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Young student filmmakers in the San Ramon Valley were recently given the opportunity to show off their talents while also advocating for safety, by participating in the Street Smarts 14th annual “Be Reel!” video contest.
Every year, the “Be Reel!” contest encourages middle school-aged filmmakers to create a public safety announcement on a specific traffic safety related theme. This year 124 students created 55 minute-long movie clips based off of the theme of “Let’s Ride!”
The theme aims to promote the use of bikes as a way to get to travel to school, so long as it is done in as safe a way as possible.
“The ‘Be Reel!’ video contest is just one of the many programs offered by Street Smarts, which is a traffic safety education program serving the San Ramon Valley,” program coordinator Dolores Pita, wrote in a statement. “The program’s goal is to educate drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians on issues related to traffic safety through outreach programs.”
All participants were honored at an awards ceremony held on March 6, where more than 200 parents, students, staff members and elected officials viewed the 20 entries selected as competition finalists.
Top category winners included:
Best Overall: “Bike Safety Explained,” produced and directed by Tyler Raymond, Joseph Sena and Charlie Turner from Pine Valley Middle School.
Best Plot/Storyline: “Report from Live News,” produced and directed by Advik Nigam, Abhijoy Sarkar and Pratyush Verma from Gale Ranch Middle School.
Best Acting/Voice Acting: “Don’t Be Late,” produced and directed by Jessica Garcia Jessica McCurry, Elaine Peng and Menaka Raj from Iron Horse Middle School.
Best Use of Cinematography: “Be Reel,” produced and directed by Sachi Agrawal, Brie Reyes and Lavanya Sharma from Windemere Ranch Middle School.
Best Use of Special Effects/Animation: “The Blob Relm,” produced and directed by Tara Germann, Ashley Iattoni and Molly Mascardo from Charlotte Wood Middle School.
Best Editing: “Bob’s Life Ridin’,” produced and directed by Keshav Srinivasan from Windemere Ranch Middle School.
Each team member from “Bike Safety Explained” received a $50 gift card as a prize, while students on the other finalist teams were each awarded a $15 gift card.
All the finalists’ videos are scheduled to air on Contra Costa Television (CCTV) on Wednesday at 6 p.m., Friday at 2 p.m., and Sunday at 11 a.m. CCTV is available to watch in Contra Costa County on Comcast channel 27, Astound channel 32 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99.
Videos will also be made available online at street-smarts.com.
