Essay

Creative projects, creative kids

By Kip Cates

School is more than just a place to study. It should also be a place where students tackle exciting challenges and become creative thinkers.

I still remember my high school teacher back in 1970 who assigned our class a creative project instead of a final exam. My best friend and I knew immediately what our project would be. We brainstormed for five minutes, then got in line to announce our plan to the teacher.

"We've decided to make an adventure movie," we told him. "It'll be about a plane that crashes on a desert island. The survivors are attacked by dinosaurs! Then, a volcano erupts! Just in time, they repair their airplane and fly into the sunset as the island explodes."

We were young, confident and full of enthusiasm. Yet, somehow the teacher looked doubtful. "Where are you going to get a plane?" he asked. "We'll use a toy model," we answered. "What about the dinosaurs?" he persisted. "No problem," we replied. "We'll make them from clay." "Have you ever made a movie before?" he asked suspiciously. "No," we answered. "But it can't be that difficult." He thought for a moment, wondering if he could trust us. Then, reluctantly, he gave his OK.

The next few weeks were hectic as we worked on our project each day after school. First, we went to the library and read books about movie making. We soon became experts in script writing, camera angles and special effects.

Next, we worked on our set. We cleared the desk in my friend's bedroom and built a desert island, using sand, rocks and miniature plants. In the middle, we made a volcano and filled it with fireworks for the final explosion. We used special clay to make miniature people and dinosaurs whose bodies could move.

Then, we were ready to shoot. We'd seen the movie King Kong and had studied stop motion animation. To make our characters move, we changed their positions slightly and took a photo each time. For one second of action, we had to shoot 18 frames. The shooting took forever, but we were so excited we didn't notice. After that, we edited the film, made titles and added the soundtrack.

Finally, it was time to unveil our project to the class. We turned out the lights, started the projector and proudly showed our 15-minute masterpiece. The teacher was stunned. We'd done the impossible — a plane crash, desert island, dinosaurs, volcano. He was so impressed that he entered us in a major student film festival. We won first prize!

That project decided my friend's career. He went on to take film courses at UCLA and is now a professional filmmaker in Canada.

Education is more than studying. What students need are creative challenges, the freedom to experiment and the trust of their teachers!

Shukan ST: SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

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