What I Learned at Summer Camp: How to be a Movie Star
The creation of movie magic doesn’t happen overnight. A group of kids at the FAIR School in Plymouth are learning that the hard way.
They’re part of a week-long summer camp offered by the Robbinsdale School District appropriately titled, ‘Movie Star Camp.’
“And each of them get parts. They get lines. Around the location that we have the camp, they get to shoot on location,” said Tuesday B. Perry, a teaching artist.
Perry, and her teaching partner, Lara Dohner, are Chicago-based instructors who are in Plymouth on behalf of the organization, Popcorn Media.
Together, they’ve spent the past several days trying to teach these kids the tricks of the trade.
“In the past three days, we’ve played acting games to work on building character. They hone their improv skills,” Perry said. “Cause if you forget your line, we don’t always just yell, ‘cut’ right away. Sometimes we just let the scene go.”
Screen Acting is ‘A Different Animal’
Perry says several of the kids have previous experience with theater, but acting for the screen is a different animal.
For TV and movies, actors have to learn how to communicate with their face and avoid the camera.
“Since we are filming our movie [Thursday], we wanted to practice them not looking at the camera, because that’s a big faux pas,” Perry said. “Unless it’s ‘Saved by the Bell’ where you’re supposed to break down the fourth wall.
The kids are learning lines for a movie called ‘Middle School Musical,’ which means they also have to learn choreography.
But above all else, Movie Star Camp provides the kids with an opportunity to learn how to trust each other, and build confidence in themselves.
“We seek to build confidence and help them to have a good time,” Perry said. “And for some of them, to make the best out of every situation.”
Shooting on their short film will wrap up this week. The students will then have a movie premiere on Sept. 17.
