You may not know, but classroom C102 at Tahoma high school is full of bright ideas and opportunities in video production for students of every grade. Throughout the school year, video production students spend their time promoting their creativity with the support and passion of Mr. Hagg and the plethora of state-of-the-art production equipment at their fingertips. 

“The way that I was staying afterward to work on something school-related and having so much fun with it and making friends out of it was really what made me realize like, okay, this is going to be my thing in high school.” Said Natalie Kloepfer, a fourth-year video production student when asked if there was a specific moment that got her hooked on the class. 

Many years ago Mr. Hagg was asked if he would teach the video production class at Tahoma High School and with little experience- but a lot of passion it has turned into something much more. It started out as a class with a few handheld cameras and computers to film and edit with but over the years has changed into a class with the newest technology and advanced spaces to create.

Even if you are not in video production you surely have seen the weekly video announcements. All of these video announcements are solely made by students. Mr. Hagg may have input or some things that needed to be included, but every week a rotating group of students spends time brainstorming, filming, and editing the video announcements for our enjoyment.

One of the students elaborated on the thought process behind the announcements . “Mostly it’s in our control and we look at different things. We’re like, all right, what do we think would be a good idea to put in announcements this week? What do we think is important for the school to know? That is maybe like going on unknown.”

Video production goes beyond the video announcements or sports videos that students see. A lot of students’ time is spent working on film projects and creative challenges.

Outside of school video production students also occasionally team up to participate in challenges like insomniacs; a time-restricted challenge based on a prompt and certain qualifications. At the end of the year, video production holds a showcase to give these projects time to shine. You can see the hard work and dedication that goes into these projects created by students. 

Third-year video production student Zoe Shinas and fourth-year student Natalie Kloepfer were asked if they had anything to say to students considering video production and almost exactly in synch like it was planned they immediately said “do it”. 

While speaking to video production students an overwhelming theme of the conversations is how much they didn’t know before joining the class and how much they urge students to give it a try. Whether it is because of the amazing technology, close bonds, or creative expression, video production is a great class that not many schools have the chance to take advantage of so consider it when the 2023-2024 class registration rolls around.