Tag: Update

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Big News: Heights Middle School Shorts Teams Up with the Cleveland International Film Festival!

We’re absolutely buzzing with excitement to share that Heights Middle School Shorts (HMSS) has forged an incredible new partnership with the prestigious Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF)! 🎬✨

An Unstoppable Collaboration This groundbreaking collaboration is set to unlock a treasure trove of opportunities for our budding filmmakers. Picture this: our students’ creative visions showcased on a national stage, learning experiences supercharged, and exposure to the world of professional filmmaking like never before.

Lights, Camera, Action: Our Students in the Spotlight One of the most thrilling aspects of this partnership is the inclusion of our students’ films in CIFF’s renowned FilmSlam® Streams program. This virtual showcase brings the best student cinema directly into classrooms across the country. Now, our talented young filmmakers will have their work seen by a wider audience, earning the recognition they so richly deserve. This isn’t just a milestone—it’s a launchpad for their future careers in film and beyond.

HMSS 2024

Interactive, Inspirational, and Insightful But that’s not all! CIFF will be hosting a Zoom Q&A with our student filmmakers, giving them the chance to discuss their work and the filmmaking process with industry pros. This is a golden opportunity for our students to share their journeys, gain insider knowledge, and spark new ideas. And to top it off, CIFF is crafting an in-depth study guide around our students’ films. This guide will be packed with insights about HMSS and all things filmmaking—perfect for anyone eager to dive deeper into the craft.

Hands-On Experience and Giving Back Our partnership goes beyond the screen. CIFF is opening the doors for our students to volunteer at the festival, including those from Heights Career Tech Education (CTE). These roles will not only help students earn community service hours but also give them hands-on experience in a professional festival environment. It’s a win-win: giving back to the community while building real-world skills.

Exclusive Screenings and Networking Galore Get ready for a major highlight of CIFF49: the premiere of our 2024 student films in the FilmSlam® Student Cinema section! This special screening is a momentous occasion, offering our students the chance to see their work celebrated on a grand stage. And the benefits don’t stop there—CIFF will provide access to an extensive network of filmmakers, giving our students unique opportunities to connect, learn, and grow in all aspects of filmmaking, from screenwriting to editing.

Strengthening Our Film Community This partnership is about more than just film—it’s about building a stronger, more connected film community. Our students will have the chance to join CIFF’s Student Screening Team, diving deep into the art of film critique and analysis alongside their peers who share a passion for cinema.

Looking Ahead: A Bright Future for Our Filmmakers We couldn’t be more excited about the potential of this partnership to elevate our students’ educational journeys and shine a spotlight on their incredible talents. We’re on the edge of our seats, eager to see the amazing projects that will come out of this collaboration. Together with CIFF, we’re not just making films—we’re making the future of filmmaking.

Stay tuned, because this journey is just beginning. We’ll be sharing more updates as we embark on this exciting adventure with the Cleveland International Film Festival. Together, we’re paving the way for the next generation of filmmakers and storytellers.

#HeightsMiddleSchoolShorts #HMSS #HMSSSeason5 #CIFF #NextGenFilmmakers #FilmEducation #CommunityEngagement #FilmFestivalMagic

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5 Reasons Why Kids Should Attend Heights Middle School Shorts

It’s no secret: we want every kid to attend film camp. Campers have fun, make new friends, learn independence, and develop essential skills they can use for the rest of their lives.

If you’re still on the fence about sending your middle schooler to Heights Middle School Shorts, consider these five tangible benefits your student will get when they attend HMSS:

1. Campers Learn Confidence and Communication Skills:

At Heights Middle School Shorts, no one works in a vacuum. Collaboration is as essential here as in life. To produce complete and coherent films, campers must communicate their ideas and vision effectively to others. They must work with peers to bring their ideas to life. They will discuss, convince, and compromise. And in doing all that, they’ll build confidence in their ideas while improving their communication skills.

2. Campers Develop Creative Skills:

While almost every summer camp gives kids a chance to develop their artistic talents, HMSS offers campers a unique opportunity to explore their creative side through storytelling, cinematography, editing, acting, directing, writing, and the many other aspects of film production. Our campers tap into their imaginations in new and novel ways to find the language to express themselves through film.

3. Campers Learn About Film Technology:

HMSS provides campers with a valuable introduction to the technology and equipment used in film production. They’ll work with cameras, editing software, sound equipment, and other tools used to create high-quality films, skills that they can use throughout their lives whether or not they end up in the film or television industry.

4. Campers Experience a Different Learning Environment:

From Day 1, HMSS campers find themselves in a hands-on and experiential learning environment. They don’t sit in classrooms listening to lectures: they’re active and involved and learn by doing, creating their projects, and exploring the world of film in a fun and engaging way. They’ll work in teams to write their stories and screenplays. They’ll explore movement, action and reaction, and timing as they block out the scenes for their films.

5. Campers Are Prepared for Future Opportunities:

Film camp is an excellent experience that lets middle schoolers build a foundation for future opportunities in film, television, or other media-related careers by giving them exposure to and an understanding of the film-making process. More importantly, HMSS campers learn critical interpersonal skills that will help them succeed in school and in life, wherever it leads them.

