Docs Rock Students Show Their Stuff

The portfolio pieces for the first semester of the Docs Rock class, which is sponsored by the IDA, were recently screened at San Pedro High. The students had complete control of every aspect of their productions, including scoring the pieces themselves. Currently, the Docs Rock group is creating short subject documentaries, which will be screened at the annual Docs Rock Film Festival on June 12th at San Pedro High School. Congratulations to those students.

Docs Rock is a joint effort combining the LAUSD, the IDA and the Department of Cultural Affairs for the City of Los Angeles. The object of this unique curriculum is to provide students with an opportunity to study and create documentary films. The curriculum has been granted admission status for the University of California Admission Standards.

See pictures from last year's event here.

Also, the shorts are now available on the IDA website. Click on the titles below to see them.

After 10:00: The LA City curfew ordinances, requiring teenagers off the streets by 10:00 P.M., is a source of great consternation for the teenagers of San Pedro, where the ordinance is enforced with great vigor. This documentary examines both sides of the issue and attempts to explain the views of many involved in this contentious issue.

Community Voices: This portrait of the Northwest Neighborhood council looks at the influence, plans and accomplishments of this civic-minded group. The film shows how the group had benefited the community and the new improvements they plan to start, including a controversial park project.

Living History: Civil War re-enactments are an unusual hobby, especially in California where no significant battles of the War Between the States ever took place. Nevertheless, men, women and children dress up in period costume and re-enact this period of American history in amazing detail. This film examines the people involved in re-enactments and studies their motivation for this most unusual historical hobby.

Metamorphosis: The raging tragedy in Darfur has had a major impact on San Pedro student Tim Do. Mr. Do, viewed by his peers in a variety of diverse ways, shares with us his insights about the urgency of helping others and the things that motivate him to aid people who don’t even know he exists. But, he knows them.

To Be Or Not To Be: This piece examines the world of the paranormal. Amateur ghost investigators take the film crew on a hunt for spirits, while church points of view about ghosts and goblins are examined in a truthful and frank discussion with a community priest. This film seeks to examine the phenomenon that keeps us all wondering.

To attend the screening or get more information about Doc Rocks, email Tony Saavedra at ACS4731@lausd.net or check out the Docs Rock Facebook page.