Students’ video earns award at Pittsburgh film competition
MIDLAND, Pa. – Students from Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School were among the six winners selected at the sixth annual C.A.U.S.E. Challenge High School Film Festival in Pittsburgh. Juniors Amy Foster, Ashanti Lee and Levi McCandless received the award for the Best Abstract Video for their piece, “Lids Off.”
The theme of this year’s contest was “Mutual Impact: The Environment and You.”
“Lids Off” tells the story of Pittsburgh from an industrial standpoint – from the rise and fall of the steel industry to the flourishing medical and technological industries flourishing there today.
“It’s about the transition of Pittsburgh from when the mills [were] open to now,” explained Lee.
To tell their story the students used an array of artistic elements including video, animation, first person interviews and narration.
Click here to watch C.A.U.S.E. Film Festival Best Abstract Video winner Lids Off
“We interviewed my father, because he grew up in this area and his father, his friends worked in the steel mills,” said Lee. “We animated a person morphing from a child to an adult and wrote a script that tied it all together with the theme.”
Added Foster, “The project was a reflection of the past and a look to the future, and how we can make our area better.”
Sponsored by Bayer Corporation, Carnegie Science Center’s Regional SciTech Initiative and Pittsburgh Filmmakers, C.A.U.S.E. (Creating Awareness and Understanding of our Surrounding Environment) challenges students in western Pennsylvania to become more scientifically- and environmentally-aware using the non-traditional, yet powerful tool of film or video.
More than 60 students from Western Pennsylvania contributed to the 37 short films submitted this year, including Lincoln Park students Emma Garafalo, Tyler Pertz and Davey Wagner. Their piece, Chalk is Biodegradable, was selected as a finalist.
Click here to watch C.A.U.S.E. Film Festival finalist Chalk is Biodegradable.
Each Lincoln Park student received a $100 cash prize, a director’s chair and tickets to the Science Center and the Pittsburgh Film Festival. Additionally, the school’s media arts program received a $1,500 prize, which will be used for the purchase of equipment.
Scott Andrew, project manager for media arts at LPPACS, said this is the second year Lincoln Park students have participated in C.A.U.S.E., which showcases major talent in the area. “All the entries were so professional and the talent is very competitive. So to win this award is a really big honor. I’m very proud of them.”
Media arts adjunct professor Lowell Engelman noted that it’s good for students to see what their peers are doing. “I tell my students that it’s good to compare themselves to other kids. It opens their eyes to what others are doing and makes them step up.”
McCandless admitted he knew the competition was going to be heavy. “You always think your work is great, but you’re not sure if someone else will see it the same way. We weren’t exactly expecting to win, and that’s what makes this great. It’s exciting.”
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