JCHS Film Students Start New Year By Attending Macon Film Festival

Jasper County High School film students attended the Macon Film Festival as an inspiring start to a new year of filmmaking.

This year the JCHS Film program was competing in the “Student Shorts” track with their 2021 film “Boxy” as an official selection along with seven other short high school and college student films. Following the screening, the students participated in an audience Q & A session with other filmmakers.

Tasia Ellis, CTAE director at JCHS, said she was “amazed at how at ease our students were during the Q&A session. Standing in a large theatre, our students stood toe-to-toe with working adults as they answered questions about their film. This is precisely what CTAE is all about: preparing students for the world of work through collaboration, connectivity, and relevant learning experiences.”

Brooklyn Dalton, a fourth year film student, noted that “I was intrigued by the idea that most filmmakers go through the same trial and error situations.”

Freshman Scarlett Wojdacz noted that the “festival was a very memorable experience and watching the films was not only educational but also entertaining and made me more enthusiastic about working on future film projects.”

The Audio, Video Technology, and Film (AVTF) program is a three-year career tech education pathway currently in its sixth year at JCHS. The program has 60 students across three film classes with an additional 50 students enrolled in the “Dramatic Writing for Film” class taught by English teacher Luke McFarland.

Teachers Harty and McFarland have both trained with the Georgia Film Academy (GFA) on its high school curricula and the JCHS Film program uses industry-standard equipment to train its students. Georgia’s film and television industry ranks in the top three in the world along with California and New York.

Over the past several years, JCHS Film students have competed and won prizes in state and national film contests, as well as holding several local film events in the Monticello community.

JCHS film students learn everything “behind the scenes,” including camera, sound, lighting, set design, props and makeup, special effects, and video and audio editing.

In addition to producing short films and documentaries, students also produce a news show featuring school and local events, make productions for the school system, and produce promotional videos and social media ads for businesses and organizations in Jasper County. Those interested in working with JCHS Film should contact Tyson Harty at 706-816-8733 or JCHSFilm@Gmail.com.

“Our aim is for our students to write and produce original content using scenic locations here in Jasper County, graduate from our CTAE program to work in and learn from the film industry, and then return to start up their own production companies here in Jasper County,” said Harty.

“Film is growing all around Georgia, and I want our graduates to understand what a great community Monticello is with its small-town historic charm and natural beauty.”

Watch the film students’ original content at YouTube.com/JCHSFilm and follow their progress on Facebook.com/JCHSFilm.