PFS Education Department
Shane Jung
The PFS Education Department aims to create and execute both filmmaking and media literacy programs for all youth in Philadelphia. It is led by Education Manager Madeline Charne '14 who is trained as a teaching artist in theater and in film. The department partners with various youth centers and schools to run in-house afterschool and summer programs teaching documentary filmmaking, film criticism, film analysis, among others. It also provides field trips for students to local film festivals and screenings for the goal of enrichment, social awareness, and media literacy. But ultimately, the department aims to empower youth, particularly those that are underserved, to tell their own stories unique to their experiences and communities as emerging voices.
I worked with Madeline for their residency at The Attic Youth Center, which is dedicated to creating opportunities for LGBTQ youth and forming a safe and supportive community as they transition into adulthood. The image above depicts myself leading a workshop on operating a DSLR camera. Madeline and I went in once a week for 2-hour blocks on Thursday afternoons. This particular residency was a documentary filmmaking program from which students would leave with a complete (or work-in-progress) short documentary to be screened by PFS. The curriculum was mostly designed by Madeline from previous programs. However, we collaborated on making several adjustments throughout the semester due to a lack of consistent attendance/engagement. For example, we had to work around students' problems with transportation getting to the center and access to filmmaking equipment. As a result, I held virtual office hours once a week during which I answered any of their questions and also came in twice a week instead of once to help them shoot their projects. In that sense, I felt included in the curriculum-building process as well as when I was responsible for leading two weeks completely on my own. One of which was the DSLR workshop above, and the other was an editing workshop focused on working with music and cutting with multiple audio tracks. The class size was always small, between 3 and 6 students, so I was able to work with each student 1 on 1. However, the most exciting part of my job was not teaching them technical skills but hearing their ideas and witnessing their excitement as their ideas began developing into concrete images and sounds.
The PFS Education Department stands among other Philly organizations who also filmmaking apprenticeships and workshops, such as WHYY and Scribe. However, it stands out by its mission to provide access to festivals/screenings as well as workshops for learning how to watch film in addition to how to make it. Madeline has identified a lack of funding and urgency regarding the implementation of film and media studies in Philadelphia's public school system. This is especially problematic in the current world of media saturation, niche marketing, and data. Thus, the department works in the margins of public education under an outside-in approach with the hopes of providing opportunities for those who need it most.