Digital Filmmaking Pathway
BHS Digital Filmmaking Program
Welcome to the School Year 24-25!
The director of the award-winning the Digital Filmmaking Program, is Steven Bradford. Bradford has been active in the local film community as a filmmaker and educator for decades, and brings an array of experience to the program with a background in filmmaking, television programs, web-based content, 3D films and corporate videos.
He was the studio manager and filmmaking teacher at Seattle Film Institute, and was also the director of the School of Film and Visual Effects at Collins College in Phoenix, Arizona (now home to Arizona State University’s film program). Bradford is optimistic about post-graduate opportunities for his students. “My job is pointing them in the right direction and helping them produce their ideas, rather than telling them what they should do,” he says. “Being at Ballard reminds me of my USC experience. I don’t have to light a fire to get [the students] going; you have to reign them in. I’m so impressed with the level of work they want to do.”
About the Digital Filmmaking Program
Since 2001, BHS Digital Filmmaking Program students have won hundreds of awards at regional, national, and international film festivals, including the National YoungArts Foundation and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (the “Emmys” Org). Their Portfolios have gained admission to college film and television programs ranked by the Hollywood Reporter as among the best in the nation, Including USC, NYU, Emerson, Chapman and more.
In Beginning Video Production, students learn principles of camera, sound and editing, using professional software and equipment. Because film production is a team effort, the Curriculum is crew project based, and after the first quarter most projects are group projects.
After that one-year course, Advanced Video Production explores more advanced techniques, from moving camera, to screenwriting to lighting sets. The Special Projects Video course can be taken for a third and fourth year. In it students work together on lmore sophisticated productions, the best of which will be entered in festivals and competitions, and become their digital portfolio for college admission and job applications. All courses are electives and fulfill either the Fine Art or the Occupational Education requirement. Students planning to pursue college or careers in film/television production, broadcast journalism, art, advertising, media studies, or public relations should enroll no later than their sophomore year to begin to build a portfolio that meets college and industry application requirements.
Refer to the BHS Course Catalog for more information on courses offered at Ballard HS.
Digital Filmmaking Program Gets New Camera Equipment
Over the summer of 23-24 our program was very generously donated a Sony F55 by cinematographer John Tipton! We are extremely grateful to have access to this kind of equipment and to have also received a donation from the BHS PTSA and Ballard Alumni Sven Huseby ’61 to help us buy accessories for our new camera. All of the new gear came in we had the chance to unbox and build the camera in all its glory!! ~ Steven Bradford
Digital Film Featured on KOMO News
“One of the best public school film programs in the country is in Seattle” The Digital Filmmaking Program was featured on KOMO 4’s Seattle Refined, Jan. 2020 as one of the best public school film programs in the country. John Prentice with Seattle Refined came to Ballard to do the filming in the Digital Film classes. He saw some of the films on the web, and was impressed by the number of festivals and awards the students had won. It was great that 3 of the 4 students from the film Blood Cargo were here during those periods, Liv D’arche, Talin Philips and Ben Murphy. Also interviewed were Anna DeTurk, Evelyn Noble-Stewart, Morgen White and Shannon Sheridan. ~ Teacher Stephen Bradford
Archive: Program Highlights
NATAS Student Emmy Awards!
“We’re thrilled to announce that Ballard High School’s Digital Film program has secured six nominations for the NATAS NW Regional Student Emmy Awards! The nominations from this chapter highlight excellence in student-produced film/television from schools across Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska.”
Congratulations to all our nominees for their incredible achievements!
~ Meilee Riddle BHS Film Club President ’24 and Ballard HS Digital Film Teacher Mr. Steven Bradford.
Read Complete List of Nominations and Details
Digital Film Honored With Emmy, NW Film Festival Awards
Read Complete List of BHS Student Awards
48 Hour Film Competition For All Students Closed
The Digital Film Club sponsored a 48 Hour Film Competition. Complete information and details were posted on the Featured News! Watch for this amazing event and opportunity next year!
Digital Filmmaking Program Gets New Camera Equipment
Over the summer 23-24 our program was very generously donated a Sony F55 by cinematographer John Tipton!
We are extremely grateful to have access to this kind of equipment and to have also received a donation from the BHS PTSA and Ballard Alumni Sven Huseby ’61 to help us buy accessories for our new camera.
All of the new gear came in and we had the chance to unbox and build the camera in all its glory!! ~ Steven Bradford
All America High School Film Festival
We are pleased to announce that the Ballard HS Digital Film Program has 6 official selections for the All American High School Film Festival! The following films will be screened at AMC in Times Square.
Congratulations to all of the filmmakers, we are so proud of you!!
- “I Rarely Go To Nordstroms – A Modern Look At High School Fashion” by Lucas Salm-Rojo, Mads Markel, Mia Cole-Daum, Naomi Hammer
- “Happy Women” by Lucas Salm-Rojo
- “A Long Lost Friend” by Lucas Salm-Rojo
- “Truth, Wanting and Forgiveness” by Roan Tierney, Jackson Bohr
- “Window Shopping” – To Kill A Pretty Bourgeoisie” by Lucas Salm-Rojo
- “Stories Through Bone” by Matthew Wilbur
The AAHSFF Team looks forward to welcoming our entire community back to New York City this October! The 2023 AAHSFF marks our 11th Annualcelebration of the future of film in the heart of New York City, featuring: A grand stage for the next generation of talented filmmakers, our epic opening night private dinner and dance cruise around the island of Manhattan, hundreds of Official Selection film screenings, the Film Invitational on-site film competitions, dozens of industry-professional panels and workshops, our interactive technology and exhibitor showcase, the nation’s largest film and media college fair, the annual Teen Indie Awards Show where we hand out over $600,000 in prizes and scholarships, and perhaps most importantly, endless networking opportunities to help you build essential connections of shared passions and lifelong creative relationships. Learn more about the All American High School Film Festival.
Ballard Students Recognized at Northwest High School Film Festival
Ballard HS students cleaned up at the 20th Annual Northwest High School Film Festival. Led by CTE Teacher Mr. Bradford, students took their first field trip in 4 years to the festival where they got to watch winning entries from 24 schools around the Puget Sound region.
Student awards include:
- Award of Excellence (1)
- Honorable Mentions (6)
Four students were nominated for the NW Regional Emmy Awards. Congratulations to Mr. Bradford and his students! Learn more about the festival.
Ballard Students Recognized at Northwest High School Film Festival
Ballard HS students cleaned up at the 20th Annual Northwest High School Film Festival. Led by CTE Teacher Mr. Bradford, students took their first field trip in 4 years to the festival where they got to watch winning entries from 24 schools around the Puget Sound region. Student awards include:
- Award of Excellence (1)
- Honorable Mentions (6)
Four students were nominated for the NW Regional Emmy Awards. Congratulations to Mr. Bradford and his students! Learn more about the festival.
Ballard Film Festival (BFF)
Ballard Film Fest 2023 was June 24 at 7:00 p.m. and June 25, 2023.
All the award winners from competitions since last June’s fest will be shown! Ticket sales supported the Digital Film Program.
Northwest High School Film Festival
Congratulations to the following Digital Film students who were honored at the 2023 Northwest High School Film Festival. The festival was held on May 31, 2023 at the Egyptian Theater.
Award of Excellence
- Happy Woman – Documentary – Director Lucas S.-R. ’24
Honorable Mentions
- Window Shopping – Art Film – Director/Editor Lucas S.-R. ’24 and Editor Isabel B. ’24
- Meat Cute – Comedic Narrative – Producers Naomi H. ’24, Rowan R. ’23, Miriam G. ’25, Meilee R. ’24
- Stories Through Bone – Documentary – Director Matthew W. ’23
- Through a Window – Dramatic Narrative – Director Lola F. ’23, Editor Isabell B. ’24, Producer McCall H. ’24
- Infatuation – Music Video – Director/Editor Hazel H. ‘25
- Take Your Meds – PSA/Anti-ad – Director Meilee R. ‘24; Producers Nani N ’24., Gigi G. ‘26 and Grayson R. ‘26
SPS Promotional Video
Check out SPS’s new promotional video, “SPS Pathway Arts Design, And Graphics” featuring Digital Film teacher Mr. Steven Bradford and students from the Ballard Digital Filmmaking program.
Nominated Videos for NW Student Emmys
Non-Fiction Short Form: Stories Through Bone, Ballard High School, Matthew Wilbur ‘23, Producer
Music Video:
- Mariposa Girls, Ballard High School, Shannon Sheridan ‘22, Producer
- Flirted With You All My Life • Ballard High School • Lucas Salm-Rojo’24, Producer
Photographer Lucas Salm-Rojo ‘24 • Window Shopping • Ballard High School
Ballard HS Junior and Digital Film Student: Luca Salm-Rojo
Honorable Mention: Window Shopping, Ballard HS Junior and Digital Film Student: Luca Salm-Rojo
Digital Film Graduate News
Jesse Harris ’04
Digital Film student and Ballard HS graduate Jesse Harris ’04 releases his first major feature film “Borrego”. Read more on My Ballard website
Award of Excellence at the Girls Film Festival
Title of the short film “Through a Window” Left to Right, Lola F., ’23, McCall H., ’24 and Imogen S., ’23 .
This festival was started by the Video Teacher at Mt Si High School, he wanted to create a girls space festival, so all films had to have all girl crews. Ballard HS had one other entry, “Legally Southern” from Gianna G., ‘26 and was scored well.
The event had activities & panel discussions and judging by local women filmmakers who gave personal feedback for every entry.
BHS Junior News!
Seattle Times Student Voices Project
Junior Lucas Salm-Rojo
Congratulations to BHS Junior Lucas Salm-Rojo for being selected to the Seattle Times 2023 Student Voices Project.
For this seventh year of its Student Voices project, Seattle Times editors invited eight Washington teens and young adults to detail their experiences and suggest how schools can better support students in overcoming language, financial and transportation barriers, among other obstacles.
“Between now and the end of the school year, these eight young people will share their perspectives and suggestions for making systemic changes they believe can improve the school experience for all students, and help everyone receive a fair, just and accessible education and their essays will be linked to the Seattle Times article,” wrote Times Education Reporter Jenn Smith. Lucas is also in the BHS Digital Filmmaking Program and President of the BHS Bicycle Club. “In the future, he hopes to go to film school and create documentaries that inspire positive change in the world,”
Update!
