Youth Filmmaking Programs
Organization/Program | Location | Description | Cost |
---|---|---|---|
Austin Film School's Youth Programs | Austin, TX | In existence since 1999 as the Center for Youth Cinema, the Austin Film School offers small classes for ages 10 to 19. Small classes ensure personal attention and encourage group collaboration in all facets of filmmaking, including screenwriting, visualization, developing narrative, and the entire production and postproduction process. Partners with SXSW to offer classes and workshops during the festival. | Summer Camps - Half Day: $395, Full Day: $670; Free workshops at SXSW |
Austin Film Society's Film Club | Austin, TX | The Austin Film Society's Film Club afterschool program has been engaging young filmmakers since 2004. Film Club uses digital media literacy as a framework for teaching students how to analyze, explore and produce films, fostering our next generation of moviemakers and film aficionados. | Free! |
Austin Film Society's Summer @ Austin Public | Austin, TX | For more than two decades, the Austin Film Society has served as the hub of Austin’s vibrant film community. Summer @ Austin Public has offered a unique opportunity for youth to work with local filmmakers and experience the magic of filmmaking at our shiny new facility @ Austin Public, just minutes away from the 51st Street campus! Whether it’s developing a script idea, producing an animation project, or now learning how to produce a TV show, AFS programs provide a fun, nurturing space for exploration and collaboration. | $275 - $325 |
Automatic Studios Movie Arts© CAMPS | Brooklyn, NY | AUTOMATIC STUDIOS Movie Arts© CAMPS are designed for students who have started 3rd grade by the time they attend. Each camp gives attendees the opportunity to be part of a creative team and experience working on a real movie set! | 1-Week Camps $685 |
Asheville School of Film Youth Summer Filmmaking Experience | Asheville, NC | The Youth Summer Filmmaking Experience is a two week intensive summer course ideal for teenagers (13-19 yr old). It will be held in 3 different rotations, Monday to Friday for 2 weeks. Students will gain experience in filmmaking and become exposed to the various career opportunities available in the film industry. | 2-Week Camps $495 |
BAVC's Next Gen | San Francisco, CA | Don't just consume media. Learn how to tell your own story through audio, video, and design using industry-standard equipment and software in a supportive, collaborative environment. Under the instruction of award-winning filmmakers, coders, and practicing artists and musicians, Next Gen participants, ages 14-18, receive unparalleled technical training in a creative community of peers, along with opportunities for professional growth and direct access to industry professionals. All participants are eligible to receive college credit at San Francisco State University. Best of all, all of BAVC's youth programs are entirely free of cost (and provide snacks!) for all participants. | Free! |
BAYCAT Academy | San Francisco, CA | Bayview-Hunters Point Center for Arts and Technology (BAYCAT) is a nonprofit social enterprise that educates, empowers and employs young people from historically underserved Bay Area communities in the digital media arts including: video production, music production, animation, graphic and web design. Through project-based learning and access to the latest digital technology, BAYCAT Academy students are able to learn professional media applications while discovering their innate artistic abilities. | Free! |
Brooklyn Young Filmmakers Center | Brooklyn, NY | Brooklyn Young Filmmakers is laying the groundwork for the People’s Hollywood Studio, a holistic workforce development and cultural center for low-income teen and adult beginners in the film and entertainment industries, that will also be a store and networking hub for low/no budget filmmakers. Since 2001 BYFC has offered classes, screening series, career seminars, and public forums, while developing its own curriculum and teaching formats. | Various |
Camp Reel Stories | Oakland, CA / Los Angeles, CA / Lincoln, IL | Camp Reel Stories believes that when women and girls are better represented behind the scenes in the media, they will be better reflected on the screen. Camp Reel Stories is a non-profit organization that empowers 13-18 year old young women with the skills to create their own media, to view current media critically and thoughtfully, and to aspire to leadership in their field. At the Camp Reel Stories summer programs girls get to work in small, collaborative groups, to write, shoot, edit and broadcast their own short films. Camp Reel Stories is the only media program led by professionals in the Media Industry. | Session - $550 / Advanced Session - $1200 |
Cherry Street Films - Teen Summer Filmmaking Camp | Seattle, WA / Kirland, WA | Every child has a story to tell and digital storytelling is an excellent opportunity for children to explore themselves, their community and the larger world around them. Cherry Street Films programs cultivate critical thinkers who learn to use their voice to drive creative change in their community. Students who complete our programs learn to build upon the confidence, community awareness and social skills necessary for a successful academic and professional life. At our camp, teens will produce their own original, creative stories! We teach kids the skills and lessons needed to produce a digital short film from start to finish. | 350 |
