SCRIPT TO SCREEN
$450 (AFF Members/Summer Film Camp Alumni: $405)

This workshop is for teens who want to learn how to make narrative-driven short films. Campers will discover the power of storytelling and transform their ideas into proper screenplays before creating fully-realized short films. Over the course of this class, students will learn the fundamentals of screenwriting, directing, cinematography, sound design, and editing. At the end of the week, campers will receive a link to their group’s work. No previous filmmaking to video editing experience is required.

PLEASE NOTE: The June 26-30 and July 3-7 Script To Screen sessions will have a Horror/Sci-Fi theme. This workshop is for teenagers who love all things supernatural, extraterrestrial, and spooky. Campers will discover the power of storytelling and transform their ideas into proper screenplays before creating horror/science fiction narrative-driven short films.

Available Sessions:

Monday, June 5 – Friday, June 16* 
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
*no classes Saturday or Sunday 
Monday, June 26 – Friday, June 30
NOTE: This session has a horror/sci-fi focus. Details above.
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Monday, July 10 – Friday, July 14
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Monday, July 17 – Friday, July 21
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Monday, July 24 – Friday, July 28 
9:00 am – 5:00 pm

$450Select options

FOUR-DAY SCRIPT TO SCREEN
$360 (AFF Members/Summer Film Program Alumni: $330)

This workshop is for teens who want to learn how to make narrative-driven short films. Campers will discover the power of storytelling and transform their ideas into proper screenplays before creating fully-realized short films. Over the course of this class, students will learn the fundamentals of screenwriting, directing, cinematography, sound design, and editing. At the end of the week, campers will receive a link to their group’s work. No previous filmmaking to video editing experience is required.

Available Session:

Monday, July 3 then Wednesday, July 5 –  Friday, July 7
10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Please note: This is a 4-day camp only. There will be no class on July 4th. This session has a horror/sci-fi focus. Details above.

$360Select options

SMARTPHONE FILMMAKING 101
$200 (AFF Members/Summer Film Program Alumni: $190)

A good film comes from a good story. The story is where it all begins. In this in-depth virtual workshop, students will learn the fundamentals of screenwriting as well as techniques for at-home filmmaking. We’ll take campers through the entire process, from crafting an idea to producing, staging, and shooting a short film all with the resources students have at home! Classes will be held on Zoom Video Conferencing instructed by local filmmakers and arts educators who will provide hands-on projects to take your student’s home video to the next level.

For this class, you will need:

• Access to the Internet
• A computer with a webcam
• A smartphone or tablet with the ability to take pictures and to record audio and video
• Access to an email in order to receive class zoom invitations and well as class communications

Available Session:

Monday, June 19 – Friday, June 23
2:oo pm – 4:00 pm CT

$200Select options

In-person camp classes and workshops will take place at First Baptist Church located at 901 Trinity St. Austin, TX 78701. First Baptist is centrally located with easy pick-up and drop-off options.

Virtual Summer Camp classes and workshops will be held via Zoom Video Conference.

We are committed to keeping everyone attending AFF this year safe and informed. As we’ve seen, a lot can change in just a few short months; we will be adjusting according to the climate of the situation.

*This policy is subject to change as updates are made by city and state authorities.

In-person camp classes begin June 5 and run through July 28 (in one-week sessions, except for the June 5-16 two week Script to Screen class).

Virtual workshop will be June 26 and run through June 30.

At Austin Film Festival’s Summer Film Program, we want students to make the best films they can. That’s why our professional instructors are hand-chosen to lead students through every part of the filmmaking process, from conception through final product. Both virtual and in-person instructors have backgrounds in both arts education and filmmaking so they can give students the guidance and support they need to truly shine.

At AFF’s Summer Film Program (both virtual and in-person), we focus on two things: storytelling and collaboration. We believe that for any budding artist, these two things are of utmost importance. Storytelling allows students to express themselves, while giving them a vehicle through which to practice their developing filmmaking skills (be it directing, camera operating, sound recording, or editing). Collaboration is a challenging but necessary aspect of filmmaking, since every production is made up of many crew members playing different, but equally important, roles.

Perfect for older students looking ahead to college admissions these week-long sessions are a great addition to a young creative’s resume or portfolio. All students will walk away with an advanced understanding of screenwriting and a finished short film. Students will experience all essential aspects of the filmmaking process from first draft, to being on set, through editing to help both brooding and deepen student’s interest in screenwriting and film.

Led by professional filmmakers, all AFF Summer Film Program students walk away with a finished short film created by their group! Furthermore, students have the unique opportunity to see their films on the big screen (and walk the red carpet!) at the annual Summer Film Showcase. Students also participate in inspirational panel discussions with visiting guest speakers, who in the past have included industry luminaries such as Pamela Ribon (writer Moana), James V. Hart (writer Hook), Rita Hsiao (writer Toy Story 2), Robert Mark Kamen (writer The Karate Kid), Justin Marks (writer The Jungle Book), and Caroline Thompson (writer The Nightmare Before Christmas).

