Student Cinematographer Chase Carver lines up a shot of the Quartz Mountain Lodge and Twin Peaks Performance Hall at the 2002 Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute.
During the summer of 2002 I was invited to join my colleague from the North Carolina School of the Arts, director Dan McKinny, along with editor Joe Hahle and documentary filmmaker Paul Taggert, at the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute held at Quartz Mountain, Oklahoma. Each year gifted students between the ages of 14 and 18 are selected to attend based on their demonstrated talent in their chosen field. The Institute offers classes with professionals in the fields of Acting, Dance (both modern and ballet), Music, Poetry, Drawing and Painting, Photography and Filmmaking.
The students in the filmmaking program had to make an entire short film from script, re-write, preproduction, casting, location scouting, filming, editing, reshoots and complete post in two weeks. It was an intense but totally wonderful experience to work with them and I was thrilled and honored to be a part of the program. The students were an amazing bunch of talented and promising individuals.
Below are the posters for the four student productions made that year. (click to view larger)
| The Journey |
Swimming with the Enemy |
The Hike | Carnivore Campers |
 |
 |
 |
 |