Creativity set to abound for all ages as PC launches filmmaking, Photoshop courses

February 6, 2025 · 0 Comments

Students and life-long learners will have plenty of chances to hone their creative skills this spring as Newmarket-based independent school Pickering College launches a new series of public courses.

Frame By Frame: A Filmmaking Intensive will take place on campus between March 10 – 14 for all students in Grades 8 – 12, regardless of where they attend school full time.

“Aspiring filmmakers in Grades 8 to 12 can immerse themselves in the art of filmmaking during this dynamic March Break program,” says Pickering College. “Participants will explore scripting, storyboarding, filming, and editing, culminating in the creation of a fully edited short film and a professional portfolio.”

The following month, from April 2 – June 4, the school will host a Photoshop Foundations Course where participants ages 14 to 100+ will learn essential tools, explore AI-powered features, and leave as a recognized Adobe Certified Professional.

“Post-pandemic, we have had much more of a focus on bringing the community into Pickering College, whether it is through our summer camps or through community engagement initiatives,” says Pickering College’s communications manager Naomi Cote. “It is a different way to bring in both adult and student community members to try something out and get a taste of the Pickering College experience.”

Leading the courses will be educator Ian Johnston, who has taught media at the school for more than two decades.

“It’s the joy of crafting it and also the pleasure of showing it,” says Johnston of the filmmaking course. “It’s getting away from just throwing a 30-second video up on TikTok. There is craft there that you can take some pride in, but you have to do the work as well. This camp develops a lot of skills in terms of teamwork, collaboration, communication, and all those soft skills that the business community is saying are wanted and desired in future employees.

“It’s the process as much as the final product and being able to document that process as we go along. To curate it in an organized fashion is a skill in itself that in this age of AI and accessibility to other people who would do work for you, it’s important for you to show that you did the work, talk about it, and explain the process and the journey.”

The joy of crafting also extends to the Photoshop course, which also helps youth and the young-at-heart pick up new media skills.

“But not just in media production itself, but understanding how you create or why you create certain media pieces,” Johnston adds. “If you choose to go forth and take that Adobe certification, it’s acknowledged, it’s respected, it’s something that will be in your resume toolbox that will help you land a job. If you’re older, it’s getting an idea of what the possibilities are and that’s really up to the individual. If you so choose to pursue that, it is something we will definitely facilitate.”

While these are the first public programs launched by Pickering College post-pandemic, Cote says these two are “our first test balloons” to see where interests lie and tease there could be more offerings in the not-too-distant future.

“If these are successful, and there’s some sort of need where teachers and community members come forward and say, ‘I have an idea as well,’ I can say that our administration has been very supportive of that and getting involved in the community,” says Johnston.

All you need to bring to the table, he adds, is “an interest in learning.”

For more details, including registration and fees, visit pickeringcollege.on.ca/adobe.

By Brock Weir