 - [PBS Narrator] We tell
 stories at Milwaukee PBS.
Here's one you may have missed.
 - Some students at
 Franklin High School
 are learning something
 very dear to us here
 at Milwaukee PBS.
 They're fast becoming the
 next generation of film makers
and video story tellers.
Let see them in action.
 (whispered conversations)
 - [Narrator] They probably
 come in thinking they're just
 gonna pick up a camera
 and start shooting.
 CJ?
 - [CJ] Here.
- Jacob?
- [Jacob] Here.
- That's camera one, two, three
 - [Narrator] And then
 they start to learn that,
 oh my gosh,
there are so many
different jobs available
 - Teacher puzzles by Avery.
Simply mascots by Nick,
 and seven types
 of high schoolers.
- [Narrator] There are
so many things to learn.
 - And it will be better
 when I'm right over them.
 - [Narrator] And I think they
 get a little scared because
you've got thousands
of dollars of equipment
 in the studio and they're
 gonna learn all those jobs
 and then work together
 to produce a show.
 - [Trinity] I realized
 sophomore year that
 I should join the program,
 so I did and I just
 fell in love with it
 as soon as started.
That first day of class,
 I was like this
 is where I belong.
 - If you have an idea you
 can take it from the start
to the finish with shooting it,
 writing it,
 producing it,
 editing it.
 It's a lot of fun.
 - So this school has had some
 form of video in it since
 the early 80s.
 So thats 40 years almost of
 video production of some kind.
 So it's got a long
 history of it.
- This class is really based
off of how a company should run
 so we have deadlines we need
 to meet and if the deadlines
 aren't met then you don't
 get a grade for that project.
- It's on camera two but I want
you to lean into camera one
 and then we are going
 to cut to there.
 - [Gail] We keep about 10
 kids busy learning different
 jobs in the studio,
 so they learn all
 the studio jobs.
- [Mason] I do a lot of
work with the cameras
 and setting up the studio,
 as well as running the
 video switcher that we use
 for our web cast.
 - [Gail] I really wanted to
 give the kids a real world
 experience.
 - Put that in the
 back of your head.
 - [Gail] They need to
 understand the media message,
they need to understand
how it's created,
 so that they don't
 become a victim of it,
 but they really can
 understand and use it.
- Which one do you think
would be a better idea?
 The skit ones or the
 actual documentation.
 - You have more
 control over a skit.
- [Trinity] My directing
is like my big dream,
 but being on camera has never
 been a huge issue for me.
I sometimes host the Saber Roar.
 (energetic music)
 - Good morning Franklin
 High School and welcome back
 to the Saber Roar.
- [Gail] Our Saber
Roar creates community.
When you have 1500 kids,
 How do you create community?
 You need a common tie.
 Well, the Saber Roar,
 which is our news and
 entertainment show.
Once a week everybody's
watching it at one time.
 All these great things
 that go on in this school
 a lot of times kids,
people,
 don't know about them.
 We get to highlight all
 of them and show them back
 to the students and make
 them feel good about where
 they go to school.
 - Seeing the finished product
 is one of the best feelings
 in the world.
 Knowing that all the effort
 you put into something
 over the last month,
or few weeks has finally worked
out and everyone likes it.
- [Gail] We do all kinds
of videos where teachers
 are involved.
 Where they are the actors.
- Following the December 14
vote to repeal net neutrality...
 - [Gail] It's built around
 a particular teacher,
 it's personality.
 You know,
 a video we do.
- We built our one to
one program at Franklin.
 - [Gail] I literally have
 to eat and email and say is
 "anyone interested in helping
 kids out with this video?"
 and I will get email
 after email from teachers
who are willing to be on camera,
and if they are not
willing to be on camera,
 they are willing to
 donate their room,
 or whatever.
 You can not do this
 without a village,
 and I preach that to
 the kids all the time
 because I say to them
"you need to treat these
people with respect,
 "because as soon as they stop
 wanting to being interviewed,
 "or wanting to show
 up in your video,
 "we don't have a program."
 The reason we have such
 a rich program is because
 we have a village
 that truly supports it
 in everyway possible.
 - [Mason] What surprised me
 the most would definitely
 be the amount of collaboration
 that's necessary.
 You might be able to think
 that you could get by just
 doing it yourself,
 but you can't.
 You need to work with other
 people an rely on them
 and trust that they know
 what they are doing as well.
 - So where's the video footage
 of some of these things
we talked about?
 - [Gail When I teach
 this class I really teach
 it from two standards,
collaboration and communication.
And the kids all come in
really wanting to learn
 the video skills.
 And that is one of
 my standards as well,
 but that's,
 I look at that as the bait to
 get them to learn the other
 two things which are gonna,
 they're gonna use the
 rest of their life,
communication and collaboration.
 - [Mason] She tried to
 stress that we need to work
 with everybody
 and get out there,
 communicate with other people,
you really need to work
as a team in order to
 get the project that you want.
- [Gail] The kids will tell you,
 it's not a blow off class,
 the skills that they learn,
 leadership,
problem solving,
 critical thinking,
they learn to fail and recover.
 - [Trinity] Trying to find
 time to put aside where I'm
 not doing my extracurriculars,
 when I'm not at work,
 when I'm not having
 family problems,
 or needing to sleep.
 It's hard to find time to
 film but you just gotta get
 it in there and you gotta get
 it done as best as you can
 with what you have.
 - Ya, that's all done.
 - [Gail] I value them screwing
 up because we all know
 as adults,
when we've learned the
best lesson it's because
we've screwed something
up really big.
 - From here to here it
 seems like a big jump.
- [Gail] Then recovered.
 So I allow them to screw up.
 As long as they are trying,
 as long as they
 are moving forward,
 nnd in that screw up
 they can say to me,
 this is what I leaned,
 this is what I would
 do differently.
 To me, they prove learning.
 - What else did he say to you
that you thought
was interesting?
 - I focused more on the
 interview about what he did
 and what he does,
 rather than why are you here.
 - [Gail] I don't want them
 all to be film makers.
I want them to be communicators
and collaborators.
Those are the two things
that they will take
 with them forever.
 - [Mason] Over the course
 of the four years I've
 been in the program,
 I've really been able to
 grow my communication skills
 and I'm much more comfortable
 working with other people now.
- That's probably what surprised
me the most is how I've
grown into learning
this new skill and trade
 and just growing into
 trying to perfect my work.
- [Trinity] I think
what I'm most proud of,
 is the work that I've put in.
 The effort that I put into
 each piece and that people
 get to see it and
 can relate to it.
 That's my whole goal is to
 bring light to these people
 that don't have a voice and I
 wanna be that voice for them.
 - [Video] Is my
 collar bone showing?
 - [Trinity] Having the
 opportunity to have such an
outstanding class to be
able to show my voice,
 and be that voice,
 is just something
 outstandingly to be proud of.
 - [Gail] So those
 kind of things,
 knowing that they can make
 the world a better place,
to me is more important
than the video.
 The video's great,
 but I really think that you
 gotta be a citizen first
and a human being first
 and if you're a great
 film maker and good at it,
 and you got your start
 here, that's fabulous too.
 - [Video] See you next week.
 [PBS Narrator] Watch
 10thirtysix on Milwaukee PBS
 and watch online at
 milwaukeepbs.org.
