Lights, camera, action – award-worthy filmmaking with educator Michael Lambert
Michael Lambert has been helping students find their passions for over 30 years, teaching subjects from humanities to media literacy to driver’s education. He has lived and taught in the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and now Mainland China. Michael often uses film and other visual media in his classes as part of everyday instruction, whether he is teaching students how to improve their writing or developing their presentation skill. This love of film and filmmaking was the inspiration for his developing the Shanghai Student Film Festival, and in this episode he explains how you too can start your own film festival.
This podcast is one of ten in the HowTo@ConcordiaShanghai series. For information on how to contract the Limitless platform to benefit your organization email Ally here.
It’s about the story and how we continue to tell that story so that it becomes a part of our own history.
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Show Notes
Intro to the Shanghai Student Film Festival
Students often consume video and many have a desire to express themselves through visual content, and the student film festival was created to provide students a platform to showcase their work and participate in workshops that will help them develop their filmmaking skills. The film festival gives students the chance to meet others who share the same passion of creating film and lets to meet various people in the film industry such as Dreamworks animators, sound effects personnel, professional cinematographers, directors, and producers.
Program goals
- Allow students explore their passion for creating visual content
- Familiarize students with the various equipment used in shooting and editing
- Give students a chance to meet real-life filmmakers and others working in the film industry
A measurable student impact
- Students see firsthand the time and effort that goes into creating a film and presenting it to an audience.
- Students become storytellers and are able to share their perspective with others.
- Students have their work and time validated and appreciated.
- Students become visual thinkers.
Impact on the greater community
- Students from different schools collaborate together.
Program set up
- Integrate film into the classroom
- Get student buy-in
- Partner with other schools
Must-haves to ensure success
- PASSION
- Ability to see how film/visuals/video can be used to teach and tell story
- Film editing software
- Facility to host the festival
Wish list items
Sponsorship to bring ‘big stars’ to the festival
Personal preparation
Networked with the parent community and local businesses and organinzations involved int he film industry in Shanghai.
Your next step
Talk with your students and determine their needs regarding film. Start small with some in-class competitions Then watch it grow.
Resource Links
Connecting with Michael
Email howto@concordiashanghai.org, Attention: Michael Lambert and we’ll make sure Michael receives your message.
