In WDS Media Arts, students learn to tell stories with clarity, intention, and technical skill. From first idea to final cut, they move through the full arc of production: pitching, writing, storyboarding, filming, editing, revising, and sharing original work with real audiences.
The program emphasizes both creative authorship and media literacy. Students examine how images, sound, structure, and narrative shape meaning, while learning to create responsibly in a connected digital world. As they develop their own voice and vision, they make purposeful choices about tone, pacing, composition, sound, and structure, creating work they can explain, defend, revise, and improve.
In Intro to Media Arts (Grade 8), students are introduced to the fundamentals of filmmaking and digital media through hands-on, project-based learning. They explore key concepts such as storytelling, genre, composition, and basic sound, while learning how to plan, shoot, and edit short video projects with clarity and intention.
Through structured assignments, students build essential technical and creative skills, such as framing shots, capturing usable audio, organizing footage, and editing for continuity. They work both independently and in small groups, taking on introductory production roles such as director, camera operator, and editor. The course also emphasizes collaboration, time management, and the process of giving and receiving constructive feedback to improve their work.
In Upper School Filmmaking (Grades 9–12), students build upon this foundation to explore the art of filmmaking in greater depth. They expand their understanding of storytelling, composition, and critical viewing while developing more advanced production skills. Projects become longer and more complex, with students working both independently and collaboratively, often taking on specialized crew roles such as director, cinematographer, writer, or editor. In some cases, students may leave campus to work on their films.
Students gain experience with professional video, sound, and editing equipment, including access to the Adobe Creative Suite, and may explore additional digital media such as photography, digital music creation, and graphic design. A strong emphasis is placed on critique, as students refine their ability to give and receive feedback and apply it through revision. Throughout these Upper School years, students create increasingly ambitious, portfolio-quality work. Films are regularly submitted to festivals and showcased in the school’s annual film festival, with student work frequently recognized at regional and national events.
Every year, the WDS Film Festival is a highlight for the entire community because it brings together creativity, collaboration, and shared experience in a way few other events can. At its core, the festival showcases student voice. It gives students a platform to tell stories that matter to them, whether funny, emotional, experimental, or thought-provoking, and invites the community to see the world through their eyes. This authenticity makes the work feel real and engaging.
It is also a celebration of process – not just product. Behind every short film are students who have written, filmed, edited, and solved problems together. The festival allows the audience to appreciate not only what students created, but what they learned along the way. The shared atmosphere elevates the event. Watching the films together and hearing laughter, gasps, reactions, and applause turns individual projects into a collective experience. Students, teachers, and families all become part of something bigger than themselves. Finally, the festival builds pride. Students see their work on a big screen, and the community sees what they are capable of creating. This shared recognition creates a sense of accomplishment and connection that lasts beyond the event.
Students work in our Media Center with tools that allow them to experience the real workflow of production and post-production, including planning, capture, editing, and finishing. We have nine Mac workstations running Final Cut Pro, along with professional cameras such as Canon C100s and Blackmagic 4Ks. Students use cinema lenses, shotgun microphones, boom poles, and audio equipment like Tascam Field Recorders to capture high-quality video and sound. The space supports serious creative work. Students use lighting kits, a green screen, a costume and wardrobe collection, a full three-camera TV studio, and a screening room to bring their ideas to life. They edit projects using Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro, shape visuals through color correction, and explore photography with DSLR cameras while editing images in Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. Through this process, students learn a professional and repeatable workflow they can carry into future creative, academic, and professional work.
WDS Student work has continually earned recognition at festivals including the Woodstock Film Festival, the All-American High School Film Festival, the NY Alliance Film Festival, and others. Students have also collaborated with external partners on video production projects, gaining experience working with real audiences, real constraints, and real stakes – an important bridge between classroom practice and the wider world.
Graduates of the program have gone on to pursue film and media-related study at institutions including NYU/Tisch, CalArts, Emerson, Ithaca, Savannah College of Art and Design, UNCSA Film School, and others – many continue in media vocations across the country!
Check out the incredible accomplishments of our students! Our full Vimeo archive can be found here.
Drawing Near
A young artist spirals into paranoia as the boundaries between his art and reality blur, forcing him to question what is real and what is merely a creation of his troubled mind.
Somewhere Else
A kid tries to pay attention in class, but is unable to stop thinking about somewhere else!
So Far Away
A young girl tries to escape her hometown, but finds out an old friend has joined her.
Fallow
A farmer begins losing livestock to a mysterious predator and hunts for answers in the surrounding woods.
Current
A young man addicted to his cell phone attempts to quit and kick the digital habit.
The Man in the Woods
A bullied high school student is pushed into a strange test by his aggressor, leading him into the woods where a mysterious figure sets him on a series of tasks that spiral into a dark and irreversible outcome.
Growing Up
A reflection on growing up, exploring isolation, the strangeness of adolescence, and the fears and hopes that shape the path into the future.
Rooted – Rated PG
A story about friendship, personal growth, and the power of New Year’s resolutions.
Intervals of Horrible Sanity – Rated R
After a war that left the country in ruins, many look to cross the border in hopes of finding a better life.
Beyond the Board – Rated PG 13
Can a group of table top role-players set aside personal goals and petty differences to have the best session of all time?
Jetpack Dracula – Rated PG 13
After a war that left the country in ruins, many look to cross the border in hopes of finding a better life.
Mascara – Rated PG
An experimental video poem exploring a girl’s insecurity in her vulnerability.
Now Hiring – Rated PG
A new intern is introduced to the fantastical tenants of a shared liminal office space.
After August – PG 13
After her boyfriend August breaks up with her, Luna is forced to deal with the long and difficult process of getting over him.
The Painted Beast – Rated PG 13
A reclusive artist is tormented by an unseen beast that lives in their walls.
Hook, Line, and Sinker – Rated PG
A young fisherman tries to catch fish in a pond where fishing is not allowed.