Liquidamber Films

About Us

We believe very much in the impact art and creativity can have on the middle stages of childhood development. Ages 7-11 is a time of tremendous physical, cognitive, socio-emotional, and language development. Whilst creativity and art can have a very positive effect on all those attributes, filmmaking has the added benefit of teaching leadership, teamwork and a certain level of focus, all while creating something and having fun.

At Liquidamber Films we have a particular passion for filmmaking as a form of art. Cinema encompasses so many other art forms and filmmaking, even in this playful / fun form, grants us the opportunity to introduce children to many of those disciplines. Not only do they experience creative thinking and decision making, we also guide them through how to work with a camera, acting, choosing costumes, lighting, editing, etc. These creative disciplines themselves are used in many industries. Therefore, even if as children go forward in life their interests take them elsewhere, they can take these foundations and use them across a variety of industries.

"Having made films for over 20 years, it has been a joy to share that knowledge and passion with the younger generation. I look forward to sharing my love of cinema with your children too."

- Isy Oliver, Instructor

About Us

Class Structure

Week 1

INTRODUCTIONS AND BRAINSTORMING IDEAS
We will introduce the children to each other as well as to the world of filmmaking and provide a fun and supportive environment to help them explore their passion for visual storytelling.

Week 2

SCRIPT WRITING
Basics of screenwriting structure and works to build a fundamental understanding of story. Students work to formulate their film ideas in this class.

Week 3

STORYBOARDING
We will intro the children to the art of storyboarding and how to communicate shots and story telling thought images.

Week 4

RISK ASSESSMENT, CONTINUITY,
SET PREPARATION and COSTUMES
We are now in Pre-Production. Now that we have the script and storyboards we have a complete outline for our film including a lists of scenes and settings, art direction / props and costumes. We are prepared to make our script into actual visuals.

Week 5

INTRODUCTION TO THE CAMERA
Even though the instructors will do part of filming we want the students to learn more in-depth camera basics with a focus on realizing our scripted vision.

Week 6

FILMING
We’re now in Production!! The next few weeks are the most hands-on. The children will perform the acting roles with costume, setup basic lighting, record sound and film. We’ll all be working as a team.

Week 7

FILM AND EDIT PLANNING
This week we will complete our filming and plan our editing. We will discus how we want our filmed footage put together and how best to complete our vision.

Week 8

HANDS-ON EDITING
Post-Production!! Now everything is coming together. The children will finally see all of their hard work go from shots to sequences to scenes and finally. a story.

Week 9

COMPLETE EDITING AND VIEWING
We’ve come to the end, but we have something to show for it. What a journey filmmaking is!!

"Art can help children learn and practice skills like patterning and cause and effect. They can also practice critical thinking skills by making a mental plan or picture of what they intend to create and following through on their plan. In addition to helping youth develop important skills, free expression is also good for overall health and well-being. Giving your child a creative outlet can help relieve stress and work through things happening in their lives. By encouraging artistic expression, you can help facilitate learning."

- Kylie Rymanowicz, Michigan State University Extension

Class Structure

Pricing