The camera rolls from the coast to the classroom, its shutter captures dozens of faces, capturing sunlight bouncing off Palos Verdes Ocean. But 205 isn’t the only class at PVHS that knows how to tell a story.
Jeffery Beaucar’s video production class is not only a sort of “workshop” class for 205, but also teaches students how to tell a different kind of story: the kind of story that gets sent to film festivals, wins awards, and connects people’s perspectives on unimaginable levels. Inside Beaucar’s Film Production class, stories come to life.
Several of his students have already made steps in the film world. Quinn Kozinski, class of 2025, was accepted into Chapman University and has also been recognized for his short films after having submitted them into a film of excellence and received amazing feedback.
“Mr. Beaucar’s class reminded me why storytelling matters. It wasn’t just about film, it was about creativity, laughter, and finding our voice behind the camera,” former student and American actress Sanai Victoria said.
The class’s success speaks for itself.
Beaucar has led his class and has won four Student Television Network awards in a row, earning top placements in categories like Nat Package and Anchor Team, with him mentioning that “Lauren Kim won that, who was also in my video production class- she won first place for that.”
Beyond student awards, Beaucar emphasizes how significant film festivals can be for young filmmakers.
“If you get into one of the major fifteen film festivals, that’s huge,” he said. “And if you could win a major film festival? That’s a major feather in your cap.”
But the real story starts with Beaucar himself. His love for film began much earlier in life.
“I remember my dad; me and my dad would go back and forth when I was little and quote lines back to each other from films,” he said. “1994 was the year that I really fell in love with movies.”
Later when he joined ASB in high school, he began making short films with nothing but a camcorder and an idea.
“I had a camcorder and I put a movie together. I wished they had programs like this, where we could actually learn how to edit.”
So, he brought this program to life, and teaches students what he wishes he could have learned. The credits may roll at the end of the film, but for this class, the story is still being written.