With Arts & Entertainment Editor Kathy L. Collins
The Tampa Theatre, in collaboration with the Florida Center For Instructional Technology at the USF College of Education, will offer several film camps this summer. Over the summer, both the popular live-action and stop-motion animation camps will be offered for a week in June and a week in July.
Campers entering grades three to 12 work in small groups to learn the creative process of digital filmmaking, from brainstorming, story boarding, and scriptwriting to filming, lighting and editing. All of the necessary equipment is provided, including cameras, lights, sound equipment, Mac computers and software. By the end of the filmmaking session, each production team will have a three to five minute movie to showcase to friends and family on the Tampa Theatre’s historic big screen.
The morning session from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon. is for children entering grades three to six, and the afternoon session from 1 to 4 p.m.is for students entering grades seven to 12. Each session is $200 per camper. This includes a camp t-shirt, daily snack and a digital copy of the finished film.
Campers are the stars in Live-Action Filmmaking Camp as they write, produce and act in their own short films. The camp is offered the weeks of June 12 to 16 and July 10 to 14.
In the Stop-Motion Animation Filmmaking Camp, campers learn how to create an animated film one frame at a time with clay, Legos, paper and other materials in the style of animation made popular by The California Raisins and SOUTH PARK. This camp is offered during the weeks of June 19 to 23 and July 17 to 21.
Jill Witecki Tampa Theatre’s Director of Marketing said, “It is amazing, what these kids come up with in five days. Tapping into that creativity is only part of Film Camp’s influence. Campers are also learning visual literacy- how a director can use the moving image to play on emotions and manipulate a message. These young people leave with an understanding of filmmaker’s motivations. They watch TV shows and commercials with a new eye, and that is not a bad thing.”
The Tampa Theatre is located at 711 N. Franklin St., Tampa. To register, visit www.tampatheatre.org or call 274-8981.
