At the beginning of this school year, Mr. Michael Todd introduced a new fine arts program, Media Arts, a combination of film studies and filmmaking. Media Arts is a class with multiple focuses. Currently, they are analyzing elements of films such as lighting, cinematography, sound design, and understanding what that added to the film or scene. The ability to understand and utilize these elements will help students in the phase of the class where they begin to make their own films.
In addition to introducing a new class, Todd has also taken over the Theatre Arts program, formerly taught by Ms. Terry. Todd has thus far been focusing on building acting skills. These skills include the Stanislavski method, understanding the situations and circumstances in which a character lives, and pantomime, which is performing physical actions inside those given circumstances. Todd intends to put on a play in December. The play has not been chosen definitively yet, with much debate among students. There is even a portion in favor of a musical instead of a “straight” or nonmusical play.
Furthermore, Todd sponsors a film club which is a combination of Media Arts and Theatre Arts, with overlap between club members and attendees of Todd’s classes. In the film club, students write, act out and film a sketch comedy show. Film club is a marriage between multiple aspects of Media Arts like script writing and filming, and elements of Theatre Arts such as acting within a character’s given circumstances. The most recent film club meeting was regarding the film club's Halloween special, in this meeting it was decided that the special will air on Oct. 31. The club’s next major project was discussed as well, and there was mention of making something more serious for a local film festival.
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