Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Where is the program held?
Our Teen Film Camps at UC Berkeley and McGill University (Canada) are held at two filmmaking hubs.

How long is the program?
The program is two weeks in length. Weekend stays are optional (but recommended) for $325 per weekend. Weekend activities include field trips, free time to explore the city, shopping, extra lab time; all fully supervised by our staff. Weekends do not include instructional time.

How much does the program cost?
Tuition for the iD Film Academy is US $2,999 and includes all fees and taxes. This price includes on-campus housing (shared room), meals, instruction and activities. Optional weekend stay is an additional $325 per weekend.

Who are the staff?
Please see our staff page for descriptions.

How many students will be in the program?
There is limited capacity in this teen film camp and registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

What safety measures are taken for students?
Risk Management is our number one priority—adult staff supervises ALL classes, activities, dining and boarding. Every staff member who comes into contact with students at camp is required to undergo thorough background checks. We run not only criminal background checks, but also sexual offender background checks, identification checks and multiple reference checks. The iD Film Academy has a Director AND Staff that are CPR/First-Aid Certified.

Where will we stay?
iD Film Academy students will stay right in the dorms on campus at UC Berkeley and McGill University. The Academy will have both male and female instructors that stay in separate rooms on the same floor as students, generally near fire exits and stairwells. If you are attending the academy with a friend and want them as a roommate, please indicate this during the registration process. Our staff will do our best accommodate all requests.

Prerequisites

What are the age requirements?
This is a teen program for students ages 13-18.

What is the requirement for the iD Film Academy?
We accept all levels of filmmaking and editing experience in this program. We cater the instruction to each individual student’s needs and deliver one-on-one instruction. The curriculum can be rigorous so we highly recommend that students have a strong desire to learn about filmmaking and an interest in pursuing a career in film production.

Instruction & Activities

What will I learn?
At our teen film camps, our professional faculty will teach students the fundamentals of film production: writing a treatment, researching documentary topics, conducting interviews, composition, recording sound and authoring a DVD. Students will go home with a packet ready to be sent off to a film festival.

In addition they will learn to use professional-grade editing and production tools including: Apple® Final Cut Studio® 2 (with Final Cut Pro®), Adobe® After Effects® CS4 and Final Draft® AV. Advanced students interested in creating cool special effects will also learn Adobe After Effects CS4. Students will compose and layout their documentary treatments and outlines with the industry standard Final Draft AV, which is endorsed by Hollywood giants such as Oliver Stone. Using Sonicfire® Pro, students will effortlessly mold music from the largest fully customizable music library to custom fit any production. Additionally, there will be several plug-ins to enhance the student film. Digieffects™ Delirium plug-in collection of forty effects provides visual effects and motion graphics capabilities. Lastly, students can use Red Giant Software™ plug-ins: Primatte Keyer™ Pro, Magic Bullet™ Looks and Trapcode Particular. Primatte Keyer Pro is a professional green screen tool extracts keys from any color background quickly and easily. Trapcode Particular is a quick-rendering 3D particles with full camera integration and natural behavior.

What will I take home?
You’ll leave the academy with a self-authored DVD and a professional looking media kit. Each student will gain the experience of applying to one film festival before graduating from the Academy.

What is a typical day like?
Check out our course instruction page for a glimpse of an average week at the iD Film Academy.

What excursions will we take?
Students will use the beautiful scenery of the California’s San Francisco Bay Area and Canada’s Montreal as the backdrop for their films. We will film on location at many sites of local interest.

What do we do when we are not in the labs or filming?
Please see the location’s pages for details: UC Berkeley and McGill University.

Next Step - Sign Me Up!

How can I register?
You can register online for the iD Film Academy, or over the phone by calling 1-888-709-TECH (8324), option 1.

How can I get more information?
You can request a catalog by clicking here. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to email us at info@internalDrive.com, or call us toll-free at 1-888-709-TECH (8324), option 1. Please mention you are interested in the iD Film Academy.

What other Programs do you offer?

iD Tech Camps (Ages 7-17)
America’s #1 Tech Camp, celebrating our 11th season. We offer technology summer camps for students ages 7-17 at over 60 prestigious summer camps nationwide. We offer additional filmmaking courses like Digital Video Editing (ages 10-15) and Special FX Editing (ages 13-17).

iD Gaming Academy (Ages 13-18)
Now in its 4th season, the iD Gaming Academy offers multiple 2-weeks sessions of intensive study in the dynamic world of video game creation, game programming and game modeling. Using powerful, industry-standard applications like Autodesk® Maya®, Adobe® Photoshop® and the Unreal® Engine, this program is taught by top tier instructors with demonstrated game creation experience.

iD Programming Academy (Ages 13-18)
New! Learn from elite iD programming staff and NASA researchers in this new computer programming academy at Stanford University. Make your code come to life!