What does the ocean mean to you?
This June, freshman Carson Strassman pondered this question by entering a student film contest put on for World Ocean’s Day and took home first place.
His answer came in the form of colors, sounds, images. Turquoise coral reefs that provide refuge for seals, eels and fish. An orange sun sinking below pale green hills that lead down to the coast. An angry blue sea crashing against jagged islands. The soft lull of currents swaying from side to side, the distant rumble of waves colliding with the shore.
The ocean not only brings vibrance and color to our planet, it provides life. But our ocean is dying, and it is a direct result of humans, Carson believes.
“Without the ocean, life would cease to exist,” Carson narrated over video of an eel swimming through rocks. “It is time for us to become aware of these dangers and do something about it.”
The contest was put on by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society with the intention of having students create a film based on the phrase, “What does World Ocean’s Day mean to you?”
Carson attended the Cinematic Arts Academy at Millikan Middle School for three years, where he learned everything he needed to know about filmmaking, including editing, sound design, technique, and more. “I was really interested in creating stories and telling them,” Carson explained.
His experience in the program was extremely beneficial, he said. Not only did he learn how to make all types of movies, he learned that although it can be hard work, making movies is also fun.
So, when Sea Shepherd reached out to the Cinematic Arts Academy for the student film contest, Carson jumped at the opportunity.
To film the movie, Carson traveled to Ireland over his winter vacation, and also used his knowledge of scuba diving to capture footage of marine wildlife.
Carson explained that the longer the film, the longer it takes to edit. Even though his film for the Sea Shepherd contest was under three minutes in length, it took several hours a day for a week to come up with the final product.
Although the process of creating a film can be quite tedious, Carson believes that the more effort he puts into the film, the more his audience will enjoy it.
The panel of judges for the competition were all experienced documentary filmmakers who had worked with Sea Shepherd in the past and gave all of the eight students that entered great notes to help them improve their skills.
Nearly two months after submitting the final version, Carson received the news that his three minute film Oceans had won the competition, beating the runner-up by only one vote.
Upon his victory, Carson received many compliments from esteemed filmmakers, such as the director of documentary Cowspiracy, Kip Anderson and was featured in Sea Sheperd’s article on the event.
Carson credits his former teacher, Karen Bennett, for helping in his success.
“My teacher is probably one of the best film teachers ever,” Carson said. “She’s amazing…It’s incredible how good she is.”
In response, Ms. Bennett said that Carson’s success was the result of his own hard work. She spoke of the immense growth that he went through over the course of his three years at Millikan School.
“By the time Carson was in the eighth grade he was a leader in the program,” she recalled. “He did absolutely beautiful work, as you can see by his Oceans documentary. He worked so hard on set and was someone I grew to trust with some of the most difficult jobs.”
After he won the competition, Carson’s film was professionally sound remixed on a Hollywood soundstage by some of the industry’s best sound editors, and then was shown in a festival at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles.
Besides receiving immense support and positive responses from the filmmaking community, the film has now also acquired nearly 20,000 views.
When asked how he felt about his success with the film, Carson responded that he was most excited about spreading a positive message that is able to inspire change. He also added that the experience in creating the film allowed him to become more conscious of human impact on the ocean.
“When I was researching [for the film] I realized just how much pollution we have created,” he explained. “So every time I go to a beach now I try to pick up any trash that I see.”
Following his success in filmmaking, Carson is now pursuing his interest in photography. This year he is taking photo class for his art requirement with teacher John Boyd. “I like to express my visions in pictures. It’s a way to show what you think about,” Carson said. “It’s a way to show what you’re thinking instead of just telling it.”
Filmmaking and photography are art forms, and as with any art they take lots of practice to learn how to do well, Ms. Bennett believes. She also gave advice to any students who hope to pursue either of these fields.
“You don’t need a classroom full of expensive equipment or a teacher with an impressive resume to learn how to make an award winning film,” she said. “Your smart phone has technology that five years ago would have cost thousands of dollars.”
Students are able to use their films as a way to speak on all different topics like social issues, to spread awareness, express themselves, or simply as a way to tell a story. For Carson, he uses his skills in the art to convey his thoughts and ideas.
Carson’s impressive accomplishments help inspire others to pursue their passions, and show that with hard work and dedication anyone can be successful, no matter their age or circumstance.
“After high school or maybe in college I want to become a photographer and create films on the side, and do that as my passion,” Carson concludes. “Film is just a way to express yourself, so if you have an idea or a message that you want to send out, make a film, and try to spread it, and hopefully people will get your message.”
Watch Carson’s film here: