Atlanta Technical College team second in the nation in digital cinema production

The Atlanta Technical College (ATC) team of Cory Way and Michael Harris placed second in the Digital Cinema Production competition at the National SkillsUSA Championships held in Louisville, KY, on June 24–25. The competition was part of the SkillsUSA 51st annual National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC), a showcase of career and technical education students. More than 6,000 outstanding career and technical education students, all state contest winners, competed in 100 different trade, technical and leadership fields. Way and Harris represented Georgia in the highly specialized Digital Cinema Production competition against 22 other state champion teams.

The winners of the annual SkillsUSA Championships in Digital Cinema Production (formerly Video Product Development) were announced Friday, June 26, at the Awards Ceremony of the SkillsUSA—NLSC. Students from South Central College in North Mankato, MN, earned the gold medal. ATC’s team received the silver award; students from Metropolitan Community College in Omaha, NE, took home the bronze.

“Cory and Michael are well on their way to becoming accomplished filmmakers,” says Britt Pitre, Chair of the ATC Design and Media Production Department. “Earlier this year both students competed in the Atlanta Technical College Film Festival. Cory won Best Animation and Best of Fest. Michael directed an outstanding documentary that has impressed many in the Atlanta film community. I am extremely proud of their accomplishments and look forward to watching them excel on the national level.”

SkillsUSA is the national organization for students in trade, industrial, technical and health occupations education. It sponsors the SkillsUSA Championships annually to recognize the achievements of career and technical education students and to encourage them to strive for excellence and pride in their chosen occupations.

The contests are planned by technical committees made up of representatives of labor and management and are designed to test the skills needed for a successful performance in given occupational fields. Safety practices and procedures - an area of great concern to labor and management alike - are judged and graded and constitute a portion of a contestant’s score. For a video glimpse of the excitement at SkillsUSA’s National Leadership and Skills Conference this year, visit:http://tinyurl.com/skillsusa15.

The Digital Cinema Production competition evaluates a competitor’s preparation for employment and recognizes outstanding students for excellence and professionalism in cinematography and short film production. The contest includes a written exam, a storyboard assignment, an interview, and a short video that will be filmed and edited on site.

The national technical committee for Digital Cinema Production is Chair Keith Emmerich, Academy for Media Production (Pa.); Hope Krosskove, Hope Krosskove Productions (N.J.); and, Michael Schweisheimer, Primitive World Productions (Pa.).

A national education team assists the national technical committee. Members include Adam Frank, Frederick County Career and Technology Center (Md.) and Troy Selfridge, Yakima Professional Development Center (Wash.).