The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise contributed $3,000 toward scholarships for Film Camp.
 
Santa Barbara International Film Festival, in partnership with the United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County, recently wrapped its signature Film Camp. The camp was offered for free to 30 local teenage participants who got enjoy the great outdoors while making their very own short films!
 
After descending upon the wilds of Camp Whittier, located in the front country hills of the Los Padres National Forest, not only did the participants get to enjoy all the quintessential camp activities that you’d expect — swimming, hiking, s’mores, ghost stories, a ropes course, and more — they also enjoyed pro-level filmmaking workshops on writing, directing, cinematography, and visual effects and worked together with other campers to produce films of their own, which were screened for friends and family on the camp’s final night.
 
During the day, campers attended workshops lead by industry professionals to help instruct them through the process of making their films. Camp workshops included:
 
Screenwriting and Pitching – Campers learned about structure of scripts and how to present their ideas.
Storytelling taught best-selling writer, actress, and award-winning documentarian Leslie Zemeckis
Vocal Techniques lead by actress and singer Deborah Bertling
Story Pitches, Storyboarding, and Shot Lists
Acting on Screen lead by award-winning writer, director, and author Brian McDonald
Visual Effects and Cinematography lead by Academy Award nominated Special Effects Supervisor Leslie Ekker and professional filmmaker William Hahn
Editing Lead by acclaimed editor Israel Vasquez
Writing Structure lead by screenwriter Pamela Gray
Creating a Project and Teambuilding lead by Executive Producer of TEDx SantaBarbara Mark Sylvester
Voice-Over Acting lead by Voice Actor and Narrator Claudia Dunn
Staging a Film lead by Director, Writer, Actor Perry Lang & Filmmaker Santiago Bailey-Musacchio
Producing Your Movie lead by acclaimed producer Joe Medjuck
 
Professional Feedback: Guests such as SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling, Screenwriter Pamela Gray, Producer Joe Medjuck, TEDx Executive Producer Mark Sylvester, and Writer/Director Leslie Zemeckis all took time to hear from the campers about their films as well as watch and then provide feedback on their films.
 
Each evening, campers enjoyed screenings of cinematic classics, to prepare them for their filmmaking workshops and as a source of inspiration for their own films. Nightly screenings showcased:
The Moon & Back
Apollo 13
Holes
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
The Goonies
 
Throughout Film Camp, participants were encouraged to join in fun and healthy outdoor activities.
 
If you’d like to watch the student films that were created during Film Camp, you’re invited to join us in celebrating the campers and their films at SBIFF’s Education Center on Thursday, August 4th beginning at 5:30pm. The camp films will be shown for free as part of our Santa Barbara Filmmaker Series in conjunction with Downtown Santa Barbara’s 1st Thursday.
 
Source: Santa Barbara International Film Festival