Seattle Times Article
Check out junior Lucas S-R’s “Student Voices: Better bike parking could remove roadblocks for student cyclists.” Ballard High School junior Lucas Salm-Rojo, shown in the school’s covered bike parking area, argues that more Seattle schools need this kind of infrastructure to ensure students’ rides stay safe and protected.
The article was in the May 21, 2023 edition of the Seattle Times (with photo by senior Matthew W.).
Congratulations
Congratulations to filmmaker Matthew W. Class of 2023, who earned a Student Emmy for his editing work on Ocean’s Away.
At the Ballard Film Festival (BFF,) Digital Film Teacher Mr. Steven Bradford also handed out awards from the Northwest High School Film Festival for the following films/producers:
- Documentary | I Rarely Go To Nordstroms (Excellence) | Naomi H., Lucas S-R., Mia C-D.
- Music Video | Oceans Away (Honorable Mention) | Siena G., Remy H-R., Matthew W.
- Non-Fiction News | Ballard Band (Honorable Mention) | Hazel H., Lena C., Mateo M.
- PSA | Lifting Depression (Excellence) | Hazel H., Mateo M., Colin H., Carlos P.
- PSA | Online Safety (Excellence) | Lena C., Harper R., Charlotte W.
Congratulations to all of the Ballard Digital Filmmakers for their outstanding creativity!
Digital Film Graduate News
Digital Film student and Ballard HS graduate Jesse Harris releases his first major feature film “Borrego”. Read more on MyBallard.com
Ballard Students win at NW Regional Emmy Awards
Two Ballard Digital Filmmaking students won three Student Production Awards at the 58th annual Northwest Regional Emmy Awards virtual ceremony in June 2021.
Senior Ella Tipping won for her Camera and Lighting work on the short film “It’s All Fun and Games.”
Senior Nathan Laha won in the animation AND audio categories with his CGI Short “Time Tower.”
Congratulations also to the following students who received an Award of Excellence: Nathan Laha, James Brammer, Nicola Anderson, Henry Coleman, Ella Tipping, Ben Murphy, Lucas Salm-Rojo, Fia Franz-Knight and Lola Foti
And to these students who received an Honorable Mention: Oliver Orkand, Rose Shipley, Matthew Toupe, Nathan Laha, Anyia Gillespie, Henry Coleman, Samson Espenschied, Anna DeTurk and Evelyn Noble-Stewart
Emmy Nominations| NATAS Northwest Chapter
Once again a strong field despite all the disruptions this year
7 Student Nominations in 5 Categories
Music Video
Rubble and Rain – Ballard High School –Nathan Laha ‘21,
Producer; Anyia Gillespie ‘21,
Producer; Henry Coleman ‘21,
Producer;Samson Espenscheid ‘21, Propmaker
Animation/Graphics/Special Effects
Time Tower – Ballard High School – Nathan Laha ‘21, Animator
Audio/Sound
It’s All Fun and Games – Ballard High School – Ben Murphy ‘21,- Sound Designer
Time Tower – Ballard High School – Nathan Laha ‘21, Audio Editor and Mixer
Editor
Rubble and Rain – Ballard High School – Nathan Laha ‘21, Editor
Photographer
It’s All Fun and Games – Ballard High School – Ella Tipping ‘21, Cinematographer
Rubble and Rain – Nathan Laha 21’, Photographer
Filmmaking students honored at NATAS ceremony
Feb 2021 | It was postponed for four months, but the online ceremony was finally held for the National Academy of Television Art & Sciences Awards on Feb. 11, 2021.
The Ballard Digital Filmmaking Program had four films nominated, in the Long Form Non-Fiction, Short Form Non-Fiction, Public Service Announcements and Audio categories.
One Minute to Midnight, a short dramatic film, won for Audio Production.
The winning producers are James Brammer ’22 (pictured above), Claire Kilkenny ’20 (left in photo), and Jasper Swift ’20 (right in photo).
A Day at the Beach, won for Best Public Service Announcement and was produced by: Marley Rankin ’20, Sebastian Zufelt ’20, Olivia Flego-Wirth ’20, and Madison Jackson-Hite ‘21.
BHS Digital Film Students Films | Featured in NFFTY’s Virtual Film Festival
Oct 2020 | Despite the pandemic, Ballard High film students are still producing award-winning work. Initial call out to the BHS Digital Film students was featured in MyBallard.com.
The 14th National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) will happen virtually this year, with all 234 short films available to watch online between Oct. 23 and Nov 1, 2020.
- Junior James Brammer’s film is called “One Minute to Midnight”, and is about a scientist who creates a powerful weapons energy source.
- Class of 2020 graduate Marley Rankin’s “Everything Bagel” and “Portrait of My Reflection” are other films that are available through the streaming festival.
Here’s more about James Brammer’s film, from NFFTY: “Brammer wanted to explore a possibility of our future in terms of how we advance as a civilization and the potential consequences, and to emphasize the need for those who choose to do good over their own fame and fortune. The film is set in 2063 and 2064, and pushes the boundaries of high school student filmmaking while delivering an important moral that will leave viewers thinking.”
Links to Films | NFFTY will screen Brammer’s sci-fi film “ One Minute to Midnight” during the Pacific Northbest program block; while Rankin’s “ Everything Bagel” is in the Pacific Northbest block as well and “ Portrait of My Reflection” is in the Radical Experiments block.
Viewers can purchase a series pass or sliding-scale ticket for themed film packages.NFFTY was co-founded by BHS Digital Filmmaking alumnus Jesse Harris (’04) and Kyle Seago (’07) in 2007. It has since become the largest youth film festival in the world.
School Year 2019-20
Congratulations to BHS Teacher Steven Bradford and Digital Filmmaking Students!
June 2020 | Ballard filmmaking students won five High School Student Production Awards at the 57th Northwest Regional Emmy Awards.
There were a wide range of classes represented in these films: Class of ’19, 20, 21 and 22 for work produced in 2019.
Ballard won in five of the seven categories they were nominated in.
Ballard is also the only school to win in more than three of the 13 categories. FTM, Living With Ana, A Day at the Beach and One Minute to Midnight have previously won awards at several other festivals.
There are links to the first four winning videos (Stock is still in competitions and video not available yet)
Short-Form Non-Ficton
FTM• Ballard High School • Danny Edwards, Director • Fiona Paskoff, Producer
Long-Form Non-Ficton
Living With Ana • Ballard High School • Marley Rankin,
Director/Writer/Cinematographer • Olivia Flego-Wirth, Producer • Saia Dugan, Co-Director, Co-Writer • Violet Collins, Producer
PSA (Public Service Announcements)
A Day At The Beach• Ballard High School • Marley Rankin, Director, Writer,
Cinematographer • Olivia Flego-Wirth, Producer, Editor • Sebastian Zufelt, Producer • Madison Jackson-Hite, Producer
Audio/Sound
One Minute to Midnight • Ballard High School • James Brammer, Sound Designer • Claire Kilkenny, Sound Designer • Jasper Swift, Sound Designer
Writer
Stock • Ballard High School • Sebastian Zufelt, Writer
June 2020 | Class of 2020! Special acknowledgement to the filmmaking program’s Class of 2020 seniors (and the majority of the class’ NATAS nominees) . Many plan to attend some of the country’s most prestigious film schools such as Chapman, New York University, Emerson College and others: Saia Dugan, Calvin Johnson, Claire Kilkenny, Fiona Paskoff, Talin Phillips, Marley Rankin, Alessandro Rios, Jasper Swift, Andrew Voyles, Hannah Weaver, Olivia Flego-Wirth, Sebastian Zufelt.
Academy Honors Ballard HS Filmmakers with 13 Nominations
April 2020 | The Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has announced nominees for the Northwest High School Awards of Excellence.
Students from the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program earned 13 nominations . These awards celebrate the most outstanding productions from five Northwest states: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. Productions are nominated by NATAS industry professionals. The winners will be announced June 6 at the Virtual 57th Annual Northwest Emmy Awards.
Ballard’s nominations span eight categories , reflecting the diverse skills students learn in the program. In the categories of best Writer and best Audio/Sound, every production nominated was by Ballard’s film students. This is the twelfth year in a row that Ballard High School film students have been nominated by the Academy.
Ballard student films featured at NFFTY
October 2019 – Ballard Digital Filmmaking student-produced films took center stage at the Oct. 25 National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY). Seniors Saia Dugan, Marley Rankin (left and right in photo) and Olivia Flego-Wirth, along with 2019 graduate Violet Collins, won the Locals Only Audience Favorite Award with Living with Ana. The documentary details a young woman’s battle with anorexia and how living with the disorder changed her and those who love her.
Two other films were recognized:
Poleski shows how an eclectic artist and school bus driver’s life is changed when he’s offered his own gallery. The documentary was produced by 2019 grad Brendan Hickey, junior Owen Russell and senior Robert Miller.
Time Cop – First Blood In this 80’s-inspired music video from 2019 grads Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas and Zane Rupp; as well as junior Skye Armstrong: A villain gets between the wrong man and his old flame. Time Cop returns to kick butt and take names!
Also, Ballard had an Team in the 48 Hour Film Off event that is part of NFFTY. Although they didn’t win, their entry was shown.
BHS Filmmakers Win Big at the Emmy Awards June 2019
Students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program won six Student Production Awards at the Northwest Emmy Awards on June 8. BestMusic Video went to More Than I Said , by Grace Stromatt, Freeman Marshall & Elliott Russell
BestAnimation/Graphics/Visual Effects went to Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas for Time Cop: First Blood . BestAudio/Sound went to Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas for Doubts . BestPhotographer/Editor went to Dani Edwards and Emma Inge for their work on Check . For best Writer, there was a tie between two Ballard productions. The winners were Liam Bonds for Stay , and Liv D’Arche, Brendan Hickey, Ben Murphy & Talin Phillips for Blood Cargo .
Ballard students led the pack of winners for the fifth year in a row, winning five of the six categories in which they had been nominated.
The Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) presents Student Production Awards to celebrate and promote the most outstanding high school television productions from five Northwest states: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. Professional members of the Academy select the nominees and winners.
