The Food Network’s show ‘Kids Baking Championship’ is casting kids ages 8-13 who love to bake! Contestants will be selected to appear on the show in a series of fun baking challenges! Ultimately, the winner will be awarded a cash prize!
Call for Entries:
The 6th Flatirons Food Film Festival invites undergraduate students attending an accredited university or college in the state of Colorado and young professional filmmakers to submit short food films to their student film contest. Videos must be 10 minutes or shorter. The deadline to submit is May 31, 2018, and the Exhibition will be October 11-14. You can submit your video through FilmFreeway.
Tuesday, March 27th, 2018, brings a rare screening of the award winning environmental documentary ‘To The Ends of The Earth,’ followed by a a panel discussion by workers in the solar and wind industries from 6pm to 8pm at the Ecotech Institute in Aurora and sponsored by Food and Water Watch.
This inspiring film explores the economic and environmental issues associated with fossil fuel development and highlights the energy transition that is starting and possible right now.
Documentary films can be valuable vehicles for communicating a message and sharing knowledge. Digistars recently worked with eighth graders at KIPP Sunshine Peak in Denver, CO, on their documentary film submissions for the National History Day competition.
This free film screening is sure to offer a lot information about this emerging issue that affects all of us. It’s free but you must RSVP to attend!
24Oct2016
Polaris Friday elective classes spent about four hours over five weeks making their movies. It’s a quick timeline for making a movie, but most made it through filming to end up with some fun silent and semi-silent movies!
Grades 3-5
Cam & Cole Robot’s Revenge
Food Wars
Freddy Gaga
Grades 1-2
Haunted Henry
Space Battle
The Ender Battle
16May2016
We had a fun time running a hands-on booth at Inside the Orchestra’s Tiny Tots Family Fest at DSST Stapleton on Saturday! The Tiny Tots program puts kids literally inside the orchestra by placing musicians in an outer ring around the preschoolers for a 360-degree aural experience.
Kids who came by our booth were able to mold a character out of clay and add it to our stop-motion animation for the day. We also had a green screen and took lots of wacky pictures of our visitors (click on an image to see the full version). See all of the day’s creations below!
Green screen photos:
15May2016
What goes on during a week of moviemaking summer camp? Lots of creativity, technology, and ample playground time for kids going into grades 1-8!
Come make an entire animated movie in a single day – it’s guaranteed fun!
April 11th is the final day camp for the school year!
Karen, a Digistars Make-a-Movie Workshop instructor, works with elementary school students on their Claymation movie.
It’s hard to believe the school year is almost over and we’re planning our final vacation day camp. We hope the year hasn’t flown by without your child getting a taste of moviemaking either in our studio or an one of our after-school programs!
There is still time to register for Monday’s program at our studio location in central Denver, and of course there are many summer camps still open, too!
What do parents think of the Digistars program?
What’s it like to go to a Digistars Make-a-Movie Workshop summer camp?
Campers build elaborate sets on which to stage their movies and model characters out of clay.
Our weeklong summer camps run Monday through Friday from 9am-3pm, with extended care options available from 8am-6pm. Camps run through June, July, and August.
If you love talking about movies, watching movies, and learning how movies are made, this is the camp for you! Digital storytelling is all about the stories. We balance the screen time with plenty of outside play as we eat lunch and spend our breaks at a nearby playground.
Once inside, however, our focus is on creating our stories and bringing them to life.
Campers split into production groups (yes, 
you can work with your friends!) and map out their stories on storyboards. Then they build sets, mold characters, and commence filming their masterpieces!
A Digistars camp is a hands-on integration of art with technology that offers real skills for succeeding in school and beyond.
Summer camp sessions are filling quickly – one session has already sold out! – so be sure to register your Digistar today!
21Mar2016
Kids do all of the writing, filming, and editing!
Imagine molding characters out of clay and making them move on screen. Or maybe you’d rather write and act in a movie that takes place in Paris, or in ancient Egypt, or in outer space? At the Digistars Make-a-Movie Workshop studio, your dreams can come to life in a Claymation TM or live action filmmaking camp this summer!
We don’t just pick up a camera and shoot, though we do that, too, but our goal is to have a true adventure in digital storytelling by making movies that are fun to watch and tell an engaging story. Campers drive every part of the hands-on production process from storyboarding to set construction to acting and directing, and finally, to editing the film into a polished product.
