Lights, camera, action.
The University Union Ballroom was filled with aspiring filmmakers Wednesday for the 28th annual Student Educational Video Awards that celebrates their creative achievements.
Talents as young as kindergarten-age from within Sacramento and the surrounding region participated in the festival.
Sacramento State’s own Cameron Smith and James Vaughn received the highest honor of the night, the Student Education Video Award.
The two graduating film production seniors were awarded for “Second Wind,” a short documentary film following the healing journey of Smith’s older brother, Nick, who has overcome addiction.
“I’ve been making little videos since I was in high school. I got a computer, recording on the webcam in 2008. When I wanted to go to college, I realized you can get a degree in making films so I chose that path,” Smith said. “The hope would be that we go on to make films all over the place.” (Story continues below photo gallery)
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Vaughn also began his film dreams in high school and said he would like to eventually become a professional film editor.
“I would love to continue to make short films like the one tonight, but I have great hopes of coming up in the big leagues,” Vaughn said.
Among other hopefuls at the film festival were the youngsters getting a feel for the profession they hope to someday pursue.
“We learned about journalism throughout the year,” 12-year-old Jaylen Newhouse of Arden Middle School said. “This was a pretty fun event.”
Newhouse enjoys news stories and would like to attend college to pursue a career in filmmaking. Like other participants, he is taking the step now through his academic courses.
The SEVA ceremony was hosted by Sacramento Educational Cable Consortium. The event was also broadcast on the local Comcast 15 and 16 channels.
The film competition is open to all K-12 and college students within the Sacramento county. Each entry is required to have an educational purpose.
Categories fell under documentary, creative expression, public service announcement, school news and instructional video.