Chicago Filmmakers' Youth Classes & Summer Camps | Chicago, IL | Chicago Filmmakers is a not-for-profit media arts organization that fosters the creation, appreciation, and understanding of film and video as media for artistic and personal expression, as well as media of important social and community impact. Classes and summer camps are taught by highly qualified professionals who provide hands-on training for students of all ages and skill levels. We’re proud to offer our youth and teen students the opportunity to learn from successful working artists in their respective fields. | $225 - $475 |
Downtown Community Television Center: PRO-TV Youth Filmmaking Program | New York, NY | PRO-TV is the largest most honored free media arts training program for youth in New York City. PRO-TV teaching artists mentor students through a rich curriculum of formal workshops and field experience. Students use state-of-the-industry digital production equipment and edit systems, and tour media industry sites. | Free! |
Denver Film Society's Young Filmmakers Workshops | Denver, CO | Developed for teens aged 12-18, the Denver Film Society's Young Filmmakers Workshops furnish their participants with opportunities to learn the art of cinema, collaborate with other young filmmakers, refine their work with industry professionals and exhibit their films in public premieres. | 800 |
Digital Media Academy | Various | At Digital Media Academy, we encourage and inspire kids and teens to become the next generation of developers, animators, filmmakers, photographers, designers, and engineers. Our STEM camps and academies feature hands-on, project-based learning infused with the latest in VR, film, photo, robotics, and 3D modeling and printing equipment. | Various |
Educational Video Center | New York, NY | The Educational Video Center is a non-profit youth media organization dedicated to teaching documentary video as a means to develop the artistic, critical literacy, and career skills of young people, while nurturing their idealism and commitment to social change. While the technology has changed over the past three decades, we've stayed true to our core values and mission through our after-school and summer Youth Documentary Workshops; New Media Arts Apprenticeship; Professional Development Programs; and Community Engagement and Dissemination Initiatives. | Free! |
Filmmakers For Tomorrow Foundation | Washington, DC | Filmmakers for Tomorrow Foundation (FFTF) is a Washington, DC based (501c3) non-profit organization that provides young aspiring filmmakers with educational and financial resources. FFTF's mission is to encourage and support diverse artistic and cinematic expression of American life among young filmmakers. Through our grant program and youth-oriented projects, FFTF is developing the next generation of local filmmakers ages 16-25. FFTF also seeks to establish a network of artists, professionals, and educators as mentors to young filmmakers to help sharpen their artistic talents. | Free! |
Fresh Films | Various | Fresh Films is a Hollywood film set where teens & college students replace the pros. Each year, Fresh Films travels to select cities, where teams of youth work together, rotating through all film positions – from camera and sound to editing and effects - gaining technical and life skills. The resulting Emmy-quality feature films and TV episodes are released in theatres, at schools, on DVD, online, on TV, at major retailers and internationally with funds from distribution reinvested to support more youth programming. The Fresh Films program is open to teens ages 12-18 of any skill level. | Free! |
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival: The School of Doc | Durham, NC | The School of Doc, launched in 2011, is a completely free program (including meals) serving Durham teens who participate in the five-week intensive summer course taught by professional filmmakers. The program is held in Full Frame's theater and classroom space, where students work as a crew to produce a professional documentary film. Coursework includes all technical elements of the craft: camera, lights, sound, editing, and special effects, as well as pre- and post-production considerations such as rights and clearances, graphics and credits. Each School of Doc student spends time working in each of these areas. | Free! |
Ghetto Film School | Bronx, NY and Los Angeles, CA | Ghetto Film School (GFS) is an award-winning non-profit founded in 2000 to educate, develop and celebrate the next generation of great American storytellers. Based in the South Bronx NYC and MacArthur Park LA, GFS builds a pipeline of diverse, creative talent through two tracks: a pre-professional, narrative filmmaking educational program, and an early career support network for those working in the creative and media industries. Over 1,500 individuals are annually engaged in GFS programs, always free of charge. | Free! |
iD Tech Camps | Film Courses | Campbell, CA | Bring your creative visions to life with a special focus on digital video production! YouTube has over one billion users and creates new possibilities for content and expression every day. Whether it's vlogs, tutorials, PSAs, or traditional movies, our film production camps give aspiring internet stars the opportunity to use professional products, learn from passionate instructors, and gain valuable industry insights on creating engaging content. Discover the new era of filmmaking in a digital world! | Various |
International Film Institute of New York - Five Week Summer Intensive | New York, NY | The International Film Institute of New York supports aspiring filmmakers as they work toward an education in film. Our Summer Film Intensive focuses on the most important aspect of making movies...Storytelling. The program revolves around the ability for a student to properly translate the written page onto screen. Learning the technical aspects to filmmaking - how to use cameras, lights, and sound - will round out the coursework during the five weeks. | 4250 |
