Camp Whittier, an outdoor camp tucked within the oak forests of the Santa Ynez Mountains, boasts the usual amenities of a sleepaway camp: picnic tables, playing fields, ropes courses, and a swimming pool. But on Thursday, June 15, the grounds were absent of one thing: campers. They could be found in Creek Lodge, surrounding computers open to iMovie, carefully examining every frame in their newest short films. The sun would come out tomorrow, but these campers had a deadline to make.
From Sunday to Friday, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) ran their annual summer Film Camp, a collaboration with the United Boys & Girls Club (UBGC) of Santa Barbara County. After applying and being selected by UBGC centers throughout the county, 25 campers ranging from age 12-17 were offered the chance to learn the ins and outs of the film industry. Over the week, the campers pitched their ideas, wrote scripts, created storyboards, shot and edited the footage, and hosted a climactic premiere for their families.
“They’re seeing every stage of the filmmaking process,” said Claire Waterhouse, SBIFF’s Education manager and director of the camp. Campers record their films on iPhones and edit them on Apple’s free iMovie software, both tools that can be easily attained at home. “Accessibility is the biggest thing; we want to make sure that they have access to it,“ said Waterhouse.