Some of the awarded films, along with new productions by students in Ballard’s Digital Filmmaking Program, will be screened at the Ballard Film Festival this Saturday, June 15 at 7:00 pm in the BHS auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults and will be sold at the door. All proceeds benefit students in the Program. More information about Ballard’s Digital Filmmaking Program.
BHS Film Festival June 2019
The Ballard Film Festival (BFF) will be Saturday, June 15 at 7 p.m. in the Ballard High School auditorium. This is a screening of new work by students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program. The festival will feature short documentaries, client-based ads and PSA’s, as well as a selection of award-winning productions from this school year. Tickets ($10 for adults and $5 for students) will be sold at the door.
Films that premier at the BFF frequently go on to win honors from various film festivals and professional organizations. This semester alone, BHS film students earned top prizes at two international film festivals, 18 nominations from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (envelopes to be opened at the NW Emmy Awards), 18 awards and honors from the NW High School Film Festival, and Best Student Film from the state-wide Shoreline Short Short Film Festival. (Films screened at previous BFF’s can now be seen on the Digital Filmmaking Program’s vimeo site.)
All funds raised by the BFF will benefit students in the Digital Filmmaking Program.
Northwest High School Film Festival Honors BHS Filmmakers May 2019
Students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program led the pack of winners at the Northwest High School Film Festival, claiming eighteen awards and honors across seven different categories at the Cinerama Theater in downtown Seattle.
in its 21st year, the NWHSFF is the largest and longest running festival in the Puget Sound region exclusively for high school filmmakers. Hundreds of students competed for awards in twelve different production categories.
In addition to the awards for her Dramatic Narrative, PSA, and Music Video, junior Marley Rankin won a full scholarship to a summer program at Studio School in Los Angeles.Studio School is the first college film program created in a motion picture studio.
The festival was judged by a panel of industry professionals and college media professors. It was organized by the Media Educators for Excellence Team (MEET), an inter-district organization of high school media teachers. Festival sponsors includedThe Seattle Film Institute, Brain Buffet, Central Washington University, Montana State University, The Prodigy Camp, Seattle University, Studio School, andVulcan Enterprises.
All the awarded productions from BHS initially had their premiere at theBallard Film Festival (BFF). This event screens new films by BHS Digital Filmmaking students at the end of every semester. The next BFF will be Saturday, June 15 at 7 pm. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults and will be sold at the door.
Here are Ballard’s Northwest High School Film Festival winners by category. (Many of these can be seen on the BHS Digital Filmmaking Program’s channel at www.vimeo.com/bhsfilmprogram.)
Awards of Excellence
Art Film
Prayer
Saia Dugan, Evan Fekete, Jasper Laur, Fiona Paskoff
Comedic Narrative
Musical!!!! The Musical
Evan Fekete, Owen Russell, Robbie Wilbur
Commercial
The Better Pie
Everett Harley, Ransom Miller, Kenzo Rutledge
Dramatic Narrative
Doubts
Liam Bonds, Zach Boone, Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas
In the Wings
Max Beaulieu, Emma Lee, Marley Rankin
Music Video
Full Tilt Bounce
Casey Chamberlain, Violet Collins, Braiden Hayes, Marley Rankin
Honey
Emma Inge, Jen Frisch-Wang, Mina Koltnow
Public Service Announcement
Superhero Award Ceremony
Hadley Molman, Grace Stromatt, Jasper Swift, Hannah Weaver
A Day at the Beach
Olivia Flego-Wirth, Madison Jackson-Hite, Marley Rankin, Sebastian Zufelt
Suspense
Blood Cargo
Liv D’Arche, Brendan Hickey, Ben Murphy, Talin Phillips
Check
Dani Edwards, Emma Inge, Addison Lepse, Fiona Paskoff
Honorable Mentions
Comedic Narrative
Take Out
Brendan Hickey, Claire Kilkenny, Rachel Warshaw
Commercial
Haze for Dayz
Fiona Paskoff, Ben Murphy, Robbie Wilbur
Music Video
Love is All We Got
Brendan Hickey, Maddie Lausted, Lily Tatge
Public Service Announcement
Food Fight
Zach Boone, Claire Kilkenny, Fiona Paskoff, Jasper Swift
Words Pack a Punch
Skye Armstrong, Morgan Coffroth, Julia Lewicki
Suspense
Franklin’s Monster
Peter Brown, Casey Chamberlain, Evan Fekete, Ruth Payne
Gingerdead Man
Claude Brun, Violet Collins, Cole Kastner, Freeman Marshall
Academy Honors Ballard High School Filmmakers with 18 Nominations May 2019
The Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has announced nominees for the Northwest High School Awards of Excellence. Students from the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program earned
a staggering 18 nominations (over twice as many as any other school). These awards celebrate the most outstanding productions from five Northwest Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. Productions are nominated by NATAS industry professionals. The winners will be announced on June 8 at the 56th Annual Northwest Emmy Awards.
Ballard’s nominations span six categories:
Short Fiction Film, Music Video, Animation/Graphics/Special Effects, best Audio/Sound, best Photographer/Editor, and Writer. In the category of best Audio/Sound, every nominated production was by Ballard’s film students! This is the thirteenth year in a row that Ballard High School film students have been nominated by the Academy. Last year they received 19 nominations.
All the nominated productions had their premieres at the Ballard Film Festival (BFF). This event screens new films by BHS Digital Filmmaking students at the end of every semester. The next BFF will be Saturday, June 15 at 7 pm in the BHS auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults and will be sold at the door.
Here’s the list of NATAS nominations by category:
Many of these productions can be seen on the Digital Filmmaking Program’s channel at www.vimeo.com/bhsfilmprogram.
Best Short Form Fiction:
Check by Dani Edwards, Emma Inge, Addison Lepse & Fiona Paskoff
Doubts by Liam Bonds, Zach Boone & Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas
In the Wings by Max Beaulieu, Emma Lee & Marley Rankin
Lost and Found by Saia Dugan, Braiden Hayes, Jasper Laur & Fiona Paskoff
Best Music Video:
All Your Misfortune by Claude Brun, Jasper Swift & Bailey Wall
Love is All We Got by Brendan Hickey, Maddie Lausted & Lily Tatge
More Than I Said by Freeman Marshall, Elliott Russell & Grace Stromatt
Stay by Liam Bonds, Ellie Dynes & Tulia C.
Best Animation/Graphics/Special Effects:
Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas for Time Cop: First Blood
Best Audio/Sound:
Max Beaulieu for In the Wings
Liv D’Arche, Brendan Hickey & Ben Murphy for Blood Cargo
Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas for Doubts
Emma Inge for Check
Best Photographer/Editor:
Dani Edwards & Emma Inge for Check
Andy Voyles & Sebastian Zufelt for Distance
Best Writer:
Liam Bonds for The God Equation
Liam Bonds for Stay
Liv D’Arche, Brendan Hickey, Ben Murphy & Talin Phillips for Blood Cargo
For moreinformation the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program,visit: www.bhsvideo.blogspot.com.
Wwon Film of the Year at theSTARdance Film Festivalin Los Angeles. The festival had 380 entries.
In the Wings , by Marley Rankin, Max Beaulieu & Emma Lee, won Best Short Fiction Film at American University’s Discover the World of Communications Film Festival. in Washington DC. Films were judged by college professors and industry professionals. The festival received 125 entries.
Both films had their premiere at the Ballard Film Festival (BFF) on March 2. The next BFF will be Saturday, June 15 at 7 pm in the BHS auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults and will be sold at the door. Doubts premiered in New York City last October at the All American High School Film Festival. It can currently be seen on the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program site.
Reschedule to March | March 2019
Everyone is invited to a screening of new work by students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program.TheBallard Film Festival(BFF) will be on Saturday, March 2 at 7 pm in the Ballard High School auditorium. The screening will feature short comedies and dramas as well as music videos. Tickets ($10 for adults and $5 for students) will be sold at the door.
Films that premiere at the BFF frequently go on to win honors from various film festivals and professional organizations. This fall, BHS film students earned five Official Selections at the international All American High School Film Festival in New York City, six national nominations (and three winners) from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, two winners at Fresh Film Northwest, and two Official Selections plus 3rd Prize in the 48-Hour Film competition at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth. (Films screened at previous BFF’s can now be seen on the Digital Filmmaking Program’s vimeo site.)
All funds raised by the BFF will benefit students in the Digital Filmmaking Program.
Ballard Filmmakers Win at Regional Festival | November 2, 2018
Three short films produced by students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program are winners at Fresh Film Northwest. This competitive regional festival is coordinated by the Northwest Film Center in Portland,
Oregon. It accepts entries from filmmakers ages 13 to 19 in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington British Columbia. This is the fourteenth year in a row that students from Ballard’s Digital Filmmaking Program have been among the winners.
The winning films were comedic or dramatic narratives. Doubts , by Liam Bonds, Zach Boone, and Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas, illustrates the internal struggle of a boy plagued by anxiety. The film premiered last month at the All American High School Film Festival in New York City. The film noir Takeout , by Claire Kilkenny, Rachel Warshaw, and Brendan Hickey, concerns an assassin and spy who collide in a diner. In Midnight Criminals , produced independently by Brendan Hickey, Claude Brun and Sam Cleary, a group of desperate college students find a unique way to pay tuition.
A jury of filmmakers, artists, and media makers selected the winners from over 130 entries. The winning films were screened at the Portland Art Museum on Saturday, November 3.
October 2018 Two short films by students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program have been named Official Selections of the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY). This competitive, international festival showcases outstanding work by filmmakers age 24 and younger. NFFTY is a rare opportunity for high school students to share the spotlight with college students from our nation’s best undergraduate and graduate film schools. NFFTY opens on Thursday, October 25 at the Uptown Cinemas and continues through the weekend there and at the Seattle Center.
The Official Selections from Ballard couldn’t be more different. Richard by Wylie Soltes, Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas, Ian Colbeck, and Aaron Mamaril shows how a stolen tool kit creates an intergalactic friendship. On the Backs of Salmon by Chris Barrett, Martin Bolivar, Caroline Harader, Jasper Land, Maddie Lausted, Freeman Marshall, Aaron Miller, Cecilia O’Rollins and Miles Whitworth recounts the struggle of the Elwha people to remove the dam that flooded their creation site and blocked the salmon essential for their way of life. Both films will be shown on Sunday, October 28 at 11:30 am at the Uptown Cinema 1. Purchase tickets for Richard and On the Backs of Salmon online.
