[intro music] HIKI NŌ, Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

Welcome to HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

My name is Mari Iwata and I'm a senior at Waiākea High School on Hawai‘i Island.

Thank you for joining us to watch the work of Hawai‘i’s New Wave of Storytellers.

You're in for a special treat this episode.

I get to take you behind the scenes at the second annual Shoots Summit Hawai‘i conference.

This is my second time at the conference, and it was exhilarating.

This statewide school media competition and conference attracted students and teachers from elementary, middle, and high schools across the state.

They entered 24 different contests covering everything from feature stories to vlogs.

The Shoots summit attracted 411 students, 54 teachers, 26 chaperones, and 18 guests and staff for a total of 509 participants.

That's a record for the second annual event.

HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i was proud to be a part of it.

Many of our professional mentors and staff were in attendance to lead educational breakout sessions on journalism, video production, and storytelling.

I'm excited to share some of the award-winning work that was produced during the conference as well.

But first, to give you a taste of the energy, let's watch this special promotional video made for the event by high school students themselves.

Welcome to Shoots Summit Hawai‘i.

Those of you who are here because you want to be filmmakers, I have one word of advice for you, and that is to please challenge yourself.

[cheering] A competition here on the island of O‘ahu.

With 500 students, 23 categories, all competing to win.

SHOOTS Summit Hawai‘i gives us, the next generation of storytellers, your opportunity to learn, take risks, and create.

SHOOTS Summit!

Be a part of our SHOOTS Summit experience.

I can still feel the adrenaline.

In the next segment I'd like to share with you, HIKI NŌ was on site to speak with teachers, organizers, and students at the event to learn more about how this wonderful new tradition began.

Hey, it’s Mari.

We’re at the Shoots Summit, the second annual one, and energy is so good.

Like honestly, I've met a lot of new people that I haven't actually met before.

And if I wasn't here, I wouldn't have pushed myself to get out of my comfort zone.

On the Big Island, there isn't a whole lot of students that would do digital media, but I know in O‘ahu it's a lot more bigger.

So just seeing new people and like, getting to know like all these different digital media programs that the students that come along it is like, honestly, so refreshing to me.

You get real industry experience, and you can apply that to your school projects, or your personal projects.

It's really fun.

We are here at Moanalua High School for the 2024 Shoots Summit Hawai‘i.

It's our second event that we have planned.

It’s a weekend of competitions for students as well as breakout sessions.

So, the idea is for kids to compete on one day, and then learn from industry professionals on the second day.

And then we close with the award ceremony on Monday.

I am part of the Hawai‘i Creative Media Team, and we are a group of teachers from around the state, and we have been working together for many years producing workshops for PBS Hawai‘i, and we have always wanted some sort of a digital media conference in Hawai‘i.

In 2021, when we couldn't yet travel because of the pandemic, we hosted a satellite STN convention in Honolulu, in Waikīkī.

Once we got through with that event, we thought, “Wow, I think we can kind of do this on our own.” We kind of brainstormed, got some help from the DOE, got some help from PBS Hawai‘i, and ‘Ōlelo Community Television and other partners and put together an event last year.

We brought over 300 students last year to this same campus, and then this year, we're happy to say that we're over 30 schools.

I came here today so that students could be challenged, so students could be challenged and have a chance to compete, put their skills to the test.

I came here so we could network and see that we're in a community of creatives.

And I also came here because, you know, what else is better than making movies on a weekend?

The first day, honestly, was very stressful,   because I'm not used to being in like this kind of environment where like, I'm around other people.

And I get kind of nervous around like, you know, being in front of cameras and having my face shown to a bunch of people.

But I feel like it's a really good experience.

I get to come here and step outside of my comfort zone and really learn a lot.

We have a mixture of elementary, middle, and high school students that are participating.

And we decided to include elementary schools because they were starting to come to our workshops, they have now been part of HIKI NŌ.

There are a lot of good things, a lot of good teachers that are out there that are promoting digital media in our elementary schools.

People just come around from like, even from Maui, and like, the other islands to just be here at our school.

I heard people like, going into the Performing Arts Center and they’re talking about like, how nice our center was, and it just made me like, proud of my school.

Whenever Hawai‘i schools go to the Student Television Network National Convention, we've been fortunate enough to do well.

For students who can't travel to the mainland, we wanted to give those kids a chance to be able to, you know, have a on-site competition, statewide, and to kind of feel what it's like to be, you know, under that deadline.

