Festival an opportunity for teen-age filmmakers.

Byline: CHRIS STOLLAR 20Below News Team / The Register-Guard

The forest holds its breath as the men crouch low - watching, waiting. Though brook and vine fall prey to the men's nervous eyes and metal scopes, nothing stirs in the sleeping glen. Even the mosquitoes flee into the darkest shadows of this hidden recess.

All is quiet and ominous, but the still air feels ready to scream. In the men's scopes, an enemy suddenly appears. One caustic shot shatters the silence, spilling the man's blood onto the leaf-strewn floor.

Volleys of shots follow from this heroic outfit of snipers, bringing the villainous enemy to his grave. Meanwhile, the music swells and words appear on the screen: "Sniper, coming to a theater near you."

This short film by Churchill High School's Eric Beltran captures the theme of Impact! Theatre's 2002 Youth Visions program: heroes.

Youth Visions helps teen-agers exercise their cinematic talents as they create short films that address specific topical issues, such as heroism, the value of public education and the impact of environmental protection.

More than 20 student videographers from Churchill, Churchill Alternative, Marist, Sheldon, South Eugene and Thurston high schools gathered May 9 in Churchill's auditorium to watch their products come alive.

Lucy Vinis, an agriculture and natural resources consultant and writer who established the Youth Visions program this year, is hoping the film fest becomes an annual event open to young people from throughout the Northwest.

The ultimate goal is to have the best videos released as shorts in movie theaters and other public venues.

This year, each film explored different aspects of heroism, such as what makes a hero and the heroic values society upholds. While the theme remained constant, the style and quality of the films varied. Some contained quality filming, sound and messages, while others involved jerky camera shots, unintelligible conversations and cliched points.

Among the best films visually was "Rally Car Racing," which was directed by Robert Williams of Churchill High. The film follows a race car as it swerves along sharp mountain curves. Portraying the driver as a racing hero, Williams took many clean, professional pictures of the car from different angles.

In terms of sound, the 19th Avenue Artists beautifully synchronized music to their animated film of teens transforming into flowers, trees and animals. Produced by students from South Eugene High and the University of Oregon Art Department, the movie immediately captures the audience's attention with its interesting sound and bizarre visuals.

As far as message, "Children's Miracle Network Visit" was a winner with its wordless presentation of how doctors perform heroic work when saving the lives of premature babies. Using images and music, Laura Shaver from Churchill artfully weaves music with startling images of children facing death in their cribs.

While experimenting with cameras, sound and dialogue, each movie shown at the 2002 Youth Visions presentation marked the beginning of what could potentially serve as a wonderful outlet for teen-agers to display their cinematic creativity.

"The magic of film is to pull you out of your reality and into the film," said Andy Pratt, a representative of Mid-Oregon Production Arts Network and Hi-Angle Productions. "We're seeing the beginning of that."

Chris Stollar is a sophomore at Gutenberg College. He can be reached by e-mail at [e-mail].