Class project teaches movie-making

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Amaani Lyle
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany (AFPN) --  He is dry-witted, serious about his craft, and worried about budget and deadlines. He produced and directed his first movie last spring and, perhaps most notably, he is too young to legally see many movies playing in the theaters.

Steven Watts, a 13-year-old Spangdahlem Middle School student, and fellow classmate, Chris Damers, were part of teacher Pete Goetz’s video-production class. There, the two students spent more than three weeks planning, producing and painstakingly designing “claymation” characters in Steven’s freshman featurette, “A Short Knight’s Tale.” The short movie tells the story of a knight who “must be at least this tall” to participate in a jousting tournament.

Armed with VHS cameras, a high-tech editing program and rich imaginations, the students set forth in telling their stories on shoestring budgets.

“We used a stage about 3 feet wide and had most of the equipment provided to us,” Steven said of his three-minute movie, although he admits spending $10 on clay.

Though the use of such evolving and unconventional technology as a teaching tool could be thought a daunting task, Goetz said he has seen great student response during his 14 years of teaching at the school.

“It sells itself,” Goetz said. “And it’s easy to do since there are so many instructive DVDs and how-to books.”

Goetz credits some of the course’s success to a former superintendent at the school who believed in the video-production program and invested money into the class’s endeavors.

“The (project allows) me to show students that editing is just as important as any other element of filmmaking,” Goetz said. “I not only taught them how to edit, but actually had them apply their knowledge and teach others with documentaries they created.”

The creative team has since disbanded following Chris’ move from Spangdahlem AB to Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England. Steven said he has a sequel in mind, but will truly miss Chris’ inputs.

Steven said he has shared his movie-making aspirations with his father, Johnny Watts, a 52nd Maintenance Group civilian equipment specialist here. Steven said he plans to move to Los Angeles and apply to the University of Southern California’s film school where some of the industry’s A-list filmmakers have graduated.