BHS also has a team competing in the 48-hour Film Off. Teams from high schools across the country had two days to produce a short from start to finish. The winner (selected in part by the audience) will win funds for their school’s production program. Ballard’s team consists of Liam Bonds, Saia Dugan, Brendan Hickey, Jasper Laure, Marley Rankin, You can watch the films – and cast your vote – at 10:30 am on Saturday, October 27 at the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall. In addition to screenings and awards, NFFTY includes a Future of Film Fair featuring representatives of various college programs for film and television and a variety of media businesses. The event includes Film Career Day, a series of informative lectures and discussions coordinated by the City of Seattle in partnership with NFFTY. Complete schedule of events, show times, and ticket information.
NFFTY itself was the brainchild of Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking alumnus Jesse Harris (’04). Harris made history in 2004 when Living Life, the feature film he had written and directed as a senior project, was purchased by FilmMates and given a theatrical release. (It opened in Seattle in
2005.) The festival was co-founded by Harris and Kyle Seago (’07) – a Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking student at the time. A growing list of sponsors and partners paved the way for this thirteenth annual event.
Film Students Win National Awards From Academy | October 2018
When the envelopes were opened at Emerson College in Los Angeles on Oct. 18, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) announced that students from Ballard High School’s Digital Filmmaking Program had won three National Student Production Awards.
Best Short Form Non-Fiction film went to On the Backs of Salmon , by Chris Barrett, Martin Bolivar, Caroline Harader, Jasper Land, Maddie Lausted, Freeman Marshall, Aaron Miller, Cecilia O’Rollins, and Miles Whitworth. The documentary is about the struggle of the Elwha people to remove the dam that flooded their creation site and blocked the salmon essential to their way of life. The students produced the film for IMAX, and it premiered at the United Nations’ World Environment Day. Best Short Form Fiction film and best Editing went to Bottled Emotions by Zach Boone, PJ Hase, Aidan Jereczek and Bailey Wall. It concerns a dealer in stolen emotions who has a crisis of conscience. It premiered at the All American High School Film Festival in New York City last fall.
This is the third year NATAS has given student awards at the national level, and the third year Ballard film students have been among the winners. Only a minority of regional winners from 19 Academy chapters across the country are nominated at the national level. In addition to the three winners, Ballard’s Digital Filmmaking students were also nominated for best Long Form Non-Fiction film ( Oso Strong by Maddie Lausted and Freeman Marshall),best Writing (Richard, writing by Wylie Soltes), and best Audio/Sound (Paul, Dark, and Handsome, audio by Cole Kastner). The films were judged by members of the Academy. All the honored Ballard films can be viewed on the Digital Filmmaking Program’s vimeo channel .
All of Ballard’s honored productions were first screened at the Ballard Film Festival (BFF). The next BFF will be on Saturday, February 9 at 7 pm in the BHS auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults, and will be sold at the door.
October 2018
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has nominated students
in Ballard High School’s Digital Filmmaking Program for six National Student Production Awards. Members of the Academy selected the nominees from regional winners produced by students throughout the nation. Altogether, nine productions by students in the Northwest Region (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska) were nominated for national awards.
The awards will be live-streamed from the Los Angeles campus of Emerson College on Thursday, October 18 at noon, and will be hosted by television personality Tom Bergeron, star of
Dancing with the Stars . You can view the presentation at facebook.com/TheEmmys.
Ballard’s nominations reflect the diverse skills students learn in the program. These productions can be seen on the Digital Filmmaking Program’s page. Here are Ballard’s national nominations by category.
Best Short Form Fiction Film:
Bottled Emotions by Zach Boone, PJ Hase, Aidan Jereczek & Bailey Wall
Best Short Form Non-Fiction Film:
On the Backs of Salmon by Miles Whitworth, Cecilia O’Rollins, Chris Barrett, Martin Bolivar, Caroline Harader, Jasper Land, Maddie Lausted, Freeman Marshall & Aaron Miller
Best Long Form Non-Fiction Film:
Oso Strong by Maddie Lausted & Freeman Marshall
Best Editor:
Bottled Emotions, Editing by Zach Boone, PJ Hase, Aidan Jereczek & Bailey Wall
Best Audio/Sound:
Paul, Dark, and Handsome , Audio by Cole Kastner
Best Writer:
Richard , Writing by Wylie Soltes
International Festival to Screen Films by Ballard High School Students | October 2018
Erik Stone in Doubts Five films by 15 students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program have been selected to screen at theAll American High School Film Festival (AAHSFF) in New York City. The event runs October 5-8 at the Center for Social Innovation, AMC Theatres Times Square, and the historic Kings Theater.
Prestigious judges such as screenwriter Diablo Cody, producer/screenwriter Carlton Cuse, and actors Kristen Stewart and Dylan McDermott evaluated the films.
Below, by category, are the Official Selections produced by Ballard’s film students:
Comedy
Paul, Dark & Handsome by Miles Andersen, Ellie Dynes, Cole Kastner & Jesse Romero
Documentary
Oso Strong by Freeman Marshall & Maddie Lausted
Drama
Bottled Emotions by Zach Boone, PJ Hase & Aidan Jereczek
Doubts by Liam Bonds, Zach Boone & Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas
Experimental
City’scape by Jonathan Bowers, Brendan Hickey & Gracie Morris
BHS Filmmakers Win Big at the NW Emmy Awards | June 2018
Students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program won seven High School Awards of Excellence at the Northwest Emmy Awards on June 9.
BestLong Form Non-Fiction film went to Oso Strong , a documentary about the deadliest landslide in US history by Maddie Lausted and Freeman Marshall.
BestShort Form Non-Fiction film went to On the Backs of Salmon , a project the students produced for IMAX that tells the story of the Elwha Dam removal. It was produced by Miles Whitworth, Cecilia O’Rollins, Chris Barrett, Martin Bolivar, Caroline Harader, Jasper Land, Maddie Lausted, Freeman Marshall & Aaron Miller.
BestShort Form Fiction film went to Bottled Emotions , by Zach Boone, PJ Hase, Aidan Jereczek & Bailey Wall.
BestWriter went to Wylie Soltes for his work on Richard , the story of a growing friendship between a mechanic and an alien.
BestAudio/Sound went to Cole Kastner for his work on Paul, Dark & Handsome .
In the category of best Photographer/Editor , there was a tie between two Ballard productions, so the award went to Bottled Emotions (photography and editing by Zach Boone, editing by PJ Hase, Aiden Jereczek & Bailey Wall) and to City’scape (photography and editing by Brendan Hickey, Jonathan Bowers & Gracie Morris). This is the seventh year in a row that Ballard students have won the award for best Photographer/Editor.
The Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) presents High School Awards of Excellence to celebrate and promote the most outstanding high school television productions from five Northweststates: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montanaand Alaska. Professional members of the Academy select the nominees and winners.
Ballard Film Festival | 2017-18
The Ballard Film Festival (BFF) will be on Saturday, June 16, 2018 at 7:00 pm in the Ballard High School auditorium. The screening will feature short comedies and dramas as well as Public Service Announcements. Tickets ($10 for adults and $5 for students) will be sold at the door. All proceeds benefit students in the Digital Filmmaking Program
Past films that had their premiere at the BFF have gone on to honors from prestigious national and international film festivals, the National YoungArts Foundation, and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Academy Honors BHS Film Students with 19 Nominations | June 2018
The Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has announced nominees for the Northwest High School Awards of Excellence. Students from the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program earned 19 nominations. These
awards celebrate the most outstanding productions from five Northwest
Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana Alaska. Productions are nominated by NATAS industry professionals. The winners will be announced on June 9 at the 55th Annual Northwest Emmy Awards.
Ballard’s nominations span eight categories, reflecting the diverse skills students learn in the program. In the categories of best Writer and best Audio/Sound, every production nominated was by Ballard’s film students. This is the twelfth year in a row that Ballard High School film students have been nominated by the Academy. Last year they received 17 nominations.
All the nominated productions had their premieres at the Ballard Film Festival (BFF). This event screens new films by BHS Digital Filmmaking students at the end of every semester. The next BFF will be Saturday, June 16 at 7 pm in the BHS auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults and will be sold at the door.
News of these nominations comes on the heels of big wins at the annual Northwest High School Film Festival, held May 2, where the Ballard Digital Filmmaking Program students led the pack of winners with 13 awards and honors across six different categories. For more details on this festival and the awards, visit the Ballard Digital Filmmaking program website. One of the Ballard films nominated by NATAS – the short documentary Building Solutions – will also be featured at the Seattle International Film Festival later this month.
Here’s the list of NATAS nominations by category:
Many of these productions can be seen on the Digital Filmmaking Program’s page at vimeo.com/bhsfilmprogram.
