Jason Hanline, who has spent the last five years teaching English at Forsyth Central High School, says his love of film-making made him the go-to guy for anything film related that came up at school. Earlier this year, Jason was offered an opportunity he couldn’t resist: The chance to combine his love of film with his love of teaching.
Traditionally, Georgia’s high school students select a career path that falls into categories such as technology, fine arts, or world languages.
But now, with the help of high school teachers like Jason and the Georgia Film Academy, students have the opportunity to learn every aspect of the film industry from writing scripts to lighting and set design.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for Georgia students,” says Jason. “This in depth look into film wouldn’t be available to my students if it wasn’t for the Georgia film industry.”
Thirty high school teachers from around the state have participated in a two-week course with the Georgia Film Academy that introduced film-based curriculum to use in the classroom. The materials cover everything from lighting and set design to storyboarding.
“The state of Georgia is really pouring resources into equipment and software necessary to teach these classes,” says Jason. “The goal is for these students to have all the skills they need to create their own feature film.”