Posted in Film
Last updated 07/27/2011 at 4:46 p.m. PDT
The YouTube Generation Tries Out a Director's Chair
Filmmaking camp gives teenagers a week to make a movie
Film Crew: Sam Lombardi, Jackson Karel, Mariana Weiss, Jake Newman and Gabrielle Alias preparing a shot for an origianal short film being produced by the young Spielbergs and Abrams at the San Francisco Film Society's Young Filmmakers Camp, Production Lab
Should the Creepy Bathroom Man wear sunglasses?
“No,” he said after a moment of thought. “They make him look too smart.”
It was Wednesday and the San Francisco Film Society’s Young Filmmaker’s Camp was deep in the throes of production. The 15 campers, all between 13-15 years old, had broken into two teams that had to write, shoot, and edit a film by Friday afternoon.
What’s more, each member of the team would be taking a turn at every job on set. So once Lombardi’s term as director had finished, he’d be picking up a boom mike and Gabrielle Alias, Mariana Weiss, or Jake Newman would have to make the final calls about important things like sunglasses.
The looming deadline was made less intimidating by the fact that most of the campers had attended
the Learning Lab last week, a five-day crash course in film production that included sessions on writing, sound, editing, cinematography, and even animation. Local teens sign up for one or both sessions on the SFFS website. Another two-week session for students aged 16-18 runs now through the 5th of August.
Last year, the Learning Lab was the only session of Youth Filmmakers Camp the S.F. Film Society offered. The campers loved it, but wanted to actually use their newfound cinematic knowledge and make a movie. So the camp expanded into this second week, a Production Lab, which began with script development on Monday and Tuesday, shooting on Thursday and editing on Friday. Then —on Friday afternoon —refreshments would be provided. And parents.
One thing the Learning Lab did not cover was how to shoot with all these buses around, but Logan Chavez was making due. His team was set up on the corner of Jackson and Lyon, just around the corner from the camp’s home base at San Francisco University High School. As another bus rumbled through his shot, Chavez looked to camp mentor John Dilley for help. Dilley, who directs films himself when not working at the camp, suggested a quick snack break to build morale.
As Chavez and the others munched Cheez-Its, the streets fell silent. “I’m sure as soon as we start it will get noisy again,” observed Ethan Chong, another camper, displaying the deep sense of utilitarian pessimism that is found on every film set. And you know what? He was right.
With only one Wednesday to shoot their entire films, the mood was slightly tense when both teams broke for lunch. As the campers commiserated about the difficulty of keeping on schedule, a crew from a local TV station appeared. Suddenly the hallway buzzed with excitement: a spontaneous crash-course in media training! While the campers waited for their turn in the spotlight, they talked about the films they had made before this week. Chavez focuses on action sequences, shooting his friends on weekends. Lombardi had a similar style, explaining his most recent project had been “Just me and my friends running around with BB guns.”
Not all the campers were hoping to become the next Michael Bay, however, as Jackson Karel explained his recent forays into claymation. “I took a story from Greek myths,” he said, “you know, Orpheus and Eurydice?” The five-minute final product, which can be seen here, took “forever” to complete. Weiss commiserated, noting that every time she makes a film “I think it’s really long, but they are always about five minutes.” Karel’s story also struck a chord with Alias, who thought that she and her fellow campers should be focusing on more artistic endeavors. “Hollywood is for honcho films, but San Francisco is capital of the independent stuff.” Most everyone agreed, but Chavez seemed unconvinced.
Talk turned to favorite films and suddenly every camper was shouting out their choice, exploding with enthusiasm. “Star Wars!” “Pulp Fiction!” “Mean Girls!” “Delicatessen!” “The Big Lebowski!” “Paper Moon!” That last one caught the attention of the instructors (and this reporter). Really? Weiss blushed a little, embarrassed all of a sudden. “My dad thought it would be good for me to watch,” she admitted.
“No,” he said after a moment of thought. “They make him look too smart.”
It was Wednesday and the San Francisco Film Society’s Young Filmmaker’s Camp was deep in the throes of production. The 15 campers, all between 13-15 years old, had broken into two teams that had to write, shoot, and edit a film by Friday afternoon.
