Elizabethtown College’s Department of Communications recently hosted nearly 100 local middle and high school students for the fourth annual Regional Video Festival on May 20.
The students gained hands-on experience in real-world media operations by spending the day on Etown’s campus planning, filming, and editing videos.
“This was a wonderful opportunity for middle and high school students to work together with students from other schools who shared their interest in video production,” Elizabethtown College Professor of Communications, Kirsten Johnson said. “It’s a test of their teamwork skills to be able to come up with a concept, shoot, and edit a video in just a few hours. I’m always extremely impressed with the videos that students create!”
Students were divided into groups of up to seven individuals and given three hours to create a video concept, collect footage, and edit their videos to bring their ideas to life. Participants were given access to spread out across Etown’s campus and facilities to execute their concept. The finished videos were presented at the end of the day and category winners were awarded.
The middle school contest was a short video based on the prompt, “The contest.” The winning group included Conor Bland, Grace Wagner, and Neal Patel (Centerville Middle School), Charlotte Hobbs (Manheim Township Middle School), Noelle Hooper and Brady Schoelkoph (Landisville Middle School), Presley Lewis (Eastern York Middle School), and Allison Nikolaus (Hempfield Middle School).
High school underclassmen were tasked with completing a 30-, 45-, or 90-second commercial for the best spot on Etown’s campus. The winning group included Ace Brown and Lindsay Over (Hempfield High School), Jack Kelly and Ava Swartz (Lancaster Catholic), Victoria Ruane (Dallastown High School), and Chase Rutt (Solanco High School).
Senior high schoolers created a music video for a KidzBop song. The winning group included Landen Brenner and Greyson Way (Hempfield High School) and Kara Herr and Walter O’Connell (Solanco High School).
The Department of Communications’ state-of-the-art equipment and facilities were utilized by students, who were taught how to operate the equipment and software to best serve their concept.
The event included students from four regional middle schools (Centerville/Landisville in the Hempfield School District, Eastern York, and Manheim Township), along with five high schools (Dallastown, Donegal, Hempfield, Lancaster Catholic, and Solanco).
The program started in 2018 with an idea from Matthew Binder, a Broadcasting and Communications Technology Teacher at Hempfield High School. He partnered with Johnson to create the event as an opportunity to help local high school students practice their video production and teamwork skills.
About the Elizabethtown College Communications Department
Etown’s Communications Department offers an interactive and innovative curriculum to prepare you for a career in radio, television, corporate communications, public relations, marketing, and social media. Students learn theory, production techniques, and the skills necessary to advance in their careers – writing, speaking, production, and strategic communication. Interested in studying Communications at Elizabethtown College? Discover more.
