Blair Video

Currently available to view online:

• Eternal Motion of the Stopless Mind (2008)
• Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sleep (But Were Too Tired to Ask) (2008)
  Part 1
  Part 2
• The Godfather Part 4, Tina the Goddaughter (2007)
• Gus Grigsby’s Day at Blair (2001)

Offered since 2000 as both a fine arts elective (Video Production) and an after-school activities option (fall and spring), Blair Video continues to produce a variety of videos including documentaries, mockumentaries, interviews, short movies and public service announcements. Blair students produce and edit an enormous range of interesting work. Click here to view the May 2007 production of The Godfather Part 4, Tina the Goddaughter, an original 35-minute movie about the daughter of Michael Corleone (the Godfather) who runs Blair with an iron fist until she falls in love with the star student.

Blair Video began as an after-school program for those who were interested in the process of filmmaking and video journalism. The very first project was a video magazine in the style of “60 Minutes,” called Blair in Mind. That program explored issues and experiences that effected Blair life. Since then, Blair Video has produced many more documentary projects, four original short films, a set of public service announcements, television parodies, a mock admissions video, and more. Last fall, Blair Video produced a 45-minute program about adolescent health issues, Straight Talk, No Chaser, which was a thoughtful investigation of some of the issues on the minds of the Blair students and faculty.

In the spring, the after-school group produced The Godfather Part 4, Tina the Goddaughter. It was written and directed by Blair’s writer-in-residence and member of the English faculty, Steven Kampmann, who is a professional screenwriter currently in post-production on an independent film, BuzzKill, shot this past summer in New York, New Jersey and California.

Most exciting at Blair is how many individual students as well as student groups are producing, directing, shooting and editing video on their own. Showing these projects at School Meetings and other gatherings has made video a new and exciting dimension of Blair life for everyone.

Video Production Class
This course provides students with the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of video production including formulating a concept, organizing and researching subject matter, taping footage and editing a completed short segment. Each student participates in creating (at least) three journalistic videos: the first, a public service announcement; the second, conducting a random survey with questions devised by the whole class; and the final project, a video segment on a subject of personal interest. Beginning students work on Apple G4, G5, and MacPro computers using iMovie HD while the more advanced students are able to work with Final Cut Express or Final Cut Pro Studio 2. With strong awareness of visual considerations, the emphasis of this class is on the organization and writing involved in the process of producing a video.

Since its inception, Blair Video has achieved recognition for various projects at the Toronto Teen Video Festival, the Mill Valley (CA) Film Festival, Teen Screen! – the Atlanta (GA) Film and Video Festival, the New Jersey Young Film and Videomakers Festival, the Warren County (NJ) Teen Arts Festival, the Berkeley (CA) Video and Film Festival, Black Maria Film Festival (NJ), the Purple Violet (Kean University) Film Festival, the International Student Film Festival Hollywood (CA), and most recently, the Columbus (OH) International Film and Video Festival (The Chris Awards).

For further information, please contact Director of Video Studies Judith Kahan Kampmann at kampmj@blair.edu. Please check with her during the course of the year at (908) 362-6121, ext. 5690, for information about screening times of the various projects.

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