What’s more, each member of the team would be taking a turn at every job on set. So once Lombardi’s term as director had finished, he’d be picking up a boom mike and Gabrielle Alias, Mariana Weiss, or Jake Newman would have to make the final calls about important things like sunglasses.
The looming deadline was made less intimidating by the fact that most of the campers had attended
Sam Lombardi, Emily Hoover (instructor), Elijah Howard
the Learning Lab last week, a five-day crash course in film production that included sessions on writing, sound, editing, cinematography, and even animation. Local teens sign up for one or both sessions on the SFFS website. Another two-week session for students aged 16-18 runs now through the 5th of August.
Last year, the Learning Lab was the only session of Youth Filmmakers Camp the S.F. Film Society offered. The campers loved it, but wanted to actually use their newfound cinematic knowledge and make a movie. So the camp expanded into this second week, a Production Lab, which began with script development on Monday and Tuesday, shooting on Thursday and editing on Friday. Then —on Friday afternoon —refreshments would be provided. And parents.
One thing the Learning Lab did not cover was how to shoot with all these buses around, but Logan Chavez was making due. His team was set up on the corner of Jackson and Lyon, just around the corner from the camp’s home base at San Francisco University High School. As another bus rumbled through his shot, Chavez looked to camp mentor John Dilley for help. Dilley, who directs films himself when not working at the camp, suggested a quick snack break to build morale.
As Chavez and the others munched Cheez-Its, the streets fell silent. “I’m sure as soon as we start it will get noisy again,” observed Ethan Chong, another camper, displaying the deep sense of utilitarian pessimism that is found on every film set. And you know what? He was right.
With only one Wednesday to shoot their entire films, the mood was slightly tense when both teams broke for lunch. As the campers commiserated about the difficulty of keeping on schedule, a crew from a local TV station appeared. Suddenly the hallway buzzed with excitement: a spontaneous crash-course in media training! While the campers waited for their turn in the spotlight, they talked about the films they had made before this week. Chavez focuses on action sequences, shooting his friends on weekends. Lombardi had a similar style, explaining his most recent project had been “Just me and my friends running around with BB guns.”
Not all the campers were hoping to become the next Michael Bay, however, as Jackson Karel explained his recent forays into claymation. “I took a story from Greek myths,” he said, “you know, Orpheus and Eurydice?” The five-minute final product, which can be seen here, took “forever” to complete. Weiss commiserated, noting that every time she makes a film “I think it’s really long, but they are always about five minutes.” Karel’s story also struck a chord with Alias, who thought that she and her fellow campers should be focusing on more artistic endeavors. “Hollywood is for honcho films, but San Francisco is capital of the independent stuff.” Most everyone agreed, but Chavez seemed unconvinced.
Talk turned to favorite films and suddenly every camper was shouting out their choice, exploding with enthusiasm. “Star Wars!” “Pulp Fiction!” “Mean Girls!” “Delicatessen!” “The Big Lebowski!” “Paper Moon!” That last one caught the attention of the instructors (and this reporter). Really? Weiss blushed a little, embarrassed all of a sudden. “My dad thought it would be good for me to watch,” she admitted.
Logan Chavez, John Dilley (instructor), Apeksha Agarwal
As another camper entered the interview room, the rest noticed the TV crew’s camera for the first time. “Oh my god, it’s so huge,” said Newman. “Look at all the buttons!” The campers examined the equipment with their newly expert eyes, trying to figure out which were the controls for focus and aperture. Lombardi remembered a time he had visited a professional set, where a commercial was being shot. “It was amazing how good the crew was,” he noted admiringly, “They were ready for anything.”
The other campers nodded. They knew that feeling too.
You’ll be happy to know that both teams of campers finished their films on time. The Friday screening was a great success, but don’t worry if you didn’t attend: the two films are already up on the SFFS website.
You’ll be happy to know that both teams of campers finished their films on time. The Friday screening was a great success, but don’t worry if you didn’t attend: the two films are already up on the SFFS website.
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