MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — Students in the Minarets Media at Minarets High School program let their creativity and skills run wild.
This year, senior Phillip Solis and his three classmates created and starred in a short film called “Reverie,” then submitted it for Horror Fest earlier this year.
“He falls asleep, he wakes up and kind of this, like altered world. He’s like in his own mind, and he’s just trying to wake himself up and that’s kind of the goal of the movie,” Solis said.
The nearly three-minute-long film took home six awards, including the top award for Best Picture.
It was a solid start to the year for a program that hit the refresh button at the beginning of the fall semester. Phillip, who is now in the program for his third year, said he can feel the changes.
“Beforehand, we had such a limited range. Now, we can dream even bigger. We can dream even bigger now,” Solis said.
Even bigger because they have top-of-the-line equipment thanks to a partnership with Horn Photo.
That includes new cameras and a drone.
On top of that, they have an expert leading the way.
Instructor Matt Sconce took over the program this year.
While he’s an English teacher at the school, he’s also a writer and director.
He’s got more than 50 short films and four feature films under his belt.
His last feature film shot up to number nine on Amazon.
“Our point with Minarets Media is to prepare them for their future. They can walk right into the job field. Our motto basically is, ‘Go big, go pro, go now.'” Sconce said.
Students learn skills like the rule of thirds and how to use the equipment.
Most importantly, they create and enter competitions.
“They form teams, they start making movies and they learn by doing, by failing, by trying and by critiquing each other. We grow organically into them becoming professionals,” Sconce said.
Students will begin learning the basic skills in middle school now as well, so they’re ready to hit the ground running when they reach Minarets Media.
For students like Solis, he says it’s given him a space where the sky is the limit.
“Minarets Media is a place that anyone with at least an idea can come to make something amazing, something grand, work together with a bunch of different people to make something great,” Solis said.
If you’d like to check out some of the students’ films, click here.
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