Staff and instructors with graduates of summer programme for digital media photography and videography.
ANGUILLA--On Saturday afternoon, July 13, eighteen students who had participated in intense, week-long photography and videography classes received their certificates. The classes were offered by the Ministry of Social Development’s Department of Youth and Culture’s (DYC’s) “Educational Summer Creative Arts Production and Entertainment” (ESCAPE).
DYC Programme Assistant and lead for the programme, Kalyn Mairyshaw welcomed family and friends who filled the Teachers Resource Centre in The Valley to celebrate with the students as well as view examples of their finished products. Photographer Zuri Wilkes along with Crispin Brooks and Ralston Smith taught the photography and videography classes. In addition to showing examples of the students’ work, the instructors praised the students’ excellent behaviour and focused and professional approach.
Wilkes covered a wide range of photography tasks with the students during the week, to include camera settings, the effect of lighting, and indoor versus outdoor shooting. Transferring examples of the portrait and landscape images taken by the students from a computer onto a wide-screen television, the audience was able to appreciate both their creativity and newly learned skills.
Brooks and Smith also projected the professional videography skills of their students onto the big screen. Stressing the importance of videography telling a story and capturing history, they said in addition to teaching the students the professional skill-sets of video making, they encouraged them to pursue documenting topics that interested them. The audience was treated to professional video coverage of interviews with a 2019 Anguilla Queen contestant, an interview with management staff from a local five-star hotel, and an interview with Anguillian musicians.
This is the 13th year that the DYC has hosted the ESCAPE programme. Having started July 8 and to run through August 28, 10 programmes in culinary arts, music, drumming, pottery, marine heritage and digital apps and animation classes are being offered in addition to the photo/video classes. The programme’s objective is to develop the knowledge and skills of school-age youth in the arts and to involve them in culturally relevant activities using creative and innovative methodologies.