Summer Film Camp’s Guest Speaker Series features Hollywood veterans, rising stars, and Austin filmmakers. 2023 Speakers have not yet been announced, but take a look at our past Guest speakers:

John Langmore, Photographer and Film Director/Writer 

John Langmore’s relationship with the working cowboy traces back to his great-grandfather who was one of Colonel Teddy Roosevelt’s original Rough Riders.  His father, Bank Langmore, published The Cowboy in 1975 and is considered one of the pioneers of contemporary western photography.

Beginning at the age of twelve, John spent twelve summers cowboying on some of the country’s largest ranches before becoming a lawyer.  John quit the legal profession to pursue his passion for photography and last year authored Open Range – America’s Big-Outfit Cowboy, published by Twin Palms.  He is also the co-director on the recently completed feature-length documentary film, Cowboys – a documentary portrait.  John’s photography has been widely published and exhibited, including an exhibition together with his father’s work at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

Jason Neulander, Writer, Director, and Producer

Jason Neulander is a writer, director, and producer based in Austin, Texas. Neulander received his BA and MA in theater from Brown University. He founded and was the artistic director of Austin’s Salvage Vanguard Theater from 1994 to 2008. Over his tenure he directed and produced more than 50 world-premiere plays, musicals, and operas. His play THE INTERGALACTIC NEMESIS (2010), which he wrote, directed, and produced, toured to more than 200 venues around the world, including runs on Broadway and sold-out performances at the Kennedy Center, and was adapted for television by PBS. His first short film HIT & RUN (2015) was selected for the Texas Filmmakers Showcase. His second short Buttercup (2016) was broadcast nationally on PBS’s “On Story”. His feature film debut Fugitive Dreams is currently in post-production. “A seemingly inexhaustible ability to surprise. And thrill. And horrify. And amuse. And intrigue.” — The Austin Chronicle

Here’s a sampling of other past guests:

Dave Reynolds
Dave Reynolds is an award-winning screenwriter best known for Finding Nemo, The Emperor’s New Groove, and A Bug’s Life.

Mighty Coconut
Mighty Coconut is an Austin-based content studio specializing in animation, visual effects, and interactive. The studio will be represented by Carrye Glazar, Mighty Coconut’s Head of Original Content, and Tim Cunningham, Director & Executive Producer. Read more about the team and their award-winning work here.

Ernest Cline
Austin-based screenwriter and novelist Ernie Cline has been writing for the last twenty years, including the films Fanboys and Thundercade.

Cindy McCreery
Cindy McCreery has sold feature projects to New Line Cinema, Walt Disney Studios, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, National Geographic Films, Warner Brothers, Lionsgate and MGM! She most recently co-wrote two episodes of the SyFy Channel Show, Haven, that aired in the fall of 2014.

Robert Mark Kamen
Kamen is a well-renowned writer and producer who has been creating major motion pictures for over twenty-five years! He is best known for his film franchises The Karate Kid, Taken, and Transporter.

Tom Schulman
Schulman re-wrote Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and turned it from a drama to a comedy in just seven days. He is best known for his Academy Award winning screenplay Dead Poets Society.

• Snacks are provided during camp, but if your camper requires specific food/beverages, you must provide them
• Lunch if your camper is attending a full day camp
• Water bottle (we will provide small water bottles for each camper. There are also plenty of water fountains located around the school)
• Sweatshirt or long sleeve shirt (classrooms can get cold)
• Pencil and paper (for brainstorming and taking notes)

Our Summer Film Camp Coordinator will email a digital Summer Film Camp Packet to all registrants as camp approaches. The packet forms will be sent late May, and it will need to be completed before the beginning of camp (June 5, 2023) or your camper will not be able to attend.

Our Summer Film Camp Showcase (a free screening of all completed camp projects) will be programmed at the end of the summer – typically the first week in August. Date/Time for 2023 is currently TBA.

***Parents will receive an email closer to this event with showcase times, RSVP information and more.***

Yes, you can drop off up to 30 minutes early.

Please refer to your camper packet for more information about pick-up and drop-off. If you have more questions, please call us at 512-478-4795, or email YFP Director at yfpdirector@austinfilmfestival.com.

Parents (or authorized persons) arriving later than 30 minutes after the completion of a class section will incur a late fee of $10 and an additional $1 per minute if later than 45 minutes after the completion of a class.

Students who are 16-18 years old with a valid driver’s license and vehicle are not required to wait for parents to sign them out but must sign themselves out before leaving the church grounds.