Aria Bucci, a fifth grader at East Norriton Middle School and former reporter for the Cole Manor Healthy Comet, is one of four students who helped create a new filmmaking series launched by Healthy NewsWorks. The four-part video project equips student journalists with skills in camera handling, framing, interviewing and capturing sound.
“What was meaningful for me was that I got to learn filmmaking skills while I was making the videos,” Aria said. “I also liked that I could make videos for other kids to learn from.”
The series is designed to help young people learn practical skills while sparking curiosity and creativity. “I hope other kids will be able to watch the videos and use the skills that we talked about,” she said. “I think it’s important that they can watch other kids in the video and think, ‘If they learned it, I can learn it too.’”
Demaj Bazemore-Williams, who was on the staff of the DePaul Healthy Trailblazer Journal as an eighth grader last year, said his work on the series allowed him “to experience something new that I have never done before and this experience will hopefully bring me new opportunities.”
Rodney Whittenberg, a professional filmmaker and musician who owns MelodyVision in Plymouth Meeting produced the series. “The audience is primarily young people, but it’s really for anyone interested in film production,” Rodney said. “Even adults have watched the segment on speaking on camera and found it helpful for their own content creation.”
Rodney added that making the films is just as rewarding as the videos themselves. “Watching young people light up with excitement as they learn new skills and seeing their pride in sharing what they’ve learned, is a joy,” he said.
With only a handful of videos completed so far, more are on the way. Giving student reporters even more chances to create and explore.
Watch the full video series:
Holding a Camera or Phone (1:17)
Framing a Shot (1:10)
Speaking on Camera (2:02)
Getting Good Sound (1:36)
