By: Rebecca Brown, Director, Community Impact
Have you ever wanted to be a movie star? Or a screen writer? Or a camera-person working the equipment and filming the action? This past Saturday, I got to experience what it was like to be a “Future Filmmaker.” And even better– so did 50 amazing kids from the various Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metro who participated in Portland Film Festival’s “Future Filmmakers” workshop.
I had the opportunity to serve as a volunteer, there to support the professional media educators, filmmakers, and producers working with the kiddos, ranging in age from seven to 17. The day-long workshop led the kids from developing the initial concept (spooky films, of course, just in time for Halloween), to what will be the world-premiere screening, all in just SIX HOURS!
The group broke into six teams to create a 2-3 minute film. Each team was given a prop that had to be incorporated in every film (a silver coaster– hah!), and a line of dialogue to use. Ours was “Jen didn’t do it!” From there, the kids had to develop their story, decide on characters, create the scenes, and both act, direct and film the action. It was an incredible day of creativity, laughter, screams, and fun. One of the Future Filmmaker kids said, “I liked having to come up with ideas from different things and put them together to make our story.”
Creativity was the name of the game, trying to create a realistic slumber party scene with beanbag chairs and pillows borrowed from various offices and activity rooms at the Portland Trailblazers Boys and Girls Club. As one of the club staff observed, ““My favorite thing about the Future Filmmakers project is getting to see young people be creative in ways that they normally might not get the chance to experience.”
The Future Filmmakers workshop was made possible by a partnership among The Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metro, Comcast, and the Portland Film Festival. The films will be screened during the Portland Film Festival on Saturday, October 19, at the Hi-Lo Hotel in downtown Portland, and admission is free!
