Class Description
The Silver Screen Filmmakers Club Fall 2025 Cohort met in person and remotely from October-November Members were age 65+. They learned how to shoot short documentary films on their phones and work as production/post-production teams. Additionally, they learned a brief history of filmmaking, and how to edit within cloud-based software. The course was taught by Award-winning writer/ filmmaker, Jessica Renslow, who lived and worked in Hollywood for a decade and now resides in her hometown, Gary, Indiana. Classe were hosted at The Miller Beach Arts and Creative District (540 S Lake St, Gary, IN 46403) on Mondays from October-November 2025. Additionally, there was a Short Film Showcase (on Nov 24, 2025). That was open to the public. The community came to support all the cool movies the Silver Screeners created during the course. Classes met at our host organization, The Miller Beach Arts and Creative District (540 S Lake St, Gary, IN 46403) on Mondays. Additionally, they also hosted the Short Film Showcase (on Monday, November 24, 2025 from 6:00pm-8:00pm). The class was funded by a grant from The Indiana Arts Commission's Lifelong Arts Initiative. 12 class members created 6 short films and one trailer.
Film Posters
Along with directing and editing documentary shorts the class also designed film posters for our showcase.
Silver Screen Filmmakers Club Fall 2025
Workshop Materials
![Jessica RenslowHS[111].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/efda2d_da53f8e91dfe4fd4b1ca8c6345b8e0d2~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_262,h_262,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Jessica%20RenslowHS%5B111%5D.jpg)
Teaching Artist Bio
Jessica Renslow is an Indiana based filmmaker. With twenty years of production experience, she has 700+ credits, as she cut her teeth in episodic TV. A 2003 graduate of Ball State University, she received a BA in Japanese language/culture and Telecommunications. She was a 2002 David Letterman Award Winner for her feature-length screenplay, “Stained Glass Graffiti” and helped produce/direct segments for the Emmy Award-winning entertainment news program “Connections Live!” (WIPB-TV). After graduating, she worked as a teacher and translator for the Japanese Ministry of Education in rural Hokkaido for three years appearing on a variety of NHK shows and radio programs for her community development work. She spent a decade working in Los Angeles for major studios and producing passion projects. 2007 marked her directorial debut with her feature film premiering at the LA Women in Film Festival. She received her master’s in education from California State University in 2012 with a focus on instructional design, new media production and leadership. She translated and adapted the 2013 Sundance International Filmmaker Award-winning script “Spectacled Tiger.” In 2015 she returned to the Hoosier State and has spent the past eight years helping educational institutions, nonprofits and governmental entities adopt new technology. From 2015-2020 she had several short documentaries premiere in film festivals across the US. From 2018-2020 she co-hosted Issues and Answers Wednesdays on WLTH covering a range of local/national/international stories. In 2020 she received an Individual Advancement Program grant from the Indiana Arts Commission for her writing. 2022 marked her return to scripted filmmaking with the award-winning premiere of “Method: A Voice Actor Prepares.” She is one of three Hoosier filmmakers awarded a 2023-2024 Unearthed Film Project Grant from Indiana Humanities. Her work has aired on networks such as The Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, and PBS. Some of her works are available on the following streaming services: Netflix, Amazon and Hulu. Ms. Renslow is an advocate for independence within the disability community. She is looking forward to facilitating her next course geared towards 65+ learners as part of the 2025-2026 Indiana Arts Commission's Lifelong Arts Initiative. She feels that bridging the digital divide is a mode for positive change and equity.
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