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Reel Teens Media Project was started in 1999 in order
to bring filmmaking using video courses into middle and high schools. Our
staff, consisting of filmmakers and media-arts educators, many with over
20 years experience teaching filmmaking, assists schools, clubs, and organizations in establishing these programs. Filmmaking enables
young people to express themselves, exercise their imagination, intellect
and creativity through electronic media. It is a way to get teens to
look at their world in a completely different way. Because the course is
taught to groups, the young filmmakers learn not only to master technical skills but to develop social skills such as teamwork and cooperation. The freedom to say what you want to in your own way is a lot different then studying for exams. Many times what is expressed in the videos,
a teen would never verbalize to a parent or guardian. For more information on establishing a filmmaking course using video in your school or organization, please click on The Project, in the
column on the left.
The
first Reel Teens Festival was held the weekend after
Memorial Day 2001, in Hunter, New York. Open to any teen who has made a film
or video, the festival is a celebration of the creative intelligence
of young people. Films and videos created by teenagers from across
America and around the world are screened over 3 days. The festival acts as a forum for open discussion and critique. Those filmmakers who attend have the opportunity to talk with the audience participating in a lively
question and answer sessions after their video is screened.
A panel
of entertainment industry judges awards prizes to the best in each
of ten (10) categories, Fiction, Short Fiction (under 10 minutes), Documentary, Short Documentary (under 10 minutes),
Video Diary, Animation, News Magazine, Visual Arts, Music Video and Public Service Announcements (PSAs).
The
winners receive a 'Felix' (an engraved gold statuette), a cash prize
of $100, and a certificate of achievement. The audience awards a
gold statuette by voting for their favorite at each screening. Teens
entering the festival are free to explore any topic and express
themselves as they see fit. There is no editing for language or
content, However, gratuitous violence and explicit sexual situations
will not be accepted. The length of each video should not exceed
20 minutes. This year 493 entries (42 from foreign countries) were
received, with 70 finalists being screened during the festival.
Click on The Festival for more information.
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