On Friday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. in the Little Theater, students of the Archie Williams Communications Academy (ComAcad) presented short films and advertisements following the event’s theme of “California Decides.” With doors opening at  6:30 p.m. and closing at 8:40 p.m., the featured works focused on seven of the 10 California propositions on the ballot this year, with each film including a pro and a con for the given propositions.

The event featured two polls on Kahoot!, an online quiz platform, with yes or no answers regarding the propositions the ComAcad class covered that the audience and students could participate in. One Kahoot began the show, and the other acted as the finale, allowing the ComAcad class to analyze opinions on the propositions before and after their films.

Each of the student filmmaking teams took part in a culminating Q&A, taking to the stage to answer audience questions. An intermission also took place halfway through the show, during which audience members could use the restroom, get fresh air outside, or enjoy a snack from the concession stand outside the theater.

Archie Williams senior and ComAcad member Declan Rising took part in the student team covering Proposition 2, which aims to donate 10 billion dollars in bonds to public schools in California. The majority of the audience was in voter agreement, with 85 percent voting “yes.” However divisive the topics were, Declan feels that audience members came to the event to be educated about the pros and cons of the propositions, not to be persuaded to one side.

“[The purpose of California Decides] was to showcase the various propositions that are on the ballot this year, educate viewers about them, and to present the arguments for and against them,” Declan said.

All of the ads shown were purposefully light-hearted, aiming to easily convey the meaning and purpose of the propositions in humorous scenarios, with one of the ads even being entirely animated. The ComAcad students who weren’t presenting their propositions made up a large portion of the audience, cheering for their classmates, laughing at their jokes, and asking questions.

ComAcad senior Bridget Goodwin worked with her team to present Proposition 32, which aims to increase the minimum wage from 16 dollars to 18 dollars over the next two years. Bridget believes that the event emphasized the tight-knit and supportive qualities of the ComAcad community.

“I feel like [ComAcad] is definitely a very close-knit group of people, especially since many ComAcad students are in drama, and it overlaps with drama. We helped each other throughout this project, and have created a very strong community,” Bridget said.

The show served up light-hearted and educational content. Many community members showed up to learn and laugh, which were both achieved by the event. ComAcad class supervisor Greg Doherty believes the event went very smoothly and that the student filmmakers made good impressions on the audience.

“A lot of community members turned out on a Friday night to learn about issues on the November ballot. The videos the students made for and against the propositions were informative, creative and technically impressive…Everyone had a good time and learned a lot,” Doherty said.

Excited to share the projects they had created after months of hard work and research, the ComAcad students put on an entertaining show to their audience packed with Archie Williams students, parents, and community members. ComAcad students now prepare  for their next project, Original Shorts, to be presented at the end of the school year.

This story was originally published on The Pitch on October 30, 2024.