Youth filmmakers shoot a scene outside the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis as a part of Horror High Film Camp 2021
For the third summer, young filmmakers and film enthusiasts in the Twin Cities area can sign up to attend Horror High Film Camp, an immersive film education experience for teens. Northern Film Alliance and EDU Film Festival are again teaming up with Metropolitan State University for this year’s camp, which will run from June 20 to June 24 and will take place at the IPR Edina Studios and on locations TBD. But in addition, NFA and EDU are collaborating with the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth to bring Horror High Film Camp to Duluth. Also running on the week of June 20th, Horror High Duluth will be Executive Produced by Richard Hansen and Directed CSS Film instructor Dr Robert Larson.
“We are excited to bring this experience to the Arrowhead region,” Hansen remarked, “this is an incredible learning experience for any kid who has a passion for film. Crewing for a legitimate production run by professionals is the best way to get the training to work in this industry.”
The Horror High Film Camp was conceived by EDU Film Festival Director Trey Wodele and Minneapolis screenwriter and Director Andrew Hunt as a way for young people to get hands-on experience and learn from professionals how to crew the various positions of any film production. “The great thing about this camp,“ says Wodele “is that by serving as PAs and crew members in the AD, grip, sound, art, and camera departments, students learn how to work on any production, from short films and commercials to feature films… all productions are run the same way, it’s only the scale that differs.”
A typical week in at the five-day camp starts with an intro to studio craft and and the tools of the film trade. By day two, the crew is on location, shooting professional actors with professional department heads. Students rotate through all departments in order to have a well rounded experience. “The goal is to produce a qualified PA by the end of the camp, a crewmember who is familiar with all departments and capable of working within the framework of a film production.” says Wodele. “With repeat campers, we let them specialize a bit if they want.” he adds.
The Minneapolis camp in 2021 produced SLURP, a short film about an awkward first date - in a cinema owned and operated by the dead. The completed film will premier at a free screening for parents, friends, and the general public at Metro State University’s state-of-the-art cinema Film Space and will include behind the scenes footage and a Q&A featuring the pros and campers who crewed the film. It will then start a run of local and national film festival screenings - including a spot at the NFA’s Duluth Superior Film Festival.
“Outcomes from the 2021 camp were great, “Wodele said, “we literally had kids working as PAs the next week - on legit professional projects.” Wodele recommended two of the participants to a local production company for PA positions on a music video shoot and feedback from the pros was positive. “They killed it.”
For more information or to register for the 2022 Horror High Film Camp in Minneapolis or Duluth, go to the camps website at edufilmfest.org/horror-high. The price of the camp is $550 dollars, payable in two installments, or discounted to $500 if you pay in full. Crew positions are limited to twelve per camp. Need-based scholarships are available from the EDU Film Festival/Northern Film Alliance.
You can watch the 2019 Horror High production SPARE CHANGE at edufilmfest.org/spare-change
