4th Annual Summer Youth Film Lab Begins

Veteran location manager Michele Baker (upper left) meets with the Film Lab students.

Yesterday marked the launch of the Woodstock Film Festival's 4th Annual Summer Youth Film Lab, a free three-week immersive filmmaking bootcamp for Hudson Valley teens generously underwritten by an anonymous donor.

The 2021 Summer Youth Film Lab is utilizing a hybrid online and in-person format, which is a welcome departure from last year's remote-only model that was adopted due to pandemic restrictions. Filmmaker and educator Megan Sperry is back again serving as the Lab's Program Director with assistance from the Woodstock Film Festival's Digital Content & Operations Manager Zach Bell. David Becker, Gregg Bray and Gina Abatemarco, all of whom share backgrounds in film and education, are returning as instructors.

Throughout the month of July, Film Lab students will receive the equipment, software and conceptual tools to create their own original film projects. Creative guidance will be provided by program instructors and a diverse roster of guest mentors from all over the entertainment industry. This year's mentors include Academy Award-nominated screenwriter / director / producer Oren Moverman, award-winning director Carlo Mirabella-Davis, producer / director Lisa Cortes, Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker Rachel Grady, prolific music supervisor Sue Jacobs, award-winning editor Michael Taylor and seasoned location manager Michele Baker.

"Our first mentor visit was with Michele Baker, Location Manager / D.G.A.," said WFF Summer Youth Film Lab Program Director Megan Sperry. "The students really enjoyed the mentor session and asked great follow up questions. We’re all excited and looking forward to seeing the productions come together."

"It is so wonderful to have programs like this where young people who are interested in the craft can hear from people in the business," said guest mentor Michele Baker. "Having been born and raised in the Hudson Valley, it also helps for young people to hear from someone like me and see that all things are possible."

Stay tuned for further updates about WFF's 2021 Summer Youth Film Lab on our blog as the program continues, including an announcement about a public screening of the students' completed films.