Film Camp at the RiverPark Center puts the camera, lights, and sound directly in the students’ hands, giving them a chance to take their own ideas and produce short films for a small screening.
While they wanted a larger group, RPC Director of Education Matt Waller said having six students allows the participants to be as up-close and hands-on with the material as possible.
“The first day, we said, let’s talk about your story and then start just building it from there. The process is much more educational than sitting in a classroom,” Waller said.
With the help of Wonder Boy Media, the students learned how to take their productions from paper to film. Drew Hardesty, President of Wonder Boy Media, provides the camp with lighting, camera, sound, and framing education.
Waller initially thought the students would be doing the projects on their phones and wouldn’t have the equipment to take their films to the next level, so he was grateful to be able to work with Hardesty for a better learning experience.
“The things that these kids are getting out of it are much more valuable than what I had envisioned,” he said.
Ava Hall, a 17-year-old student, said being in the program is furthering her passion for film and acting as it allows her to see the world better than she would’ve before.
“I like anything to do with acting and the film production stuff. I love it. I’ve always kind of been obsessed with it,” Hall said.
During the camp the students take turns shooting portions of their films, switching roles to help each other with sound and lighting.
Once all the projects have been filmed, the students will edit them before a final screening at the end of the camp.
