CHS teacher achieves recognition for film short

Canton High School video and media production teacher Ed McDonough has worked with many students over the years, helping them to develop their skills and motivating and encouraging them along the way. His effectiveness as a teacher is amply illustrated by the former students who have gone on to careers with major media organizations. Only during summer breaks is McDonough able to “play” and focus on developing his own skills.

Ed McDonough at this year’s Woods Hole Film Festival

This summer has been especially rewarding because McDonough was able to attend this year’s Woods Hole Film Festival as a nominee, not just as a spectator. The festival, which took place July 27 through August 3, presented 170 films from around the world. McDonough estimated that approximately 1,000 films in several categories were submitted. McDonough’s entry, a two-and-a-half-minute documentary titled “Cool as Ice,” is about a Zamboni operator’s first week on the job.

McDonough, who holds a degree in communications from Fitchburg State, has been interested in film for years. “Every year since I started working at Canton High I attend the Woods Hole Film Festival,” he said. “In a way it became my first film school.”

His immediate motivation for making “Cool as Ice” was to fulfill an assignment that was part of a workshop offered last summer by the Academy of Scholastic Broadcasting in Springfield, Missouri. As part of the workshop, participants were sent into the city to find a story and edit it by the end of the day. “It was a humid, 95-degree day when I saw an ice rink and thought it would be a great way to get out of the heat,” McDonough recalled.

He and collaborator Bob Lang initially started work on a Pee Wee hockey team, but when the coach never returned for an interview after practice, they had to quickly come up with a new plan.

With their deadline just four hours away, they got the idea of talking to the Zamboni operator, Brendan McClew, who was then just starting up the machine. He agreed to be interviewed and let McDonough and Lang attach an iPhone to the machine for a point of view shot. McDonough said that McClew “proved to be a great interview,” and the resulting film offers a surprisingly detailed window into Zamboni operation.

The day-long project required participants to drastically compress the normal filmmaking timeframe. McDonough said that filmmaking is something “like an iceberg, with 95 percent of the time spent in preparation.” Filmmakers typically first spend time conducting research and making written notes. Next, they work on still photos and conduct preliminary interviews. Only then does production begin, meaning shooting visuals and recording audio. Last is post-production editing and then distribution.

Each stage is complex and often involves a number of people. For his next project, on cell phone use and impulse control, McDonough is working on building a small team so he doesn’t have to fulfill every role. He said that “Cool as Ice” was a good story but not that complicated since it had only one setting.

McDonough explained that judges of documentaries look for clear explanation through imagery but that to some extent, it is subjective. “While the Woods Hole Film Festival is Academy qualifying, I have no illusions about winning,” he said. “For me, it’s simply a nice first step to test the waters of documentary filmmaking. In the process it makes me a better media teacher. I have a better understanding of the process and am more patient.”

Once school starts, McDonough will again be involved in guiding students as they produce videos; he also coordinates cable access for the district. He said that free access means that anybody who wants to take advantage of it and try filmmaking has an outlet available. Making good films requires story-telling skills but not complex, expensive equipment since it is now possible to do it with an iPad. He also said that good video is always valuable and that a filmmaker can identify and fill whatever current needs there are.

Next summer, McDonough said he expects to continue building his own skills through attending another workshop. Eventually, once he retires, he plans to focus more on filmmaking. In the meantime, he enjoys working with students and passing his knowledge on and tracking the exciting achievements of Canton graduates.

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Posted by Candace Paris on Aug 30 2019. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.