Getting what you want

The Women's Times, May 2002

What happens when eleven girls from the Hilltowns get together to write a script and make a movie? "They get invested," says Nancy Fletcher, director of ACT NOW in Belchertown, " and go beyond what they think they can do." She teaches teen and adolescent girls "improvised movie making," a format that allows them to invent their own story and improvise each scene.

Making a movie can benefit girls' self esteem, according to Fletcher, "partly because it's popular media, which is why it's so influential." When the girls see they can control it, they feel a sense of power. "There are many moments that are instructive throughout the process because it calls on the girls' capacities," she explains, "some of which they don't know they have."

Last month, ACT NOW brought video cameras to Sisters Inc. in the Hilltowns to work with a group of girls who range in age from 9 to 11. Their story line was sparked by one girl lamenting the fact that she did not get enough attention. The resulting video, "Getting What You Want," shows what happens when one makes a wish that actually comes true.

"We can all learn a lot seeing ourselves on camera," comments Carlyn Saltman, a documentary filmmaker who films the activity behind the scenes during the taping of the movie. Fletcher stresses the importance of the second camera. "We document the whole thing, all their decisions, so they get a record of the process. We tack this on to the end so they get to see how they are. And if there are things they want to change, they can just quietly change them."

"Getting What You Want" will be shown May 19 at the Cummington Community Center (time TBA). For more information, contact ACT NOW! at 256-3471 or Sisters Inc., at 585-1213.