Although most students associate the green movement with organic gardens and Al Gore, a number of Gunn kids have taken a different approach—think lights, camera, action.

The Earth Day Green Light Film Festival is Palo Alto’s way of getting locals involved in the solution to a global problem. This year, cinema lovers of all ages submitted 69 short films; the festival displayed its top 15 picks on April 16, at the Cubberley Theater.

“Participants aren’t typical filmmakers,” video production teacher Ed Corpuz said. “They’re ordinary people in the community.”

“At first, I wanted to just make [the film] to improve my skills and have some fun,” finalist junior Charlie Chang said. “But after researching all the things you could do as an individual, I really wanted to show what I found.” His documentary, co-produced with junior Jon Proctor, explores environmental change on both a local and global level.

Finalist sophomore Anna Von Clemm got a taste of the festival well before she submitted her entry. “My sister was part of a film that the Environmental club made, so I went and saw it,” she said. The subject of her film—recycling—is certainly serious, but Von Clemm tackled it with a lighthearted clay animation.

When the students were asked to comment on the best part of the filmmaking process, their responses were as varied as their films. “The most fun part of making the film was traveling,” Chang said. Along with Proctor, who helped with the film, Chang visited Hidden Villa farm to study agriculture’s effect on environmental change. Although both students mentioned the foulness of the farm animals, they said the visit was otherwise a very positive experience. “It was refreshing to pass animals in their natural habitat,” Proctor said. “When you pass big farms, you know that’s not how it’s supposed to be.”

Surprisingly, Von Clemm found that technical difficulties were her biggest sources of entertainment. “I was doing a scene while we had friends over with two small daughters,” she said. “They were extremely excited and fascinated by the clay animation process and insisted on sitting and watching. Sitting and watching for three and five year olds is actually more like running and jumping around, as well as placing random things within the set.” She ended up re-filming that particular scene. “They were having so much fun that I didn’t really want to stop them,” she said.

Of course, filmmaking wasn't all rainbows and sunshine. “We had to get all the good parts of our interviews and somehow squeeze them into 13 minutes,” Chang said, groaning at the memory. Although the festival sets no time limits, films are ordinarily five minutes long, and his task was made especially difficult by the sheer breadth of knowledge his interviewees imparted. “This one guy talked too much,” Proctor said. “We wanted him to say one thing, and he just went on forever.”

Von Clemm barely expected to finish her film in time. “I couldn’t work on it during spring break because I was going to Thailand,” she said. “Being the extremely organized person that I am, it didn’t really register in my brain that I would have to actually finish the movie before leaving.” In the end, Von Clemm managed it—if perhaps a little late. “I ended up finishing at three o’clock in the morning,” she said. “There was definitely more I would have liked to do but at that point I was just like, ‘I am going to bed.’”

Although students who are already involved in film often hear about the festival through extracurricular activities, the majority of the student body remains unaware of its existence. “They have advertised the festival on the morning announcements for the past two years,” Corpuz said. “Having more connections between environmental clubs or other campus student groups might also get more students involved with the film festival.”

The films are more informative to some than others, as filmmakers come from different backgrounds and undertake varying amounts of research.

Chang learned far more than he had initially expected. The most shocking fact he discovered? “Apparently, 50,000 people a year die from secondhand smoke,” he said. “It’s appalling.”

Conversely, Von Clemm found that her experience did not seriously impact her view of going green. “I have always been very conscious about the environment, mostly because of my family,” she said.

Whether students participate to learn about the earth, to hone skills or to have a good time, there is one universally appealing motivation for picking up a camera. The festival is a contest, after all—and there are prizes involved. Although the festival hasn’t released specifics, those prizes are worth a total of $2000.

“I told [my brother] we could share the prize,” Von Clemm said. “Now I know I have at least one person rooting for me.”

Chang and Proctor are ready. “Of course it was a good experience,” Chang said. “But I’d also like to win.”

Proctor added to the plans. “We’re gonna dress to impress,” he said. “We’ll have our tuxes.”