Best Short Form Fiction:
Bottled Emotions by Zach Boone, PJ Hase, Aidan Jereczek & Bailey Wall
Paul, Dark, and Handsome by Ellie Dynes, Jesse Romero, Miles Anderson & Cole Kastner
Richard by Wylie Soltes, Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas, Ian Colbeck & Aaron Mamaril
Best Short Form Non-Fiction:
Building Solutions by Krystelle Kurz, Jonathan Bowers, Claire Elliott, Aven Fay, Duncan Kastner, Skala Leake, Elliott Atkinson & Annabelle Bowman-Mohn
On the Backs of Salmon by Miles Whitworth, Cecilia O’Rollins, Chris Barrett, Martin Bolivar, Caroline Harader, Jasper Land, Maddie Lausted, Freeman Marshall & Aaron Miller
Best Long Form Non-Fiction:
Oso Strong by Maddie Lausted & Freeman Marshall
Best Public Service Announcement :
Stay Sharp by Claire Kilkenny, Hannah Weaver & Wylie Soltes
Best Animation/Graphics/Special Effects
Building Solutions by Krystelle Kurz, Jonathan Bowers, Claire Elliott, Aven Fay, Duncan Kastner, Skala Leake, Elliott Atkinson & Annabelle Bowman-Mohn
Richard by Wylie Soltes, Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas, Ian Colbeck & Aaron Mamaril
Best Audio/Sound
Paul, Dark, and Handsome by Ellie Dynes, Jesse Romero, Miles Anderson & Cole Kastner
Richard by Wylie Soltes, Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas, Ian Colbeck & Aaron Mamaril
Best Photographer/Editor:
Bottled Emotions by Zach Boone, PJ Hase, Aidan Jereczek & Bailey Wall
City’scape by Brendan Hickey, Jonathan Bowers & Gracie Morris
Oso Strong by Maddie Lausted & Freeman Marshall
Richard by Wylie Soltes, Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas, Ian Colbeck & Aaron Mamaril
Superman’s Superman by Nick Fay, Braiden Hayes, Ivan Lodefink, Freeman Marshall & Arturo Rodriguez
Best Writer
On the Backs of Salmon by Miles Whitworth, Cecilia O’Rollins, Chris Barrett, Martin Bolivar, Caroline Harader, Jasper Land, Maddie Lausted, Freeman Marshall & Aaron Miller
Oso Strong by Maddie Lausted & Freeman Marshall
Richard by Wylie Soltes, Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas, Ian Colbeck & Aaron Mamaril
May 2018
Students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program led the pack of winners at the Northwest High School Film Festival on May 1, claiming thirteen awards and honors across six different categories at the Cinerama Theater in downtown Seattle.
Currently in its 20th year, the NWHSFF is the largest and longest running festival in the Puget Sound region exclusively for high school filmmakers. Hundreds of students from twenty-two high schools competed for awards in twelve different production categories. Ballard students also won two of the four competitive scholarships presented at the event. Skala Leake (’18) won the J-Dogg Scholarship, a $7,000 per year award that she can apply at the college of her choice. She’ll be studying film at Columbia College of Chicago – a program ranked by The Hollywood Reporter as one of the best in the nation. Veronica Redpath (’18) was one of only two filmmakers awarded a scholarship to The Prodigy Camp – an intensive week-long filmmaking workshop attended by gifted filmmakers from all around the world.
The festival was judged by a panel of industry professionals and college media professors. It was organized by the Media Educators for Excellence Team (MEET), an inter-district organization of high school media production teachers. Sponsors included The Seattle Film Institute, The Studio School of Los Angeles, Washington State University, Central Washington University, Montana State University, the Cinerama Theatre, and Vulcan Enterprises.
All the awarded productions from BHS had their premieres at the Ballard Film Festival (BFF). This event screens new films by BHS Digital Filmmaking students at the end of every semester. The next BFF will be Saturday, June 16 at 7 pm in the BHS auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults and will be sold at the door.
Here are Ballard’s Northwest High School Film Festival winners by category. Many of these can now be screened on the BHS Digital Filmmaking Program’s vimeo site.
Awards of Excellence
Comedic Narrative
Paul, Dark, and Handsome, Ellie Dynes, Jesse Romero, Miles Anderson & Cole Kastner
Richard Wylie Soltes, Ian Colbeck, Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas & Aaron Mamaril
Commercial
Let Therebe Bacon , Ellie Dynes, Alec Gabbert & Julian Whitworth
Your Neighborhood Bookstore, Jasper Swift, Caleb Flynn & Naomi Glunz
Documentary
On the Backs of Salmon , Miles Whitworth, Cecilia O’Rollins, Martin Bolivar, Aaron Miller, Chris Barrett, Jasper Land, Maddie Lausted & Freeman Marshall
Dramatic Narrative
Bottled Emotions , Zach Boone, PJ Hase, Aiden Jereczek & Bailey Wall
Public Service Announcement
Locked Doors, Drew Hedlund, Calvin Johnson & Sandro Rios
TB Time Bomb, Casey Chamberlain, Maddie Lausted, Freeman Marshall & Elliott Russell
Satire/Mockumentary/Parody
Road Trip Week , Ethan Hawthorne & Jessica Lueck
Honorable Mentions
Commercial
Truth Bar, Aven Fay, Liam Bonds & Zach Boone
How to Lime, Martin Bolivar, Krystelle Kurz & Caroline Lavallee
Documentary
Building Solutions, Krystelle Kurz, Jonathan Bowers, Claire Elliott, Aven Fay, Duncan Kastner, Skala Leak, Elliott Atkinson & Annabelle Bowman-Mohn
Dramatic Narrative
I’ll Be There , Veronica Redpath, MaureenBrown , & Claude Brun
March 2018
This month, a dozen students in the BHS Digital Filmmaking Programtravelled to Los Angeles to visit college film and television programs, catch up with BHS film alumni, tour the industry, and meet with professional filmmakers. The trip included Chapman University, Emerson College, Loyola Marymount University, and the University of Southern California – all colleges ranked by the Hollywood Reporter as among the best film schools in the country. In addition to official tours, the students received the inside scoop from recent graduates of the BHS Digital Filmmaking Program who are currentlyattending, or have graduated from, these colleges.
At Chapman University, the students met with Sophie DeGreen (’16) and Sho Schrock (’16). Sophie is majoring in Film Production, and Sho, Creative Producing. Lorenzo Rossi (BHS ’14) is currently at the Los Angeles campus of Emerson College. The LA campus allows film majors at this Boston college to work an internship in the film industry as they complete their degree. At Loyola Marymount, students met with Matt Law- Phipps (BHS ’10, LMU ‘15). Matt has a production business in Los Angeles and moonlights as an actor. (You can see him currently as Kendrick inThe Payne’s on the Oprah Winfrey Network.) The students met Rikke Heinecke (BHS ’11, USC ‘15) at the University of Southern California. Rikke is currently producing music videos for major artists such asJustin Bieber and TheChainsmokers.
The students also toured Warner Brothers and UniversalStudios, and attended a live multi-camera shoot of a television episode ( Mom , with Allison Janney). They also met with industry professionals to discuss their craft and careers. On the itinerary were writer/producer Jason Cahill (Writers Guild of America award winner for The Sopranos ) in addition to BHS Digital Filmmaking Program alumni such as writer Brendan McCarthy (BHS ’04, NYU ’07) – nominated this year for a Writers’ Guild of America award for his work on Grace and Frankie – production manager Mixtli Zavaleta (BHS ’07, UW-Seattle ’11), and writer/director Jesse Harris (BHS ’04). Harris’s second feature film, Borrego , is currently in development. More information on the BHS Digital Filmmaking Program.
March 2018
The Shoreline Short Shorts Film Festival (SSSFF) presented the prize for Best Student Film to students from Ballard’s Digital Filmmaking Program last night at Shoreline Community College. Zach Boone, PJ Hase, Aidan Jereczek & Bailey Wall won the award for their filmBottled Emotions. The short concerns a man with the magical ability to steal and bottle other people’s emotions. Another short by Ballard film students,I’ll be There by Maureen Brown, Claude Brun and Veronica Redpath, was also an Official Selection at the festival. The festival accepts work from professional filmmakers as well as college and high school students throughout Washington. From the 91 films submitted, only 14 were selected for the festival. This is the second annual event and the second year in a row that students from Ballard’s Digital Filmmaking Program have been prize-winners at the festival.
Both films can be seen on the Digital Filmmaking Program’s page . More information about the Ballard High School Video Program.
February 2018
Continuing their winning streak since fall, students in Ballard’s Digital Filmmaking Program scored two more awards for their work. The documentary 9066 by Nolan Baker, Maya Konz, Bailey Wall
Kajsa Woolford was named a CINE Golden Eagle Finalist for Youth Documentary. The student producers were invited to a CINE Celebrates reception in New York.
The Golden Eagle awards honor excellence in media production through criteria focused on storytelling, originality, and meeting the needs of the intended audience. For six decades, the Council on International Non- theatrical Events (CINE) has recognized and encouraged new talent while honoring the achievements of established media makers. Their honorary board of directors includes such luminaries as Ken Burns, Bill Moyers, and Steven Spielberg.
Also during the fall semester, City’Scape by Jonathan Bowers, Brendan Hickey, and Gracie Morris won 2nd Prize in the Experimental category at the Philadelphia Youth Film Festival. Tom Myers of Skywalker Sound led the jury for the Experimental category. Both films can be seen online at vimeo.com/bhsfilmprogram
Dec 2017
Wylie Soltes, a senior in Ballard High School’s Digital Filmmaking Program, has been awarde
Finalist in Cinematic Arts by the National YoungArts Foundation for his short film Richard .Finalist the top prize.
The YoungArts program identifies and supports young talent in the areas of music, theater, visual arts, dance, photography, writing, and cinematic arts. Soltes’s film was selected from thousands of submissions through a blind adjudication process by an independent panel of highly accomplished artists.
After high school, Soltes plans to study film production in college. He pitched Richard to his filmmaking class last winter. The story concerns a stolen tool kit that creates a bond between two adversaries. Stoles worked with co-producers Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas, Aaron Mamaril, and Ian Colbeck to realize his vision. Richard had its premiere at the international All American High School Film Festival in New York City in early
and screened at the Portland Art Museum in November as a winner in Fresh Film Northwest – a festival that receives competition from 5 Northwest states as well as the province of British Columbia. Richard can now be seen online at vimeo.com/bhsfilmprogram.com.
As aFinalist, YoungArts will fly Soltes to Miami in January for a week of networking and mentoring with other promising young filmmakers and professionals (such as award-winning director, producer, editor, writer, and cinematographer Doug Blush). In addition, Soltes will be sharing his film with the public at Miami’s New World Center. YoungArts will also provide Soltes with financial assistance for college.
Soltes is the eighth YoungArts winner from Ballard’s Digital Filmmaking Program in the last five years. Others have gone on to top-ranked college programs for film and television. For more information on the BHS Digital Filmmaking Program, visit bhsvideo.blogspot.com.
Big screen premiere at Seattle’s Pacific Science Center IMAX on Thursday, November 9 at 6 pm. The short will be followed by Q & A with the filmmakers. It will be shown at a members-only screening of the new 3D nature documentary,Amazon Adventure, but IMAX hasreserved 75 seats for the Ballard filmmakers and their entourage.
