Elizabethtown College’s Department of Communications recently hosted its sixth annual Regional Video Festival on May 18, welcoming nearly 100 local middle and high school students to campus.
Dr. Kirsten Johnson works with student editors on their video projects.
Students from 12 schools across the region spent the day planning, filming, and editing a video project on Etown’s campus, gaining real-world experience in media operations and enhancing their fast-paced deadline-making capabilities.
“This video festival provides a unique opportunity for middle and high school students to spend the day coming up with a concept, shooting, and editing a video,” Dr. Kirsten Johnson, Elizabethtown College Professor of Communications, said. “This is a great way for the students to learn skills in working together as a team, to enhance their creative thinking skills, and to test their ability to meet a tight deadline.”
Participants were randomly divided into 13 teams and given three hours to execute a predetermined video concept. Video concepts based on grade levels included a brief commercial, a creative video skit, and a Kidz Bop-inspired music video.
Students were given access to explore Etown’s campus and film in various academic buildings and campus facilities. The day concluded with a screening of each team’s videos and a voting session in which category winners were awarded.
Students were given access to the Department of Communications’ state-of-the-art equipment and facilities and provided one-on-one instruction on how to operate the equipment and software used in their video projects.
The day’s event featured participants from four regional middle schools (Centerville/Landisville in the Hempfield School District, Donegal, and Eastern York) and eight regional high schools (Dallastown, Donegal, East Pennsboro, Eastern York, Hempfield, Lancaster Catholic, Palmyra, and Solanco).
The program began in 2018 based on a concept from Matthew Binder, a Broadcasting and Communications Technology Teacher at Hempfield High School. In collaboration with Johnson, the two created the event as an opportunity to help local high school students hone 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.
