In Connecticut, teams of 4-5 youth, with the support of professional filmmakers, went through a series of rigorous activities, workshops, shoots and editing sessions to make a second cut of one of the eight chosen films.  Most youth stayed up late into the wee hours of the morning working on their film, with only minor breaks for a video slam, dance to hip hop and hang out.  It was a blast and every team completed their film by the following morning screening/discussion.  The screening was much more than a time to celebrate the work, but an important event for people to come together, critique the work and find even more solutions to make the pieces better. 

It is this long process of give and take -- discussion and debate -- that help filmmakers tell a better story with a strong dramatic arch.