Manchester Student Wins At State Film Festival

A Manchester Township senior came away with a top honor at the New Jersey High School Film Festival, according to a news release from the school district.

Devin Keppen took first place in the comedy category for his tongue-in-cheek look at high school clubs at the festival last week at Stockton University.

His comedy was a 5-minute spoof commercial about a Sorcery Club at Manchester High School. The video is a tour of the Sorcery Club demonstrating various student activities such as the alchemy lab, polymorphing, the dueling field and the enchanting stations. All of the special effects were created using Adobe After Effects and Final Cut Express, the release said.

In addition to taking first place in the comedy category, Keppen was accepted into the Lighthouse International Film Festival, which is being held on Long Beach Island June 4-7. He was one of just 10 high school students accepted into the event.

Keith Eckert, Keppen’s teacher, said that this is the highest honor a Manchester High School video program student has ever received.

The festival was sponsored by The New Jersey Motion Picture Association and the Fort Lee Film Commission. Devin won a DSLR camera kit with two lenses.

(Devin Keppen with his prize at the festival. Photo courtesy of Manchester Township School District)