Film: Culver City High School
Model AED Pathway: Film
Culver City Unified School District is a diverse urban high school, located in central Los Angeles in close proximity to many studios and creative industry companies. Holly Gable is the Creative Director and Film Teacher.
Pathway Courses:
Introductory: Exploration of Film (Middle or High)
Concentrator: CTE Film Production 1 (High School)
Capstone: CTE Film Production 2 (High School)
*Special note- Students can take film all four years by enrolling in AVPA (Academy of Visual and Performing Arts) Film Production after school.
Industry Partners
Culver City’s main industry partner is Sony Pictures Entertainment- located down the street from the school. Film Independent provides master classes and local productions reach from time to time.
Industry Partner Engagement
Sony has provided cameras, lenses, scholarships, internships, and guest speakers. The Sony internship is posted through the college and career center. Students apply and are interviewed on campus by Sony staff. The student must be at least 18 years of age at the start of employment, a CCHS graduate and must have committed to an accredited university/college program for the Fall to qualify. The position is paid and is a combination of in-person/in-office and virtual.
Throughout the year Culver City welcomes guest speakers from various sectors of production. These speakers come from personal contacts or are family members of students who work in production. A student film festival offers a panel of industry professionals who give feedback. And several Academy Award nominated and/ or winning guest speakers have given advice and shared their experiences.
Screenwriting bootcamps are led by award-winning screenwriters who give student feedback and field trips to Digital Domain, YouTube, and the Academy Museum give students exposure to the industry.
Work Based Learning
The core of the high school film program is work-based learning. As someone who learned entirely on the job, Holly is a firm believer in learning by doing. Her students are making short films within the first two months of the school year and each student will work on 4-5 short films (1- 3 min) and one longer-format film (approx 10-min) in one school year. It is in these film crews that they are working in “real work” environments, albeit on a small scale. Each student is expected to try out different crew positions so that they are exposed to as many as possible.
Student Success
Students from the program have been hired by local companies and individuals to work in art departments, sound, editing, and camera. Some have also attended the Hollywood CPR program at West Los Angeles College.
