What is the upcoming Digital Media Arts and Communications class all about?
Hilary Morefield, VHS’ film club supervisor and teacher for digital photography and digital art, is pushing for a video production class called “Digital Media Arts and Communications,” or DMAC for short. DMAC will come to VHS in the coming 2026-27 school year and it will be the first time VHS has had a film production class. The class will be focused on teaching students the various forms of video production and their steps. “We’ll be focusing on creating short films, so both narrative, documentary, we’ll also be doing a little bit of broadcasting, news, experimental movies, animation. It’s really a survey type course to introduce you to different forms of video production.” Says Morefield. DMAC will also cover pre and post production, such as editing, cinematography, graphics and audio production.
“Video is so much a part of our culture these days,” said Morefield. Since the invention of the Le Prince Single-lens Cine Camera, video has grown to become one of the most consumed forms of digital media in the world. Video has aided a broad range of fields, such as the press, entertainment, documentation, education and more. “[Having] the skills to be able to produce videos on your own, they’ll benefit you no matter what type of career you get into,” said Morefield.
Morefield was inspired to bring this class to VHS because of her background in film. Having studied film at the University of California, San Diego, Morefield went on to teach film workshops in Europe with an organization called Outside The Lens. “It’s part of my original passion in teaching,” said Morefield.
This year, being her third year trying to bring DMAC to VHS, Morefield encouraged spreading the word to join the course. DMAC will be a beginner friendly class, accepting students from any grade or level of expertise in film. Despite being easy for beginners to join, Morefield still welcomes those with experience.
Above all, Morefield hopes that the class will provide students with an opportunity to make friends and have fun, while learning important skills and creating art that matters to you. “I’m gonna be there to teach you the technical, but I want you to make films that are about things that are important to you.”