“We made a really cool movie!” raved 2nd grader, Sasha, after screening her masterpiece about a talking ice cream cone, popcorn, and a unicorn.
“It was awesome,” agreed Eliza, a 4th grader whose movie featured a princess who encounters a flying dragon while on a road trip with friends.
Moviemaking combines art and creativity with technology and structure. Guided by our trained and experienced instructors who are passionate about filmmaking and working with kids, campers learn real-world creative and technical skills that carry over into academic and workplace success in our visually-driven, media-filled world.
“We always have fun in a Digistars camp,” exclaim 5th grade twins and veteran campers Jack and Mia. “Each time we learn new techniques and make different stories.” Jack especially loves adding sound effects to his movies.
Design a set to showcase your story!
Collaboration and teamwork are integral to filmmaking. “My son loved Make-a-Movie Workshop because of the technology and creativity,” says Christina, mother of 6th grader Mikey. “I loved it because he learned to express his ideas while working as a part of a team.”
In a Digistars stop motion animation program, we build sets and mold clay into characters that are limited only by our imagination. Characters grow or shrink, fly across the stage, or even explode on camera.
The studio’s giant green screen allows us to set the story anywhere we can imagine in a live action filmmaking camp. Campers dive into our costume bins to discover costumes and props for movies set in outer space or on the streets of ancient Rome, or even in the Sonoran desert.
Make a movie in front of our giant green screen and set it anywhere in the galaxy!
“Our green screen movie was called The Epic Train Robberies,” explains Henry, a 4th grader. “We started by robbing the trains in Paris, and our hideout was in the sewers underground! At the end, we banished the villain to the Egypt for her crimes. You can be anywhere with the green screen!”
The sense of accomplishment earned from finishing a movie is evident in the proud, beaming faces of campers and in the admiration from parents at the final screening.
“The Make-a-Movie Workshop camp was a box office hit – the content and instructors got rave reviews,” says Leigh, mom of Sophie (5th grade) and Emilie (3rd grade). “The creative juices were still flowing when they came home: the dinner conversation was full of new ideas and excitement for the final product.”
Digistars Make-a-Movie Workshop takes kids in grades 1-8 from fooling around on an iPhone to a professional level of moviemaking in a fun and creative week. Space is limited, so be sure to secure a spot for your Digital Star today!
*This post was originally published on Mile High Mamas.
29Jan2016
Make a great Claymation TM movie with Digistars!
Give your kids the gift of creative expression and delight this summer in one of our fun-filled moviemaking summer camps!
Each week brings either stop motion animation (Claymation!) or live action filmmaking using green screen video technology in our studio in Whittier (just west of the Denver Zoo). Camps are tailored to each group of kids, allowing both new and veteran campers to learn and apply new filmmaking skills each and every time they come to a Digistars program.
Use our giant green screen to set your movie anywhere in the galaxy!
Camps run 9am-3pm, Monday-Friday, with extended care options available 8am-6pm.
Significant early bird discounts are in place until March 1st, so register now to secure a spot for your child!
27Dec2015
Make a Special Memory over Winter Break!
Now that the presents are all unwrapped and the excitement of Christmas is over, there’s still a week or so of winter break ahead for fun and memories. Vacation day camps at our studio near City Park are the perfect solution for antsy kids to have a magical day making movies!
In our most popular programs, campers build sets and use clay to create a stop motion animated story. Camps are running Monday and Tuesday, December 28th and 29th, and January 5th and 5th.
Want to do more acting on-camera? On December 30th we are offering a special one-day Live Action camp where we will be using the giant “green screen” and our stocked costume trunk to place your stories anywhere!
Registration is open until 9 am the day of camp, and all camps run in a single day from 9 am through 5 pm. Sign up soon and tell your friends!
Winter Break Day Camps!
Has the unexpected day off from school given you a preview of what two weeks of winter break might look like for antsy kids? Save your sanity and enliven their time off by bringing them to a day of camp at the Digistars Make-a-Movie Workshop!
Choose from stop motion animation (ClaymationTM!) or live action single day camps for kids in grades 1-8 at our new studio in Whittier (just west of the Museum of Science and Nature and the Denver Zoo).