The project is the result of the IMAX “In Focus” program. In partnership with the United Nations Environment, IMAX consulted with the All American High School Film Festival to select five “exemplary” filmmaking programs from across the US to address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals #13-15: Climate Action, Life Below Water, and Life on Land. Each participating program received a $5,000 grant. The goal was to encourage students interested in filmmaking to use their talents to develop films that promote change.
On the Backs of Salmon tells the encouraging story behind the largest dam removal in world history – the Elwha on the Olympic Peninsula. The students were inspired by this story because it shows the power of people to change things, and the power of nature to bounce back. It premiered online last spring during the UN’s World Environment Day.
and was screened this fall at the All American High School Film Festival in New York City.
For more information, visit bhsvideo.blogspot.com and don’t miss the
King-5 news interview of “Ballard High School Students Create Documentary On the Backs of Salmon “.
Three short films produced by students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program are winners at Fresh Film Northwest. This competitive regional festival is coordinated by the Northwest Film Center in Portland, Oregon. It accepts entries from filmmakers ages 13 to 19 in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. This is the thirteenth year in a row that students from Ballard’s Digital Filmmaking Program have been among the winners.
The winning films include a documentary, an animation piece, and a short comedy. The documentary9066 , by Maya Konz, Bailey Wall, Kajsa Woolford, and Nolan Baker, tells the story of the internment of US citizens of Japanese ancestry during WWII. The film has already won numerous awards, including First Prize at the Domonique Dunne Film Festival, best Long Form Non-Fiction in the student division at the Northwest Emmy Awards, and an Award of Excellence in Documentary at the Northwest High School Film Festival.
In the short comedy, Richard, by Wylie Soltes, Ian Colbeck, Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas, and Aaron Mamaril, a stolen tool kit creates a bond between two strangers with little in common.Richard premiered at the All American High School Film Festival in New York City last month. Also among the winners is the shortTidal Cruiser, produced independently by Ballard film student Brendan Hickey.
A jury of filmmakers and educators screened over one hundred entries from across the region to select winners for the festival. The festival winners will be screened at the Portland Art Museum’s Whitsell Auditorium this Saturday, November 4 at 11 am. Admission is free and the public is welcome to attend.
Ballard film students also received an Honorable Mention for their experimental short City‘Scape, by Brendan Hickey, Jonathan Bowers Gracie Morris. City‘Scape is also a Finalist in the experimental category of the Philadelphia Youth Film Festival. For more information on the Digital Filmmaking Program.
Ballard’s Majestic Bay Theatre screened Coraline on Sat, Oct 28, 2017. Tickets $10 each. Proceeds will benefit students in the Digital Filmmaking Program at Ballard High School.
If you live in Ballard, chances are you frequent the Majestic Bay Theatres. And if you’ve seen a film at the Bay, chances are you’ve seen A Trip to the Groovies, the policy trailer produced by students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program.
For years, the Majestic Bay showed A Trip to the Movies to inform audiences of theater rules and etiquette. A mock instructional film set in what appears to be 1960, the trailer follows two children, Russ and Ellen, as they navigate the process of movie-going. When the Bay went digital in 2014, they needed a policy trailer in a digital format. Rather than purchasing a ready-made trailer, the Bay invited the Digital Filmmaking Program at BHS to produce one. The film students were thrilled! After considering various ideas, Ballard’s filmmakers decided to follow Russ and Ellen to the movies again – this time in 1977. The challenging concept required period vehicles, costumes, hair, make-up, and actors who might possibly be the original Russ and Ellen – seventeen years later.
The Majestic Bay was so pleased with the new trailer that they made an immediate donation and also pledged to host an annual fundraiser for the Digital Filmmaking Program. The screening of Coraline on October 28 is the third annualand will be preceded by A Trip to the Groovies . So future audiences will continue to appreciate the parody elements in the new trailer, the Bay also had the former trailer digitized to show from time to time. Ballard’s Digital Filmmaking Program provides state-of-the-art equipment and professional experiences for students and has a well-established record of preparing students for college and careers in media-related fields. It is funded largely by support from the Ballard community, thanks to partners such as The Majestic Bay.
Ballard Film Students Win National Award From Academy | October 2017
When the envelopes were opened at Emerson College in Los Angeles on Oct. 3, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) announced Comeback , a dramatic short by Skala Leake, Aaron Miller, Cameron Miller
Avery Davis, as winnier of a National Student Production Award for best Audio/Sound. In addition to working with the audio recording and mixing, Avery Davis composed an original score for the film.
This is the second year NATAS has given student awards at the national level, and the second year Ballard film students have been among the winners. A minority of regional winners from 19 chapters across the country are nominated at the national level. Comeback was also nominated for Writer and bestShort Form Fiction film. Another film by Ballard students, 9066 (by Maya Konz, Bailey Wall, Kajsa Woolford
Nolan Baker) was nominated for bestLong Form Non-Fiction film. The films were judged by members of the Academy, as well as college media professors. Both films can be viewed on the Digital Filmmaking Program’s
page at vimeo.com/bhsfilmprogram For more information, and to screen the awards presentation, Ballard’s honored productions had their premieres at the Ballard Film Festival (BFF). The next BFF will be on Saturday, February 10, at 7 pm in the BHS auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for and will be sold at the door.
International Festival To Screen Work by BHS Filmmakers | October 2017
Eight films by twenty-seven students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program will screen next week at theAll American High School Film Festival (AAHSFF). This competitive festival receives entries from high school filmmakers throughout the country as well as other nations. The event runs October 6 – 8 in New York City at the Center for Social Innovation, AMC Theatres Times Square, and the historic Kings Theater.
Prestigious judges such as screenwriter Diablo Cody, documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, and actors Kristen Stewart and Dylan McDermott evaluated the films. Official Selections are eligible for prizes presented at the Teen Indie Awards at the conclusion of the festival.
In addition to the Official Selections, a short documentary that Ballard film students produced for IMAX and the United Nations will also screen at the festival. Only five high school filmmaking programs in the nation were chosen by IMAX and the AAHSFF to create these projects. Ballard was selected due to the quality work BHS film students have brought to the AAHSFF on a regular basis. (Ballard films have been finalists for top awards such as Best PSA, Best Documentary, Best Drama, Best Directing, Best Screenplay, and Best Overall Film.) The documentary is titled On the Backs of Salmon and was produced for IMAX by Chris Barrett, Martin Bolivar Caroline Harader, Jasper Land, Maddie Lausted, Freeman Marshall, Aaron Miller, Cecilia O’Rollins, & Miles Whitworth.
Here, by category, are the Official Selections by Ballard High School’s Digital Filmmaking students.
Documentary
Fat Friday by Chris Barrett, Jessica Luecke & Zoe Zillig
Heart of Gold by Miles Andersen, Willow Hudson, Josh Gaynor-Cote & Jesse Romero
Transformative by Mo Brown, Claire Elliott, Krystelle Kurz & Sorcha Maron
DRAMA
Clover Four Confidence by Annabelle Bowman-Mohn, Josh Gaynor-Cote & Brynn Miller
Frozen in Debt by Annabelle Bowman-Mohn, Bergen Johnson, Cecilia O’Rollins & Miles Whitworth
Horror/Sci Fi/Fantasy
Richard by Ian Colbeck, Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas, Aaron Mamaril & While Soltes
One film produced independently by BHS film students also made the festival:
Solo by Elliott Atkinson and Zach Boone is an Official Selection in the Horror/
/Fantasy category.
Read the news article in My Ballard!
Academy Nominates Ballard Film Students for National Student Production Awards | Sept 2017
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has nominated students in Ballard High School’s Digital Filmmaking Program for four National Student Production Awards.
Nominated for Long Form Non-Fiction is 9066 , a documentary about the internment of US citizens of Japanese ancestry during WWII by Maya Konz, Bailey Wall, Kajsa Woolford
Nolan Baker. Nominated for best Short-Form Fiction, Writer, and best Audio/Sound is Comeback by Skala Leake, Aaron Miller, Cameron Miller & Avery Davis. Comeback is a story of a soccer player coping with a life-altering setback. The awards presentation will be live-streamed from the Los Angeles campus of Emerson College on Tuesday, October 3rd at noon, and will be hosted by television personality Tom Bergeron, star and host of Dancing with the Stars . View the Dancing with the Stars presentation.
The Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has presented High School Awards of Excellence for years to celebrate and promote the most outstanding high school television productions from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana Alaska. The Academy created a national level for these awards just last year, and Ballard filmmakers won Music Video and best Photographer/Editor. This year, the four nominations place Ballard in the lead among national nominees from the Northwest Chapter.
IMAX and UN Environment Release Documentary by BHS Film Students | June 2017
On the Backs of Salmon, one of two documentaries produced by students in Ballard High School’s Digital Filmmaking Program for IMAX, premiered on June 5 on IMAX’s and UN Environment’s websites. The premiere was timed to coincide with the United Nations’ World Environment Day – the largest annual event for global actions to protect the environment. “We are so proud of the work created by these budding filmmakers, which shines a light on important environmental issues as well as their own creative abilities,” said IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond. The project is the result of a partnership between IMAX In Focus (a component of IMAX Big Picture, their social responsibility effort) andUnited Nations’ Environment. Ballard’s DFP was one of only five “exemplary” high school film programs across the nation chosen by IMAX and the All American High School Film Festival (AAHSFF) in New York City to produce environmental documentaries. “We identified programs that… consistently submitted quality work,” said Tom Oliva, AAHSFF Executive Director. IMAX awarded $5,000 to each program. “The In Focus program aligns seamlessly with what we strive toachieve” Oliva said, “cultivating young filmmakers and recognizing their talented work.”
On the Backs of Salmon tells the encouraging story behind the largest dam removal in world history – the Elwha on the Olympic Peninsula. The students were inspired by this story because it shows the power of people to change things, and the power of nature to bounce back. It premiered online last spring during the UN’s World Environment and was screened this fall at the All American High School Film Festival in New York City.
“The release of these documentaries on World Environment Day is a fitting testament to the importance of empowering our youth to use their voices to drive change for a better tomorrow,” said UN Environment Chief Erik Solheim. “We support IMAX’s commitment to helping young filmmakers share these stories with a larger audience, hopefully resulting in changes that create a healthier environment.” Don’t miss the King-5 news interview of “Ballard High School Students Create Documentary”.
