2024年中学获奖者

本杰明·库里安是俄亥俄州鲍威尔市奥伦坦吉自由中学的八年级学生。自六年级首次参加“世界八十亿”学生视频大赛以来，他一直名列前茅。他坚持参赛，因为他认为研究课题、制作视频、撰写脚本并尝试创意剪辑是一次绝佳的体验。今年，他想制作一部关于入侵物种的视频，因为这是他不太熟悉的领域。在制作过程中，本杰明发现了许多关于入侵物种及其对生态系统影响的新信息。他之前听说过给动物做标记，但随着研究的深入，他发现这种创新方法可以提供更多关于入侵物种生活习性的信息。

在参加比赛的过程中，本杰明意识到人口增长几乎会影响生活的方方面面，这促使他运用新技术和创造力来传播他的理念。他最初是在新冠疫情期间开始接触视频剪辑，并不断提升自己的技能。今年，他使用一款名为Blender的免费开源动画软件，运用计算机生成图像（CGI）技术制作视频。他通过观看在线视频自学了这种新型视频创作方式。他学会了制作和渲染鱼类、水流以及其他特效，并乐在其中。和以往一样，本杰明表示，要将所有想要分享的信息精炼地浓缩到一分钟的视频中，确实是一个挑战。

Besides being a filmmaker, Benjamin is also a talented multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer. He has been playing the piano for ten years and also practices the violin, drums, and bass guitar. He enjoys playing music with his brother, Alex, composing music for quartets or string orchestras, and creating soundtracks for other video projects. His projects have won top prizes in C-SPAN’s student film contest, and was most recently awarded second place for his video “Who Do I Want to Be?” about the disconnect between students’ career aspirations and industry needs. Benjamin’s advice to future participants is to “always put 110% effort in and go the extra mile,” even when parts of the process get tedious, like the animation. As all of his videos so far have been shot on an iPhone, he is excited to use his prize money towards new film and recording equipment. You can view more of Benjamin’s work on his website.