Lil'+Filmmakers

Chawnqua Reid February 1, 2012 Reflection 2

The **Lil Filmmakers** was established in 1999 in Philadelphia, PA for the betterment of children in urban communities. It is a media arts production company for youth and teens. The young people in the program are trained to be professional writers, actors, directors and film crew members. Their movies are for kids by kids. They learn many aspects of production throughout the program, and not just the glamorous acting or toying with a camera. The children learn what it is like to be a part of an actual film crew. Every project is the end result of a child’s understands of the media, teamwork, and individual enthusiasm. The mission statement reads: “ Our goal is transform our teens into artist, thinkers, and social responsible youth leaders. We want to give young people the opportunity to learn how to use writing, video, and performing arts to develop their own media. They will have the knowledge and control to create work that is relevant to them…” The Lil’ Filmmakers’s creator Janine Spruil also states that the program is not only limited to the youth for making movies; they strive to mold and shape the youth into thinking about their future and building confidence in their skills.

This program is amazing and a great outlet and skill builder for youth. I really wish that I had such a program when I was growing up. I am also a filmmaker as I am a Film and Media Arts major at Temple University. I was introduced to the world of film entering college, although I have always had a spirit for storytelling. Had I been introduced earlier, than I would have sharper skills. I was very intimidated when I entered the world of film because so many others know so much more than I did; their high schools had film production labs and they had been watching movies and knew their favorite directors since the age of 7. I learned how to analyze film and then I learned how to create my own films. I was not very great at the technical side, however, I was great at creating and putting things together for the storyline. After taking my first screenwriting class, I decided to focus on screenwriting. And now I have 3 completed short scripts of my own.

I believe Film and Media arts is a way to escape and create a world of your own. Giving the youth a chance to create a world or tell their story is important. It gives them a chance to tell the world what they have experienced and it is always a blessing to hear the voice of the young. The way they operate and think is different from the conditioned minds of the older generations. Overall It’s a promising program and they have an after-school program although there are summer programs that are now open to be filled.