BHS Filmmakers Win Big at the Emmy Awards | May/June 2017
Students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program won five High School Awards of Excellence at the Northwest Emmy Awards on June 3.Best Long Form Non-Fiction film went to 9066 , a documentary about the internment of US citizens of Japanese ancestry during WWII by Maya Konz, Bailey Wall, Kajsa Woolford & Nolan Baker.Best Short Form Fiction film,best Writer, best Photographer/Editor andbest Audio/Sound went to Comeback by Skala Leake, Aaron Miller, Cameron Miller & Avery Davis. Comeback is the story of a soccer player coping with a life-altering setback. Both films are online at vimeo.com/bhsfilmprogram
The Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) presents High School Awards of Excellence to celebrate and promote the most outstanding high school television productions from five Northwest Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana
Alaska. Members of the professional Academy select the nominees and winners. This is the third year in a row Ballard High School film students have led the pack of winners.
Academy Nominates Ballard High School Filmmakers | May 2017
The Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has announced nominees for the Northwest High School Awards of Excellence. These awards celebrate the most outstanding productions from five Northweststates: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montanaand Alaska. Productions are nominated by NATAS industry professionals. Students from the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program earned seventeen nominations, more than twice the number of any other school or organization in the five-state region. The winners will be announced on June 3 at the 54th Annual Northwest Emmy Awards. Ballard’s nominations span seven categories, reflecting the diverse skills students learn in the program. These are the nominations by category.
Some of the productions can be screened on the DFPvimeo site at the links included below.
Best Short Form Fiction:
Comeback by Skala Leake, Avery Davis, Aaron Miller & Cameron Miller | vimeo.com/190952853
Missing Sister by Veronica Redpath, Miles Andersen & Willow Hudson
Best Short Form Non-Fiction:
Living Honestly by PJ Hase & Skala Leake | vimeo.com/180127569
Transformative by Krystelle Kurz, Mo Brown, Claire Elliott & Sorcha Marron | vimeo.com/178537633
Best Long Form Non-Fiction:
9066 by Maya Konz, Nolan Baker, Bailey Wall & Kajsa Woolford | vimeo.com/190324486
Heart of Gold by Miles Andersen, Josh Gaynor-Cote, Willow Hudson & Jesse Romero | vimeo.com/207728173
Still a Winner by Veronica Redpath, Elliott Atkinson, Jonathan Bowers & Robyn Wrey
Best Public Service Announcement:
CIDR, Disease Fighter by Maddie Lausted, Elliott Russell & Karla Torres
Best Audio/Sound
Comeback by Skala Leake, Avery Davis, Aaron Miller & Cameron Miller | vimeo.com/190952853
Transformative by Krystelle Kurz, Mo Brown, Claire Elliott & Sorcha Marron | vimeo.com/178537633
Best Photographer/Editor:
Frozen in Debt by Cecilia O’Rollins, Annabelle Bowman-Mohn, Bergen Johnson & Miles Whitworth
Comeback by Skala Leake, Avery Davis, Aaron Miller & Cameron Miller | vimeo.com/190952853
Heart of Gold by Miles Andersen, Josh Gaynor-Cote, Willow Hudson & Jesse Romero | vimeo.com/207728173
Best Writer:
Comeback by Skala Leake, Avery Davis, Aaron Miller & Cameron Miller | vimeo.com/190952853
Dented Dream by Nicholas Fay, Arturo Rodriguez & Robbie Wilbur
Heart of Gold by Miles Andersen, Josh Gaynor-Cote, Willow Hudson & Jesse Romero | vimeo.com/207728173
Still a Winner by Veronica Redpath, Elliott Atkinson, Jonathan Bowers & Robyn Wrey
This makes the eleventh year in a row that Ballard High School film students have been nominated by the Academy. Last year they received 13 nominations.
April 2017
Two short films by students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program have been named Official Selections of theNational Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) . This competitive, international festival showcases outstanding work by filmmakers age 24 and younger. NFFTY is a rare opportunity for high school students to share the spotlight with college students from our nation’s best undergraduate and graduate film schools. This year NFFTY will feature films from 27 countries. NFFTY opens at the Seattle Cinerama Theater on Thurs, April 27 through Sun, April 30 at the Seattle Center.
The Official Selections from Ballard are both documentaries. Transformative , by Maureen Brown, Claire Elliott, Krystelle Kurzand Sorcha Marron, examines the experience of a transgender teen and our current political climate. It will be shown in the Come as You Are screening at the Uptown Cinema 1 on Saturday, April 29 at 3:30 . Transformative is the only selection in this screening not produced by college students. My Bike & Me , by Braiden Hayes, Bergen Johnson and Cameron Miller, follows resilient college freshman Duncan Bozko as he learns to ride a bike. It will be featured in theUpperLeftUSA screening at the Uptown Cinema 2 on Sunday, April 30 at 1 pm . Both screenings will have an Audience Award, so come and vote!
BHS also has a team competing in the 48-hour Film Off . Teams from various high schools have two days to produce a short from start to finish. The winner (selected in part by the audience) will win funds for their school’s production program. Ballard’s team consists of Aven Fay, Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas, Krystelle Kurz, Jessica Lueck, and Wylie Soltes, You can catch the 48-Hour Film Off – and cast your vote – on Saturday, April 29 at 11 am at the Uptown Cinema 1 . In addition to screenings and awards, NFFTY includes forums on filmmaking. For a complete schedule of events, show times, and ticket information, visit www.nffty.org.
NFFTY itself is the brainchild of Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking alumnus Jesse Harris (’04). Harris made history in 2004 when Living Life, the feature film he had written and directed as a senior project, was purchased by FilmMates and given a theatrical release. (It opened in Seattle inApril, 2005.) The festival was co-founded by Harris, Kyle Seago (’07) – a Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking student at the time – and Jocelyn RC (Bellevue High School, ’07). A growing list of sponsors and partners paved the way for this tenth annual event. For more information on the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program, visit bhsvideo.blogspot.com or vimeo.com/bhsfilmprogram
Mar 2017
Three shorts by twelve students in Ballard High School’s Digital Filmmaking Program have won honors at the Dominique Dunne Film Competition in Colorado Springs. The competition actively seeks and invites entries from schools with outstanding film programs throughout the United States and abroad. It has only two categories: Documentary and Dramatic Narrative. Each school is limited to only four entries.
Maya Konz, Nolan Baker, Bailey Walland Kajsa Woolford won 1st Prize in the Documentary category for 9066 | vimeo.com/190324486, a film about the internment of citizens of Japanese ancestry during World War II. Also recognized in Documentary was Heart of Gold | vimeo.com/207728173 by Miles Andersen, Josh Gaynor-Cote, Willow Hudson and Jesse Romero. It received an Honorable Mention. Heart of Gold follows a student through her final year of high school – a year complicated by a life-threatening medical condition, a stroke, and a heart transplant. In the Dramatic category, Avery Davis, Aaron Miller, Cameron Miller, and Skala Leake received an Honorable Mention for Comeback | vimeo.com/190952853, the story of a soccer player facing a serious setback.
The students will receive cash prizes for each honor, as well as written critiques from members of the competitions prestigious Advisory Board, including producer Samuel Goldwyn, Jr. (of The Samuel Goldwyn Company and Samuel Goldwyn Films), actor/director Griffin Dunne ( An American Werewolf in London, After Hours ) and producer/ director/actor Ed Sherin ( Law & Order ). Students from Ballard’s Digital Filmmaking Program won three of the six honors given by the competition. The other schools winning honors were the Harvard-Westlake School in LosAngeles, and Perth Modern School in Australia. This is the fifth year in a row that students from Ballard’s Digital Filmmaking Program have been among the winners at the competition. For more info on the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program, visit bhsvideo.blogspot.com
November 2016
Three short films by students from the BHS Digital Filmmaking Program were winners at Fresh Film Northwest.
This competitive regional festival is coordinated by the Northwest Film Center in Portland, Oregon. Entries accepted from filmmakers ages 13 to 19 in Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon & Washington. Twelve years in a row now that students from Ballard’s Digital Filmmaking Program have been among the winners.
The winning films included Comeback , by Avery Davis, Skala Leake, Aaron Miller and Cameron Miller – the story of a high school soccer player who suffers a life-altering setback. The film recently premiered at the national All American High School Film Festival in New York City. Fresh Film Northwest was the premiere of Living Honestly , a documentary about teens coming out by PJ Hase and Skala Leake. The third film, Eileen , was produced independently by Brendan Hickey with Sam Cleary and received the Creative Expression Award.
National Festival Selects Ballard’s Digital Filmmaking Program To Produce Documentaries For IMAX! | October 2016
Ballard High School’s Digital Filmmaking Program was one of five “exemplary” programs chosen by theAll American High School Film Festival (AAHSFF) to receive a $5,000 “In Focus” grant from IMAX. TheAll American High School Film Festival is the largest high school film festival in the nation, drawing competition from all across the country. The announcement was made Friday, October 7th, during the festival’s Opening Night ceremonies in New York City. “We selected programs that produced quality content in the voice of young people that’s raw and meaningful to their peers. We have a library of content of about 5,000 films and identified programs that consistently submitted quality work” said Tom Oliva, Executive Director of the AAHSFF. “We also looked at schools that we have relationshipswith, and that we count on to mentor the students to produce the best films possible.”
The five selected student film programs will create short films that raise awareness of the UN’s 2030 sustainability agenda, creating original content to specifically address at least one of the UN’s development goals. For info on the AAHSFF, visit hsfilmfest.com.
Ballard Film Students Win National Awards from Academy | October 2016
When the envelopes were opened at the Newseum in Washington D.C. on Oct. 4, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced two films by students in Ballard High School’s Digital Filmmaking Program as winners of National Student Production Awards. The films were judged by members of the Academy, as well as college media professors. Winning the prize for best Music Video was Today , by Coleman Andersen, PJ Hase & Bergen Johnson. The prize for best Editing went to Miles Andersen, Emily Black, Sophie DeGreen, Jesse Romero & Sho Schrock for their work on Hologram . Both films can be viewed on the Digital Filmmaking Program’svimeo page at vimeo.com/bhsfilmprogram.
