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    • Showcasing the Winston Film Festival short films

    Wow, the last few weeks have flown by. At school we are entering the final week and students have been running around like crazy finishing up projects and preparing for final exams. On my end, one of the biggest tasks has been putting the final touches on The Winston School Film Festival. The film festival is an annual event where the digital media 2 student get to showcase the 5 minute short films they create during the class. Each student comes up with an idea, writes a screenplay, films, and edits their own short film.

    This year the film festival showcased 23 films, including several commercials (advertising the film festival) and three short films created by the faculty.  I invite you to visit The Winston Film Festival’s vimeo channel and see what the students have produced.  All 23 films are available for your viewing pleasure.  Enjoy.

    Written on May 24th, 2011 , Student Work, video
    Quick Update

    Gamel vs Hambrick from Chris Gamel on Vimeo.

    I have been away from the blog for a few days and it looks like it will be a few more days until I get back to regular posting. We are in the final week leading up to our school’s annual film festival and I have been swamped helping students put the final touches on their 5 minute movies (18 movies in all). The rest of the 12 steps to better nature photos series will continue shortly.

    In the meantime, I hope you enjoy one of the promotional videos we put together for the film festival. For the past 5 years the students have had an ongoing debate about who would win: Mark Hambrick or me. Mark is the school’s athletic director while I am the school’s resident martial artist. The debate has been fun to watch and we decided that it was finally time to settle it. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed filming it.

    Written on May 10th, 2011 , video
    Thinking about the Future – Shift Happens

    As many of you know, I am a high school teacher at The Winston School San Antonio, a private school that specializes in student with learning differences.  This past weekend, The Winston School hosted its annual Learning Disabilities Symposium.  The keynote speaker was David Boulton.  His presentation covered the importance of learning and I was particularly intrigued by the points he made about our roll as educators.  The reality is that we are working to prepare students for jobs that don’t yet exist which will utilize technology that has not yet been invented.  Not a little task if you ask me.  The world is changing in ways we can hardly imaging and it is both exhilarating and nerve-racking to think about the possibilities.  The video “Shift Happens” was played during the presentation and it did a great job of making me realize the scope of the changes that are coming, not just in photography, but everywhere.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

    Written on January 31st, 2011 , video
    Become a lifelong learner

    Last week I completed a journey that started many months ago.  In every field there are certifications that attest to your skills.  In the case of Apple’s Final Cut Pro software (film editing for anyone who doesn’t know), Apple provides several levels of certification.  The first level (becoming an Apple Certified Pro, Level 1) involves a comprehensive test about the ins and outs of the program.  I passed the level 1 test in  July.  From there, I decided to take it a step further.  This past week I attended Apple’s Train-the-trainer (T3) course in Cupertino, CA.  The purpose of this class is the coveted Apple Certified Trainer certification.  Being an Apple certified trainer means I would be able to teach Final Cut Pro classes at any Apple Certified training center.  The class was four intensive days and included lectures, student teaching segments (we each got to teach and were evaluated on how we did), and comprehensive test about Final Cut Pro.  I am happy to say that I passed and now bear the official title of Apple Certified Trainer (Final Cut Pro)!

    One question might come to mind, “Who cares?”  Potentially, no one.  I took this course for a variety of different reasons.  First, I teach Final Cut Pro to high school students on a daily basis and the certifications provide a level of credibility.  Like a teaching certificate, software certifications ensure students and parents that I have a good understanding of the programs covered in my classes.  Certifications also act as outward signs of quality and knowledge.  Second, and probably most important, I am a lifelong learner.  I enjoy learning and I see no reason for my learning to stop because I am done with school.  When I find a topic I like, be it photography, video editing, or martial arts I start the learning process and I usually delve deep.  Five years ago I knew nothing about video.  Today I hold professional certifications in video editing and have spent countless hours assisting students in the creation of their own films.

    The best piece of advice I can give is to learn to love learning.  Find your passion and commit yourself to becoming a lifelong learner.

    Written on December 9th, 2010 , Announcements, Personal, video
    Being a Dad

    Early on Sunday morning my daughter, Kara, competed in her first triathlon.  My son and I went to watch the race and to cheer her on.  Unfortunately, my wife was not able to attend because of work, so I decided I needed to capture the festivities with my camera. The slideshow was created so she could share the experience and boy did it work.  This slideshow was created using Animoto.  Sometimes, it is great to just sit back and be a dad.

    Written on October 31st, 2010 , Image of the Day, Personal, video
    Opening Our Eyes Video

    Gail Mooney and her daughter Erin Kelly recently embarked on a 99-day, around the world trip as they filmed the Opening Our Eyes movie project.  The project focuses on 7 individuals on 7 continents who are working to make their part of the world a better place.  Perhaps most exciting for photographers is the fact that the documentary was filmed using Canon DSLR cameras (Canon 5D).  To learn more about the project and how it was filmed, visit the Opening Our Eyes blog.   Gail and Erin recently returned home, having completed the production side of their documentary and editing is now underway.  I have been following the progress of their project with interest and look forward to seeing the film when it is completed.  To see a 10 minute teaser for the upcoming film, click on the link below.

    Opening Our Eyes – The Trailer from Gail Mooney on Vimeo.

    Written on October 14th, 2010 , Recommended Sites, video

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    Through the lens with Chris Gamel

    Musings of a photographic educator.