Danville 8th Grader Makes Award-Winning Anti-Smoking Film

DANVILLE, CA — A smoldering cigarette. Scenes of a graveyard. A muffled voice saying, “He’s in the hospital.” A dial tone indicating that no one’s available.

In just under a minute, the point of Baker Hanshaw’s award-winning anti-tobacco video is crystal clear.

Hanshaw, who just finished eighth grade at Diablo Vista Middle School, entered the video as part of a contest open to students in Contra Costa County to highlight the dangers of tobacco through video, art, or social media. The video won top prize in the middle school category.

Hanshaw is a completely self-taught film buff who dressed up as Stephen Spielberg for a school project, and has been filming his family since fourth grade and making full films since sixth grade. When his mother Stephanie told him about the contest, he jumped at the chance to use his skills for good. A fan of sci-fi and paranormal films, he decided to tell the story in a frenzied, anti-chronological, and atmospheric way.

“I wanted to tell the story of someone going through troubles with tobacco, so I kind of started at the very beginning of the video you see someone walking in the graveyard, but you’re not quite sure why, and then I kind of wanted to show the end result and work backwards to show why he’s actually there,” Hanshaw explained. The film ends with a dial tone, indicating a death, and the message that more than 480,000 people die of tobacco every year.

“Find something else to light up your life,” it implores.

Hanshaw said actual filming, which he did with his iPhone 13 Pro, took around an hour, but the entire process of scripting and editing took around two weeks. After he submitted the film, he was invited to attend an awards ceremony with the two other nominees. His win was announced live, and he was awarded a $200 gift card.

“We are so pleased that Baker’s hard work on this video was recognized by winning first place for the middle school division in the Courage Youth Health Coalition for an anti-tobacco/vaping campaign sponsored by the CCCOE,” SRVUSD Superintendent Dr. John Malloy said in an email shared with Patch. “Our district and schools are dedicated to educating our students about the dangers of vaping and tobacco use. The fact that Baker wrote the script, and directed and acted in the video, and even composed the music, is a testament to his passion for filmmaking, and we are proud to be able to support him in his efforts.”

SRVUSD receives state funding to implement a Tobacco Use Prevention Education Program (TUPE), which runs a number of research-based programs at different levels aimed at preventing tobacco use.

Hanshaw said that he has no direct experience with tobacco, and that he knows of only three people his age who vape, who don’t attend his school. Based on testimony from older siblings, he said he’s “positive” it becomes a bigger problem in high schools. He said his older sister told him a story of vape smoke billowing from a boy’s sweatshirt inside a Monte Vista classroom.

Hanshaw said one of his teachers expressed interest in showing his video in class, and a few teachers asked him to send it to them, but he has not been shown anywhere except on the district website.

Now that he’s on summer break, Hanshaw is already making more videos. He’s making a sci-fi action movie with his friends about time travel, which will soon be available on his YouTube channel, Baker Hanshaw Productions.