Seven-Minute Cinemas worked with Technical Education Research Centers, Inc. (TERC) on an NSF-funded, video-analysis project that focuses on elementary school educators teaching whole numbers and number operations. TERC is collaborating with the University of Arizona’s Nicole Kersting and her team of mathematics researchers to determine what teachers themselves learn as they teach these subjects.
STeLLA, a BSCS Science Education Project
In 2011, Seven-Minute Cinemas teamed up with Larry Franzen on a video-based, science education research project conducted by Colorado-based Biological Sciences Curriculum Study. The project, Science Teachers Learning from Lesson Analysis (STeLLA), was helmed by Kathy Roth, the director of BSCS’s Center for Professional Development. In Dr. Roth’s words:
“This scale-up study aims to confirm earlier findings that student learning improved when teachers’ professional development experiences included examination of videocases of science teaching that deepened their content and pedagogical content knowledge and improved their teaching practice.”
Mathematica Classroom Pre-K to Grade 3 Shoots
In 2011, Seven-Minute Cinemas completed shooting classroom videos for this research project involving schools in Princeton, N.J. and Washington D.C.
Mathematica — a research company based in both of those cities — will be using videos to train classroom observers how to evaluate different aspects of teachers’ practices.
Mathematica chose Jake Elsas from Seven-Minute Cinemas — along with fellow producer Larry Franzen — after working with the two on 2009’s very successful Teach For America internal assessment.
As Mathematica Senior Staff Member Claudia Gentile wrote:
“I realize you’re located in LA, but the quality of work you achieved on the TFA video tapes was truly impressive. So, when the need arose for classroom videos, I thought of you.”
Bittersweet Chocolate
In 2010, Jake Elsas completed a stint as Director of Photography on the short movie, Bittersweet Chocolate, co-written and co-produced by Roger Bridges and Scot Carlisle (both of whom also play the lead roles), and directed by Turner Lange (who also cut picture). Bittersweet Chocolate takes a light-hearted jab at race relations and the frustrating (and often cluelessly racist) affectations of the “wannabe.”
Documenting Site-Specific Theater, “Greenscape”
For six weeks in 2010, Seven-Minute Cinemas documented “Greenscape,” a Hollywood Fringe Festival production by site-specific theater company Moveable Piece. 7MC also supplies lighting and sound packages for Moveable Piece’s ongoing performances.
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“Favorite Song” Music Video
In 2010, Seven-Minute Cinemas produced this music video for Kaiser Cartel‘s “Favorite Song.” Written and directed by Matt Kaiser — band-member Courtney Kaiser’s filmmaker brother — this video incorporates fantasy, stop-motion animation sequences into high-def, live-action footage.