There were 24 contest categories at this year's event, such as broadcast news segment, music video, animation, commercial and promotional video, short film, silent film, public service announcement, and even a weather report category.

Students also tested their skills in still photography, portraits, and vlogs.

My students are competing in the commercial contest, and then they're also competing in the short film contests tomorrow, as well as going to work breakout sessions and workshops.

I think my students are gonna benefit from this by getting a feel of what it means to work under deadlines, work under pressure.

Everyone thinks being creative is thinking outside the box.

I think being creative is finding something new inside of the same box that everyone has.

And so that's the challenge today, is everyone has the same six hours to produce something interesting.

Let's go for it.

To be a part of the Shoots Summit is definitely a huge opportunity, and I can bring it back to Hilo High.

And even though it's a bit of a crunch time, definitely, because six hours for most competitions, you'll definitely gain experience, especially through the break rooms.

This is a great opportunity for students who are into journalism or filmmaking to be a part of an event like this.

But I think the skills that are taught in HIKI NŌ, and the skills that are taught in, you know, storytelling, the digital storytelling, are skills that are going to definitely benefit any profession, any career that somebody wants to go into.

Because it's about working with partners and working as a team and being able to problem solve, and being able to meet deadlines and to, you know, really work together and to be able to craft, you know, these stories together to connect with an audience.

I've been animating for almost 10 years now.

I want to major in film and animation.

I really want to go study and to the mainland because there's more opportunity, but I want to bring it back here so that I can help foster the new generation of animators and filmmakers, too.

Practicing personal hygiene not only prevents diseases and germs but allows you to feel fresh and new.

As one of the HIKI NŌ teachers, you know, an event like this is always exciting because you get to see the skills that HIKI NŌ promotes and encourages and teaches in the things that they're doing today.

And so, you know, the storytelling, the writing, the shooting sequences, and editing and putting it all together into a, you know, a story that makes sense, that can connect with people.

It's kind of a proud moment for teachers, I think that are involved with HIKI NŌ to see how far their students have come throughout the year.

I've heard about this SHOOTS Summit from HIKI NŌ, and I thought it's going to be a really great opportunity for my students to get to have hands-on experience in doing the digital storytelling.

This year is the first year that my student and I get to work with HIKI NŌ in a process.

I also learned along with them as well.

Most of the students that I work with, they are really introverted and quiet.

But I get to hear their voice, really strong voice, through the HIKI NŌ project that they're doing.

I learned that it's okay to like,   try new things and to not be scared to step out and do something different.

Through the HIKI NŌ project, my students learn a lot of important skills in their lives and in their work lives in the future.

For example, my students get to learn to collaborate with each other.

They also learn how to manage their time to meet the deadline.

So, all of these are really important skills that my students would never learn from anyplace else.

This conference was born out of public school teachers who just wanted to give their kids, you know, more opportunities to be able to compete, to compete and to grow and to learn.

And those kinds of things also need to be celebrated.

They're all giving up their free time on a long weekend to learn and grow.

And there are really good things happening in public schools, and you just need to know where to look.

[ocean wave] I hope that gave you a better picture of what the experience is like at SHOOTS.

Now I'd like to share with you some special clips from videos produced by students during the three-day event.

First up is the high school division of broadcast feature story contests.

Moanalua High School students took home first place with this profile on Evangeline Lilly, a professional actress who was there at the conference to lead a workshop called The Philosophy of Creation.

It's too much for any one individual human psyche to take in, especially because so much of it is negative.

As an experienced actress in the industry,   Evangeline Lilly has faced her fair share of struggles while acting.

If you want to be in a toxic environment where people are unhappy and people are rude to each other, that's what you could do.

You could just go to work and be all of those things.

Being a part of a pressuring industry brings out an uplifting aura for her to share with others.

But if you want your work environment to be a place where you feel inspired, and a place where people are good to each other, and everything feels positive and exciting, then it starts with you.

And I've had some amazing life experiences that if other people can live and learn and grow from, then I'm really, really, really happy to be able to pass on whatever knowledge I can.

She is so much fun.

She like, puts a lot of meaning when she says stuff.

Having a positive persona allows her to have a better outlook on her life and career.

And I want everyone to be able to have peace in their life, which is, to me, the best kind of good vibe is to be at peace with yourself and with the world.

