MIAMI-DADE
Florida Film Institute teaches kids movie biz
The Florida Film Institute will launch a program to teach teenagers about filmmaking, and students can register to be part of the crew.
BY PAMELA DUQUE
pduque@MiamiHerald.com
Some teenagers could soon become scriptwriters, actors or directors, and create their own films.
It will all happen at the Cinerama Saturdays, a program run by the Florida Film Institute, which teaches middle and high school students all the components of filmmaking.
Tryouts for the program take place Saturday.
The program will consist of workshops every Saturday in the Little Haiti Cultural Center from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It will run from Oct. 31 to April 10.
``Students are going to learn how to work in a team and have a real life experience on making a movie,'' said Stephanie Martino-Rizzi, founder and president of the Miami-based FFI.
Students interested must be 14 to 18 and must register online by Friday for the open audition taking place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Little Haiti Cultural Center.
Judges will choose up to 35 students to enter the program.
Specific job assignments will be determined later, according to Meagan Lewis, the FFI site coordinator and one of the judges.
Students will have about 10 minutes to show any creative piece of their own, such as a poem or a short film. They can also sing, dance or act.
But judges are looking for more than just talent.
``We want somebody who is very creative, a go-getter, a team player and somebody who wants to be there,'' Lewis said. ``We want to see that spark and see that their creative juice is flowing.''
The program will teach participants all the steps of producing a film, including script writing, acting, lighting and cinematography.
Shooting begins toward the end of the program.
The film genre, actors, and even the make-up artists will be chosen by the students. The program has a $25 fee to cover the costs of supplies and meals for the day of shooting.
Family and friends will be invited to the premiere in April.
Each student will also receive a copy of the film and a certificate.
``It will all be made by the students,'' Martino-Rizzi said. `` We will mentor them on how to do it. We'll teach them the arts and sciences of filmmaking.''
The program is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Children's Trust, and the City of Miami Parks and Recreation Department, among others. For more information or to register for auditions, go to www.flfilminstitute.org.
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