The Video Shoot that Started it All
Teens at Rowe Clark Math and Science Academy (A Noble Network Charter School), located at the edge of the Humboldt Park and Garfield Park neighborhoods, gathered in nervous excitement to participate in a video shoot for the project awareness video for the National Youth Art Movement Against Gun Violence (NYAM). None of them had ever been on camera before. Despite this fact, one guy in a turquoise hoodie and white shirt insisted that he was the next Denzel. All of the teens who participated were either students in Regina Beach's media arts class or her advisees. As an art teacher, Ms. Beach took an interest in the NYAM project because of the potential for her students to have their artwork placed on billboards throughout the city and to have the messages in their artwork reach audiences beyond their neighborhoods for the benefit of the whole city. When asked, "How many have been affected by gun violence directly or indirectly in their life experience," around 90% of the students raised their hands. Their ages range between 16 and 19 years old. Adam Patch, an Emmy Award winning, commercial video director from Denver, Colorado, led the video shoot and gave the students an opportunity to learn more about his work and a career in the video production industry by sitting in as a guest speaker in Ms. Beach's media arts class. Chicago-based commercial video director and cinematographer Mark Pallman assisted on the video shoot. Photos from the video shoot can be found on this page.