That's like, a huge ambition of mine in life always is to bring good vibes to other people.

And that's really very much fruits of my spiritual journey and my spiritual walk.

You know, Gandhi said, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” And if you want your work environment to have good vibes, then you gotta have good vibes.

This is Ashlyn Tamura reporting for Now Loading News.

[ocean wave] We'd also like to share with you stories from the middle school division of the broadcast feature story contest.

Let's see what stories they uncover in the community that fit the theme, Good Vibes.

We’re the first to open a cat cafe here in Hawai‘i, so that also gained a lot of popularity.

Mari Iwata is a barista at the Hawai‘i Cat Cafe on the side of Kapahulu, but her job working with cats doesn't feel like a job.

Our owners established this late 2018, and we have cafe drinks.

We also have pastries from the Honolulu Coffee Company.

The atmosphere when I'm working, it's very fun working with my coworkers and interacting with all the adoptable cats from the Hawaiian Humane Society.

This cafe also has a purpose outside of serving food and drinks.

For here, the Cat Cafe is a place where you can interact and possibly adopt a cat.

Right now, we have 3,000-plus adopted cats here.

Customers that come in are able to adopt and play with the cats.

But at the end of the day, it's not just the cats that makes Mari’s job worthwhile.

Working here is really fun and it's very rewarding to see some of the shy cats get adopted and find their forever home.

What I most enjoy about the cat cafe would be my coworkers.

They are very fun to be with, to talk to.

I think I will continue working here not just because of the cats.

Lovable cats and coworkers with a strong bond truly make the most purr-fect combination.

This is Braeden Ridera reporting for Highlands Intermediate School.

[ocean wave] There was also an ad package contest in which students were challenged to produce broadcast stories without narration from a reporter.

Check out these next stories which were produced by high school students.

What flavor did get?

Pineapple.

Is it good?

I got strawberry.

If I wasn’t here out and about, I’d be in my room in a dark hole in social media.

Me, too.

I bet you mine can go farther.

Ready?

[laughter] We are out and about standing here showing people how to use the cameras and things, right?

Can I put the headphones on?

Yeah, can.

We are out and about at Moanalua High School today for the Shoots Summit supporting all the students, providing delicious food at our concession stand.

What can I get for you folks?

Two of these.

$6.

Here you go.

You're welcome.

The nature of the SHOOTS Summit being multi-island   and multi-school is huge.

It helps people expand their perspectives.

I'm excited to be here because I get to make videos and practice, and I feel like it's a good experience.

I think this event pushes students to get out of their comfort zone, like personally, but it also literally gets them into a new place.

This event pushed us to go out and about by having us, since we're in short film, we have to look for a lot of different places to film like, different angles and different like, lighting.

We're in an environment we haven't been in before.

And this campus is really big, so when we were walking around looking on places where to go, there was so much options we can choose from.

If you're not from Moanalua, then like, you had to come here and like, be in a new unfamiliar spot and do your work outside of your comfort zone literally.

So, I think that's amazing.

It pushed us to meet a lot of people, especially because when we came here to the bleachers, were the first ones here, but there are a lot of people have the same idea as us.

This is so good.

I think SHOOTS Summit does give students an opportunity to let them go outside their comfort zone by like, meeting new people and doing different classes.

And it pushes students to fulfill this, and show how like, they want to be very creative in their own mind.

I know animals need better living conditions.

[ocean wave] Students of all ages were also invited to enter video public service announcements about improving personal hygiene.

Here are some selected clips from the PSA award winners in the high school division.

This is Irene.

She slept in late and chose to skip her morning routine.

According to Bromley Health Care, poor hygiene can cause sickness and disease.

Poor hygiene can also cause social rejection and may also lead to bullying, low confidence, and low self-esteem.

Let's help Irene.

Here are some ways to keep up your personal hygiene.

It's important to stay clean, stay healthy.

Shoots.

[coughing] One in five Americans get the flu each year.

Germs   can spread on almost every surface.

The flu ends with you.

Sanitize your hands.

[ocean wave] [coughing] Don't shake away an opportunity.

Practice personal hygiene for you and your community.

[ocean wave] In the middle school division of the vlog contest category, students were given the theme, My Blank Bucket List.

Hey guys, I'm here at Moanalua High School for Shoots Summit, and I'm so excited to be here and cross off all the things on my Shoots Summit bucket list.

So, let's get going.