BHS Filmmakers Win Big at the Emmy Awards | June 2016
Students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program won four High School Awards of Excellence at the Northwest Emmy Awards on June 4. Jonny Cechony, Ellie Clarrissimeaux, and PJ Hase won the Short Form Fiction award for their film The Dragon’s Lair . The Public Service Announcement award went to Elliott Atkinson, Cyrus Ogleand Bailey Wall for Protect Your Hearing . The students had produced this project for Seattle’s Hearing, Speech & Deafness Center. The Music Video prize went to Coleman Andersen, PJ Hase and Bergen Johnson for Today , and Best Photographer/Editor went to Miles Andersen, Emily Black, Sophie DeGreen, Jesse Romero and Sho Schrock for Hologram . Students from the BHS Digital Filmmaking Program led the pack of winners, winning every category in which they had been nominated. (They had received 13 nominations.) This is the tenth year in a row that Ballard students have been winners at the event, and the fifth straight year they have won the award forPhotographer/Editor.
Ballard Film Students Win Best Music Video at International Festival | May 2016
Big Coat , a music video by Jaya Flanary, Duncan Gowdyand Leo Pfeifer, won Best Music Video in the junior division at the CineYouth Awards on Saturday night, May 7, at Columbia College Chicago. CineYouth is a project of the Chicago International Film Festival. This annual film showcase celebrates shorts by filmmakers 22 and younger from around the world. Aswinner of the prize for Best Music Video, Big Coat will be screened in the CineYouth “Best of the Fest” at the 52nd Chicago International Film Festival next October. Big Coat can be screened online at www.vimeo.com/bhsfilmprogram.
Ballard Films to Screen At International Festival | May 2016
Two productions by nine students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program have been chosen for screening this weekend at CineYouth – the Chicago International Film Festival’s showcase for shorts by filmmakers 22 and younger from around the world. Both are music videos. Voices (by Jonathan Bowers, Aurore Bouriot, Brian Cropp, and Jake Rehfeldt) depicts a high school student hemmed in on all sides by conformity. Big Coat (by Jaya Flanary, Duncan Gowdy, and Leo Pfeifer) charts the changes brought about by the presence – and absence – of romance. Both films will be screened at the 12th annual event in Chicago, May 5 – 7.
About Ballard High School’s Digital Filmmaking Program
The Digital Filmmaking Program at Ballard High School is part of the free public education through Seattle Public Schools, and is open to BHS students of all grades.
Since its beginning in the fall of 2001 under the vision of founding program director Matt Lawrence, students in the program have won hundreds of awards at regional, national, and international film festivals.
Based on their portfolios they have also won honors from the National YoungArts Foundation and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (the National and Northwest Emmy Awards) and consistently gained admission to prestigious college programs of film and television, sometimes with large scholarships and advanced placement.
They’ve been invited to show their work and make presentations at film festivals and conferences. The program has also provided professional production internships through a variety of media organizations. Numerous program alumni have gone on to careers in the industry: writing or producing series television programs in Los Angeles, producing music videos for major artists, directing commercials, working on the camera crew or art department of feature films, producing media for major corporations, or working as broadcast journalists. In 2007, Kyle Seago (’07) and Jesse Harris (’04) co-founded the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY). It has since become the largest youth film festival in the world.
Recent graduates have gone on to the Australian Film, Television & Radio School, Chapman University, Columbia College of Chicago, Emerson College, Loyola Marymount University, New York University, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the University of Southern California – all college programs ranked by the Hollywood Reporter as among the best for film and television production in the world. They have also been invited to show their work and make presentations at the Seattle Art Museum, numerous film festivals, and conferences. The program has provided professional production internships through a variety of media organizations and businesses, television shows, and feature films. A Professional Advisory Committee supports the program
Ballard Film Festivals (BFF)
Ballard Film Festival | June 2021
After two years of being shuttered by the pandemic, the Ballard Film Festival (BFF) is back! Everyone is invited to a screening of new work by students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program. The curtains will rise at BFF at 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 10, 2022 in the high school’s Performing Arts Center.
The screening will feature Student Emmy-nominated work, short comedies and dramas, advertisements and documentaries including Oceans Away Earns Student Emmy Ballard High School’s Digital Filmmakers earned four Student Emmy nominations from the Northwest Region of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Congratulations to filmmaker Matthew W. ’23, who earned a Student Emmy for his editing work on Ocean’s Away.
Ballard Film Festival | Feb 2020
The Ballard Film Festival (BFF) screening features short comedies and dramas, advertisements, and documentaries. Films that first screen at the BFF are frequently honored by film festivals. BHS film students did very well this year, with 11 awards of Excellence at the NW High School Fest, with an audience favorite winner out of the five official selections in the National Film Festival for Talented Youth, Best Student Film at the Shoreline Film Festival, and 2 National and 5 NW Regional awards from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Funds raised will benefit students in the Digital Filmmaking Program.
June 2019
The Ballard Film Festival (BFF) was on Sat, June 15 at 7 p.m. in the Ballard High School auditorium. This was a screening of new work by students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program. The festival featured short documentaries, client-based ads and PSA’s, as well as a selection of award-winning productions from this school year. Tickets ($10 for adults and $5 for students) will be sold at the door.
Films that premier at the BFF frequently go on to win honors from various film festivals and professional organizations. This semester alone, BHS film students earned top prizes at two international film festivals (the STARdance Film Festival in Los Angeles, and the Discover the World of Communications Film Festival in Washington D.C.), 18 nominations from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (envelopes to be opened at the NW Emmy Awards), 18 awards and honors from the NW High School Film Festival, and Best Student Film from the state-wide Shoreline Short Short Film Festival. (Films screened at previous BFF’s can now be seen on the Digital Filmmaking Program’s vimeo site.)
All funds raised by the BFF will benefit students in the Digital Filmmaking Program.
March 2019
Everyone is invited to a screening of new work by students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program. The Ballard Film Festival (BFF) was on Sat, March 2 at 7 pm in the Ballard High School auditorium. The screening will feature short comedies and dramas as well as music videos. Tickets ($10 for adults and $5 for students) will be sold at the door.
Films that premiere at the BFF frequently go on to win honors from various film festivals and professional organizations. This fall, BHS film students earned five Official Selections at the international All American High School Film Festival in New York City, six national nominations (and three winners) from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, two winners at Fresh Film Northwest, and two Official Selections plus 3rd Prize in the 48-Hour Film competition at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth. (Films screened at previous BFF’s can now be seen on the Digital Filmmaking Program’s vimeo site.)
All funds raised by the BFF will benefit students in the Digital Filmmaking Program.
Ballard Film Festival| June 2018
The Ballard Film Festival (BFF) was on Sat, June 16, 2018 at 7:00 pm in the Ballard High School auditorium. The screening featured short comedies and dramas as well as Public Service Announcements. Tickets ($10 for adults and $5 for students) will be sold at the door. All proceeds benefit students in the Digital Filmmaking Program
Past films that had their premiere at the BFF have gone on to honors from prestigious national and international film festivals, the National YoungArts Foundation, and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Steven Bradford Named New Director of Ballard High School’s Digital Filmmaking Program Seattle Film Institute Veteran Takes the Helm of Award-Winning Program
October 7, 2019 — Ballard High School is pleased to announce the new director for its award-winning the Digital Filmmaking Program, Steven Bradford. Bradford has been active in the local film community as a filmmaker and educator for decades, and brings an array of experience to the program with a background in filmmaking, television programs, web-based content, 3D films and corporate videos.
Most recently the studio manager and filmmaking teacher at Seattle Film Institute, Bradford was also the director of the School of Film and Visual Effects at Collins College in Phoenix, Arizona (now home to Arizona State University’s film program).
When he learned the position was opening, Mr. Bradford jumped at the chance to be part of Ballard’s renowned film program. “As a judge at the Northwest High School Film Fest, I’ve seen the high level of Ballard’s films,” says Bradford, who received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Cinema and TV Production from the University of Southern California, and his Master of Fine Arts in Film Producing from the Seattle Film Institute (SFI). “It’s not just a media literacy program or an after school club or a school TV announcements channel—it’s a serious film program.”
Mr. Bradford will continue to help students to build the skills and portfolios they need to be accepted into competitive film schools and eventually find professional work. “This program is really preparing kids to work in this field,” adds Bradford, whose own production credits include films, television programs (Art Zone with Nancy Guppy) web-based content, games (Wizards of the Coast/Magic D&D), 3D films, and corporate videos.
For his first year, Bradford will follow the curriculum established by Lawrence, which includes making a public service announcement, a short visual story (no dialogue) and a music video, and he will also introduce an animation project. He plans to eventually explore virtual reality and 3D filmmaking, as well. “Ballard already has VR gear, and an active VR club,” says Bradford, “and VR is exciting but still kind of unformed. But that’s also exciting when something is unformed, because excited young people then shape it.”
“We are fortunate to have found an experienced teacher with a solid understanding of film language and familiarity with diverse types of productions,” says outgoing director Matt Lawrence, who retired in June from the award-winning program he founded in 2001 after an 18-year tenure. Under Lawrence’s direction, Ballard students have written and directed a feature film that was theatrically released, produced documentaries for IMAX, earned placement in the top film schools across the country, and have won more than 700 prestigious awards.
Lawrence will continue to support young filmmakers as Vice President of the Board of Directors of the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY), which was founded by a former Ballard film program graduate, and will work as a college application coach and job coach for special education students transitioning to employment while he develops some of his own creative projects.
With more video work available than ever, Bradford is optimistic about post-graduate opportunities for his students. “My job is pointing them in the right direction and helping them produce their ideas, rather than telling them what they should do,” he says. “Being at Ballard reminds me of my USC experience. I don’t have to light a fire to get [the students] going; you have to reign them in. I’m so impressed with the level of work they want to do.”
Contact Steven Bradford at spbradford@seattleschools.org
Get Connected!
- Follow Us on Instagram! @bhsdigitalfilm
- Visit our Ballard Video Program blog with a historical reference to the program or our historical listing of the Program’s previous Awards and Honors.
- View our films on our the BHS Film Program Vimeo site.
- Refer to the BHS Course Catalog for more information about the courses offered.
Digital Film Contact
Steven Bradford
Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Academy
spbradford@seattleschools.org
206-252-1117