video production enables media creativity

By: Valerie Menendez

At Glenelg, we learn just as Gladiators do; striving to accomplish our hopes and dreams, we are taught to pursue many different interests. Whether it is a club that peaks your interest, or a class that you want to join, it’s never too late to start building those blocks before you begin your career.

I recommend starting with Visual Production. ​

​Perhaps you’re like me and spend a considerable amount of time in bed watching movies while catching up on some homework. In my personal experience I've come to realize that part of what's gotten me through junior year to this point has been my connection to online media. 

I’ve often wondered that if I spend most of my time watching movies, anticipating the details, and sharing nuanced perspectives with friends, perhaps I should tailor my creative skills and quick thinking into a possible career that suits me the most, either as an editor, director, or screenwriter.

An informal talk with Video Production teacher and media specialist Aimee Hocker was all it took to convince me to enroll in the course next school year. 

Hocker said that there are many options when it comes to a career in media when we spoke in February. She explained the class engages in hands-on experiences like constructing, adapting, and editing scripts for short films, micromanaging those films, and learning how to captivate an audience. 

“There are people who really want to edit,” Hocker told me, “and I try to give them more of an opportunity to do that, or people who really want to work with cameras or equipment give them more opportunities, those who really want to act, or those who really want to direct. I've had people of all sorts, and I've had kids come in who've already shown at film shows. So we try to hone in on what they could use out of the class.” 

Students who currently take the course said there are aspects of it that are certainly challenging, but like all other high school classes, it comes down to managing their time and turning in quality assignments. 

“There are some longer projects that you really have to divide your time well so you’re not cramming it all in at the end,” said senior Alex Miller. 

Finding time to sit down and come up with ideas can absolutely be a demanding task, especially if it is a project that is due in a near time frame. Other students agreed that while time management is a really important part of this class, they also appreciated being put under pressure because it helped them to think on their feet, which, they said, is what they were looking to achieve before they started the class. 

“The course has allowed me to learn a number of roles and understand the process of video production, to take all the gears of the machine and find out how everybody works and make the job work,” said senior Bell West. “Overall, the class enlightened me as to the kind of tools I can use to help myself and others.”

If you'd like to take my advice and sign up for video production, I encourage you to speak with any elective class’s teacher and students to gain more insight and perspective to make an informed decision. 

I am so glad I did, and I cannot wait to take the course next year.