By Scout ’26
As someone who has always had a passion for film, I’ve been able to continue this passion alongside my academics through the video classes at Harvard-Westlake. I love that school not only provides an academic space, but also a creative one. When it feels like academics are always on people’s minds, filmmaking lets me take a step back for a second.
The people I’ve met in my video art classes range anywhere from those who’ve never picked up a camera, to those who have been making movies since childhood. The filmmaking opportunities at school are always open to everyone and anyone.
All seventh graders have an art requirement of either a semester or full year art class. These classes aren’t medium specific; therefore, they may explore film but not as a main focus. In eighth and ninth grade though, students can take Video Storytelling. It’s a semester-long class with two different levels. The first level of this class explores live-action and animation, as well as fundamental basics such as editing, writing, storyboarding, and shooting. The second level of this class builds upon the skills learned in the first level. Which allows students to use those skills to develop their storytelling into more substantial projects. These classes lay noble groundwork for filmmaking, but are also fun and stress-free environments.
Once you get to the upper school, there are many more opportunities to explore a love for film. Three full year classes are offered: Video Art I, Video Art II, and Honors Senior Seminar. Video Art I can be taken at any point during the upper school, and acts as a prerequisite for II, which is needed to take the Senior Seminar. Video Art I is my favorite class I’ve ever taken. The skills I developed, the friends I made, and the amazing teacher, Mx. Limerick, made it a great year for me.
There are a few specific aspects which have made my film experience very rewarding. One being the editing skills and software I’ve learned and been given access to. Editing has always been one of the trickiest parts of film for me, and it’s one of the most important. The editing fundamentals that I’ve been taught in my classes have greatly improved the quality of my work and my understanding of the skill. Additionally, the school gives us access to the editing software Premiere Pro. In my experience, Premiere has been the perfect balance of an advanced and understandable software.
Another aspect of Harvard-Westlake film that I love is the creative freedom. While we generally have prompts and project outlines, we have creative control over our own work. It really allows you to explore different ideas that genuinely interest you, and I’ve been able to finally give life to ideas I’ve always wanted to.
During such a stressful and challenging time in our lives, I’m grateful for the creative outlet film has provided me. Even though balancing all my classes can sometimes be hard, being part of the arts has helped my academic performance, and I’m proud of the progress I’ve made as a young filmmaker.
