NCT Films Offers Youth Summer Camp

Many kids love to spend the summer at the movies; igniting their imaginations and losing themselves in dreams of other worlds as they witness the telling of fantastic stories on the big screen. This summer in Hernando County, some kids will take this dream a step further, by bringing their own dreams to life in the form of their very own student films!

Nature Coast Technical High School in Brooksville offers the NCT Films Youth Summer Camp, July 15-18 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at a cost of $150 per camper; visit www.nctfilms.com/YFC for more information. Aimed for elementary and middle school students, this camp teaches a plethora of skills in the areas of filmmaking, planning, filming, and editing. Mentored by high school filmmakers, young motion picture auteurs will make a new film every day. And during their lunch break, kids will partake in Movie Time film viewings. Camper/counselor lip dub will be in effect. The camp will culminate with a red carpet showcase to mark its final day; one to be attended by campers’ families. NCT Films is the film department at Nature Coast Technical High School.

NCT digital cinema production teacher Ian Wald celebrates the longevity of this popular, one-of-a-kind summer camp in Hernando County. “This is our 7th year,” said Wald.

And just as this camp benefits students who attend, it also benefits the school and media program which host it. “Got the idea from other schools doing it,” said Wald. “We needed money for our field trips, namely the one we take to NYC every October.”

By attending this camp, kids will take a deep dive into the filmmaking experience. “Pre-, pro-, and post-production,” he explained. “Writing, filming, editing.”

And as they learn the basic skills needed to create a top quality theatrical production, they also will master the creation of various kinds of film. “Various topics and projects, ranging from commercials and PSAs to horrors and music videos,” he explained.

Wald regards NCT Films Youth Summer Camp as a prime training ground for future filmmakers as well as for NCT film students; with NCT student filmmakers awarded for their sterling efforts on May 6 at the Beacon Theatre in Brooksville, for the occasion of the 14th Annual Brucy Awards.

An NCT Films team is responsible for the production of Brooksville Main Street’s Follow Me to Brooksville, a vibrant, professionally produced piece of video art that takes the viewer inside some of the most original–and beautifully designed–businesses in Brooksville. When The Nature Coast Technical High School Digital Video Production Program competed in the All-American High School Film Festival in New York City in October of 2021, they claimed second place with their short film titled “Waiting for the Punchline.” The department has received grants from the Hernando County Fine Arts Council and has won many honors for its productions.

Today’s campers, says Wald, are tomorrow’s serious film students–and industry film professionals. “We have had many campers come to our high school years later and prove to be very successful early on, so I would say so, certainly!” said Wald.