So, first on my bucket list is to make a new friend, and I just met this really cool girl.

Hey.

I'm so glad I met her because she helped me cross something off on my bucket list.

So, thank you.

You’re welcome.

Okay, so another thing on my bucket list is to learn something new.

So, I'm about to head to a breakout session about philosophies of creation.

So, let's go.

And lastly on my bucket list is obviously to have fun.

I'm so grateful I got the opportunity to come out here to SHOOTS, and I want to give a big thank you to all the teachers and people who made this happen.

I'm so glad I got my SHOOTS bucket list crossed off, and peace out vlog.

[ocean wave] Middle school and elementary school students also worked hard on public service announcements about personal hygiene.

Let's watch some of the award-winning submissions from these younger producers.

Ew, is that smell coming from you?

I think someone needs some personal hygiene.

Did you know over two billion people lack basic hygiene services?

Putting on deodorant is a great way to take good care of yourself.

Washing your hands is the easiest thing to do to have better hygiene.

Good hygiene helps prevent you from getting sick and spreading germs.

[ocean wave] [soft music] [ocean wave] Poor personal hygiene is a common issue that happens in roughly about 45% of students.

Here are some ways you can prevent poor personal hygiene.

Taking care of your body frequently by doing things like washing your hands can help prevent the spread of germs.

Brushing your hair will help keep your appearance clean and neat.

Coughing into your sleeve is also a good way to keep yourself and even others healthy.

Take care of your body.

It's the only place you have to live.

[ocean wave] The high school division of the vlog contest was one of the most competitive with seven high schools competing against one another.

Let's watch a few of the fun scenes they captured about their bucket list.

[ocean wave] Hey everybody, we're Searider Productions.

And we’re here competing at the second annual SHOOTS Summit.

Since everyone is spending their weekend here at Moanalua High School We wanted to ask what other competitors what they wouldn't be doing if they weren't here.

Let's go.

I'd be heating a tub of ice cream.

I’d want to be at a playoff game.

Chicken, what do you want to do this weekend?

Chicken.

Yo Chicken, what do you wanna do?

Probably sleeping at home.

We'd probably be at our gym.

Practicing for my swim competition.

Probably nothing.

We'd be sitting together.

Wishing we here.

And together.

Now that we have an actual bucket list,   we're going to split off into pairs and see which team can complete the most.

Thinking about doing nothing?

Yep.

Together.

Yep.

[ocean wave] What’s up, minis?

It's Misty.

And Vinny.

And welcome back to an MV vlog.

Today, we are here at Shoots Summit Hawai‘i, and we're gonna be bringing you guys along to help us complete our Shoots Summit bucket list.

Let’s go.

We're here with Evangeline Lilly, and we're super big fans.

Is it okay if we take a photo with you?

Sure, let’s do it.

Follow MOHS Broadcast and MV vlogs.

Yep.

All right.

Next up on our bucket list is riding a golf cart.

So, shall we?

Let's do this.

Let's go.

[screams] Hi, I'm Vincent.

Jude.

Do you want to be my friend?

Yes.

Aw.

He's my friend, y'all.

Just, just to hold it, just to hold it.

MV vlogs, y’all.

I can't wait to dig in, guys.

Cheers.

An 8.5 on mine.

All right, guys.

That's it for our Shoots Summit bucket list.

We hope to see you next year with one of your own.

Signing out with the MV vlogs.

Shoots.

[ocean wave] Middle school students were often producing work just as good as their high school counterparts.

Let's watch the award-winning promo video from middle school contestants.

Hopes and dreams for the future are something everyone carries within themselves.

At SHOOTS Summit in Honolulu, inspiring storytellers unite to passionately share their love for digital media.

Under the pressure of competition, the art of journalism, filmmaking, editing and reporting all come to life through the ambitions and dedication of over 500 students from all over the islands.

It truly is the heart of media creativity on Hawai‘i.

Well, let's get back to you.

What's your dream for this SHOOTS Summit Hawai‘i?

[upbeat music] Shoots.

[ocean wave] Well, that's it for our show.

Thank you for joining us to learn more about the incredible next generation of storytellers.

You can keep up with Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers by subscribing to PBS Hawai‘i on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

Find this HIKI NŌ episode and more at pbshawaii.org.

And of course, please tune in next week for more proof that Hawai‘i students HIKI NŌ, can do.

[outro music]