ROCKPORT — Chris Walker-Spencer, Visual and Media Technology Instructor at Camden Hills Regional High School is preparing for the high school’s seventh annual Film Festival to take place Friday, May 31, at 7 p.m. Admission to the public is free and the festival will take place in the Strom Auditorium. More than a dozen films will be screened in four main categories, including documentaries, music videos, short theatrical pieces that have been scripted and television broadcast “intros.” A panel of judges, including former film students Julia Gowesky and Seth Brown, will present awards for best film in each of the four categories.

I wondered about the level of “polish” the films would have, meaning are they a year long project or done for a final grade for the class. What was the hardest thing to master about the class and if the films had to be juried to get into the festival. Walker-Spencer answered those questions.

“They are not year-long projects,” said Walker-Spencer. “The students take film for a semester, they take advanced film for a semester and TV broadcast also a semester. Typically, they don’t work on films for a semester; they’ll work on it for maybe a quarter. Some films you’ll see have significantly more time put into it then others. One film you’ll see is used for a best example to get into film school, they’ll have more polish then some of the others, but I think you’ll find the ones that make into the festival are charming and entertaining to downright fun.

“Film is really just a medium and as they go through this process they’re learning a craft and they realize they’re learning a craft,” he said. “When you go to film school, basically all you do is spend time working on your films. Here in high school, you have to balance everything else that’s going on. Not only are you a beginning film student, but you’ve got five or six other classes, and you’ve got the play your participating in or the sport. To me, kids finding the required time to put into this is the real challenge for them. They’re going to learn at their own pace and it’s how much time they have to devote to it that really makes the difference.

“Anybody can submit anything for consideration into the film festival. I’m part of a committee, other students who are on the committee and we have some simple criteria. Is it entertaining? Does it have a level of polish that we want to bring to the general public? Is it appropriate to show at a school event? Those are really the big things we look at for the school event and we just go forward from there. We have about a dozen films right now and people are still finishing and submitting, so I don’t know how many we’ll actually have.”

Seven years for a running festival is quite and accomplishment. I asked Walker-Spencer if he ever thought it would get this far? I also asked if he felt the class prompted students to continue on with the study.

“I had no doubt that we would keep it going after a successful first film festival,” he said. “We’ve had a really dynamic teaching situation here for years. I partnered with Jack Churchill, who has been a mentor not only to the students, but to me. As a film professional he is so passionate about his craft and I’ve learned so much, the students have learned so much from him, so it’s been a great opportunity for me and for the students, as well.

“I would say that every year we have a student or two and I think that number is four or five this year, going on to work in the film industry or on to film school, so I think it’s important to the kids to help them discover what their passion is and how they want to spend their time. Any time you can get students passionate about anything you’ve taken a huge step toward your goal of student learning.”

David Munson is a junior and is producing a mock-u-mentory about gamers, as he pokes fun at people who waste a lot of time playing video games.

“I’m hoping it gets in,” said Munson. “I want to poke fun at it without being mean. It’s a parody and I actually used one of my friends who is a gamer to do it. It takes a long time to do because there’s a lot of editing. It’s a long process because there are storyboards and it’s scripted. It’s takes a long time to find the right song for it, because with the wrong song it will sound weird. It’s taken a few weeks. The film class here at the school is awesome. Spence pushes you to do really well. He’s a good person to ask for help and input, he can give you enough criticism in a way that doesn’t make you feel bad about it. It’s a very welcoming environment. Regardless of what I do after high school this will help because I can make my own websites and promos for them and not have to hire people, and that will give me a great advantage.”

Senior Eddie McCluskey is producing a music video.

“I have multiple story lines in the film that will all come together at the end,” said McCluskey. “I asked five of my friends to help. We used the Strom and I did lots of shots with a crane. I had a friend help me out with some shots in downtown Camden and then I had a friend take shots of me dancing, so I’m editing it all together to go along with the music. I really enjoy the class, it’s well taught. I really feel like I’ve learned a lot about film, just coming into the class and not knowing anything, and then coming out with this substantial thing that I’ve made, and then to watch it over and over again is incredible. I will definitely take some film classes in college.”

The festival is free to the public and I’ve seen a couple of them in the past. It's good entertainment and a cheap date for a Friday night.