Over the past several weeks, the Quad Cities Arts' Metro Arts Youth Apprenticeship Program worked with nine young apprentices who were chosen from the Quad Cities to write and shoot two short films. The students worked under Stacy Barton, an Augustana Associate Professor.
Barton established a film major and minor at Augustana in December 2022. The program focuses on creating well-rounded film-makers, giving them the skill set that they need to take an idea into its final stages of production.
The apprentices, aged fifteen to twenty, were paid in a five week long course of filmmaking. Each week focused on a different skill set, which included learning to script write, creating different characters, collecting footage, and learning to edit.
Divided into two teams, each team had their own theme for the films that the students had to interpret for a script. The first group's theme was the past and the second group's theme was the future.
Barton is excited to wrap up the films. “The projects, they’re amazing and I’m really really excited to share with the community what they’re creating.”
The program wraps up on July 11th in a premiere viewing of the films. The final showcase will be held at the Rock Island Public Library Watts- Midtown Branch Community Rooms from 6 to 7 pm.