Lights, Camera, Take Action

In partnership with Northampton Community TV, Press Pass TV is offering Lights, Camera, Take Action – A filmmaking workshop for youth ages 14-18.

Participating youth with learn video production basics and make a short film highlighting an issue important to them, all in one week.

  • August 22-26 Monday – Friday
  • 12pm to 5pm
  • NCTV – 380 Elm St. Northampton, MA
  • $350 per student. Inquire about financial aid if needed to ali@presspasstv.org

Use your voice. Make a film. Be heard.


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We will work with up to 10 youth for this workshop. Participants will learn a basic social justice framework and will participate in facilitated dialogue and brainstorming sessions about the issues important to them and their communities. The group will then write, plan, and film a short video that educates about or proposes a solution to an issue decided on by the group.

pexels-photoOver the course of the week, youth will learn about effective storytelling, script scriptwriting and storyboarding, and will learn the basics of using industry standard equipment including DSLR cameras, microphones, and lights. The participants will rotate through the roles of producer, director, camera person, and sound and light specialists. Each day will begin with fun icebreakers related to the soft skills needed for filmmaking – clear verbal, non-verbal, and visual communication; teamwork; comfort in one’s body and with one’s voice; and problem solving.

By the end of the week the participants will have learned about the many stages of  making a film, from pre-production planning to location scouting and filming. Press Pass TV staff will edit the film at NCTV, and youth are invited to give input into this process if they desire. Within one week of the end of the workshop, we will host a presentation of the final film for the participants and their families and friends. This will be followed by a Q&A session with the youth to explain their process and what they learned. The final video will also be aired on NCTV and submitted to local film festivals.

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MichelleMichelle Falcón Fontanez

Born and raised in Holyoke, Michelle knows first hand the many obstacles faced when growing up Latina in a city – such as being labeled and discriminated against.

Despite the circumstances, Michelle graduated from Holyoke High School with High Honors and earned an Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts and Science with a certificate in Human Services from Holyoke Community College. There she discovered her passion for film and its potential for impact.  Michelle has since worked with [I’M] Nobody Productions in Holyoke where she not only gained knowledge and skills in media, but also realized the importance of being educated, educating others, and helping others. Today Michelle is a talented filmmaker and editor. She has also served as the Program Coordinator at CareerPoint for several years, providing training and employment opportunities for youth in Holyoke. Working closely with young people, she understands the issues that many teens in the community struggle with and is able to introduce a vision for a more opportunity-filled future that she never had.

Michelle is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Hampshire College, concentrating in Film and Business Management.

EvanEvan Goodchild

Western Massachusetts native Evan Goodchild’s approach to creative collaboration, as well as his work alongside people from diverse backgrounds and challenges, is deeply rooted in his upbringing. Raised in a loving family with brothers from El Salvador and Korea, he grew to embrace differences as assets and create something rich together from diverse sources. You can hear it in the sample collage work of his hip hop beats and witness it in the variety of his podcast productions, and you can feel it in the heart of his short videos.

In his mid-twenties Evan unearthed his innate interest in supporting others and began combining this with this artistic endeavors. He became lead singer for a band of differently-abled and abled musicians for three years and remains a creative mentor within that career explorations program. He rose to creative development coordinator at the Western Mass Recovery Learning Community, where he began producing social justice videos that both highlighted the peer movement in mental health and functioned as agents of system change.

Evan now holds a Bachelors in the Creative Arts in Human Services from UMASS Amherst and University Without Walls. As a post-grad, he helped create and facilitate a “Visual Narratives Through Film” course there alongside documentary filmmaker Larry Hott. He has presented at the Alternatives Mental Health Conference, International Digital Storytelling Conference, and his film “The Virtues of Non Compliance” was shown and won best Short Film at the Mad In America International Film Festival. His work is available at www.evangoodchild.com

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Please complete the registration by submitting your payment through PayPal.

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[/wc_tab] [wc_tabgroup layout=”box”] [wc_tab title=”Videos by Press Pass TV Youth”]

Dear Parents: LGBTQ message created by high school students

Our Many Voices: The Lived Experiences of Adopted Youth made in collaboration with Adoption Journeys

The Gamer: made by youth from Holyoke High School

A Dancer’s Battle: made by youth from the Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School

How to Stop the Bully: Made by 6 th and 7 th graders at Donahue School

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