2011 IFFF Hollywood - China Youth Film Camp

IFFF Hollywood - China Youth Camp (Aug. 15-19, 2011)
L to R:  IFFF Instructor Kevin Paige, Davie Sy, Amy Huynh (with camera), Calvin Lam, Keno Deary (with camera), Leslie Trinh, Perry Chen (with light), Francis Eames Noland (with boom mic), IFFF Instructor Kerry Liethen, Fang Yuanjia (with camera), Liu Zhiji.

August 15 - 19, 2011
Hollywood, CA

As autumn rains begin to fall in LA, what a busy 2011 summer it was for Freshi! Camps in LA, a professional "train the trainers" bootcamp here in Burbank and summer camps with Parks & Rec departments across California, Texas and Boston were abuzz this summer.

Regarding the LA Camp scene, Freshi, in collaboration with the IFFF (International Family Film Festival), hosted an intensive, 1-week film camp with youth from Mainland China and the United States.

The campers formed two film crews that collaborated throughout the week to conceptualize, storyboard, write a script, shoot, edit and polish their films complete with soundtracks all within a compact 5 days. Neither of the groups shared a common language (both English and Mandarin were spoken throughout the week), but it didn't matter. By the end of the week, they had developed a creative shorthand and the common language of filmmaking to communicate and share ideas about what each film would be.

One crew produced "3 Mimes in a Box" about a young man who constantly gets picked on by office mates and strangers only to compel the world through his rich imagination to be what he wants it to be, while the other crew made a short film entitled, "The Cubicle" about a young couple that finds true love in an office setting, despite the barriers any cubicle or social divides might try to block their deepest feelings for one another.

The week culminated in a film premiere that was attended by friends, staff and the families of the American campers. Beyond the useful film techniques and information learned by all, the youth got to learn something about their contemporaries from the other side of the world and make some long-lasting friendships with others that share a similar passion for storytelling.

For more camp photos, visit the IFFF Photo Gallery at www.iffilmfest.org.