Our trained and talented instructors tailor each session to the interests and experience of the campers so that each and every day of camp brings a new and unique filmmaking adventure. Novice and veteran moviemakers alike nurture their passion for creativity and fun at Digistars moviemaking programs!
Camps run 9 am-5 pm but be sure to arrive at 4:45 pm to watch the day’s creations, like this one completed in a single day over Thanksgiving break.
Stop action motion camps work with clay to create characters and build elaborate sets for their movies while live action camps dive into our costume trunks to accessorize their stories.
There are still a few spots available for winter break day camps — Sign up today and tell your friends!!
Live action filmmaking at Swigert Elementary School.
Busy campers at the Digistars studio over Thanksgiving break.
Private Tutoring Available!
Do you have a student auditioning for the Video Cinema Arts program at Denver School of the Arts who needs a video portfolio? Give your child a leg up in the process with one-on-one guidance. We have well-educated, experienced filmmakers with degrees in film, creative writing, and theater on our staff ready and available to help create a masterpiece of written and visual work suitable for the audition.
Contact us for more information and to schedule your sessions today!
29Nov2015
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Register for Winter Vacation Day Camps!  Zohar works on her claymation film titled “The Show” during a vacation day camp last week. After the great success of our first set of Vacation Day camps at our new studio over Thanksgiving break, we couldn’t be more excited about our upcoming slate of daylong camps planned for the December break! Each of our daylong camps in Claymation and Live Action Filmmaking takes students through the entire filmmaking process from envisioning a story to creating characters, designing sets, acting, filming, and editing it all together. Check out some of the great films we made last week at camp here and here. We have programs for first through eighth graders and fun for all. Sign up soon as spaces are limited! Student Films Posted We have many new student films posted from the fall terms at McAuliffe, Steele, Polaris@Ebert, and Isabella Bird. If you need a reminder of how to download your student’s film, see our About page for instructions. New Studio Location If you’re trying to find our new studio, don’t follow your GPS to our street address of 2040 East 28th Avenue as it may send you too far east. Try entering “28th Avenue and Race Street” for better luck finding our west City Park location. Share the Experience We hope you will share your child’s movies and their experience with your friends and online networks and spread the word about our camps and programs! Click on the YouTube icon on any video to go to the direct link. See you at the movies! |
14May2015
Still got a week open in your child’s summer? Let’s make a movie!
We have been working hard to design a fun, entertaining, and educational summer camp experience for kids in 2nd through 8th grades, and it’s looking like we’re going to have a fantastic crew of junior filmmakers working with us this summer!
Our seasoned instructors are passionate about helping students put together movies and develop knowlege that will follow them into the real world of school, career, and beyond. Our world is increasingly dependent on visual media and communication and filmmaking demands skills beginning with effective storytelling and continuing with storyboarding, script-writing, filming, and editing into a finished product. Tomorrow’s enterprises will value employees with creative vision, skills, and talents.
Join us this weekend at the Neighborhood Music Stapleton studios grand opening celebration and be the first to see our awesome summer camp location! Free music lessons, face painting, and an entrepreneur’s row will make it a fun afternoon on May 17th, 3-5:30 pm. Be sure to stop by our table before 5 pm to watch some videos and say hi!
Summer camps vary week by week and include session in both Claymation and Live Action Filmmaking for the low, low price of only $175. Learn more and register at http://www.makeamovieworkshop.com/summer-camps/
Get your registration in now before the session you want is closed!
New Movies Posted
If you’ve been looking for your student’s masterpiece, be sure to check our News section as we try to post new movies as quickly as possible once the session ends. We are still working on uploading some recent classes as well as finishing up the year at a few more schools, so look for more movies to be posted in the next few weeks.
Adding New Schools Next Fall
We are starting to book new schools for the fall and have already confirmed our expansion into Isabella Bird Community School, Christ the King Elementary, and High Tech Academy. Please feel free to pass this information along to any schools where you would like to see a Make-a-Movie Workshop enrichment program offered!
August Summer Camp Week Added!
Need something to fill that last week before school starts? Let’s make a movie together!
Make-a-Movie Workshop students work on storyboards for their movie.
