Youth Summer Camps
Every summer, Northwest Film Forum offers camps for kids and teens to get hands-on with the art and craft of filmmaking and to let their creativity run wild!
Upcoming Summer Camps
There are currently no camps open. Please check back!
Past Summer Camps (2017)
Imagination Animation
June 26 to June 30, 10am to 4pm
For ages 8 to 11
Get inspired, dream it, then make it eye-popping with animation! In this camp, kids will head outside to get inspiration from the Capitol Hill neighborhood. They’ll learn stop motion, pixilation, and hand-drawn animation techniques to bring their ideas to life. Taught by a team of instructors, to be announced.
Cost: $350/$325 Northwest Film Forum members. Scholarships available!
Classic Film Fun
July 10 to July 14, 10am to 4pm
For ages 8 to 11
In this camp students will go through the entire film production process as they work together to remake a classic silent film. In past years, campers have remade the classic French film The Red Balloon, and the silent film, The Impossible Voyage, by Georges Méliès. Taught by a team led by Jonah Kozlowski.
Cost: $350/$325 NWFF members. Scholarships available!
Citizen Minutes: Video Activism Camp
July 24-28, 10am to 4pm
For ages 14 to 17
Being a savvy consumer and creator of media stories is a crucial skill for teens today. In this camp, students will learn the necessary storytelling, journalism and video production techniques to participate in Northwest Film Forum’s Citizen Minutes video initiative. Citizen Minutes explores what’s happening across our city, amplifying individual voices, stories and insights. After learning and creating stories during camp, teens will be prepared to go on making compelling and shareable content that can reach mass audiences. Final pieces will be shown online and in our theater as weekly newsreels before film screenings. Taught by a team led by Jonah Kozlowski.
Cost: $350/$325 NWFF members. Scholarships available!
Three Film Academy Intensive camps for middle-schoolers — take one, two, or all three! This series of camps is designed to reproduce the creative film production process, which is full of collaboration.
Film Academy: Screenwriting and Pre-Production
August 7-11, 10am to 4pm
For ages 11 to 14
Free mentorships available for youth filmmakers ages 15-17! Contact Liz Shepherd (liz (at) nwfilmforum.org) and Jonah Kozlowski (jonah (at) nwfilmforum.org) for information and application.
Long before visual storytelling can be illuminated on a screen, it begins in the minds of writers and producers. In this one-week session, campers will watch short films and read scripts, then work collaboratively to write their own stories, based on resources and locations scouted in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. They will also learn how to plan for the production of their scripts by storyboarding and budgeting. One finished script will be selected to be produced by a following camp. Taught by a team led by Jonah Kozlowski.
Cost: $350/$325 NWFF members. Scholarships available!
Film Academy: Production
August 14-18, 10am to 4pm
For ages 11 to 14
Free mentorships available for youth filmmakers ages 15-17! Contact Liz Shepherd (liz (at) nwfilmforum.org) and Jonah Kozlowski (jonah (at) nwfilmforum.org) for information and application.
Teamwork is everything in the collaborative art of filmmaking. In this camp, students will produce a short film script prepared in NWFF’s Film Academy: Screenwriting and Pre-production intensive. Emphasis will be on casting, final pre-production, lighting, acting, and shooting on a tight timeline. Students will shoot using professional equipment and prepare their footage to be handed off to a team of editors in a following camp. Taught by a team to be announced.
Cost: $350/$325 NWFF members. Scholarships available!
Film Academy: Post-Production
August 21-25, 10am to 4pm
For ages 11 to 14
Free mentorships available for youth filmmakers ages 15-17! Contact Liz Shepherd (liz (at) nwfilmforum.org) and Jonah Kozlowski (jonah (at) nwfilmforum.org) for information and application.
In this camp, budding editors and sound designers will learn how about the post-production process for filmmaking. They will learn how to edit using Adobe Premiere Pro, by editing the film written and shot in NWFF’s Film Academy Intensives for Screenwriting and Production camps. They will also learn how to create foley sound, design and edit music, and create title and credit graphics for the film. Taught by a team to be announced.
Cost: $350/$325 NWFF members. Scholarships available!
Past Workshops
Summer Camp FAQs
Does Northwest Film Forum offer before- and after-care for camps?
No, unfortunately we cannot offer before- and after-care for camps. We understand that traffic and other issues can sometimes delay transportation to camps, but we ask that parents drop off and pick up campers on time.
What is your camp refund policy?
In case your plans change, here is our policy on camp refunds:
- 100% refund if we receive your cancellation notice 8 calendar days before the first day of camp.
- 50% refund if we receive your cancellation notice 4 calendar days before the first day of camp.
- Camps must meet a minimum enrollment requirement to launch, and may be cancelled or rescheduled if the camp does not meet a minimum number of enrolled students. Students will be notified in advance if there is limited enrollment for a camp, and can receive a full refund, which may take up to 30 business days to process and transfer.