Embedded Files
After months of prep work—recruiting teens at local high schools, writing grants, outlining workshop modules, assembling a team of university student mentors, and arranging for food & transportation—we found ourselves gathered around a table at Light Work on SU campus with a dozen City of Syracuse teens, ready for our first hands-on workshop focused on personal filmmaking.
Over the next eight weeks, from January to February 2024, we met every Friday at Light Work on the Syracuse University campus, from 3pm to 7pm, making movies together and awarding outstanding work of each session with the special gift of a pineapple.
The workshop culminated in a community screening at Watson Hall, as well as a public projection on the facade of the Everson Museum.
Pilot Program Sampler / Teaser Reel
Pilot Program Sampler / Teaser Reel
Our workshops aimed to highlight the significance of small moments projected large, captured through the eyes of teens and presented to the wider community. As we compiled teens' works into a showcase reel, common themes emerged across their contributions: the search for identity, a longing for freedom & play, and the desire for connection.
WEEKLY RECAPS
WEEKLY RECAPS
Each weekly session focused on a different set of filmmaking goals, explored through active play. Below are summaries of our workshop sessions, which progressed from playful activities to the creation of personal short films. Sessions concluded with an encouragement to continue trying the skills we practiced from home, through outside projects known not as "homework," but as "FunJoys."
EXHIBITION EVENTS
EXHIBITION EVENTS
The TwMC spring pilot concluded with two successful community screenings on campus and at the Everson in downtown Syracuse, each drawing 50–70 attendees. The screenings featured a 40-minute “TeenReel,” a cohesive collage of the teens’ films created from smaller fragments.
TEEN FILM SAMPLES FROM THE PILOT PROGRAM
TEEN FILM SAMPLES FROM THE PILOT PROGRAM
Participant Reflections
Participant Reflections
The campus screening at Watson Hall for families and community members was followed by a Filmmaker Q&A, in which teens shared their reflections about the experience. Below are excerpts from this live discussion.
"A lot of the time we get trapped in our own little bubble, in our own little world... This definitely pushed me outside of the bubble of just thinking about me, into something productive. Instead of just coming home and doing nothing, I get up and come to this program and we create something meaningful." —Charles
"Getting a chance to chill and be creative with other artists was really, really meaningful, and getting to know everyone and create something really special together. This was an experience I will remember for a long time." —Mia
"This club gives you something to look forward to at the end of the week, and a place to express yourself." —Nola
"It was a lot better to go to a place where I could actually make a change for myself and others by expressing ourselves, and make some memories while I'm at it. Every single Friday, I just kept looking forward to it, and I really wanted something like that. So I was very appreciative." —Leo
Parent Feedback
Parent Feedback
"Our kid LOVED this program. She's so sad it's over. She met new friends, learned new skills and is excited to do more filmmaking. Truly an exceptional experience." —Tina
An Ongoing Collaboration
An Ongoing Collaboration
We are very pleased that many teen members of our pilot program—including original cohort members Leo, Nola, Hadia, Tawhid, Charles, Selaci, and Mohanad— have returned to participate again in current & future workshop seasons with us (such as TwMC 2.0: Visions of Community, continuing to create films and now serving as experienced mentors for new members.
What we realized, while working on this creative, community-based project, was that a new web of connections between “neighbors” and neighborhoods is being created.
THANK YOU to our network of supporters:
Engaged Humanities
Nottingham High School
This project was made possible through the CNY Arts Grants for Regional Arts and Cultural Engagement regrant program thanks to a New York State Senate Initiative supported by the NYS Legislature, the Office of the Governor and administered by the New York State Council on the Arts.
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