Lyons Township HS students receive honors during Student Silent Film Festival – Chicago Tribune Doings
A film submission from Lyons Township High School students, “Stood Up,” received top honors at the Student Silent Film Festival on Jan. 25 at the Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove.
According to a news release, the Student Silent Film Festival was a film competition in which students from 11 high schools created original motion pictures. Unlike other film competitions, however, the movies submitted told their stories in visual terms without the aid of voices or sound effects. Each school was given four weeks to create its silent film entry.
“My students demonstrated a level of creativity and collaboration that I haven’t seen in several years,” Bill Allan, media adviser, said in the release. “They really pulled together. They had numerous meetings, location scouts, and rehearsals. They scheduled three shoot days and ended up adding two more to reshoot and perfect their scenes. In addition, the editing process was laser focused.”
The LT students who created “Stood Up” are Maddox McDonald, Ben Cunin, Daniel Murray, George Gangas, Elliott Marcoux, Karman Kapsa, Annie Price, Abby Gertsmeier, Mia Sekulovski, and Michael Badrov.
“I learned that with a crew this big there are a lot of moving parts,” Daniel Murray, 17, of LaGrange Park, said. “Keeping track of everything was essential.”
The release said submitted movies were shown with live musical accompaniment by festival founder Derek Berg who is a professional pianist and CEO of the Clarendon Hills Music Academy. Berg’s original compositions were inspired by the soundtracks from the network series “Stranger Things.”
For the festival, a panel of judges _ all professionals in the entertainment or art education industries _ selected LT as a winner based on the quality of the story narrative, development, camera work, lighting, and editing, according to the release.
“I learned how much needs to be done even for a short six minute film,” Elliott Marcoux, 17, of La Grange, said. “It was clear the judges and audience enjoyed our film, and I am relieved that all the hard work paid off.” Read More >>
By Staff Reports
January 31, 2023