Lights, camera, action! The classroom is decorated with film posters from student filmmakers and adorned with festival awards. Each poster is a testament to indie filmmaking and hours of hard work. Film is an artistic expression that can be found in numerous ways, from set design, editing effects, and other creative forms, all to tell a story.
Filmmaking dates back to 1878 with Eadweard Muybridge's The Horse in Motion. Now, films are hours long and full of large-scale special and practical effects. The filmmaking industry has come a long way, and many schools, including Mid-Pacific, have incorporated it into their curricula.
The Mid-Pacific School of the Arts Film Program, led by Jana Park, has been a growing part of the school’s arts program. The program was established in the 1990s and has since greatly expanded, now consisting of classes from Film 1 up to IB Film II HL. Students in the film program have reached success outside of school, winning international awards in places like New Zealand and England and have gained experiences through working on professional film crews, building names in the industry.
“There’s a lot of emails about opportunities to help other people in their films, because even though you're in one class, you can come out and help out in the other classes, and volunteer. You can get to try different roles that you've never tried before,” junior Estella Lundquist said.
Lundquist has experience working on multiple films in many roles, from acting, editing, cinematography, and production design.
The film program is unique from the other arts programs at Mid-Pacific because students can travel outside of Hawai’i, work on real film sets, meet industry professionals, and gain countless skills, including design and cinematography. Meaning, students learn valuable lessons for when they move on from Mid-Pacific. Students also have many tools at their disposal to bring their stories to life with various sets, professional actors to cast, and the chance to submit their films to prestigious festivals.
“We have a pretty good campus that we can film on, and we have good connections in the film community,” sophomore and film lI student Reef Miyasato said.
However, even with the programs' success, there remains a lack of representation among the Mid-Pacific community. The film program doesn’t appear in the ‘Arts’ section of the website and doesn’t receive much promotion on the school’s social media. Even though it is mentioned under ‘Visual Arts,’ there are no quotes or pictures about the film program. There are pictures in the Photo Gallery on MyPueo, only accessible by students, but they are dated from 2017.
“I think our film program is definitely really underrepresented, and I also think that word-of-mouth is very important. So for example the website, I feel like it could be updated more… But not everyone reads the newsletters, and people who aren't affiliated with Mid-Pacific won't receive them,” senior Layla Yamamoto said. Yamamoto has been in film for four years. “People who are interested in it, who have a kid who's into film, won't realize that we have a really good film program with an awesome teacher who has connections to the entertainment industry.”
Even with limited representation, many MPSA film alumni have gone on to great places thanks to the industry connections and film experiences they have gained. Cameron Koike (‘25) has gone to Loyola Marymount University to study film, and Kailey Holbrook (‘25) is attending USC School of Cinematic Arts, a high-profile international film program. Koike got her film ‘Christmas Lights’ screened at the Jane Austen Film Festival in Bath, England and Holbrook received many awards for her work. Both received numerous accolades while at Mid-Pacific. These alumni have received success and continued in film after being in the class. The MPSA film program has many opportunities and helps students get into great film programs.
“I think students should join the film program if they are interested in watching films and learning about how films are made and getting to work together to make some fun films,” said Park.
The film program provides students with a warm environment to configure their skills. Students learn skills from analysis to organization to practical skills like lighting. Film students can use these skills for non-film jobs, such as marketing. Students can also win awards at Mid-Pacific’s final film festival, held each May. It is a collaborative, celebratory event that film students and non-film students can attend.
From professional actors, versatile sets, high-tech equipment, and a welcoming atmosphere, the MPSA film program is a special opportunity for students to get behind the scenes of the film industry.
“[The film program] is amazing and awesome, specifically because you get to be surrounded by people who share your passion for filmmaking and a teacher who has experience,” Yamamoto said.
