A small window into the experience of students from the Benjamin Franklin International School in Barcelona who spent a week near Dakar, Senegal in Mbaye Fall, working in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity.

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These four BFIS students took first prize for submitting their anti-bullying campaign, Dear Bullies, [click on the image above to view it] to the PSA category at the Phoenix International Film Festival.

Hats off to Reid, Marcos, Alex and Patrick

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Here’s what happens when you show silent films that are nearly 100 years old to some 7-year-olds: they roll on the floor laughing. Chaplin and Keaton. All you need.

Once they catch their breath, give them some toys to use as characters in their own stories with little or no input from outsiders ie “grown-ups”.

The goal is to let them work out their own creative differences, while gently holding the reigns of control assisting them with making their own silent movies that make sense to them. Perhaps, to them alone.

Then, help them make simple storyboards, title pages and backdrops for their first silent movies.

Each production team of 3 or so rehearse at least once in front of the camera before we call out “Camera Rolling…” and “ACTION!”

The results are fascinating in each their own way, perhaps even moreso as collections rather than each by itself, though some do stand on their own quite well [click the image above to watch]

Conrad Praetzel made the music.

some of the others are here

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This week at BFIS, we made our own Public Service Announcements [PSAs].

Broadcast PSAs came into widespread use in the late 1940’s with the famous “Only you can prevent forest fires” tagline of Smokey the Bear.

The students are creating PSAs around many issues, including identity, sustainability and justice.

Would you like to watch more? Click here.

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This is one of the films I made this Spring with 11-year-olds in Barcelona.

Here’s another one.