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Any middle school student who lives in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights district can attend Heights Middle School Shorts. To learn more and apply for the 2023 camp, complete our online application.

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It Truly Does Take a Village…

When we started Heights Middle School Shorts nearly three years ago, we had a single objective: give middle school students in Cleveland Heights and University Heights the opportunity to make movies.

We’d seen the creativity of Heights kids in our theater camp. We knew they could write thought-provoking stories, play compelling characters, and lead complete productions. But when COVID-19 forced us to move to an all-remote format featuring plays that campers filmed on cell phones, we were captivated. We wanted more movies!

2021 Campers

So we launched Heights Middle School Shorts in the summer of 2021 with 14 campers who each wrote, acted, produced, and directed their own short film. And thanks to the generosity of the entire Heights community – the donors who provided funding, the merchants who provided meals and supplies, the CHUH district that provided space for our campers to learn and work, the parents who brought their kids to camp and picked them up again at the end of the day, and too many others to mention – it was a fabulous success.

The following year, the HMSS class of 2022 did not disappoint: campers produced ten stellar films, six of which were screened at the 2022 Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival (GCUFF), followed by a panel discussion hosted by the district’s own Emmy Award winner, Cynthia Booker, who teaches media and TV production, and featuring the students who wrote, produced, and directed those films. Equally important, the community continued to embrace our work and provide us the support we need: Reaching Heights, which acts as our fiscal agent, the CHUH district, which once again opened its doors to give our camp a home in 2022, the CHUH PTA Council, which allows us to operate under their umbrella, and most importantly the generous donors who continue to write checks and make donations to ensure that our middle school students can explore their creativity at Heights Middle School Shorts.

Our goals have changed a bit as we look to HMSS 2023 (and beyond). We’re no longer satisfied with giving campers a camera and telling them to ‘start shooting:’ we still aim to spark their imaginations, of course, but we also want to provide them with a hands-on perspective of careers in the film and television industry. To teach them to work together, to collaborate, and to compromise. To show them how to find inspiration, to nurture their creativity, and to trust their vision.

With your assistance, we’re confident that we can get there. Please help us meet our goal of raising $5,000 by December 31, 2022. Click here to donate. Thank you.

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HMSS Partners with 2022 Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival to Feature 6 HMSS Films

Heights Middle School Shorts is thrilled to announce that they have formed a partnership with the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Foundation to feature six HMSS films and their directors at this year’s GCUFF film festival!

GCUFF Logo

The Greater Cleveland Urban Film Foundation was established in 2012 to celebrate, preserve, promote and advance African American arts, culture, and cinema. GCUFF’s 2022 film festival will take place from September 15-23, 2022, at Shaker Square Cinemas in Cleveland, Ohio.

This year’s GCUFF festival will include a panel discussion with the directors of the top six Heights Middle School Shorts films (chosen by the audience at the July 6 screening), where the HMSS campers will show their films and talk about their journeys from ideas to screenplays to finished films.

“To say that we are excited is an understatement,” said Jen Holland, HMSS co-founder. “The partnership with GCUFF will give our campers a fabulous new audience for their films, and provide them with the unique experience of presenting their work at an important film festival.” The July 6 screening of 2022 HMSS films will take place from 2:00-3:30 at Heights High School in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. The public is welcome to attend. Registration is required for the screening.

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HMSS 2022: And We’re Off!

The second season of HMSS has begun with more than 15 campers excited to make some magic!

On the first day of our writing workshops, two-time Emmy award-winning journalist and digital media teacher Cynthia Booker dropped in to give the campers a hands-on filming experience. Thank you, Cynthia!

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Your Name in Lights? Apply Now for HMSS 2022!

Lights! Camera! Action! The application period is now open for Heights Middle School Shorts 2022!

All middle school students in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights district are encouraged to apply for HMSS, a three-week mixed-media film arts camp, where campers will discover their own creativity and artistic expression by writing, producing, directing, and starring in short films.

Up to 20 campers will receive full scholarships for the camp, which begins on May 14 with five Saturday writing workshops followed by two-weeks of in-person camp from June 20-30 at Heights High.

To be considered for one of the limited scholarships*, students must complete our online application prior to the March 7, 2022 deadline. Students not seeking a scholarship have until March 30 to send in their application materials.

Need more information? Visit us on the web or send us an email.

We can’t wait to see what the HMSS class of 2022 has to offer!

* Note: returning campers are encouraged to apply but cannot be considered for a scholarship.

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What’s new at Heights Middle School Shorts? Plenty!

We’re thrilled to report that over the past few weeks, there have been a number of key milestones met and goals achieved for Heights Middle School Shorts 2021, and that the camp is coming together nicely.

Here are four of the most significant developments:

Application Period Open

The application period is now open for the camp and, based on the number of applications we’ve received so far, student response to the camp has been overwhelming. We’re excited to see so many kids interested in HMSS!

Potential campers have two more weeks to apply for the 2021 Heights Middle School Shorts, so students should apply today to make sure they don’t miss the February 5 deadline. Visit our website for details on how to apply (a simple process using our new online application form).

Continue reading “What’s new at Heights Middle School Shorts? Plenty!”