The Prescott Film Festival is scheduled for July 17-20, at Yavapai College.
Helen Haxton-Stephenson, who oversees both programs, says editing and post-production courses in particular open doors for students. Currently, there are about 150 students enrolled; however, she says AZ QUEST Grant funding can make the college’s certificate program tuition free for students. “That [number] might skyrocket with these Quest Grants.”
“I’m thrilled about the Quest Grant and our programs because there are so many job openings, and most of the editing jobs are remote. When producers come to town, this is what they ask for,” she said, noting that script supervisors are also needed.
Film classes are offered at the Prescott campus and online. The certificate program consists of 36 credit hours, with classes usually lasting eight weeks each.
The students in the film classes are varied. The younger ones are often preparing for careers, while older students are commonly interested in telling a story. The classes also help with networking, as the film students can build their crews.
The program also offers dual enrollment for high school students, as Prescott High School and Coconino High School offer these dual enrollment classes. Haxton-Stephenson hopes to expand the dual enrollment to Chino Valley High School, Mingus Union High School and others.
This year marks Haxton-Stephenson’s 10th year teaching at Yavapai College, and she has noticed several changes over the years. One is that the cost of equipment has decreased. Another is that LED lighting has made it so film students no longer have to pack large lights for on-location shoots.
Haxton-Stephenson was raised in Cochise County. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in radio, television and film from Cal State Long Beach before working as a newscaster in Los Angeles. She went on to work for game shows and then started her own production company.
She moved to Prescott after the North Ridge earthquake impacted her Burbank home. Here, she raised her children and wrote scripts. She also became a librarian for the Prescott Unified School District. When her children were older, she, along with her husband, Scott, started the Prescott Film Festival, which began in 2010. In 2021, the couple donated the film festival to the Yavapai College Foundation. She continues to plan and coordinate the event.
One of the festival’s key goals is to support independent filmmakers. “A lot have never heard of the independent films. These are individual works of art,” she said. “It takes great teamwork.”
Some of the films from past years have led to jobs in the film industry for filmmakers and support staff. The students in the Yavapai College film program are assigned to watch the movies.
The feature film this year is “My Life as a Robot,” created by Robert Shields of the former mime team, Shields and Yarnell. “He’s also going to stay and watch all the movies. We’re excited about that,” said Haxton-Stephenson.
The best part of the film festival is watching the audience response, she says. Volunteers watch the movies to select which ones will be shown and they are often emotionally moved by the films.
“You can come from any walk of life and watching these movies will start a conversation. One movie is about a disabled vet who overcomes adversity. Another film is about a dancer who overcomes poverty to reach his dream. It’s amazing to see these films about people who have a goal and work against incredible odds to obtain them. It’s inspiring,” she said.
The Prescott Film Festival is scheduled for July 17-20, at Yavapai College. The film festival also offers four free workshops:
- 9 a.m., Wednesday, July 17, “How to Stage and Film a Fight Scene,” by Gary Montana, who plans to open a stuntman school in Dewey.
- 11 a.m., Wednesday, July 17, “Making the Survival Show,” by Cody Lundin.
- 9 a.m., Thursday, July 18, “Scene Study Improvisation,” by Sean Dillingham.
- 11 a.m., Thursday, July 18, “Show Don’t Tell: A Screenwriters workshop” by Derek Chase. QCBN
By Stan Bindell, QCBN
For more information, visit http://www.prescottfilmfestival.com.
Photo by Stan Bindell: Helen Haxton-Stephenson smiles through “Take 14” to promote the upcoming Prescott Film Festival.
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