Embedded Files
The Farmington School District Student Film Program, spearheaded by award winning educator and mentor Brian Chagnon, is a flagship creative elective that provides students with immersive, hands-on experience in filmmaking, digital arts, and collaborative storytelling. Moving far beyond a standard classroom setting, the program operates as a professional, collaborative studio where students are treated as young adults, trusted with meaningful responsibilities, and given a supportive space to find their creative voices. The program has achieved remarkable acclaim and delivered life-changing benefits to its participants.
Many alumni have leveraged the technical skills acquired in the program such as the Adobe Creative Suite, audio/visual production, and color correction, to secure high-level professional careers in cybersecurity, digital media, photography, non-profit marketing, and professional filmmaking.
Students routinely experience significant personal growth, reporting that the program helps them overcome public speaking anxiety, build professional leadership skills, and discover lifelong self-expression. The program fosters a tight-knit network of peer mentorship and collaboration across different grade levels, creating lasting supportive relationships that extend long past graduation. Student projects have earned numerous accolades, including state-backed filming grants and public screenings at the historic Rochester Opera House. As one former student noted, Chagnon often reminded participants that thesefilm screenings were "the largest non-sporting event the school put on aside from graduation".
Through art, students utilize a controlled, structured environment to address complex, real-world issues relevant to modern teenagers, ranging from peer pressure and cyberbullying to trauma and substance abuse prevention. Former student Zach Shaw highlighted the 2015 student film "The Rise and Fall of a High School Band," which followed a teenage rock band struggling with substance abuse. The student actor portraying the main character, Ian Davis, who shared his own real-life battles with drug abuse on camera for a companion documentary titled "That's All You Need," (link to movie below) stated that the film's message was an incredibly powerful tool to "deter teens from abusing drugs".
Other past student films safely explored themes such as teen pregnancy, grief, alienation, and childhood trauma. Rather than approaching these concepts for shock value, the program implements rigorous rubrics where students engage in thoughtful discussions and deep critical thinking before ever picking up a camera.
"Some of my fondest memories from high school were from making those movies. My closest friends and I were part of the program and we learned so much, had a wonderful time, and built a community of movie lovers and creatives that has stayed connected to this day."
— Mackenzie Ciolino, Alumna & Nonprofit Marketer
"Brian's film program was the highlight of my high school experience. It was one of the few places where students were treated as young adults, trusted with meaningful responsibilities, and encouraged to think critically about the world around them."
— Ben van der Voet, Alumnus & Digital Media Professional
"The film program gave students a voice that we could use... Brian took the drama we faced in our day-to-day lives and allowed us to create a safe outlet for it. No one ever died, no one was ever hurt, but we got to act out our emotions and feelings in a controlled environment."
— Kimberly Bush, Alumna & Cybersecurity Professional
"A movie is not just a final product. It is hours of students working together, taking risks, expressing things, and creating something they are proud enough to share. These are time capsule projects."
— Matthew Breton, FHS Math Teacher
TAYN_NoWims.mp4
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