Are you an eager young movie-maker who would like to get your projects “out there” but aren’t quite sure where to start?

Maria Sammons, a high school MODG student, has taken her work to YouTube. She says, “When we were younger, my brother and I enjoyed making movies whenever we were bored. With a little bit of practice, our movies got better and I was happy enough with them that I wanted to share them with others. Since YouTube is the main video platform around, that seemed like the obvious next step for us.”

If you’re interested in starting movie-making, be aware that it can be quite time-consuming; Maria says, “Filming takes a lot longer than you might think, with each scene always taking over an hour even if the scene is just going to be a few minutes. If I have editing to do, I’ll spend around 2 hours (or more) each day working on that.”

Having your own YouTube channel can help you as a student, though. “I think my channel has definitely helped me learn how to manage my time, which is important as a student. I tell myself that I can’t edit until night, when I’ve already worked on all my school. It has also helped me make connections with other MODG students. I’ve become good friends with other MODGers who also enjoy film, and we’ve even made movies together,” Maria says, and adds, “I’ve definitely learned a lot about working with others. I take on the role of director when filming, so I have to get my actors to act and make sure everything runs smoothly.”

Maria encourages MODGers who would like to make movies, “Definitely just film as much as you can! If you don’t know where to start, just film whatever comes to your head, and if you can’t think of anything ask friends or family for suggestions. Your first film isn’t going to be perfect (it most likely won’t even be good) but it’ll get you started.”

You can subscribe to Maria’s channel by searching for Maria Sammons on YouTube or by going to 24meterproductions.com.