Camera and film making techniques are becoming a huge part of the modern classroom. For certain projects, students have to film different scenes, or interviews. There are a lot of scenarios that involve using a camera, or a certain computer program. But do students really know how to use a camera to film something that crosses the line from mediocre to professional, or edit something into a quality piece of media? For the past decade, film and video arts have been gaining popularity in schools and colleges around the world. For example, in many middle schools and high schools there are annual news reports of the weeks events. The segment is filmed, and often edited by students. The work that goes into this can sometimes be complicated for newcomers, so how exactly do they manage this? Well the answer is simple: learning. The students creating these short films have learned how to properly use a camera, alongside a computer program, allowing them to create well made, fun to watch videos to show to classmates and teachers.
But although there is often a class that teaches this skill, it is not often well communicated, or sometimes not taught entirely correctly. A common mistake when schools teach kids how to make a film is the software that is used. Many times, free software like Windows Movie Maker, or WeVideo is used, which does not very well implicate the techniques of working with a camera and software. Programs like Sony Vegas, or Final Cut are much better for teaching students, and offer many more learning opportunities. The reason this has such a massive impact on students future, is that many careers include this kind of work. Some of these careers include business, medical sciences, accounting, and many more. If students are educated on how to make professional videos with certain programs as early as high school, then they will have a big advantage later on in life.
So as you can see, all sorts of camerawork and filming are essential parts of students futures, especially in certain fields. There are many ways that knowing how to properly use computer software and cameras can improve the way you understand other computer-related issues, and solve problems that pertain to your specific career. This is why I think that students should be taught to use cameras properly, and edit videos with ease.
~Dan
