Believing that youth’s unsolicited on-line productions offer models for in-class production and reflection, the author describes the YouTube genre of movies-in-minutes, which contract full-length, professional movies to just a few minutes. The films variously involve life action reenactments, or the use of puppets, Lego, toys, or animation, and usually they eliminate all but what is essential to chronicle a few key scenes of the original. Additionally, they overcome the challenge posed by the use of high technology, multi-million-dollar special effects with inventive low technology, low cost solutions. The author describes his use of this model among his pre-service art teachers with three examples. Each exemplifies students engaging in considerable planning and organization; student learning and reliance on a complex range of visual and technical skills; and the creativity inherent in translating one cultural form into another. While highly motivated by recreating cultural forms with strong emotional resonance, students acquired knowledge that is basic to reflect critically upon, as well as fully appreciate, the dominant cultural forms of our time; namely, realistic style, time-based narrative imagery.