Lights, Camera, Action! Making Movies at Exploration Summer Programs

NORWOOD, Mass., Jan. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Since when have 15-year-olds spent the summer learning everything from writing a script to editing raw footage into their very own movie? Since the world of summer camp moved beyond canoeing and friendship bracelets. Learning to light, stage, and shoot multiple scenes - and weave them all together - is what 13- to 15-year-olds do when they attend the Exploration TV & Movie Industry Focus Program near Boston, Massachusetts.

According to Moira Kelly, Executive Director of Exploration Summer Programs, "Lots of kids think they might work in Hollywood, but they really aren't aware of what happens on set on a day-to-day basis. Our TV & Movie Focus Program exposes students to myriad professions in the television and movie industry, from cinematography and lighting to makeup and costumes, recording and sound editing, and, of course, producing, acting, and directing."

One thing that makes Exploration's Focus Program unique is the emphasis placed on real-world applications. Students are treated as budding professionals. They aren't sitting through hours of lectures. Instead, it's learning by doing.

Offered at Wellesley College, and helmed by Laurie Goldstein, an award-winning producer and former executive at HBO, NBC, and Universal, students will write scripts, storyboard scenes, design sets, and edit film. They choose the cast, set up the lights and shots, scout locations, and pitch ideas - all while having the guidance and professional feedback of an industry insider. And all of this takes place in the production studio of a local cable television station, where their student-led production companies produce "featurettes" to be screened at a local independent cinema.

"The goal of the Focus Program is to leave with a far greater understanding of the TV and film industries. Each child gets the opportunity to experience every aspect that goes into it, so no one person's the director," Laurie Goldstein said. "They're all directing. And I watch them blossom in terms of the ideas they came up with and how to do it. And I thought, this is just like adults on a set. This is what we do. The creative process at any age is the creative process - and it's magic."

Founded in 1976, "Explo" is a series of academic summer enrichment courses far different from a traditional summer camp. Students entering grades 4 - 12 participate in fun and exciting projects in visual and performing arts, science, politics, government, business, technology and more. It's run on the campuses of Wellesley College, Yale University, and St. Mark's School in Southborough, MA.

Students come to Explo from New England, across the United States and from 60 countries, including Brazil, China, India, Israel, Nigeria and Russia. The year-round staff works closely with professionals throughout the year, carefully mapping out the summer's plans, goals, and curriculum so that each student's summer experience is as fun, educational, and inspiring as possible.

About Exploration Summer Programs

Exploration Summer Programs (http://www.explo.org) creates a dynamic environment of intellectual inquiry, responsible decision making and spirited adventure. Based in Norwood, MA, the Exploration curriculum allows students to investigate subjects they are not likely to encounter during the school year. Courses are not for credit and ungraded. More than 400 courses and mini-courses are offered each session. Exploration has more than 50,000 alumni. Exploration Summer Programs is operated by Exploration School, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization.

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SOURCE Exploration Summer Programs