Two men sit on a bus bench. One is dressed in business attire, cell phone in hand, the other can’t hold a steady job.
It’s the premise of a short film done by Live Oak and Sobrato high school students Jennifer Gonzalez, 16, Edgar Gonzalez, 15 and Irisbel Gonzalez, 14 who participated in March’s Adobe Youth Voices film camp in San Jose.
Over the course of three weekends, the three students attended camp, part of the Adobe Youth Foundation, and learned the ins and outs of filmmaking: how to shot, mix sound, produce and edit film.
The catch is, the three have never so much as picked up a movie camera to make a film before.
“We were at a huge disadvantage because we had no knowledge on how to do it,” said Jennifer. “It was very challenging because most of the people had the knowledge to use a camera or write a script.”
The three even missed the first week of the camp because they found out about the program late, yet even under deadline pressure, the five-minute short was finished and showed at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose.
Titled “Paths of Color,” the film focuses on the theme of higher education and economic opportunity. Two grown men who knew each other when they were younger meet unexpectedly at a bus stop. One is now an educated businessman while the other struggles to support himself and jumps from job to job.
The trio thought of the idea for the film through their involvement in Project Roadmap, the group that brought on last year’s “No Excuses” conference to bring information to students (and their parents) that would be first-generation college students.
Jessica, who attends Sobrato, said they wanted the film to reflect the encouragement they receive with Project Roadmap-which emphasizes the importance of getting an education.
“What happens if you don’t have an education?” said Jessica.
Jessica said her group never thought about filmmaking before, but were happy to take the opportunity to try it out. They found out about the camp through Morgan Hill Unified School District trustee, Claudia Rossi and Morgan Hill’s 2012 man of the year Mario Banuelos.
The film is now displayed on the Adobe Youth Voices website, and can be viewed at: http://youthvoices.adobe.com/youth-media-gallery/themes/3-education/media/395
