Moving Image
Featured Video
The Art of Communication
Stephanie Hernandez and Destiny Chong
Teacher: Carlos Rentas
Principal: Dawn Meconi, 15K429
Digital Arts and Cinema Technology High School
Let's Hear from the Featured Teacher
Carlos Rentas
Moving Image-Video
Videos have become essential for everything we do, from documenting the important transitions of life: weddings, anniversaries, and graduations to the mundane and insignificant such as walking home from school with friends.
In our altered world, being restricted to the limits of our “four walls” the moving image has become our lifeline. We rely on our computers to “go to work,” “attend school,” “observe religious practices,” “see friends,” and “visit family.” Our meetings are virtual, our classrooms are virtual, our socializing is virtual, and in fact, our very lives have become virtual! How would we be able to survive the COVID-19 pandemic without all the platforms that enable us to communicate “face to face” on a daily basis?
But the moving image can also serve a higher purpose. Video art has long been a means of communicating lofty sentiments, as well as delving deeply into the undercurrents of existence. The videos of the 2020 Brooklyn Borough Arts Festival take us to those verities by dealing with issues such as: exclusion, aspiration, humor, and hope. In these films you will recognize yourselves, for the true test of artistic merit is for the message to transcend the individual and become universal.
Let's Hear from the Featured Artists
Stephanie Hernandez and Destiny Chong
The director is the child of deaf parents. When she "pitched" the idea to me we spent hours discussing her experiences with her parents and my experiences as a child of immigrants from Latin America. We bonded over how similar they were. People who are "other" are often disrespected, or treated as invisible. We decided that "The Art of Communication" would be a project about bridging different worlds through listening to one another, understanding our unique experiences as well our similarities. We worked to show that in the cinematography.
The Love that's Lost, HDV
Sharde Alexander, Grade 12
Teacher: Carlos Rentas
Principal: Dawn Meconi
15K429, Digital Arts and Cinema Technology High School
My film was inspired by teenage love stories. Most of the time relationships tend to fail after a while. I think it comes from taking each other for granted and not paying attention to one another, particularly in the age of social media. My film depicts a common love story, a love triangle dealing with the importance of paying attention to the person you care about.
Face Your Fears, Animation
Karen Aviles Ramirez, Jessica Calderon, and Ashley Hidalgo Carcamo, Grade 11
Teacher: Jennifer Herbert
Principal: Victoria Antonini
15K667, Sunset Park High School
Our group was tossing ideas around and "winging it" through most of the project. In the end, we chose a six word memoir and added to it as we went along. In collaborative film work, if you don't like how some things look, but your group mates like it, it's better to keep it in and wait to see how the product turns out. My group can work well when it wants to and we all contributed something to our project. I'm very happy with the results of our animation.
Little Bits, Digital Video
Goldie Huang, Grade 10
Teacher: Elizabeth Bouiss
Principal: Michael McDonnell
22K405, Midwood High School
What inspired me to create this PSA was the current state of our Earth. As the years go by the quality of our environment gets worse and worse, affecting our quality of life. All of this goes back to one source - people. We are the ones who’ve contributed to the environmental problems we are battling today. Actions as simple as throwing a receipt onto the sidewalk seem like no "big deal." But, if everyone does it this those little bits will snowball into a global crisis.
Know when to drop the Controller, HD Video
Alyssa Jones-Lutchman, Grade 11
Teacher: Elizabeth Bouiss
Principal: Michael McDonnell
22K405, Midwood High School
My inspiration for this video was family. The video is meant to serve as a PSA addressing video game addiction. My brothers spend their time playing video games. When you need them you know exactly where to find them, sitting in front of the TV glued to an Xbox controller. My parents say that they are addicted. I was interested in what an addiction to games really looked like. After researching I discovered that they didn't really fit the description but I still wanted to portray a real addiction and send the message that those who are struggling can find help.
Love Story, Animation
Roci Benito, Ivette Calixto, and Taina Lopez, Grade 11
Teacher: Jennifer Herbert
Principal: Victoria Antonini
15K667, Sunset Park High School
What I learned from making this film is that the preparation phase takes longer than the actual filming of the animation. My group collaborated very well. A challenge was trying not to catch my hand in the frame while moving the paper props. I am very happy about the animation because it is very neat and is only 47 seconds long, which is a good time for an animation. I experienced the creative process as well as trial and error. I had to of think new ideas and throw out old ideas, all of which is part of the creative process.
Not Alone, HDV
Diego Rojas-Marin, Grade 12
Teacher: Carlos Rentas
Principal: Dawn Meconi
15K429, Digital Arts and Cinema Technology High School
Many people think of me as a "loner" and make their own assumptions about why I am quiet and like to work hard. Filmmaking has given me the opportunity to show aspects of my personality rather than talk about myself, like most people I encounter. I have also been able to collaborate with like-minded people. When the writer approached me about editing this project it was because he felt we were similar. He understood what it feels like to have people think they know you, when in reality, no one really does.
End of The World, Animation
Maria Lima, Georgina Pichardo, and Jonathan Ruiz, Grade 11
Teacher: Jennifer Herbert
Principal: Victoria Antonini
15K667, Sunset Park High School
Making an animated film takes effort, patience and skill to make a cohesive piece of work. Communication contributed to the success of our animation. We spoke throughout the whole process about making props and taking shots. We wanted it to turn out the best quality film we could produce. Maria and I communicated thoroughly about what we wanted this project to look like. This animation was very enjoyable to make, it was the first animation in which I was able to come up with the theme I wanted.
LGBTQ+ PSA, Digital Video
Kelly Liu and Danielle Ruperto, Grades 10 and 11
Teacher: Elizabeth Bouiss
Principal: Michael McDonnell
22K405, Midwood High School
“LGBTQ+ PSA” was originally a project meant for my advanced media class that would take three months to finish. My partner and I wanted to make a film that would be simple and relatable. At first, different suggestions were bounced back and forth such as autism, awareness, and animal abuse, but we settled on LGBT topics and identity. We wanted to focus the PSA on explaining what being LGBT means. The making of this PSA was important to me as someone who is a LGBT adolescent. I wanted to make a project that would be represent me and others.
Xeo Dragon, Digital Animation
Xeomara Mora, Grade 9
Teacher: Caitlin Gibbons
Principal: Dawn Meconi
15K429, Digital Arts and Cinema Technology High School
The assignment was to animate something to show a part of our identity. When first making this animation I thought of just using my name and adding random "stuff." After thinking a while I thought about using a dragon since it's my favorite fantasy animal. I thought it would be fun to use animation having the dragon spell out my name and burning my name with the fire.
Plastic Straws, Digital Video
Anthea Zheng, Grade 11
Teacher: Elizabeth Bouiss
Principal: Michael McDonnell
22K405, Midwood High School
I got the inspiration to do this PSA while thinking about my friends. My friends drink many cups of bubble tea a week, which results in using many plastic straws. All over social media they joke about the negative effects of plastic on oceans and how it affects sea life, especially turtles. I realized this was a great chance to create a film that could change people for the better, while also having fun with my friends. So, I hope I can do a little bit to help preserve the beauty of the ocean with this film.