Movie camp offers opportunity and growth for young people

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A 19 year old Metis woman recalls her life, approximately one year ago, as much different than the life she leads today. Lori Purcell's life changed when a different perspective on life presented itself to her at a movie camp last year.

"I lived off and on the streets on 107 avenue, and in a safe house. While on 107 avenue, I met some people, got into bad drugs and bad stuff. 2 weeks into it I knew it was wrong, but I drank a lot and smoked a lot," states Purcell.

Then, last summer, Purcell won one a screen writing contest set up by National Screen Institute-Canada. The three winners of the contest receive the opportunity to see their script produced at movie camp and work with a professional screenwriter to polish their script.

Participants at the movie camp discover what is involved in production and learn about film-making free of charge. Purcell states that if she had not won the contest she would not have been able to go to the camp. The cost of registration is $450.00.

"Fun, pretty good and amazing. They have all the stuff needed to start off. You learn what film is all about. This is the best thing I could think of to get experience. Camp goes fast, when they teach it is short and sweet," said Purcell as she describes the camp.

Movie Camp 1.0 is available to young people between the ages 13-19 interested in the film and television industry. The camp introduces the teens to the basics of the industry. At the camp training is given for writers, producers and directors at every level, from beginners to experts, there is no requirment of any previous experience.

The work is done on a one-on-one basis with experts from the industry in specified fields. That provides hands-on about the basics and allows the teens to create their own five minute movie. The scripts for these movies are derived from the screen writing contest. It is only for the young people residing in the provinces that host one of the camps.

Until last year, Edmonton was the only Canadian city in 13 years to host such a camp, however Winnipeg became the second city in 1998. This year the two cities will also be joined by Toronto and St. John's in Newfoundland.

The theme of this year's camp is "The Millennium and You" which begins June 28 to July 9, 1999 in Edmonton. The registration deadline is June 14, 1999. For those interested in the screen writing contest, the deadline is June 11, 1999.

To enter the contest, young people must meet the requirements and write a five minute script which runs one minute per page, following the guidelines and the 1999 theme. Send the script to NSI-Canada for a chance to be one of the three winners.

"It is nice to see some kids who wouldn't normally hang around a school, join and hang out in Movie Camp." said Norm Fassbender, coordinator of the camp

"I didn't realize what a mess my life was. I gained a little bit of wisdom from the movie I made because it helped me realize a lot of stuff. I was able to see where my life was going. The script I wrote, I wrote subconsciously. So it opened my eyes when I saw it," she said.

After the movie camp, Purcell entered a rehabilitation centre where she stayed for one month. Purcell decided to return to school after her treatment.

"This camp for sure gave me a push towards my education and goals," said Purcell.

The program is available and open for all young people interested in this industry. You do not have to have lived one specific lifestyle, said Fassbender.

"Everyone who participates in this program is successful. Whether they realize that there is more work involved than they thought, and perhaps this is not what they want, to those that continue on in this area after the camp," said Fassbender.

Inquiries about Movie Camp 1.0 or for full information and registration call 1-800-952-9307 or email at filmhero@nsi-canada.ca.

Purcell, in the meantime is continuing on in the direction of the movie industry and she is working on a script that Fassbender is in the process f producing.