2010 T Tauri Movie Camp Blogs

2010 Movie Camp Blogs

MOVIE CAMPER: HAND-DRAWN ANIMATION AND SCRIPT TO SCREEN~

I had first heard of the T Tauri workshops from a newspaper clip out given to me by a good friend. It excited me very much, because I was (and still am) falling head-over-heels in love with cinema, and I eagerly signed up for two of the workshops, Squish and Squash (a crash course in animation) and Script to Screen (a crash course in live action).

July came, and I was nervous to say the least. Squish and Squash was my first class, and my heart raced as I sat at the table looking from pencil to paper. Then, other kids began to show up. I talked a little to them (or rather, them to me) and became good friends with three of the girls in the class. Talking to them helped alleviate some of my fear. My group pick United Way for our PSA...and we drew and drew and drew until our little hands cramped, then drew some more, but believe me, it was worth it.

Right after Squish and Squash, there was Script to Screen. My mind was still buzzing from the animation, and I met with people whose minds were equally buzzing, ideas sparking out like the torrent of a blasted dam. Out of that torrent came “Exit”, completed just before the finale screening. The entire project was just wonderful. I loved the thrill I got of being behind the camera and actually being part of the production. Everyone of us worked tirelessly to get this film together (and it shows).

If you’re reading this and are considering joining a T Tauri workshop, you won’t hear me say it was one of the best weeks of my life, although it was, that I learned a lot, which is true, that I got to meet many interesting people and make some new friends, despite the fact that I did, or that I would come back to the T Tauri workshops again and again at any given opportunity, even though this, too, is true, because, well, it just goes without saying. But what I will say is that at the premiere of my groups' films, I couldn’t stop smiling.

TANNER SMITH

SCRIPT TO SCREEN TEACHING ASSISTANT~

“Welcome back” is what I was thinking to myself when I stepped through the doors of UACCB Independence Hall for the fifth time. But this year was different for two reasons. First of all, I was a mentor (instead of a camper) for the Script to Screen workshop. That meant I had to mentor youths who were just like me when I started here four years ago. I was really looking forward to it. And second of all, after entering the T Tauri Film Festival, this was the year I was to receive my first filmmaking award . . . ever. So…yeah I was excited.

Wednesday—four days until I receive my award—was when the Script to Screen workshop started. When camp started what I noticed was the increased number of new campers—there were a lot of campers who hadn’t been here before, along with a few others who are veterans (like Kate Moses and Nathan Burroughs, among others). I also noticed that Will O’Loughlin wasn’t there—he was usually the one teaching us how to use the equipment before setting us out to do our work for the week. Strange that he wasn’t there this year.

I was in a group of mainly 8th-11th graders, assisting Juli Jackson, whose workshop film she produced with a group last year (“2 Minutes”), I really liked. We had a nice group of teenagers who all had a bunch of ideas for a short movie to make for the next few days. After hours of figuring out what kind of movie to make, we all finally decided on one—a supernatural thriller called “Exit” (I thought of the title) in which four high school students are called to the principal’s office and wind up in a sort of tunnel of different hallways to go through. It sounded like a real good idea and I wanted to get it started.

So Wednesday went well for my first day as a mentor. They asked questions, I answered them, but most importantly, I related to them. That’s what made it all easy. They were serious about this at times, but other times they were a bit wild and outgoing. But hey, they’re young—it’s in their spirits. They can be serious and for the most part, they were. That’s how I related to them.

Thursday morning, we spent the entire morning finishing the script and storyboards, planning out what was going to be filmed and who would film it. We pretty much planned out almost everything. Then after a nice lunch, we got back to film our first and last scenes. That’s about all we got done filming that day (save for a few shots for a montage).

But Friday we made up for it by really getting down and dirty in the actual filmmaking of this movie. We worked smart and hard. We wound up getting a huge amount of it done. It was hard work, but it was also fun. The kids were great to be around—they all had great personalities—and Juli was nice and fun to work with. And I think the four young lead actors in the movie we were making (the other kids got to run the camera and the boom mic) were very good, some of the best I’ve seen at the T Tauri Movie Camp.

Every once in a while, I would check in on the other groups as subtle as possible. Now, I didn’t quite know what they were making but they looked like they knew.

Oh yeah, I should also mention a scene I helped with for Merritt and Ng’s group. It was a scene in which Ng “talks” to a brain in a popcorn machine (yeah you read that right). Apparently, there was a scene in their movie in which a brain gives knowledge to those who come near it. Also, Nathan Burroughs was dressed as a “cyborg.” And I was very interested. Fortunately, they let me stay and help out. It was fun.

OK, back to Friday. I knew that that night would be something really special. That night, they were going to show the official selections in the drama category for the T Tauri Film Festival. One of my films—“Second Chance,” a drama with a fantasy element—was going to be screened and I was excited. Last year, a minute-and-a-half long experimental was shown at the T Tauri Film Festival and it was a trailer, so I didn’t really count it as a “movie.” This time, my 24-minute drama called “Second Chance” (which was about a teenager changing the life of a teen star who traveled through time from the 80s) was going to be shown in front of an audience and I could barely hide my excitement (well…yeah I could but you get my point). Also attending the screenings were Matthew and Andrew McMurry, two cousins from Roland, AR, who also had a drama to be screened that night—a post-apocalyptic drama called “9-19-2055.” They were great friends of mine and I could tell that they were just as nervous and excited as I was.

“9-19-2055” was the second film shown that night. It got a good reception. After some more good dramas, “Second Chance” was shown. I have to say, it really felt great to see an audience’s reactions to my movie—I counted eight laughs and two applauses. It was definitely one of the best moments of my life, no exaggeration. Then after the screening, Andrew, Matthew, and I were called down for Q & A. Some audience members asked questions and we answered them straight.

Then came Saturday. All of the movie camp groups had to get their productions done before 7:00 p.m. that night for the finale screening. This is always the most stressful part of camp—editing the film to make sure it’s done in time. But they all were.

But tonight, I was nervous. The first movie that was going to be shown tonight at the finale screening was my short documentary “We are the Future of the Movies.” And then I would receive my award, after all this time. So, the movie was shown, the audience responded to it, and I got my award. In my acceptance speech, I even yelled out “We are the future of the movies!” Then I presented a couple other awards—the Best Comedy Award to a couple of Conway West High School students for their movie “Apathy” and the Kid with the Camera award to Matthew and Andrew for their comedy “Dad vs Boy.” I could tell they were as nervous and excited to receive their awards and give their speeches as I was.

Then the movie camp productions were shown and they were successful. I could tell from the first-year campers that they were excited to see a production that they helped make and saw that it was cool to be part of it. That was me on my first year.

This year’s T Tauri was a pretty good experience. I was a mentor, I won an award, and I learned some new things about film (I always learn more at T Tauri).

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