Walking into Terri Morabito’s Upper School classroom, you get the feeling that you’ve just walked into a production studio. You have! There are large screen Mac computers lining the classroom with 3 other rooms attached. `Some of the students leave the room, one with a video camera connected to a large microphone. Others sit at one computer and try to find siren sounds to attach to their video clip for Raw Footage (a weekly Upper School production by Digital Cinema students). Mrs. Morabito divides her time between students filming in the hallway and those working in the classroom.

Using video editing software Final Cut Pro X, students learn to create video footage of clay figures in Digital Cinema I and progress to anchoring Raw Footage in front of a green screen in Digital Cinema III.

Mrs. Morabito graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Radio-Television degree. She has also received additional training on Final Cut Studio. She began with a tiny, converted teacher workroom on the 3rd floor of Faith Hall with the first five Macintosh computers on the TFA campus. The program has developed into a challenging 3 year program where students utilize the audio editing room to download their video footage and the studio where students film using the green screen. Through the years, Mrs. Morabito has willingly led the way in utilizing the technology provided for her. She uses these tools to direct students in collaboration, enthusiasm and teamwork used daily in her program. She said, “Our class motto is ‘above reproach’ and we strive to honor God in all we do. Also, we pray for an influential person in the media each day.”

Every week the students, along with guidance from Mrs. Morabito, choose the topics that will be included in the next Raw Footage production. They collaborate in small groups to develop the script, create music using Garageband, stage the video clips, download and edit the video footage. The finished product is played in all Upper School classrooms every Thursday morning.

Mrs. Morabito gives multi-tasking a whole new meaning. She moves around the studio classroom assisting students with their various projects. She provides constructive suggestions as she watches student video clips and she praises students when they improve their footage. She provides a very positive, contagiously creative classroom environment. “I love this field because you are constantly learning and utilizing new technology. The skills that students develop through this program are skills they will use throughout college and in their careers.” she stated.

This year, Mrs. Morabito received an Apple TV to enhance her program. The Apple TV allows students to connect wirelessly from any of the student computers in her classroom. They share their edited Raw Footage clip with the other students in the class. This provides additional collaboration as students make suggestions for improving projects.

For the upcoming Raw Footage production, Digital Cinema III students Kennedy Wilson and Lindsey Strube are leading a group of students in producing a segment on Student Detention. Kennedy has an AH-HA moment! She realizes they can use the anchor desk to create a tunnel effect to look like they are crawling through an air duct. Utilizing the flashlight app on a student’s cell phone, they light the way through the imaginary tunnel. Mrs. Morabito states, “It’s just another day in Digital Cinema III.”