Deacon Warner has taught filmmaking to youth in the Twin Cities since 2007. As Youth Programs Director at FilmNorth in Saint Paul he led after school programming, summer camps, in-school residencies and professional opportunities. Before leading the youth program at FilmNorth, Deacon was a social studies teacher at North High in Minneapolis and the co-founder of the Polar Producers, an after school documentary filmmaking program for Minneapolis high school students.
As an independent filmmaker, he has produced and directed a number of short documentaries including the award winning Bee-Sharp Honeybee, Peaceful Warriors: on the road with Vets for Peace and Literacy for Freedom:Empowering Black Boys in MN. His first feature film, The Co-op Wars, premiered at the 2021 Minneapolis St Paul International Film Festival and is currently streamable at TPT.org.
More About the Artist
Deacon got involved in filmmaking through his work as a classroom social studies teacher. While teaching a 6th grade class at Minneapolis Franklin Middle School in 2002, he had the opportunity to work with teaching artist Usry Alleyne. Usry led the class and Deacon through the process of planning, filming and editing a series of public service announcements on issues of importance to the kids in the class. The projects seemed to work miracles on the students. Even the most distractible kids became engaged and committed to their projects. Deacon was amazed at the skill sets the film projects enhanced: collaboration, research, communication skills, computer skills, acting, composition, problem solving, and more. And beyond those skills, he saw the empowerment it brought to the students to give them a voice to make real statements about their communities and the world around them.
Deacon was hooked. In 2007 he made the choice to invest himself more fully in youth media as well as his own film work. As with his own work, he believes students benefit most from hands-on learning and the opportunity to take the lessons from one project and bring them to the next. The best way to get better as a filmmaker is to continue to make more films. Deacon deeply loves being able to bring that opportunity to more and more students.
Learn more about Deacon in his October 2020 Artist Spotlight Interview.
Program Offerings
Residencies
Short Docs
Filmmaking can offer youth the opportunity to explore events and issues in their local communities and make powerful statements about the world around them. Creating short documentary films involves both topical research and creative digital storytelling. Mobile phones and editing software are all that’s needed to create a film that can reach an audience and make an impact.
Video Poems
Video poems are an excellent first foray into narrative filmmaking. Video poem residencies generally work through three projects of increasing complexity. A full-class video poem is created on the first day of the residency. Haiku poems provide a simple introduction to A/V scripting and understanding of a-roll and b-roll and allow each student to create their own film. And a final small group poem project allows students the experience of working collaboratively and assigning roles to achieve higher production values.
Stop Motion Animation
Working with both 2D cut out animations and 3D model animations created with pipe cleaner armature, students are introduced to the basics of stop motion animated storytelling. iPads or Chromebooks are all the electronics needed to create compelling animations.
Document the Project
A documentary filmmaking project can be an excellent add-on to other school projects and offer the opportunity to create a powerful document of student work and outcomes. Usually working with a select group of students interested in filmmaking, students plan, shoot and edit a documentary about activities and individuals at their own school’s. These films can then be shared widely through social media, local cable access station broadcasts and film festival submissions to help promote the good work happening in schools.
Workshop
Video Poems
Workshops from 1-5 days introduce the basics of filming and editing through creating video poems. In a single session workshop, students write, shoot and edit an original Haiku video poem. Multiple day workshops allow students to take on longer form video poems and work on larger group projects.
Sound & Image
A single day workshop allows students to explore experimental filming and editing. Students capture footage of sound and movement then swap images and sounds in their edits. The resulting films reveal how our minds seek to make sense of what we see and hear—and how easily viewers can be deceived!
Meet the Artist Docs
A three day workshop in which students work in groups of three to create short profile docs about themselves. Students work together to plan the films, develop questions and film interviews of each other. Then individually students edit short films about themselves and their passions, interests and artistic pursuits.
Stop Motion Animation
1-3 day workshops introducing simple 2D animations. Students create a short animation of their name in the first session. On days two and three students work in small groups to create a short fairy tale animation using cut out art.
JuiceMedia from FilmNorth on Vimeo.
“We liked how Deacon took time the first day to get to know the students. They enjoyed his presentation style and were all successful. We would gladly work with Deacon again and would definitely recommend him to colleagues.”
Kyle Schumacher, Weaver Lake Elementary, Maple Grove
“Deacon was very receptive and open to staff, community, and students. We felt heard, the scope of the project acknowledged, and creating an experience with the students was all very valuable.”
Tamara Isfeld, Yellow Medicine East Schools, Granite Falls
“Students developed and excelled in filmmaking and video production technical tools they had no knowledge of before the residency.”
Eric Swan, Creative Arts Secondary School, St Paul