International Film Institute of New York - One Week Intro to Filmmaking | New York, NY | The International Film Institute of New York supports aspiring filmmakers as they work toward an education in film. Wonder what goes into making a film? Considering film school? Is filmmaking for you? The One-Week Introduction to Filmmaking Seminar is designed as a comprehensive overview of the process of making films, from script through screening. Along with informative classroom sessions, students will have the opportunity to explore the technical side to film with camera, sound and lighting work. | 795 |
Jacob Burns Film Center Media Arts Lab | Pleasantville, NY | The Media Arts Lab is the hub of our education initiatives. We offer classes for kids, teens, and adults in a broad array of courses that utilize our 27,000-square-foot production space and state-of-the art technology, including an animation studio, a fully equipped soundstage, a recording studio, workshop space, a 60-seat screening room, and 16 editing suites. Classes are held after school, in the evening, on weekends, during the summer, and during school vacations. Our popular summer camp extends the fun through the warmer months. | Various |
LYNX National Arts & Media Camps | Denver, CO | The LYNX National Arts and Media Camps are summer immersion programs for high school students interested in music and the arts hosted on the University of Colorado Denver campus and sponsored by the CU Denver College of Arts & Media. Students learn from faculty, are mentored by current students and bond with other students who have a shared passion for the art! | $600 - $2,100 |
Made in NY PA Training Program | New York, NY | The Made in NY Production Assistant Training Program is designed to: provide unemployed and low-income New York City residents with training and placement into entry-level positions in film and television production; promote diversity within New York City's entertainment production workforce; provide an additional resource as an incentive for attracting new production to New York. | Free! |
Maysles Institute's Teen Producers Academy | New York, NY | The Teen Producers Academy is a year-round after school and summer intensive film program where high school students work in small teams to make a short documentary. We are looking for youth who have a story to tell, and want to make moving and honest films about subjects important to you and your communities. | Free! |
Media Arts Center San Diego's Teen Producers Project | San Diego, CA | Since 2001, the Media Arts Center San Diego's Teen Producers Project has been inspiring youth to be more than consumers of media as they become creators of media. Through our programs, hundreds of youth throughout San Diego County and Orange County have learned about filmmaking and digital storytelling and have produced engaging video projects. The project's mission is to educate youth in media arts & emerging technologies for use in self-expression, communication and social change. | $270 - $360 |
Media Enterprise Alliance | Oakland, CA | Media Enterprise Alliance (MEA) engages Oakland high school students in media education, leadership, and workforce training. Using video, graphic design, and website production students create content from their unique perspective and gain technical and entrepreneurial skills. While working with media arts professionals to produce informational films for non-profits advocating social justice, and features for television news magazines, student-produced websites, and peer-to-health initiatives, students are exposed first-hand to community problems and become an active part of the solution. | Free! |
National Geographic Student Expeditions | Worldwide | Our unique student travel program, National Geographic Student Expeditions, offers high school and middle school students ages 13 and older opportunities to get out into the field and follow in the footsteps of National Geographic’s photographers, writers, and scientists. We invite the next generation of explorers to snorkel with marine biologists in Belize, go on photo shoots in Yellowstone National Park with a National Geographic photographer, help out with a community project in Nepal, and more. It only takes a little digging to find that there is wonder—big and small—all around the world. Come discover it with us. | $700 application + additional costs |
New York International Children's Film Festival - Film Camps | New York, NY | NYICFF teams up with The Good School to offer filmmaking camps during school breaks and the summer for students in grades K-8. Students will team up to form a film crew and perform all of the different roles involved in making an animated short film. They will write a story and explore different styles of animation to create their characters and sets and bring an original tale to life. | $650 per week |
NJ Film School | New Providence, NJ | Filmmaking is fun and we firmly believe that classes about filmmaking should be fun as well. No lectures here - the best way to learn is by doing. All of our classes are limited to 10 or 12 students and everyone is encouraged to "get their hands dirty." Screenwriters will write, actors will act, and filmmakers will shoot films using our equipment. We love filmmaking and are eager to help you learn the craft while you bring your own film dreams to life. | $180 - $2,100 |
Old School Films | Brooklyn, NY | It's a simple idea: there are aspiring filmmakers who want to tell stories and there are elderly people with stories to tell. Each filmmaker is paired with an experienced mentor and a senior citizen from the community. Together they make a short documentary about the senior citizen. The filmmakers learn everything from pre-production to post-production using professional cameras and editing equipment. Elderly individuals benefit from an interaction that helps decrease the effects of isolation and detachment while encouraging intergenerational cohesion. The audience enjoys a collection of entertaining, original short films. | Free! |
