Hay River (Apr 28/03) - Hay River seems to have itself one big purple movie studio.

Diamond Jenness secondary school -- famed for its unique colour -- has a new film course this school year, and it is not uncommon to see students with cameras in and around the school.

The acting and film course is taught by Ryan Uchman.

The teacher plays the comedy 'Student Patrol' as a sample of the movies made by the students. The short film is a parody of 1970s cops shows with a school flavour.

The students create the films -- on various topics and many just a few minutes long -- with a tripod, a digital camera and an editing computer. The finished product is created in an editing suite in a corner of the school's music room.

Uchman says the students enter the course with no prior knowledge, and he offers them a foundation of skills, such as setting up scenes, continuity, lighting, and using the equipment.

"And you give them a chance to experiment on their own."

Uchman also offers honest criticism of the students' work. "From that, they become better filmmakers."

Films created by the students can be seen by the community each Friday at 7 p.m. on the local community channel.

And the community is taking note.

Student Tyler Provincial, 16, says in one comedy he wore a pink dress and a wig, and later heard comments at his job at a grocery store.

"A lot of little girls were saying 'You're the guy in the pink dress,' " he recalls.

While he says he doesn't want to act in the future, Provincial says he would like to work in the film industry.

"There are so many things you can do."

Another student, 17-year-old Rocky Butala, also wants to go into the film industry -- as a producer, actor and director.

"This is the one class in a long time that I've looked forward to," says Butala.

One of the films by Kelvin Redvers, a 16-year-old Grade 10 student, is 'The Paintrix,' a 10-minute parody of 'The Matrix' with a paintball theme.

Redvers says he definitely wants to pursue a career as a director, and predicts, "You'll be watching my movies in 10 years."

Uchman, who has been a teacher for eight years, is in his first year at DJSS after arriving from Manitoba.

The acting and film course is a first for DJSS, he says.

"There are not that many in Canada."

The class, which is equivalent to a first-year film course at university, has attracted 65-70 students.

Uchman says the students enjoy making polished short films. "They just love it."

Most of the films are comedies, he adds.

"It's more of a fun form of acting."