I expected to spend my summer. 

Of course I was only fifteen, so it wasn't that much of an age difference.  But it was just enough to be irksome.  I had signed up to take a class at the Lexington Arts and Science Center for a week.  It was a film class.  Finally, I could truly explore something I was passionate about.  I could learn about the different aspects of film, and which role I wanted to play in the process.  Director?  Actor?  Writer?  I could finally figure it out! 

That all, of course, came crashing down.  As I sat there ready to learn, the aforementioned preteens began filling the room.  One could easily see what was happening: annoyed, overworked parents were signing their kids away for a day, sending them off to a subject that didn't really interest them.  It was clear what this "class" was.  A babysitters' club.  

We were separated into groups, given free reign over the subject of a short film we were supposed to create.  Suddenly, I was the writer, director, and editor in charge of a whopping five actors (the majority of who never got their on-screen debut).  And we were off- an amateur rag-tag group of kids creating a mediocre at best horror film.  

Later in the week, I found myself sitting alone in the hallway, scrambling to figure out an editing program I didn't know how to use while the rest of my group frolicked in the halls.  I had wanted a class; a true film class, where we would sit down and learn about how it worked, the angles, the lighting, the writing, the editing.  This free-reign business had not been it.  I wanted to learn.  Suddenly, the teacher sat down next to me.  He was the teacher of the film academy at Bryan Station High School.  In some ways seeing my enthusiasm for the subject, he sat and told me how to use my software.  He told me how to use some of the provided equipment, and how to create some good angles within our film.  We got onto the topic of screenplays- he'd written many, I had written a few.  The next day, we both brought one in to trade and read.  He told me to edit his, give feedback, and even showed me the actual short film it was based on.  Later in the week, we discussed transferring schools to join the film academy at Bryan Station. 

I did not switch schools, and did not return to the class.  But there were these moments in that week that truly ignited something within me.  There were moments where I looked around and saw an opportunity for a camera shot that would look super cool.  There were moments when the free music I found online fit just right with the film.  And there were moments when I knew exactly what I envisioned in my head and told my little team what they had to do to make it happen.  That week I learned a lot; I learned that I can be a leader, and that I do have the ability to create something unique.  It might just take more than a week and a more willing team next time.  

I also learned that despite my contentions within the class, I really do enjoy film.  This course allowed me to explore it as a creative option, but also as a career.  I loved learning that week, playing that plethora of roles.  Some people may not see it as an outright "intellectual" experience, but I did acquire skill and grew in my abilities.  

I still love writing screenplays, and have been trying to weave filming into my life.  That class meant a lot to me, even if it didn't to the others.  There was a moment I remember, where everyone else was goofing off, and I wanted to take it seriously.  But I think I had ended up in the wrong situation for seriousness, so I threw my head back and laughed.