Program Overview

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Introduction to the 6-Week Teen Summer Camp for Filmmaking

The New York Film Academy (NYFA) offers a comprehensive 6-Week Teen Summer Camp for Filmmaking, designed for students aged 14-17. This program provides a dynamic and immersive experience, teaching the art and craft of cinematic storytelling.

Program Description

The 6-Week Teens Filmmaking Program is structured as two progressive 3-week sessions taken back-to-back, ensuring a seamless and continuous learning experience. Students will explore the essential principles of visual storytelling, develop a deep understanding of how to convey narrative, character, and emotion using only images, movement, music, and sound effects, and learn how to direct, write, edit, and produce their own short films.

First Three Weeks

In the first three weeks, students will focus on visual storytelling without relying on dialogue. They will develop a deep understanding of how to convey narrative, character, and emotion using only images, movement, music, and sound effects. Students will write, direct, shoot, and edit two short films: a Continuity Film and a Music/Montage Film.

Second Three Weeks

In the second three weeks, students will build on this foundation by introducing the element of dialogue into their filmmaking. They will develop, shoot, and complete a Dialogue Film, which represents the first and only dialogue-based film produced within the program.

Core Subjects

The program covers the following core subjects:

• Director's Craft: Students will learn the language of filmmaking, mastering shot composition, camera movement, blocking, and visual storytelling techniques.
• Writing: Students will receive an introduction to story structure and script formatting before workshopping their own film ideas.
• Hands-On Camera and Lighting: Students will deepen their understanding of cinematography, learning to operate a digital camera and exploring aperture, shutter speed, focus, frame rates, and color balance.
• Digital Cinematography: Students will operate a more advanced digital camera, gaining hands-on experience with lens choices, depth of field, camera movement, and shot composition.
• Advanced Lighting: This class delves deeper into cinematic lighting techniques, exploring how to use light and shadow to shape emotion, direct focus, and create meaning within a scene.
• Production Workshop: Provides students with an instructor-guided set experience, allowing them to gain practical insight and familiarity with the collaborative dynamics of a working film set.
• Directing Actors: Students will learn how to work with performers, focusing on communication, directing techniques, and on-set etiquette to elicit strong, authentic performances.
• Digital Editing: Using Adobe Premiere or DaVinci Resolve, students will learn the fundamentals of post-production, including cutting techniques, pacing, rhythm, and sound design.
• Sound Recording: Students will receive specialized instruction in sound recording equipment, sound mixing, and boom mic operation.
• Producing: Students will gain a foundational understanding of pre-production planning, scheduling, casting, and set logistics.

Course Projects

Over the six weeks, students will write, direct, shoot, and edit three short films, each emphasizing a different fundamental aspect of filmmaking:

• Continuity Film: Students will focus on seamless visual continuity and flow, exploring fundamental filmmaking techniques such as matching on action, spatial relationships, and screen direction.
• Music/Montage Film: Students will experiment with rhythm, juxtaposition, and visual composition, exploring how the relationship between sound and image can shape mood, tone, and meaning.
• Dialogue Project: Students will apply all they have learned while also incorporating spoken dialogue as a complex new layer in visual storytelling.

Program Structure and Class Transition

Students enrolled in the 6-Week Teens Filmmaking Program will participate in two consecutive 3-week programs: the introductory 3-Week Filmmaking Program (Level 1) followed immediately by the more advanced 3-Week Filmmaking 2 Program (Level 2). At the conclusion of the first three weeks, students will transition into a new class group for the Level 2 portion of the program.

Tuition and Fees

• Tuition: $7,325
• Program Duration: 6-Weeks
• Special Discounts:
  • Military Dependent Discount: 10%
  • Sag/Aftra Discount (Active) Student: 15%
  • Sibling Discount (on one application): 10%
  • Returning Students: $25.00 app fee waived

Locations and Dates

The program is offered in the following locations:

• New York City: June 28, 2026 – August 8, 2026
• Los Angeles: June 28, 2026 – August 8, 2026

Additional Expenses

Students will also incur additional expenses on their own productions, which vary depending on how much film they shoot and the scale of the projects.

Institutional Fees and Costs

All tuition costs and fees are listed in USD and are subject to change. Tuition prices and fees are only guaranteed one semester at a time and are subject to increase or decrease. An annual increase is expected for all tuition and fees. Costs listed above do not include housing, food, transportation, books, additional necessary supplies, activities fee, or health insurance.