Photos by Re:imagine/ATL
An intensive yearlong program in film-making is one of the offerings at the small Atlanta nonprofit Re:imagine/ATL, which is committed to bringing diverse young people together. Here, students get set up to do an interview.
In Atlanta, the center of the South’s burgeoning film industry, a small nonprofit is bringing digital media and film-making skills to young people.
Located in a small community center, re:imagine/ATL runs a yearlong intensive program for a small group of students and is launching a pilot program for industry apprentices.
[Click to Read: More Apprenticeships For Young People on Horizon If Federal Legislation Passes]
[Click to Read: Apprenticeship Program Aims To Open Film Industry To Under-represented Young People]
It also trains teachers and provides student workshops in schools.
“We are an education and workforce development organization for the creative industry,” said Kimberlin Bolton.
But re:imagine/ATL is not just about skills development for a growing industry.
It’s about nurturing the artistic vision of marginalized young people — as well as bringing together students from a variety of backgrounds.
For example, in re:imagine/ATL’s workshop at Forrest Hill Academy, an alternative school for students who have had discipline problems, students discussed film character development.
Using a method created by the legendary acting teacher Uta Hagen, they put themselves in the character’s shoes and asked: Who am I? What are my circumstances? What do I want? What are my barriers?
As they did this exercise to analyze elements in a story, they prepared to tell their own. Students would produce a video reflecting themselves.
“Everybody needs to know how to tell their story,” Bolton said. For kids on the margins, the story is often told about them, not from their perspective, she said.
But telling one’s own story can be transformative, she said. It helps students understand who they are outside of their own circumstances, she said.
Teaching artists Paras Chaudhari and Gavin Bernard led the 10-week media production workshops at Forrest Hill Academy and Frederick Douglass High School. In a podcast, Embrace the Mess, released last year, they pointed out the challenges the students face: Their neighborhoods can be unsafe and some may not know where their next meal is coming from. They lack mentors and resources.
The media industry is “happening down the street,” the two said in their podcast. But students can’t be a part of it if they don’t have the tools and if no one is reaching out to them, they said.
Currently, re:imagine/ATL is providing equipment training for audio-visual teachers in Atlanta area school districts and is doing its student workshops online.
Teaching artists, including Gavin Bernard (left), also provide workshops in local schools and train local public school teachers.
Yearlong intensive training
Re:imagine/ATL’s current program is the yearlong No Comment Film Fellowship for students who are already seeking entrance into the film industry. Thirteen students are taking part this school year.
In the first semester, students learn to write, produce and pitch their own documentaries. They delve into their own lives for material. Last fall, a student explored the experience of raising a young black son. Another documentary looked at the experience of being in an abusive relationship during the pandemic.
“Everything that we do is through the lens of storytelling, which requires a lot of social emotional learning and support,” Bolton said.
This semester, students are working in groups to create two narrative films.
The No Comment Film Fellowship, which is supported by WarnerMedia, also matches a mentor with each student.
In February, with funding from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, re:imagine/ATL will launch a pilot program for apprentices in the creative media industry. This new federally registered apprenticeship offers on-the-job training and certification.
