Garland High School’s film program, Reel Owl Cinema (ROC), has been cultivating young filmmakers for more than two decades, giving students hands-on experience in directing, writing, cinematography, and editing. In the IB film program, students balance creative projects with rigorous academics, developing skills that prepare them for competitions and real-world productions.

Earlier this school year, the City of Garland approached the program with a proposal: could ROC produce consistent content for the local public access station, CGTV? The team assessed what they could manage while keeping academics a priority and gave students the reins. With guidance from Thomas Schubert, the film teacher, and Patty Schubert, former teacher and film program creator, senior Reyna Villatoro quickly emerged as the driving force, selecting the films, shaping each episode’s structure, and handling editing, effectively serving as the series’s director.

“Reyna has fully stepped into this role,” Thomas Schubert said. “She’s running the show, making the decisions, and guiding each episode.”

Reyna oversees the editing and assembly of each episode, ensuring deadlines are met and quality standards are maintained. Each episode blends short films from previous years with at least one film created by a current student. Genres vary intentionally, including comedies, documentaries, music videos, and narrative films.

“Editing wasn’t my primary focus before the project, but I adapted quickly,” Reyna said. What once took a full week now takes a single day, allowing the team to stay ahead of the broadcast schedule.

“You always have to be ahead of time,” she said. “Learning how to work fast has been the biggest challenge.”

Senior Collin Thomas films brief introductions with former student filmmakers, capturing their insights and experiences for the “A Word from the Filmmaker” segments that precede each short.

“Getting to see people talk about their films and how excited they are is really awesome,” Collin said. “I hope viewers get a lot of entertainment and maybe feel inspired to engage with the local film scene.”

For Reyna, the most rewarding part of the project is connecting with an audience.

“I’m looking forward to people talking about the episodes,” she said. “Hearing things like, ‘That was really interesting,’ or ‘I liked that perspective.’ I’m excited about the feedback.”

Schubert emphasized the impact the series could have on the community and on students.

“Having this kind of platform gives City of Garland residents a chance to see our students’ work, and that really matters,” he said.

As episodes continue to air, the goal remains the same: to tell meaningful stories, highlight student voices, and invite viewers across Garland to experience the creativity unfolding within Garland High School.

Programming Details:
Reel Owl Cinema Shorts episodes air at 7 p.m. on Saturday nights on Channel 16 (Spectrum), Channel 44 (Frontier), and Channel 99 (AT&T U-verse), and can also be viewed at Garlandtx.gov under the “City Videos” tab.