Due to popular demand, we’ve added a fifth session to our summer schedule: August 17-21. Open to grades 2-6, our expert film instructors promise this will be a fun finale to your the summer vacation.
Further, we’ve extended our after-care hours until 6 pm to make life easier for working parents. Our new location conveniently lies on the southern border of Stapleton, at 25th and Geneva, in the newly-renovated Neighborhood Music Stapleton studios.
All this for the unbelievable cost of only $175/week!
Spaces are dwindling in all of our sessions so be sure to sign up now!
Movies Posted!
Looking for your child’s movie? Check ourNEWS link to see the latest posted films.
Recently posted films include a trio from Carson Elementary School, several from Stanley British Primary, and a cute film out of Steck Elementary, In case you missed other films posted in March, don’t miss Steele Elementary’s movies, as well as those from Blessed Sacrament Catholic School.
We have a number of classes finishing out the school year, so be sure to check back if you don’t see your child’s production yet. Watch your email for news of our annual film festival to be held later in the summer.
If you know of other schools that should offer Make-a-Movie Workshop programs, please feel free to pass along the referral to the school’s enrichment coordinator and let us know! We will be expanding to many other schools in the fall.
Party!
Join us at the Neighborhood Music Stapleton grand opening celebration on Sunday, May 17th at 3 pm!
Meet us and learn about lots of other Stapleton entrepreneurs as well. It promises to be a fun and festive event covering the whole street in front of the studios – we hope to see you there! 2525 Geneva Street, Aurora, CO 80010.
23Mar2015
The Make-a-Movie Workshop Ltd has secured a fantastic location at a big discount and is passing the savings on to campers!
It is exciting to announce that the Make-a-Movie Workshop summer camps will be hosted inside the newly-renovated Neighborhood Music Stapleton studios located alongside the southern border of Stapleton, just off of Fulton at 25th.
2525 Geneva Street, Suite 1, Aurora, CO 80010
As a result of landing this awesome location, The Make-a-Movie Workshop is able to realize a significant savings and is thrilled to pass this savings along to campers and their families.
ALERT: The fees for camps have dropped from $329 to $175!
That’s almost 50% off of previously posted prices!
In Make-a-Movie Workshop programs, a dedicated staff guides students in 2nd through 8th grade toward bringing their stories to life using Apple iPad technology and lots of fun! Sessions offer both clay-mation and live action filmmaking experiences. A nearby playground will provide outside entertainment during the daily breaks and after-care hours.
What could be more fun this summer than making movies together with a bunch of other creative and enterprising kids under the guidance of enthusiastic college- and graduate-school film students?
Space is limited. Register TODAY on our Summer Camps page!
Middle schoolers at McAuliffe took off with creating imaginative movies using our educationally-valid curriculum to envision their stories and iMovie software to bring them to life. Just in time to share with family over the holiday, we are excited to share these three films from our McAuliffe filmmakers.
Be sure to cheer on these and all of our 2014-2015 movies at our Make-a-Movie Workshop Film Festival in the spring. Sign up for our mailing list using the form at the right to hear all about upcoming events and we promise not to flood your inbox with too many emails.
A fanciful tale of snails…
An action-packed movie trailer…
A spooky story to chill your bones…
16Nov2014
The Make-a-Movie Workshop Ltd.© is excited to announce the new overhaul of our website and the posting of videos from the first quarter of the 2014-2015 school year.
You may notice the new look to our website and the move over to the new URL: we are now living at www.MakeAmovieWorkshop.com instead of at www.TheMakeAmovieWorkshop.com, though both URLs should lead to the same yellow site.
If your student participated in our fall programs at Free Horizon Montessori or Steele Elementary, you’ll be thrilled to see their clay-mation creations posted in our NEWS section and on our YouTube channel. It’s great to what the kids have accomplished in their limited sessions!
We have registration open already for a live-action filmmaking class at McAuliffe in January and will be offering more classes in more schools in the new year, so watch for our emails over the next month or so.
Finally, we are implementing a new email distribution system and you can always opt-out through the link at the bottom of each email, though we encourage you to stay connected to hear about upcoming enrichment opportunities, our Make-a-Movie Workshop film festival in the spring, and more student films posted.
Lights, Cameras, Action!