The next generation of filmmakers is getting a head start with a little help from University of Iowa students.

About 150 eighth-graders at Bettendorf Middle School this year made movie trailers for fictional films about very real heroes. The project, now in its third year at the eastern Iowa school, combines lessons learned in social studies and language arts classes.

“It all started with a lunch discussion among teachers about how factual the movie Apollo 13 is,” says Lisa Barnes, a language arts teacher at Bettendorf Middle School. “It kind of snowballed from there, and we decided to ask students, ‘Who has a story that deserves a Hollywood blockbuster?’”

This year, along with Barnes, the project was led by language arts teacher Landon Fry, social studies teacher Shannon Clayton, and special education teacher Kristy Egger. Barnes says the project has evolved over its three years. Each student now has their own Chromebook, and better video editing software, microphones, and headphones give the videos a more professional look and sound.

UI students in the Department of Cinematic Arts entered the picture last year, watching the trailers after they were finished, picking winners in various categories, and welcoming the winners to campus. This year, they expanded their involvement. Two UI students spent a day in Bettendorf offering feedback and advice to the middle schoolers as they worked on their trailers.

“I was blown away by how, at their age, they understood what images to use to pull at the heartstrings, what elements to use to create suspense, where to cut music out and where to put music in, and really just understanding how to entertain within a few minutes,” says Sam Kessie, a cinematic arts MFA student who was born in England and grew up in Ghana.

Each eighth-grader or pair of eighth-graders picked a person whose story they thought deserved to be told. The stories ranged from passengers on the Titanic, Holocaust survivors, civil rights leaders, and even one student’s family member. Barnes says the students discussed storytelling based on a three-act structure to develop character and plot and build tension to leave viewers on the edge of their seats. The students then collected images, videos, and artifacts and created a storyboard and script.

When the UI students visited, the trailers were in various stages of progress.

“They weren’t really able to film things themselves, so they were mostly using historical images to tell their stories,” says Kaylyn Kluck, a UI junior from Stevens Point, Wisconsin, who is majoring in cinematic arts and journalism, and minoring in theater arts. “We wanted to be able to simulate the experience of making a movie trailer as much as possible. A few of the things we talked to them about was, ‘How can you make this series of historic photos move?’ ‘How can you add sound effects to better immerse your audience?’”

Barnes says she thought the middle schoolers worked especially hard because they knew the UI students would see their work. And she was impressed with Kessie and Kluck’s ability to talk to the eighth-graders on their level.

“Every student left that room feeling as if they had done something well and that there was something they could work on,” Barnes says.

The eighth-graders weren’t the only ones who got something out of the trip; the two UI students say working with the Bettendorf middle schoolers sharpened their skills as well.

“I would suggest something, and they would tell me they weren’t able to do that,” Kessie says. “It made me think, ‘OK, what can we substitute in place of that?’ That’s something as filmmakers we have to deal with sometimes. Something may break down or you don’t have the resources, so you have to go back to basics.”

Kluck and Kessie say they hope the middle school students had fun, and that they discovered a few things.

“I hope they learned the value of telling stories and finding stories to share that haven’t been told,” Kluck says. “As the world becomes more visual, such as through advertising and social media, being able to tell stories visually will become more valuable in many career fields. The younger they learn to do that, the better.”

Kessie agrees and adds: “I hope they understand the power they have with film. This is a tool they can use to express themselves or explain something further when words can’t. They’re capable of creating content that is very powerful.”

Once the 96 trailers were finished, the eighth-graders voted for their favorite in five categories: best character, storytelling, visual impact, use of audio, and social-historical significance. The top three videos in each category were sent to a group of UI cinema arts students, who gathered to watch them and pick the winners.

The winners visited the UI campus on April 19 and toured the cinematic arts labs, visited classes, and had lunch with cinematic arts students. They also had a Skype visit with Bettendorf natives and UI alumni Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the screenwriters of the film A Quiet Place, starring John Krasinski and Emily Blunt.

“When I was that age, I don’t think I knew that studying film in college was even a possibility,” Kluck says. “I’m excited that these kids are getting that exposure.”

Christopher Goetz, assistant professor of cinematic arts, agrees.

“I’m jealous of these students,” Goetz says. “I can hardly imagine what this type of experience would have meant for me at that age. I think it gives them a sense of a possible future and helps them imagine themselves at a place like this, pursuing a budding passion for filmmaking.”

Barnes says these types of collaborations with UI students and trips to campus are valuable for younger kids.

“It opens their eyes to the fact that the University of Iowa is more than a football team,” Barnes says. “That’s what many of them think at this point in their lives. But to go and see the things you can do in college opens your eyes to all the opportunities that exist and the world of careers available to you. It brings out a whole new side of college.”