Eli Lucas is a high school videographer who uses his skills to make a difference in his community. A recent example is “Mental Health Awareness,”  an animated public service announcement (PSA) that Eli created in collaboration with his school’s counseling department. Eli discusses that video and upcoming projects below.

 

Interview with Eli Lucas

MMM:  How did you develop your skills as a moviemaker?

Eli: I never actually took any classes or worked with anyone. I’ve always been interested with technology, but when I was younger my parents got me a laptop; I started messing around with Microsoft Paint and Windows Movie Maker. I’ve been making videos since I was 11, teaching myself how to edit and produce home videos with the different cameras I had available.

MMM: What motivated you to produce this video?

Eli: Some of my friends and I struggled with mental health throughout high school, so making this video about mental health/help resources was easy for me because I’m able to relate to that on a personal level. The Counselling Department reached out to me after viewing a video I made about coming out as transgender.

MMM: Could you briefly describe the gear and software that you used?

Eli: I used my iPhone 7 to record the video. I actually have a Panasonic FZ300 and a tripod for filming YouTube videos, but for this one I decided to use my phone. I took my phone, used painters tape and taped it to a metal pole I found in my garage, then taped the pole onto my hamster tank. My phone sat right on top of my drawing space, so I just hit record and started drawing. The only source of light I used in the video was the light from my window and my desk lamp. For editing I used iMovie on my laptop because that’s just what I prefer to use.

MMM: Could you talk about writing the script?

Eli: The Counselling Department gave me a couple guidelines to follow like mentioning some of the resources we have available to students, and making the video school-appropriate, but I came up with the script myself. I modeled the main character after myself; I really was the kid in the video. I was going through my own issues and I looked for help.

MMM: During the production, did you encounter any big problem?

Eli: Because I’m self-taught, in production, editing and filming is a lengthy process for me sometimes. The first problem I had was with the lighting; I filmed during two different times of the day, so the background lighting was significantly different between the different runs of the video I made. My solution to that was to re-film certain parts and then edit it into the video. My main problem though was during the exportation process; before it was completely done exporting, I accidently deleted the raw video files and ended up having to re-film. The video took me in total about 10 hours to make throughout the span of a few days.

MMM: Why did you choose to shoot with a smartphone rather than a traditional camera?

Eli: It made it more personal for me and was more convenient. The disadvantage of using a smartphone was sacrificing the video quality. I found through personal experience that it can be mended with editing adjustments and better lighting.

MMM: Did you work with anyone else on the production?

Eli: I asked a lot of my friends for feedback during the planning phases of the video, and before it was published. I’m very self-conscious of the work I do so I run it by about 30 people and ask, “Is this really perfect?” before I publish it. Another cool part of making the video was getting to work with the Counselling Department. One social worker at my school had helped with my mental health throughout adolescence. She guided me through the planning phase, and I appreciated it a lot.

MMM: What kind of reaction did the video get?

Eli: All my friends and family are super proud of me and I’m grateful for that. Because the video was played in front of the whole school during announcements, many teachers and students congratulated me because they thought the video was cool.

MMM: What’s next on your moviemaking agenda?

Eli: I’m passionate about making a difference especially in the transgender community because I’m Trans. Right now I’m in the process of making a short film about transgenderism in teens, specifically what it means to suffer from gender dysphoria (the condition of feeling one’s emotional and psychological identity as male or female to be opposite to one’s biological sex). I’m also about to start a documentary series about my medical transition because I’m starting hormone replacement therapy next month. Within the next few months those videos should be available on my youtube channel.

# # #

If you know of other student-shot videos—in any genre—let us know at info@mobilemoviemaking.com.