Classic Toy Studios combines AV-programs, creates Prom video
Ash Rantilla records Jonathan Lesslie in the library. Lesslie’s short film was a thriller called “Don’t Run.”
People bustled around restlessly to find a seat before the assembly began. Once the film started rolling, everything quieted down. Familiar faces flashed across the screen portraying silly characters and nonsensical stories. Everybody cheered for their friends. Even the candidates laughed at themselves. The tradition of the Prom and Homecoming Court video is always a crowd-pleaser. The student body gets to know the candidates as they promote themselves on camera.
Junior Ash Rantilla and senior Luke Miller bounce ideas off of each other during a meeting between prom court candidates and Classic Toy Studios. The 2017 Prom video was a parody of the Oscars.
At the beginning of the school year, the upper level video classes were moved from both Lawrence High and Free State to the College and Career Center where they have been merged into one class.
“Really for the first time we had LHS students with the Free State students,” AV Tech teacher Scott Smith said. “That was something I have always wanted to do.”
Since the relocation of both classes, school-run production teams, like Firebird and Room 125 Productions dissolved. The two programs combined to form a new production, Classic Toy Studios.
Griffin Nelson carries a wheeled tri-pod to the next shooting location. “…if its not going to be a better video it’s going to be a better experience,” Nelson said. “Not only for myself but also all the students involved.”
“I wanted something that was branded; distinctive,” Smith said. “Something that was cool, but at the same time had absolutely nothing to do with either high school.”
Neither LHS nor Free State AV-students wanted to have the production affiliated with either school. The goal was to create one cohesive group to work on projects together.
Classic Toy Studios made the LHS Winter Court video and Free State’s Prom Court video.
“We all work together at the College and Career Center,” Free State senior Emma Mason said. “We decided to write one script and use it for their winter court video and our prom video, so everyone that helped got to go to both schools.”
The goal of the merger was to give students the opportunity to collaborate with people outside of their class.
…instead of getting paid they get a grade.
— Scott Smith
“It’s a very real life situation,” LHS senior Griffin Nelson said. “In film class, you find a few people that you are going to be making films with the rest of your high school career, and that’s fine, but you don’t get to have that real world experience of new collaboration.”
Classic Toy Studios is not an average film class.
“I run it like a company,” Smith said. “Only instead of getting paid they get a grade.”
Both Mason and Nelson believe that the collaboration has been a success so far.
Junior Max Ford and Nelson collaborate at the College and Career Center.
“Because it’s filmmaking, it should be fun and collaborative,” Smith said.
“It’s not the same script but it’s the same idea.”
“The students at LHS are really good,” Mason said. “It’s nice to have their insight and have someone else on our team to see things.”
Classic Toy Studios may just be getting started, but doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. Smith has big plans for the future of the production.
“I hope it grows,” Smith said. “That’s the whole plan, to get more people to realize how cool this is.”
Videos produced by Classic Toys Studios can be found on their Youtube channel.
