Welcome to Movie Makers! Acting and Movie Making Workshops for all ages

Movie Makers News

Click to PLAY, double-click to view FULL SCREEN

BY REBECCA BAILEY chh@heraldsun.com; 918-1035 Chapel Hill Harry Potter isn't the only maker of magic in town. Melissa and Josh Lozoff this week have played host to pirates and princesses, wizards, monkeys, and a flying lion in their Movie Makers Camp studios just north of Chapel Hill. In one busy week of camp, more than 30 kids have gathered into two age groups, to create characters script their stories and film two action- packed adventures. In a few weeks the camera-savvy youth will attend their own film festival - formal wear optional - to premiere the computer-edited movies on a full-sized screen. "It's really fun to see yourself in a movie, and I kinda like the press," said 9-year-old Jacob Schulman after a morning of filming in the "forest" or wooded lot behind the Lozoffs' studios. He and his 7-year-old brother Eli were still dressed as Guardians, who teach wisdom to the princesses behind the king's back - the same king who abandons his daughters in the -forest and joins forces with the pirates and the monkeys. Yes, it's an action-packed . adventure, a journey of discovery co-created by 17 kids aged 6 to 10. Each young Movie Maker contributed to the story, and each will have multiple roles both in front of the camera and behind the scenes.-."It's really hard work," added Jacob. "But we've been here before and we know what it feels like." Like roughly one half of the campers, Jacob and Eli are returning Movie Makers. They're hooked on the thrill of seeing the finished product, complete with music and sound effects, along with the backgrounds that are added to "green screen" shoots. "For every hour we spend with the kids, we spend another hour: editing," said Josh Lozoff, who leads the younger movie campers while his wife instructs the 11- 18-year-olds. A fun fest Founded by Melissa Lozoff eight years ago, Movie Makers allows the couple to combine their skills learned in the industry- they both had TV and film careers in Hollywood - with their aptitude for working ·with children. While fall and spring sessions last for 12 weeks, the summer camps· roll everything into a one-week fun fest. "Fridays are always hectic," said 17-year-old Coleen . Tobin, one of several camp assistants. "We'll be filming right up until the last minute." A veteran Movie Maker herself, Tobin will enter UNC this fall as a drama major, and she expects to continue her work with the Lozoffs. Years of experience, said Josh, have given the couple a formula for success; but at the same time every session is unique because of the mix of individuals and ideas. "It's a nice balance between the routine and the new," he said. The process begins with games that teach various skills while encouraging the kids to interact, create and· trust each other. And in the games themselves, "we've already begun making a movie," he said. In one game, as the kids walk around in a big circle, Lozoff calls out different professions and ages. "Walk like. you're a firefighter, a professional dancer, the president of the United States," he might call. "Now. you're 75 years old. Now you're 50." Without any dialogue, the young actors-in-training learn to use their bodies to communicate character. When dialogue is added, kids learn that the simple phrases "Hi, how are you?" and. "Fine, thank you" can carry multiple connotations, depending on the situation called out: "You're spies; you're best-friends who haven't seen each other in 20 years," Josh Lozoff instructs. Telling the story The next step, still in day one, is story-telling. The summer camp sessions are themed by genre, so this week's group knew they would be creating an action adventure tale. Other themes include mystery/suspense, super heroes and "mockumentaries." Kids are split' into groups and are asked to come up with three or four what-ifs: What if a mummy woke up ,in modern .times? What if two kids made a disappearing potion?" They come back and pitch their ideas to the group;" said Josh Lozoff, "and we end up with a combination of ideas. I encourage them to listen to each other, and work together - it's not a competition." And when faced with creative differences? "Even 6- year-olds can learn to be intelligent and respectful with each other," said Lozoff, who models that behavior. By Tuesday the group has come up with a cast of characters and a rough script. Nine-year-old Rainie Heck, .a first time Movie Maker, plays a princess, but she's no helpless damsel in distress. "I'm the Adventurous Princess; and we also have a Dancing and a Lazy Princess," she explained. "The princesses don't wait to be rescued; they wanna fight, too." The fight is against pirates and monkeys - parts everyone seems to want because, as fifth-grader Spencer Wieland pointed' out, "it's more fun to play the bad guy." Other campers find themselves drawn to behind-the-scenes work. Seven-year-old Claire Pedersen, . whose fondness for drawing orangutans _sparked her idea to add monkeys to the plot, said she preferred camera work: "I just wanta be holding the camera. I already know how to use it; I learned it this morning." She'll also take her turn -in front of the lens as a wizard. - After editing, the finished movies are between 15 and 25 minutes long, and each minute of film comes out of patience as well as excitement and fun. "We do a scene over and over, maybe 10 times to get it right," said Rainie, still in her princess' gown. "We repeat a scene with different camera shots. Josh does the close-ups and we do the group filming." A few of the Movie Makers reminisced about their various bloopers before. breaking for lunch on Wednesday, knowing they had a heavy schedule ahead of them. "It's· like you're a real actor," said one of the campers. "You can see yourself doing this later on. It's really cool." So cool, in fact, that half of them will be back to do it again.