Outside the Lens Summer Camps | San Diego, CA | The mission of Outside the Lens is to empower youth to use digital media to create change within themselves, their community and their world. Our innovative program engages disconnected youth, encourages them to tell their stories and teaches them that participation in their community’s future makes a difference. We use cameras and digital media along with a proven educational strategy that allows youth to think creatively, engage in issues that are important to them and advocate for social change. | $240 - $395 |
Pacific Arts Movement's Reel Voices | San Diego,CA | Since 2005, Pacific Arts Movement has empowered local high school students to learn the art of documentary filmmaking through the Reel Voices program. This intense, 8-week summer internship helps students become socially-conscious storytellers, learn Adobe Premiere editing, and experience all stages of production and post-production. | Free! |
Pittsburgh Filmmakers Youth Media | Pittsburgh, PA | The Pittsburgh Filmmakers Youth Media provides media literacy education to the region with innovative classes, hands-on workshops, and outreach programs to schools and other community partners. Classes, camps, and workshops are offered in a wide range of media including digital video, filmmaking, photography, animation, and programming. | Various |
Reel Grrls | Seattle, WA | Reel Grrls empowers young women & gender non-conforming youth from diverse communities to realize their power, talent and influence through media production. Our mission is to support young people to explore, critique and author media through a feminist lens. | Non-refundable deposit of $50 + additional costs |
Reel Works | Brooklyn, NY | Reel Works is one of the leading digital media educators in the United States. We are the only filmmaking program that matches teens 1:1 with professional filmmaker-mentors to tell their stories and have their voices heard. | Free! |
re:imagine/ATL | Atlanta, GA | re:imagine/ATL is empowering the next generation of storytellers by providing them the resources and mentorship they need to pursue careers in film and media. Through our programs we connect teens with professional studios, equipment, and training to create their own original content and secure internships and career options in Georgia's growing film sector. Programs include monthly workshops and networking events, in-school programming, and a quarterly fellowship. Most programs are free, workshops and in-school programming fees vary. | $0 - $500 |
SOCAPA Art Intensives | NYC, LA & Burlington, VT | SOCAPA offers arts intensives for teens ages 13-19. Students can attend programs ranging in length from one to three weeks. Filmmakers write, shoot & edit a film a week in our core programs. Filmmakers with more experience can attend for a variety of advanced programs to hone writing, producing or cinematography skills. Films are shared at an all-camp showcase at the end of each week. SOCAPA creates a supportive environment where like-minded students can take artistic risks and create lasting networks with their peers and teachers. Students with or without experience are welcome, the only requirement is a passion for the arts! | $1195 - $3995 |
Seattle Film Institute's Teen Filmmakers Program | Seattle, WA | The Summer Teen Program concentrates on developing skills in film and video production. This intensive two week program culminates with students completing a final project on video. Students will also have the unique opportunity to shoot on film while learning about the special qualities of film and the actual differences between film and video. Students take full responsibility for their projects as they write the scripts, prepare storyboards, and finally shoot and edit the project. | $790 - $995 |
Film Intensive | San Francisco, CA | This workshop is offered to any student, from late middle school through college, as well as adults and teachers who wish to learn more about making films. The workshop encapsulates our 9 month winter program for students, including an overview of film history and a full film production, beginning with developing ideas and writing scripts through production and editing. Together students produce 2 films the last days of the workshop. This workshop is especially ideal for students who wish to learn more about how to think about serious film. | 1000 |
Film Workshop | San Francisco, CA | Each year, new students (from late middle school through college) are introduced to the fundamentals of professional filmmaking while returning students refine and deepen their skills. The Workshop acts as producer, helping students to build a portfolio of work that will help them get into film schools and also develop a foundation of skills – looking, seeing, thinking, doing - that will serve them throughout their careers. Students develop develop a technical and aesthetic strategy to for taking a film from inception to production and work together with professional actors to shoot their final films. A majority of students who have been in the workshop at least 2 years enter the college film school of their choice. | 2000 |
Youth Filmmakers Camp | San Francisco, CA | SFFILM's Young Filmmakers Camp is an intensive media-making summer program and an opportunity for teens ages 14–18 to learn from first-class film professionals in a fun, interactive, and collaborative environment. The program is broken up into two two-week segments: the Starter Lab, which is for beginner students looking to learn the basics of filmmaking and enhance their storytelling skills; and the Advanced Lab, which is for students who have some filmmaking knowledge or who have attended previous Young Filmmakers Camp Labs. | 1000 |
