Middle- and high-school students are having a hands-on opportunity to learn filmmaking skills June 17-27 at New Mexico Highlands University’s free film-school camp, called “Film on a Phone.”
Subjects range from screenwriting to editing videos using smart-phone technology. Students are learning to write, develop, film and edit a one-or two-minute piece that will also be screened publicly as part of the Film on a Phone competition, with show dates and times to be announced.
The four-day camps were the result of a collaboration among Highlands provost Dr. Roxanne Gonzales, Las Vegas (NM) Film Festival coordinator David Rogers, Media Arts professor Angela Meron and the Las Vegas Arts Council.
The mini film school is hosted in NMHU’s McCaffrey Historic Trolley Building. Instructors include Highlands faculty member and interim director of Highlands Undergraduate Enrichment program Leon Bustos; Daniel Ulibarri; and Jaymie Garcia, a Media Arts and Music NMHU graduate.
Student Sylvia Lucero, right, and Luca Juaras learn to make a gimbal for a cell phone using a paint roller, painter’s pad, three tin cans and rubber bands. Photo by Rick Loffredo / NMHU
“New Mexico Highlands has committed to developing, expanding, and enhancing collaborative community partnerships, and we wanted to offer two one-week film camps for local youth to delve into the process of filmmaking using smartphone technology,” Bustos explained.
With an eye to the likely new surge in film production in New Mexico, Bustos agrees that these skills could position local students for work here. “It is apparent that New Mexico is going to be a massive hot spot for the film industry within the next decade,” Bustos said. “Again, the main goal is to get students involved with the basics of film making to encourage them to think creatively. By showing them the different opportunities in film, some of these students may be inspired to pursue a career in the media arts that could spark a career in film production.”
The summer camp hours are Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with a complimentary lunch served at noon. Registration for the next program, which runs from June 24 to 27, 2019, closes on Thursday, June 20. Enroll here for that session.