Twenty of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s WMSD-TV students competed against 3,000 other students from all across the country in Student Television Network’s national film competition. This year, the WMSD-TV program was able to come back with the most awards they have gotten in a single STN trip – a total of five awards. The competition was held on three different days from March 14-16 at the Long Beach Convention Center in California, and was held by the Student Television Network.

The students who attended competed in eight events: documentary, short film, music video, commercial, movie trailer, silent film or a sports commentary. Each student in the WMSD-TV program had to compete in at least two of the events: one large group event, and one individual event. Leading up to the competition, students had practices after school, on weekends, and spent time practicing during school that would simulate the actual STN convention.

The WMSD-TV program had practiced for months, and they have the awards to demonstrate their hard work. They met up outside of school and replicated how certain aspects of the competition would happen. Students would have 8 hours to create their final project of the practice.

“I’m so excited to go out there and learn more about filming,” freshman Sophia Rodriguez said. “I’ve been working with everybody for a few months, but I still have so much to learn from everybody and I’m excited to continue the class.”

One of the practices held was for the event called “Crazy 8’s,” which is the event where students have eight hours to write, shoot, and edit a documentary or short film.

The other categories, which would take place over the next two days of the competition, were called individuals. These were small group projects in which students had six hours or less, depending on the competition, to create a film or broadcast news submission. MSD entered in the individual categories of music video, short film, movie trailer, sports commentary and commercial.

“I can’t wait to compete in California with all of my TV friends. I hope it turns out well as we expected,” senior Matthew Kaufman said.

Kaufman’s small group had decided to make a music video for their practice. To keep things running smoothly, the group had a checklist of what needed to happen in their music video and timed themselves to see how quickly they could get scenes done. They recorded, edited and submitted their practice video for the practice.

Students who attended STN got a successful ending and placed in five of the eight categories they submitted to.

The documentary short film submission to the prompt “Jack of All Trades,” created by sophomores Camila Gonzalez and Nisa Kurt, seniors Dillon Causey, Macy Meis and Xzander Major and juniors Gabriel Nierman and Riley Walsh, won first place in the Crazy 8 documentary category.
The short film submission to the prompt “I Remember Everything,” created by seniors Cassidy Tarr, Alexia Padowitz, Lucas Gonzalez, M. Kaufman, Alex Gott, Daniella Santacruz, juniors Melissa Azzarito, Maia Taylor, Xyen Walker, sophomores Victoria Damaso, Ava Thomas, and freshmen Ellis Reuvers and Rodriguez, won an honorable mention in the Crazy 8 short film category.

The first place winners for the silent film category under the prompt “Do You Hear That?” were sophomore Kurt, Padowitz and Walker.

Damaso and Thomas, Reuvers and Walsh won the first place award with the prompt “Fine Line.”

The third place for a short film with the theme “Off the Grid” was C. Gonzalez, Azzarito, seniors L. Gonzalez and Gott.

“Everyone who competed committed themselves greatly with the intention of winning, which paid off,” C. Gonzalez said. “I am very grateful for the very talented teams I was able to be a part of.”

During the trip, as a way to relax before and during the days of the competition, WMSD-TV was able to tour Long Beach and Los Angeles the first and second day they arrived. This aspect was able to bring more fun to the STN competition to the students.

WMSD-TV students who were not competing on certain days were able to visit TV related programs and tours. Students visited Sony Studios, Paramount Pictures Studios and had a TMZ tour. TV students were also able to go to Disneyland before the days of the competition.

“Everyone in our program has been working super hard towards this competition. We’ve been practicing for months, and it’s all coming together right before we head out to California,” Tarr said. “I’m super proud of how far everyone has come and can’t wait to see it pay off in our competition,”

WMSD-TV’s next STN convention will be in Tampa from March 1-4 in Tampa, FL. The only remaining events are online competitions for the rest of the year. WMSD-TV hopes to continue participating in the STN trip for the 2024-2025 school year.