- Oklahoma City Public Schools
- Homepage
OKCPS and FEIO Share Student-Produced Short Film
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - For the second consecutive year, Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) and Film Education Institute of Oklahoma (FEIO) hosted a film workshop for Oklahoma City Public Schools students during the district’s Winter Break. This year’s four-day workshop took place December 17-20, 2022 at Frederick A. Douglass High School, and was open to participating OKCPS Scissortail Studios students in the recently launched Film 101 program at Douglass High School, Northwest Classen High School and Capitol Hill High School, with casting extended to students at all OKCPS high schools. This short film, “5th Hour”, was released and screened at Rodeo Cinema on Wednesday night.
Said OKCPS Superintendent Dr. Sean McDaniel, “It was exciting to see our students in action and Douglass High School transformed into a working film set. Each student did a great job in their role. It was not always obvious who was a student and who was a professional filmmaker. I am grateful that we are able to provide this hands-on experience for our students and give them first-hand exposure to the possibilities of a career in the film industry.” Added McDaniel, “With the film business growing rapidly in Oklahoma, we are excited to expand the program next Fall and give even more students this real-world experience.”
Throughout this four-day event, students gained experience in specific film departments, including camera, set decoration, props, electric, hair, makeup, costumes, sound, and production. By the end of the workshop, students had built upon their classroom curriculum and participated in creating a fully-produced short film alongside film industry professionals.
“These OKCPS Scissortail Studios students exceeded all expectations,” said FEIO Executive Director Austin Taylor. “They jumped in and owned their workshop assignments. From on-camera to behind the camera and everything in between, these kids went all in on the experience and now have a fabulous short film to show for it.” Added Taylor, “ It’s fun to watch as they realize just how many moving parts are involved in the making of a film, and it’s even more fun to hear them say they could see themselves pursuing a career in film.”
Scissortail Studios instructors Matt Ross (Northwest Classen) and Dekoven Riggins and Marcus Brown (Douglass) worked side by side with their students and industry professionals throughout the four-day workshop. Said Ross, “The industry instructors not only taught our students new skill sets, they also empowered them to have the confidence to do it themselves. It was amazing to watch. It’s also exciting to know OKCPS students are getting this unique opportunity to see the inside of an industry, learn how it works, and imagine themselves as future filmmakers.”
“The opportunities being afforded to our students is truly one-of-a-kind,” said Douglass High School instructor, Marcus Brown. “The fact they get to experience the many disciplines that exist on a film set is exceptional. It is my hope this experience pushes them to become trendsetters in the industry and to carve their own path in the industry they have come to love.”
“This workshop was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I was able to see everything that I have been learning in class come to life on set during the workshop,” said Alexus Brown, sophomore at Douglass High School. “My desire to be an Assistant Director is now stronger than ever.”
Said Douglass instructor Dekoven Riggins, “The training our students received at this workshop is something that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. Some have fallen in love with certain disciplines within the industry and will hopefully go on to have promising careers in the future.”
“There is nothing better than seeing OKCPS students learning on set and receiving training from industry professionals. Congratulations to OKCPS and FEIO on another successful workshop and this much needed and successful collaboration. This partnership is at the helm of creating viable career options for Oklahoma City students and connecting them to the film industry in our state,” said co-founder and co-CEO of Prairie Surf Media, Matt Payne.
“Oklahoma City is incredibly fortunate to have a program like Scissortail Studios,” said Oklahoma City Film Commissioner, Jill Simpson. “The collaboration between Oklahoma City Public Schools and FEIO is both unique and innovative. At a time when we are working to grow our roster of set-ready crew here in the state, the program provides students with hands-on experience that will hopefully spark their interest in pursuing film production as a career.”