Do you know a child who is excited about making videos on a smartphone, tablet, or computer?
Today’s technologies have made it easy for even the youngest kids to capture and record moving images, but making an actual movie is more than simply stringing images together. Luckily, digital storytelling is not only fun to learn but accessible to kids as young as seven years old!
Digital storytelling is the art and skill of using digital technology to tell a story. Digistars® Make-a-Movie Workshop programs are professionally designed to guide elementary- and middle-schoolers through the storytelling process and then to bring their stories to life on the screen!
Denver is fortunate to be one of the few places in the country offering these moviemaking experiences to kids younger than 14, and Digistars programs draw kids from all over the metro area and even from other states.
“My daughter is 9 and is an avid videographer. We live in Seattle and she traveled to Denver to attend Digistars (and spend a little time with her grandparents). The counselors were wonderful –really nice and also knowledgeable,” explains Pam G., mother of 3rd grader Wren. “She also had rave reviews for the recess time and made some great new friends!”
Jump into a weeklong Claymation summer camp and you’ll see first through eighth graders working together in small production groups. From storyboarding to building sets and molding characters out of clay, the production process is hands-on and kid-driven. Campers do all of their own filming and editing, adding in voiceovers, titles and credits, and even sound effects to round out their productions.
“My 7-year-old son absolutely loved this weeklong summer camp!” enthuses Denver parent Sarah R. “Every day, he came home talking about the fun things they were doing and the different movie-making facts he was learning…. We signed up for two weeks of camp last summer, and my only regret is that we didn’t sign up for more! Highly recommend!”
Third- through eighth-grade campers in a week-long live action filmmaking camp use the magic of green screen technology to set their movies anywhere in the universe! The kids work together to devise a story, map it out on storyboards, and write a script. They learn about different camera angles and lighting techniques in preparation for participating in all of the production roles of acting, directing, and operating the camera. In the editing phase, campers weave the scenes together into a complete movie for a professional finish.
“My kids had a great time, and learned a lot at the Digistars Make-a-Movie workshop,” says Denver parent Colleen L. “The breaks provided opportunities for physical activity and my kids got to experience being part of a movie making team. One of my kids discovered her love for movie making and is now enrolled in the video cinema program at Denver School of the Arts!”
Learn more about Digistars’ register at https://digistarsworkshop.com/summer-camps/ or call 1-888-611-5090. In partnership with Mile High Mamas.
Author: Mile High Mamas
