Don Bosco School launches course for students

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco High School and Junior College, located in Naigaon, Maharashtra, India, launched a filmmaking course to empower students to discover their creativity. About 25 students from grades 8 to 12 enrolled in the program, which consisted of 15 90-minute sessions.

During the course, students were mentored as they wrote a script and created a storyboard for their films around the theme “I Have a Dream – Youth & Climate Change – Making Mother Earth Cleaner and Greener.” Training sessions were conducted to help students create a strong knowledge base of skills, including camera handling and creating optimal camera angles. The program was led by Father Joaquim Fernandes, vice principal. He was assisted by teacher Gail Fernandes, who guided the students throughout the process, especially on script revision.

A Salesian explained, “After thought-provoking, vigorous sessions on direction and writing, cinematography and editing, photography and financial budgeting, students were urged into selecting the topic for each film and to write good content. This enabled them to unlock entirely new dimensions of filmmaking. The students had to save their pocket money and obtain contributions to fund their own films. The school pitched in to defray part of the expenses and finance some short film projects.”

Alston D’cunha, a student filmmaker, said, “I shot the same scene nearly 50 times to ensure that it came out right. Film is a visual medium that dramatizes a basic story line.”

Students produced seven short films and one documentary on the conservation of mangroves. Two short films “ Green Desk” and “Eco Caregivers” were selected for screening at the Don Bosco Global Youth Film Festival in Rome. The annual film festival encourages, educates and empowers youth all over the world.

This filmmaking course enabled students not only to craft their own short films but also to peek into the more pressing topic of environmental conservation. Don Bosco High School and Junior College will screen each film for the staff and students. The documentary on mangrove conservation will be used to facilitate learning in every classroom, and debates will be held at the inter-class level.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – India – Empowering Youngsters to Craft Stories on Screen

Salesian Missions – India

World Bank – India