Saint Paul’s offers a broad range of electives: AP classes, classes specialized in teaching a particular branch of careers, like BioMed, and classes that allow you to express yourself. One elective that perfectly encapsulates that idea of self-expression is the media class.

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The media class specializes in teaching students what makes a good video. Students learn about the rule of thirds in the class, which makes frames look even and complete. They also learn about good stories, such as the hero’s journey. However, the main appeal of the class is the editing.

The class is very hands-on. Students are encouraged to experiment with their editing techniques and their film ideas. Students are expected to make mistakes and then grow as content creators. A perfect example of this is through one of the first things students learn in this class: coverage. Coverage involves filming the same thing over multiple angles and distances between the camera and the actors. This allows editors to have multiple options to edit with, so if they make a mistake with one shot, they can cut between a different one and make an even better product. 

Not only does the class encourage mistakes, but it also encourages students to challenge themselves creatively. Students are encouraged to avoid the same genre for their movies or the same topic for the GWM segments. They are expected to diversify and improve. All of this talent and passion can be seen directly on Guerrilla Wolves – St. Paul’s Media YouTube channel. There is no limit on the kind of content you can find here. Some of it is the content GWM is most famous for, such as the news segments and the school-related videos, but there is so much more you can view. There are the short films the students made ranging from dramatic cinematics such as “The Letter” to the more mellow “The Senior Lunch.” There is also the web series Critically Acclaimed with a cast who has taken the class for multiple years, and you can certainly tell how experienced they are. 

GWM has been given a backseat this school year. CNN and GWM news segments have been practically removed from the average school day, but you can still find the boundless energy GWM is known for on the channel. So, I sincerely encourage you to see it for yourself.