Aliamanu Middle School 8th graders (from left to right), Vienna Ryan, Langley Arnold, Alessandra Solon, and Alanah Williams strategize for the competition at the 2022 STN convention. (Photo provided by Chris Facuri, Aliamanu Middle School.)
“It ain’t over.”
With this deceptively simple prompt, the clock started ticking for Aliamanu Middle School. Four 8th grade students from Chris Facuri’s media production class had only five hours to create a movie trailer that embodied the short prompt given to them during the 2022 Student Television Network (STN) National Convention, from February 17th to the 21st.
The 2022 STN convention was held in Long Beach, California, with virtual hubs set up for teams that were kept from travelling by Covid-19. Hawai‘i’s hub was connected by satellite to Long Beach from the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki.
The trailer, created by Vienna Ryan, Alessandra Solon, Langley Arnold, and Alanah Williams in those five short hours, took first place in the Movie Trailer (Middle School) category.
This was the first year Aliamanu had participated in STN, and students looked at the competition as a chance to hone their craft and learn as much as they could along the way.
You can hear the pride in Mr. Facuri’s voice as he shares one judge’s comment that this project “took me to a positive place.”
From left to right, Langley Arnold, Alessandra Solon, Alanah Williams, and Vienna Ryan at the 2022 STN convention. (Photo provided by Chris Facuri, Aliamanu Middle School.)
During the competition, the students took on the roles that best complemented their particular skill set, with some staying behind the camera to focus on composition, writing, and editing, while others worked in front of the camera or prepared the lighting and sound for recording.
“The day before, they had competed in the News Magazine category, but ran out of time right at the end. There is a certain process to this kind of storytelling, and once you learn that process, you can break off and let your creativity flow in new directions.”
“They knew their storytelling was strong in the news piece, and their motivation and practice carried them through the movie trailer.” The team went back to the basics for the movie trailer and let the process they had learned over the last year guide them. “Our job as teachers is to steer them in the right direction and fill in the holes,” Mr. Facuri added. “They are born into this stuff now-a-days. You have to be open to what your student’s experience brings to the table.”
“It was reassuring to have the equipment that we borrowed from STEM Pre-Academy. The students appreciated the additional tools during their months of practice and took great care of the equipment. Knowing that there is support out there and that the students were trusted with this industry standard equipment really gave them a sense of pride and ownership in the process.”
Here’s to Chris Facuri and his 2022 STN team!
Watch the Aliamanu Middle School Team’s Winning Movie Trailer
Hawai‘i State DOE – HIDOE students recognized with 36 awards during national STN media competition
https://www.hawaiipublicschools.org/ConnectWithUs/MediaRoom/PressReleases/Pages/2022-STN-student-media-awards.aspx
Star Advertiser – Hawaii digital-media students win big in national contest
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2022/02/22/hawaii-news/hawaii-digital-media-students-win-big-in-national-contest/
STN 2022 – Top Finishers
https://www.stnconvention.com/winners
PBS Hawai‘i – HIKI NŌ Limitless Aloha: STN in Hawai‘i
https://www.pbs.org/video/53122-1320-hfc2pf/