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Getting Bit by the Moviemaking Bug
at Pepperdine University
A 7th Grader Discovers His Love for Making Movies at Camp
How does a 12 year old become so inspired that he is now actively pursuing a career in movie editing? When Andrew Metzger came to iD Tech Camps at the Pepperdine and Cal Lutheran University locations, he had no experience with shooting and editing digital movies, creating stop motion animation movies, or designing Web sites. In just one summer, Andrew, a 7th grade student, discovered something to get excited about—expressing his creativity through technology.
At first, Andrew was enrolled for one week of camp in Digital Video Editing. His love for film and TV came originally from his mother, so this course was a natural fit. By the end of the first week, he was so excited about this technology camp that he requested to return for four weeks in a row to sample more technology. Over the course of four weeks at camp, Andrew created several digital video movies and also designed a website in the Web Design & Flash® Animation course. Andrew left camp with an array of new tech skills and discovered that computers were for more than just gaming. Specifically, Andrew learned how to use firsthand Macromedia® Dreamweaver® and Flash®, Adobe® Photoshop®, Apple® Final Cut Pro®, Canon® digital cameras, and other high-end technology products.
What began as a hobby of playing with computers, quickly turned into a motivating focus. Since camp, Andrew has been creating movies at home and incorporating his newfound skills into his schoolwork.
"If I hadn't gone to iD Tech Camps, I would not have been able to do a number of extra things in school, like my digital video project and designing a website for my computer class," said Andrew. "But, because I knew what I was doing, I was more interested in those class projects so spent more time on them."
Andrew was assigned a project in his physical education course at school where the parameters were to create a magazine or a video. Of course, Andrew chose to create a digital video. First, he wrote the script in a talk show format. He starred as the host, dressing up like Yoda, complete with mask, robe and a convincing Yoda impression, while one of his friends played the role of Luke Skywalker. The whole piece turned out to be seventeen minutes complete with transitions, sound effects, music and titles—all skills he learned while attending summer camp.
"I had fun everyday, liked the instructors, made new friends, and learned a lot ," said Andrew. "My favorite, though, was animating and editing movies in digital video. I was nicknamed "Yoda" because of the voices I made."
Andrew's instructor, Jenny Meyer, an undergraduate in Radio, TV and Film at Northwestern University, was very impressed by him. "By the end of Andrew's first week of camp, I saw an explosion of energy in his attitude and in his animated artwork. He emerged as a leader in camp activities and projects, engaging his fellow campers in comedic performances and imaginative games," said Jenny. "He was serious about learning and asked questions about how to improve in his spare time." Not surprisingly, one of the movies that Andrew wrote, storyboarded, directed and starred in has won him an Honorable Mention for Best Action Adventure in iD Tech Camps Nationwide DV contest.
Andrew's future is bright. Andrew's Dad has seen a marked increase in Andrew's self esteem from making the movies and explaining the moviemaking process to friends. "He's sure of himself now and has aspirations. That growth is so great for a parent to witness," said Gerhard Metzger.
Andrew's mother, Dolly Metzger, also sees a difference with Andrew's attitude towards school. "It's wonderful!" Dolly said. "Andrew now does his homework right away so he can spend time creating digital movies and producing sequels."
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