For film club advisor Ms. Heather Hamilton, the idea for a new club at the school was not just about movies. It was about creating a space for students who see film as something more.

“We had Katie Taylor and Logan Golden come to us with the idea,” Hamilton explained.

But her connection to film started long before this year.

“Mr. [Dominic] Didio and I were both part of Film Club when we were in college, and I was the president,” Hamilton added. “I really understand the need for certain students that have that love of film to be able to meet with other creatives and talk about those things.”

That understanding shaped the purpose of the club from the beginning.

“It felt like something we wanted to take the helm on and make sure kids aren’t deprived of that opportunity.”

From there, the vision expanded beyond simply watching movies.

“We want to cover everything,” Hamilton explained. “From the classics to brand new movies that have come out in the last few years.”

The goal is not just exposure, but understanding how film has evolved.

“There’s this large impact that the classics have had,” she said. “But movies are vastly different now. We can learn so much from those techniques and how they exist today in different forms.”

For many students, that deeper level of thinking is unfamiliar.

“A lot of times students watch a movie and they don’t realize how much is going on behind the scenes,” Hamilton noted.

The club aims to change that.

“We want to go past just saying I liked it or I didn’t like it,” she explained. “It’s about getting deeper than that, talking about influences, and how that movie could go on to influence something you make.”

That creative element is just as important as discussion.

“We want to show everybody how to use gear,” Hamilton said. “You don’t need top notch equipment to be able to make a movie.”

At its core, the club is about connection.

“If you’ve seen ten movies in your lifetime, or you’ve seen a hundred in a year, those students can mesh together,” she said. “They can talk, recommend, and suddenly you’re introduced to a whole new director you didn’t even know existed.”

The experience is meant to be interactive.

“We want to have discussions,” Hamilton explained. “It’s kind of like you get what you give to this club. We want students to participate, talk, and meet people.”

Looking ahead, what excites her most is not a specific film, but the growth she expects to see.

“I’m excited to see everybody start to come into their taste in film,” she said. “There are a lot of people who haven’t been exposed to a lot of films. I know I wasn’t at your age.”

That exposure can shift perspectives.

“I’m excited to see people get new perspectives on things as they watch movies out of their culture or out of their native language,” Hamilton added. 

If she had to choose one film to represent that learning, one stood out.

“Jurassic Park, just the first one,” she said. “It has so many techniques in it that maybe an untrained eye wouldn’t notice right away. The camera work, the lighting, the music. Every aspect of that movie, you can pick apart and see why it works.”

Ultimately, success will not be measured by attendance alone.

“This club is successful so long as I see that kids are enjoying watching new movies and being open to new perspectives,” she said.

But more than that, she hopes to see confidence grow.

“It’s a success if I see the creativity grow,” Hamilton added. “To watch these kids make their own movies and feel confident and excited to do that instead of nervous.”

For Film Club, that is the real goal. Not just watching films, but creating something of their own.