Sorensen's silver screen stars
Courtesy photo Sorensen fifth-graders bust a move during the filming of “Rhythm of the Drum,” a 3-minute film the students made and submitted to the Idaho Screendance Festival. The film was accepted and will be screened at the festival today in Boise.
Fifth-graders of Sorensen Magnet School of the Arts and Humanities pose for a shot during the filming of the student-made movie "Rhythm of the Drum," which was accepted by the Idaho Screendance Festival. Back row, from left: Niko Lucky, Orion Burns and Ari Vanway. Front row, from left: Benjamin Mello, Olivia May. (Courtesy photo)
Bain
Palmer
Sorensen's fifth-graders aren't just reaching for the stars.
They are the stars.
Their 3-minute student film, "Rhythm of the Drum," was picked up by the Idaho Screendance Festival, where it will be screened in front of an audience today at Boise State University.
"I think it’s really amazing and cool that we get to go and people get to watch us," said fifth-grader Delani Gerome, who played a dancer in the film.
"The part I enjoyed most was doing the dance and how we got to do our own thing when we danced. We did like slow dances and listened to the rhythm and danced to it. I moved my legs and my arms," she said. "I think we did really good on it."
Proud fifth-grade teachers Crystal Bain and Katie Palmer heard that the film festival put out a call for films based in dance or movement, brought it to their students and watched the magic unfold.
The students were 100 percent responsible for the movie, from hair and makeup and wardrobe to writing, drumming, dancing, acting and filming.
"What I loved about his particular project is although Crystal and I were leaders in this, really it was produced by the kids, so they have a lot of ownership over the final product," Palmer said. "It really was owned by the kids."
The film is inspired by a photography and poetry assignment that the students worked on earlier in the year based on sensory words. One of the projects began with a photo of African drums and developed into what would become "Rhythm of the Drum."
The film includes a freestyle dance session that was not tightly choreographed, so the students were allowed to let their creativity flow.
"It was a lot of improv from them and we watched them come up with different things," Bain said. "They did a really good job with it."
The filming was done in just two days the week before spring break.
"It was really fun. The writers did their job amazing, same with the dancers and the drummer,” said fifth-grader Benjamin Mello. "When I saw the final product, I was proud of myself and our classes."
The film was entered into the elementary student category of the festival. The film will be eligible for filmmaker awards and will receive an official Idaho Screendance Festival Selection laurel for film production. Bain will be representing the school and participating in a question-and-answer session with audience members.
"The fact that we got into the show just shows them the possibilities that are out there," Palmer said. "It was just a nice way for them to see a real-world example of putting in work and getting a successful project out of it."