If you don’t understand the directions in the next sentence, find a Cadet to help you. Launch Instagram, head to @AllThingsSTA, find the video icon just above the tiles of content, mash that button, press play on any of the videos, and get ready to run through a brick wall for Saint Thomas Academy sports teams.

The “hype” videos there to excite you about Academy athletics are the product of Cadet Vision, an elective class led by Tyler Maddaus, Creative Director and Social Media Manager. Cadets create the videos for credit, learning a great deal along the way about not only digital arts but also some critical life skills and key character traits.

The class, now in its seventh year, is open to students from their sophomore year onward. Most who start as sophomores stay for all three years, resulting in class sizes that fluctuate from two to 10, Maddaus said.

Students learn how to operate cameras and software, such as Adobe’s Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve. They also learn aesthetics, such as shot selection, framing, and musical alignment with the video’s rhythm and pacing.

“We watch a lot of videos to see what others have done,” Maddaus said. “Students might find the five best hype videos for different sports, and then we’ll analyze what makes them pop, such as the music, use of slow motion, cool transitions, or cutting techniques.”

Classroom time focuses on those aspects of video production, plus Cadets scheduling themselves to shoot game footage and work with teams to set up stylized b-roll shots that may involve smoke machines and other special effects. “We also talk about creating ads and logo design,” Maddaus said. “We study aspects of starting your own business and thinking about brand identity.”

Then, students shoot hundreds of hours of footage per year and edit them “on their own laptops, on their own time,” Maddaus said. That’s where the class’ life lessons and character traits come in, particularly in the areas of discipline and teamwork.

“It’s a very self-motivated class,” Maddaus said. “Ninety percent of what you do is outside of the classroom. They rely on each other, bounce ideas off each other, and help each other out a lot.”

That sort of work comes with some perks. For example, content on @AllThingsSTA carries creative credits, so students can develop portfolios that will be useful for college admissions and later career pursuits. At least one former student attended film school, Maddaus said. Another perk is field access at U.S. Bank Stadium in seasons that Cadets advance that far in the state high school football playoffs.

Another aspect of the class that develops character is the critique sessions. “Guys get excited,” Maddaus said. “We vote and decide whose video gets picked to appear on our Instagram. It’s competitive, and they thrive on the competition.”

All in all, students come away from the Cadet Vision class more well-rounded by attending to their creative sides, Maddaus said, adding (with pun perhaps intended) that the students benefit from “seeing things through a different lens.”