BALTIMORE — Thanks to some generous donations, Baltimore School for the Arts is giving its students an opportunity that not very many get and could have a tremendous impact on their future.
Inside the walls of the school, you will find some of the most passionate students around. For the past 18 months, students at BSA have been working on a docuseries filming a year in the life at the art school. It’s the largest student-led professional developmental project the school has ever done.
“For us as filmmakers, it really develops our skills and makes us better at what we do and gives us a chance to step into the real world of film-making and then also, I think it is important for the school because it shows the school in a different light," said Shamir Burg, a sophomore director.
Like many others in his class, Burg's had a significant hand in the film.
Lucy Garcia and Noah Dixon are also two sophomores directing and producing a segment about their TWIGS program, a free after-school program that prepares young kids for life as a future BSA student.
“I was really worried at first. I was like oh my God, I’ve been handed this incredibly big assignment, and I’m probably going to screw it up, and how do you come back from that? But actually, it’s been an incredibly helpful experience," said Garcia.
That pressure helped these young students enhance their craft and get real-world experience.
"It’s definitely been a challenge, but it’s been incredibly rewarding. I think about all the things that we’ve achieved and all the people that we’ve talked to and all that like praise and success that we’ve gotten and I’m really proud of us," said Garcia.
Students have been diligent, attending weekend workshops and putting in summer hours.
"It’s a huge huge project. The students are super committed to it, and it’s so beautiful to see them work together and put all their energy in it while our normal curriculum is still going on," said Bia Bufrahi, chair of BSA's film department.
Faculty and staff love that students get a chance to work across grades. Something that never happens under the current curriculum.
"It’s just beautiful to see how these teams are formed in the collaboration between the students," said Bufrahi.
The film is projected to be released this fall. The premiere will be on campus.
BSA will submit the docuseries to the festival circuit and pitch the show to distributors. There's high expectations for this group of students.
"I feel like everybody’s gonna watch it and then just kind of realize the amount of work, and time and effort that everyone in this building puts into their art," said Garcia.
"Before I came in, there was definitely a lot of stigma around the school like the people here and what we do like if it’s worth it or not. If I didn’t go to the school, and I watched this documentary, I would think it was worth it because we captured the true essence and beauty of what the school does it’s life-changing really," said Dixon.
