Seniors in TV/Video Production prepare short films for filming

The short films could be featured in a film festival next spring

For years, Anthony Zottola had an idea for a film about a man with a split personality. The vision excited him, and he now has a vehicle to make it come to life.

Zottola, a Mamaroneck High School student enrolled at the Center for Career Services, is one of several seniors in the process of creating a short film for his TV/Video Production senior project. The students have spent the last year learning all aspects of pre-production, production, and post-production, but it’s this culminating project that ties every one of those sessions together.

“This is going to bring together a lot of what I have learned here,” Zottola said.

Students are currently in the pre-production process, trouble-shooting scripts, audio and visuals, as well as casting classmates and other CTE students in various roles.

When completed, the films will run no longer than 10 minutes. Instructor Michael May said he and the school are still working on the details but hope to host their first-ever film festival next May.

“This isn’t easy, but these kids are so dedicated,” May said of students working on their short films. “The hope is that they’ll come out of this class with a final product they can show to colleges. The entire process gives them the confidence that they can do this. If they can do it now, they can do it again in the future.” 

TV/Video Production students learn all of the technical and planning aspects of production. They learn about budgeting and scheduling, including how to create a daily call sheet. They learn about the importance of finding the right locations and the right talent to tell their story. They also learn the mechanics of writing a script, including how to take an idea from a synopsis to a treatment and then to an actual screenplay. But they also learn how to operate cameras, lights and audio equipment, then how to edit the footage they have filmed.

“It’s an in-depth process,” May said. “Afterward, not only can they say they have learned these skills, they will have produced work that can prove it.”

“This class is very valuable,” Zottola said. “I feel like this is more like being in college than high school. We’re lucky to have a great mentor in our teacher and a lot of support from classmates. We’re all able to share ideas. We’re like a team in this classroom.”