The class assignment was straightforward: Create a mini-documentary about COVID.
How some Point Loma High School students in Anthony Palmiotto’s cinematic arts program articulated that theme was captivating and enlightening.
Titled “All of the Above,” this PLHS web series created in Palmiotto’s theater arts class was the essence of “project-based learning,” which provides students with real-world experience in an authentic and purposeful manner.
Noting his students got college credit for their three- to five-minute mini-docs, Palmiotto felt many of them went above and beyond in creating material that was truly insightful.
“One girl talked about how she’d stopped playing softball and didn’t care since she was locked down at home,” he said. “Then she said, all of a sudden, she found herself in her backyard hitting into a net and working on her (batting) swing. Now she’s a star on the softball team. That’s a cool story.”
“The theme of my mini-doc was how COVID affected softball,” said Georgia Kelly about her mini-doc on softball admitting “sometimes when you have time away from something you love, that can tell you the truth about how you feel (about it). I learned the basics of how documentaries are made and how to edit clips and music together to create different emotions.”
Student Nathaniel Snyder said his mini-doc theme on COVID was “learning what I want to pursue as a career and why.”
“My mini-doc was about how the pandemic affected my volleyball season,” said Makenna Fuller. “Since it was a team sport, my teammates and I had to learn to adjust to wearing masks, no high fives, no team huddles, and we weren’t allowed to travel for tournaments. It was difficult.”
“My project was about how creativity fueled my passion for filmmaking during the pandemic,” noted Aidan Ayyad. “I learned a lot about the documentary filmmaking process and how it allows you to tell any story that you want, anything that inspires, and that you can tell that story and might even inspire others through it.”
“My video was about starting and owning your own business,” said student Zackary Hansen. “I learned about interviewing, the importance of high-quality B roll, and how important good camera shots are. When I first submitted my rough draft I had little B roll and no background music. Background music and ambiance is really important to a video because it makes the video more interesting.”
Palmiotto pointed out that PLHS is back to in-person learning with full-class sizes.
Of the “All Of The Above” web series, the cinema arts instructor commented: “The word is incubator. These kids were shown how to make mini-documentaries, an easy topic they all had experience with. They came up with some really creative stuff. They learned to focus.”
A trailer for the student’s mini-docs on COVID can be viewed at
