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Ever since the advent of Hollywood and the movie industry, everyone, or, at least, a good portion of the population, wants to be a star. The new, easier-to-use digital technology, the web, and, of course, YouTube fed the beast.
But, yes, you, too, can now star in a video of your own making. Teens are especially susceptible to this “so-you-think-you-can-act” syndrome, so that’s why the Springfield-Greene County Library District launched its 2008 TeenTakes Video Contest.
Here’s the idea: create an ad or mini-movie that promotes books, reading or any or all of the eight branches. Post it to a YouTube account, librarians will review it and place it on the library website at thelibrary.org. Encourage your friends and family and the rest of the world to vote for your video and you could be a winner of gift certificates.
This is meant to be a fun program, but it can also be a productive learning experience for budding filmmakers, says Youth Services Coordinator Nancee Dahms-Stinson. “I think it would be great if teachers would urge their classes to take part in the contest, and read up on this subject.”
The contest is open to teens, 13 to 18 years old, with a valid library card. The length of the video must be no less than 15 seconds and no more than 2 minutes.
The video must be produced between March 1 and June 30, and the online vote will take place during the summer. The official dates, rules and guidelines are available online and in the spring issue of Bookends, now available at all branches.
But, since we weren’t born with a camera in our hands, wanna-be directors might want to check out a book or two on video production, such as “Attack of the Killer Video Book: Tips and Tricks for Young Directors,” by Mark Shulman and Hazlitt Krog and “Digital Filmmaking for Teens” by Pete Shaner and Gerald Everett Jones.
Or, if you are into animation, try “Christopher Hart’s Animation Studio” by Christopher Hart or “Stop Motion: Craft Skills for Model Animation” by Susannah Shaw.
VIDEO PRODUCTION RESOURCES AT THE LIBRARY
Jeanne C. Duffey, the community relations director for the Springfield-Greene County Library District, can be reached at jeanned@thelibrary.org.
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