What's new at Reel Works in Schools

Reel Works in Schools is our award-winning filmmaking programs in NYC public schools. This year we’re in Frederick Douglass Academy VII, West Prep Academy, P.S. 284, John Jay Campus at Millennium High School, Mott Hall Bridges, and P.S. 323.Frederick Douglass Academy VII - Our class focuses on the basics of storytelling and documentary filmmaking. We have 20 students in our class and we’re engaging students by brainstorming ideas for their projects and reflecting on films they’re watching in the classrooms. Students have shown improvement in their film knowledge and confidence as they set up and conduct interviews.West Preparatory Academy - This class of 15 students is learning about storytelling through the lens of photography. Currently students are learning composition and coloring techniques, and how to create short stories inspired by their images.  The goal of this class is to help students unlock their creativity through photography while teaching them technical photography skills.P.S. 284 - This is an all-male class of 11 students. Students in this documentary class are covering the topic of cyberbullying. In their third week of class, students worked on group activities to get to know each other and to identify similarities and differences they have. They also started recording poems they created on iPads as an introduction to sound recording. The goal of this class is to allow students to understand the fundamentals of developing, producing and directing a short documentary.John Jay Campus at Millennium Brooklyn High School - This short documentary class of 15 students is exploring different types of documentaries, as well as the different roles within production. The class allows students to explore documentary film through topics that they’re interested in, allowing them to research and create their own storylines.Mott Hall - The class of 12 students is learning about photography. Currently, they are working on mood-boards for their next portrait assignment.  These students are gaining an understanding of basic photography skills both technical and aesthetic in nature.P.S. 323 - We just started this residency last month. Students are producing 2-5 minute narratives centered around their experiences in the community!