My film, Six Angry Students, is based on the play Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose. The film takes place in a school debate club, in which six students are asked to take a vote on whether or not they believe there is free speech in school. Five of the students vote in favor of free speech, however, one student, Michele, believes there is no free speech in school. Through a series of arguments and interesting discussions, Michele persuades four other students into changing their votes. Oscar, a very stubborn student, refuses to accept the fact that students do not have freedom of speech. Michele and the other five students prove that Oscar is wrong. Oscar’s eyes are opened and he changes his vote.
I filmed the video with a handheld camcorder and tripod. I filmed the film in black and white to make it seem like the movie, Twelve Angry Men. On a deeper level, just as the color is missing from the picture, freedom of speech is missing from school.
The theme of the film is shown through the character of Oscar. Like Oscar, most students do not realize that things such as dress codes and internet filters are restrictions on freedom of speech. I chose this topic so the audience and other students can relate with Oscar. The audience can see that at first glance it seems that students have freedom of speech, but from a different point of view it is clear that students do not.