BIFF Film Production Camps

We present eight weeks of film production camps each summer for kids ages 7-16. The camps are held under the umbrella of our BIFF Film Academy educational programme, which also includes our School Screening Series, and cover a wide range of filmmaking skills, including acting, directing, set design, make-up, costumes, camera, sound, lighting and props. 

See below for full details of our 2008 camps.

All of the films made during our summer camps are screened during our BIFF Kids Children’s Film Festival in October. 

Our BIFF Film Academy Summer Camps are presented by the Festival in conjunction with our partners, Butterfield Bank.

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This year's camps are:

The Basics of Storytelling
Instructor: Kalilah Robinson
In this camp, children will learn about story structure and, using film clips and exercises, they will learn to identify the essential building blocks of story. On subsequent days, working in pairs or groups, children will learn about the types of characters that appear in stories, make a short scene which will incorporate what they've learned about structure and character, become familiar with the basics of visual story telling and use still cameras to practice what they learn about how to tell a story with pictures and, as a group project, incorporate what they've learned into a short film written, produced and shot by the class. Concepts they will understand by the end of the camp are plot, set-up, conflict and climax, etc.

Camera Camp
Instructor: Kalilah Robinson
In camera camp children will learn about film genres and how to categorize films based on different camera styles, as well as learn how to look at a film critically. We will watch film clips and one full length film. Each day the camp participants will get to handle the camera and do shooting exercises. Campers will storyboard and shoot a short film. Several students will be asked to be actors in the film, but they will also get to use the camera in other scenes. We will need the students to borrow simple props from their homes for the two filming days.

Acting Camps
Instructor: Katrina Kawaley-Lathan
With the acting camps all participants will discover the necessary elements of theatre, the differences between stage and screen acting, do improvisation and scene-work exercises, demonstrate differences between stage and screen styles, get into acting styles and motivation, find their own personal motivation style, learn about the different roles in filmmaking (actors, directors, designers, producers, etc) and culminate the week with auditioning for and shooting a script. Participants will understand the terminology that is used during filming.

Boot Camp
Instructor: Vicky Zabriskie
The Boot Camp is best suited to the film enthusiast who wants to delve into all aspects of filmmaking from script to finished product. Participants will learn about what makes a good story, brainstorm ideas for their own scripts, write their screenplay, learn filming basics such as storyboarding, lighting, sound and camera work. Some primer on acting for the screen will be provided and participants will each get a role on set. In the second week, each participant will shoot their film assisted by other camp participants.

Animation Camp
Instructor: Jon Legere
Camp participants will learn the basics of stop-motion animation. They will develop stories, build characters (clay puppets), design their sets and shoot some short films. In addition to understanding stop-motion animation, campers will learn about computer animation styles and tricks.

--> Click here to download application form