The Key Artist

Post date: Feb 17, 2012 1:37:09 AM

The following blog was created by one of the FAHS faculty members involved in the project:

My name is Sara Shelton, I am one of the Technology Education teachers at Fleetwood Area High School. I teach the communications courses (drafting, photography, digital imaging, and I am the yearbook adviser). I have 11 years teaching experience and my focus of my Masters program in Technology Education at Millersville University was in graphic communications. I spend my spare time taking photos of friends and family and honing my Photoshop skills.

Sean approached me early in the development of the movie. He wanted to work with my students and I on some of the major visuals for the movie. The largest undertaking was the poster set. He has a set of Pearl Harbor posters in his classroom that, when hung side by side, create a larger poster, and served as the inspiration for the Miša Fugue posters. The original idea for the Miša set was to use the main gate at Auschwitz-Birkenau to tie our posters together. Beyond that, the three frames had to tell parts of the story, but also be strong enough to stand alone. My students spent a few weeks scanning images and editing some of the original images collected from the first visit to Frank’s home.

There were a number of meetings to discuss the aspects of the posters, the imagery, and the layout. It was decided early on that Frank, in some way, would be on the center poster, and that his brother would be the subject of another. What we would do with the third poster was a little more open. You will notice in the screen shots that there were many changes to the center poster before we finally decided on the post war photo and the ‘self portrait’ by Frank. It shows him at the tender age of his experience in truth and in his own reflection.

For me, the posters gave me a chance to get to know Frank and his family and to visually tell their story. The letter his mother wrote and the words she sent to his father are combined in the third poster with their photograph to show the bond they carried with them. This was one of the most sentimental parts for me, since I am a romantic.

When we received the list from the camp, we knew that was a must to have on the poster as well. It mirrors the writing on the opposing side giving the set a balance, but also adds another level of meaning over the photo of his mother and brother, who were gassed together in the camp.

The entire process, from start to finish took over a year. Since I am a full time teacher, a mother of two, and finishing my thesis, sometimes I would go days without looking at it then I would be inspired for a week or more. We would get to a point where I would feel finished or satisfied, and then Sean would change something or there would be a change in some detail that I would demand. In the end, this is something I am so proud to have been able to do for the project.

My students then used the art and the key images to create the basis for the tickets and the filmmaker’s passes for the premier. The students were given guidelines and criteria for use. They designed from sketch to Photoshop, just as I had for the poster, it was the closest to a real world experience my students have had. They had to meet the needs of a client, which is what they would need to do in the industry. The final products are similar to the posters and the DVD cover, which also uses the key art from the posters.

The more involved my students and I have gotten into the creation of this movie; the more excited I have become to see what the final impact will be on our district, our community, and our students. As a cross-curricular project this has been an amazing feat. As a classroom endeavor, I have had the opportunity to expose my students to parts of history they may never have gotten a chance to experience on a personal level. I hope that they are able to use what they have learned in this classroom, and others, to create more meaningful works.