Solar Productions Youth Programs | New York, NY | In our youth program, children ages 13-18, explore the world of visual arts through a film project. Guided by professionals, they express their ideas creatively and collaboratively; and experience all aspects of the filmmaking process. | Various |
Spark Media Project | Poughkeepsie, NY | Spark Media Project provides workshops, programs, and projects that teach critical viewing of media, encourage youth to be creatively engaged in Media Arts, and offer employment and growth opportunities for youth. | Various |
Spy Hop | Salt Lake City, UT | Since 1999, Spy Hop has mentored Utah’s young people in the digital media arts as a vehicle for free expression, self-discovery, critical thinking and skilled participation. Our afterschool and community programs in film, audio, design and music production are a model for youth development programs across the nation and Spy Hop is recognized by the White House as a leading nonprofit arts and humanities organization. | Free! |
Get The Edge Summer Program | Lakewood, OH | Get the Edge is the St. Edward High School Summer Enrichment Program for boys entering the 7th and 8th grades. The three-week camp offers the best of academics and recreation and is designed to help young men considering St. Edward High School expand their intellectual curiosity in an engaging, team-oriented environment. In the GTE Film course, Campers will get an introductory look at filmmaking while working in teams to write, shoot and/or edit their own short film in St. Ed's new film production suite. | 300 |
Transformative Culture Project | Boston, MA | The Transformative Culture Project is an award-winning nonprofit social enterprise using arts and culture as tools for transformation in our society through creative youth development, social entrepreneurship and community building. | Free! |
Tribeca Film Institute Film Fellows Program | New York, NY | Tribeca Film Fellows® is a year round fellowship program for young filmmakers. The program includes development of a personal creative project, panel discussions, workshops, mentoring by Festival film directors, screenings, and special events. | Free! |
Wake Forest Summer Immersion Program: Documentary Film Institute | Winston-Salem, NC | The Documentary Film Institute is a week-long program designed for high school students to gain an understanding of documentary storytelling as well as some of the fundamentals of video production. Students will learn about various documentary forms, visit local museums and athletic facilities to see how non-fiction storytelling is utilized in the real-world, and create a short film to take with them at the end of the week. | 2250 |
Wide Angle Youth Media | Baltimore, MD | Through media arts education, Wide Angle Youth Media cultivates and amplifies the voices of Baltimore youth to engage audiences across generational, cultural, and social divides. Our programs inspire creativity and instill confidence in young people, empowering them with skills to navigate school, career, and life. | Free! |
Women in Film and Video | Washington, D.C. | The Image Makers Program is WIFV's community outreach initiative for metro area high school students. It was created in 1997 to teach local youth about film and video production, while also helping deserving nonprofit organizations. Image Makers participants learn how to research, write, produce, direct and edit a 30-second public service announcement (PSA) for broadcast distribution. These PSAs are made for up to three deserving nonprofit organizations each year. Applications are due in early December. | Free! |
Young Storytellers Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | Young Storytellers engages creativity through the art of storytelling. Using the timeless techniques of mentoring, collaboration, and performance, we provide public school students with an opportunity to write stories and see them brought to life on stage and film. Our mission is to inspire young people to discover the power of their own voice. | Free! |
The Youth Documentary Academy | Colorado Springs, CO / San Francisco, CA | Founded by POV alum Tom Shepard, the Youth Documentary Academy (YDA) trains young people how to direct and produce their own documentary films. For seven weeks, students between the ages of 14 and 18 learn all aspects of documentary filmmaking from professional filmmakers, faculty, and guest artists. | Free! |
Youth FX: Film Experience | Albany, NY | Youth FX is an intensive hands-on program, based in the City of Albany, that is designed to empower youth aged 14-19 by teaching them the technical and creative aspects of digital film making and offering a thorough overview of the production process from script to screen. Our primary mission is to work with diverse groups of young people from communities that have been historically under-served and in need of opportunities for training and engagement in emerging media technologies. Youth FX develops leadership, creativity, and critical thinking, through the collaborative process of digital filmmaking and media production. | Various |
Youth Media Sanctuary (The Sanctuary For Independent Media) | North Troy, NY | Youth Media Sanctuary (YMS) is a community media arts peer-training project, designed to teach multimedia skills to young people in North Troy, NY, and to help develop urgently needed independent local voices in the neighborhood. | $1-$350 |
If you have an addition, update or correction, please email filmmakers[at]pov.org and let us know! Last Updated: 2/23/2018