Lynwood, Calif. – Students in Alma Elias’ fourth-grade class at Mark Twain Elementary School could be excused for being a bit star struck by their classroom visitor, but how often does an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter drop by to offer tips on how best to develop a movie script?

Billy Ray, who wrote the screenplay for “Captain Phillips” – which won a Writers Guild of America award for Best Adapted Screenplay – and co-wrote “The Hunger Games,” came to Mark Twain Oct. 5 to talk about filmmaking, as part of a pilot program initiated by the Latino Film Institute Youth Cinema Project and Lynwood Unified School District.

“We are using project-based learning to teach fourth-grade standards through filmmaking,” said LUSD Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Coordinator Janel King. “The children have been incredibly responsive and imaginative. All the students want to be part of the creation of the films.”

Ray sat in with the class to extend screenwriting advice to Ms. Elias’ young filmmakers, who will create five separate screenplays over the course of the fall semester, then film and edit their movies in the spring.

“The purpose of the program is to let students recognize that their stories deserve to be heard and that there should be no barriers or impediments to a career in filmmaking,” LUSD Superintendent Paul Gothold said. “The District is committed to developing curriculum that provides students access to meaningful learning activities relevant to the 21st century.”

After a screening of “The Wizard of Oz,” Ray broke down important parts of the film, pointing out character arcs, the significance of villains in the development of a story and how supporting characters are satellites that circle around and illuminate different parts of the main character.

After the talk, Ray sat and signed autographs and posed for pictures with the students.

The Youth Cinema Project is a part of the Latino Film Institute’s Community and Education Program, which seeks to make school children aware of the potential for careers in the film industry.

Youth Cinema Project executive directors Jessica Just and Polo Munoz come to Mark Twain Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:30 until 2 p.m. and introduce the students to various aspects of moviemaking. They also conduct training sessions on Saturdays with Elias to align the film curriculum with her day-to-day lesson plans.

Just and Munoz also contributed recommendations for camera equipment, which the District will provide for the class, and have arranged for Elias’ students to attend a Children’s Matinee screening of “The Pasta Detectives” at the German Currents Film Festival at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood on Oct. 23.

“This can be an incredibly empowering project for Lynwood students, as they employ the new California state standards of critical thinking and collaborative learning to actualize personal and scholastic goals,” LUSD Board of Education President Maria G. Lopez said. “We greatly appreciate the support of the Latino Film Institute and look forward to seeing our students final movie projects.”

Photo Captions:

Mark Twain1: Billy Ray, who wrote the screenplay for “Captain Phillips” – which won a Writers Guild of America award for Best Adapted Screenplay – and co-wrote “The Hunger Games,” came to Mark Twain Elementary Oct. 5 to talk about filmmaking, as part of a pilot program initiated by the Latino Film Institute Youth Cinema Project and Lynwood Unified School District.

Mark Twain2: Billy Ray, who wrote the screenplay for “Captain Phillips” – which won a Writers Guild of America award for Best Adapted Screenplay – and co-wrote “The Hunger Games,” came to Mark Twain Elementary Oct. 5 to talk about filmmaking, as part of a pilot program initiated by the Latino Film Institute Youth Cinema Project and Lynwood Unified School District.