Young people who want to learn the art of filmmaking have until the end of this month to sign up for the Brookswood Secondary Summer Video Camp.

The high school is once again offering its camp for Graded 4 to 7 from Aug. 21 to Aug. 25. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each of those days, young people will learn how to use video cameras, set up and take shots, and edit footage. They鈥檒l even get to act in each other鈥檚 videos.

At the end of the week, parents are invited to a special screening of the student works.

It鈥檚 a camp that continues to prove popular.

鈥淥ver the past 15 years, or so, we have had approximately 400 campers,鈥� explained teacher Robert French. 鈥淢any of them have continued on in the film program once they attend Brookswood. Last year, we had a camper attend who came all the way from Christina Lake for the week, so it鈥檚 not just for future Brookswood students. That being said, we will have a number of counsellors volunteering who have been with the studio since Grade 4 and are now in Grade 12, making it seven to eight years.鈥�

The cost is $250 for the week. The camp is run by student volunteers under French鈥檚 supervision. The students have been studying filmmaking during the school year.

People can find out about the specifics of what happens each day online at www.backstreetstudioscamp.weebly.com or send an email to videocamp@sd35.bc.ca. Participating students must have finished Grade 4, 5, 6 or 7 in June of this year.

鈥淢any campers return the following year. We have one that will be in her third straight year here. We will be giving a higher level of training for students who are in the older age group and have camp experience,鈥� he added.

The students who enjoy the camp the most are those who enjoy dancing, acting, and trying new things.

鈥淭hat being said, there are lots of kids who like being behind the scenes and running the cameras or editing, so the camp is suitable for a wide range of personalities,鈥� French noted. 鈥淢any quiet kids enjoy the camp because they can control the presentation through editing or framing of camera. If they don鈥檛 want their face or whole body on screen, there鈥檚 ways of shooting feet or hands, or something far in the distance which can be very interesting visually as well.鈥�

Even in the age of digital devices, training in filmmaking is valuable.

鈥淲ith many kids in Grade 4, and even younger, 鈥榓rmed鈥� with cell phones, I hope that by taking the camp they can learn how to make their shots stand out from the massive wave of media being created, plus how to hone down their shots into well edited pieces that have maximum impact,鈥� French explained. 鈥淭he editing software we use is also extremely powerful and allows students to take their images to a level much further than a 鈥榝ace swap鈥� or adding moustaches, as much fun as that can be.鈥