It’s time to CLAY! Explore the fascinating process of claymation as you learn the tools necessary to make your own films. Experimenting with materials like wire armature, paper, fabric and clay, students will flex their creative muscles on a series of films, using iStopmotion software to capture stories ranging in the genres of abstract to short narrative.

Learn how to create an animated film using a variety of 2D and 3D stop motion techniques. Experimenting with iStopmotion software, you will discover how to make toys, clay, found objects, and paper come to life on the screen. Develop skills in narration and story development as you brainstorm and storyboard ideas for each short. For those who enjoying stepping in front of the camera, you will have a chance to do so as you animate yourself.

Spend a week creating magical short films that involve a variety of giants, princes, princesses, trolls, wizards and castles. You will examine and celebrate these themes using various techniques in puppet-making and stop motion animation. Collaborate with other campers to storyboard, develop characters and design the sets for your magical stories.

Create an adventure film of epic proportions. Build skills in construction, design and narration as you experiment in both film production and performance. In this class, you will design and create your own costumes, large-scale puppets, and sets out of recycled objects. Using iStopmotion software, you will bring your creations to life in a series of animated and pixilated shorts! Go behind and in front of the camera as you animate your ideas against the beautiful and dramatic island landscape formerly known as “Pagganck”. All swashbucklers, rogues and dragon slayers welcome.

This class is meant for brave young artists with a taste for ghouls and goblins! In Tales of the Supernatural, you will create films, comics and podcasts about ghosts and the eerily unexplainable. Explore the art of scary storytelling while honing your skills in illustration, sculpture and character development. Using iStopmotion software, you will bring your story to life through the medium of animation. You will also create haunting sounds recordings in the Sound Booth.

This is a great class for the young filmmaker with a flair for zoology. In Animal Animation, you will work with mixed media materials like clay, wire, fabric and paper to build your favorite creatures and their surrounding habitats. Using iStopmotion software, you will learn basic stop motion techniques to help bring your creatures to life. Develop skills in design, character development, and narration as you explore your chosen subjects. From the highest mountain top to the bottom of the ocean, no beast-filled region will go unturned in this class.

Take a piece of paper and bring it to life! In this class, you will learn how to use iStopmotion software to create your own animation shorts. Delve into the concept of design, building skills in illustration, light and color play, and set design. You will also develop narrative skills through storytelling, character development and collaborative art production. By exploring animation innovations like multi-plane camerawork, you may never look at a simple piece of paper the same way again.

Learn how to make your drawings move! In this class, you will be drawing inspiration (pun intended) from the likes of Hayao Miyazaki, Walt Disney and BLU to bring your images to life . Experiment with materials like pencils, chalk, charcoal and sand to create your films. Using iStopmotion software, you will also record and compile these drawings into a series of short films that you can share with your family and friends.

Are you a visual storyteller? Learn about the tradition of sequential art used in comic books, and explore the possibilities writing your own graphic novel. You will learn techniques in cartoon and perspective drawing, character design, and storyboarding as you work on a chapter of your comic book. Learn how to work with traditional pen and ink drawings to design your own cover art, and edit the final colors and images of your comics in Photoshop.

Calling all budding filmmakers! In this two-week intensive session, you will study and employ the fundamental tools needed to make an animated film. Build character development skills as you brainstorm your story, write a screenplay and create concept designs. From there you will illustrate storyboards, perform and record voice overs and collaborate with a composing Teaching Artist to score for your film. You will construct your puppets and sets, light them, and using cameras, computers and iStopmotion software, animate them. This is a great class for the intensely focused artist who enjoys collaboration. Films from Media Lab programs have been featured in the Tribeca Film Festival, Big Movies for Little Kids, and the New York International Children’s Film Festival.

This is a two week class.

If you could have any pet in the universe, what would you choose? This class will give you the opportunity to create the fantastical critter of your dreams! Experimenting with techniques in illustration, narration, and sculpture, you will construct puppets complete with wire armature, fur, scales, horns, whiskers and more. Feature your new pet in stop motion animation films using iStopmotion and set up a radio podcast in our Sound Booth to document its behavior.

Food lovers unite – your favorite treats come to life on our animating table! Using iStopmotion software, you will learn how to create imaginative short films that pay homage to the culinary arts. Hone your skills in script writing, interviewing, set design and character development as you watch your dream cuisine comes to life.

Ever wonder what it takes to put on a great TV series? Join CMA’s first ever TV Production class,  where you collaborate with other campers to create a late night variety show. This two week class builds skills in creative fields including script writing, set building, puppet construction, stop motion animation, sound recording, live action film, and physical comedy. The week will culminate with a live taping that will be edited by Teaching Artists to serve as our online pilot episode.

This class runs two weeks.

This class not only introduces you to the process of video game design, but completely immerses you in a digitally interactive experience. In addition to testing popular video games of the past and present, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with other campers on an original game that can be shared online. Hone your analytical, technical, and composition skills as Teaching Artists introduce you to narrative concepts, graphic design techniques and user-friendly game design software like Scratch. You will also work with other campers to construct props for an interactive arcade that your friends and family can enjoy on the last day of class!

Documentary films give a behind the scenes perspective on unusual and remarkable stories. Now it’s your chance to tell your own tale. Through research, stop motion animation, live action film and sound recording, you will compile footage about a topic of your choice. This will be edited into a final collaborative documentary film.

You call the shots in this hands-on live action cinematography workshop. Learn how a Director of Photography tells a story on a film set as you try your hand at lighting control, camera angle, and picture composition. Use professional SLR cameras to explore the fundamental elements of camera operation including a series of test shoots. Collaborate with other artists on several short original scenes which will be screened at the week’s end. This class is recommended for the serious budding filmmaker.

It’s time to CLAY! Explore the fascinating process of claymation as you learn about the tools necessary to make your own films. Experimenting with materials like wire armature, paper, fabric and clay, you will flex your creative muscles on a series of films, using iStopmotion software to capture stories ranging in the genres of abstract to short narrative.

Create a movie trailer filled with mind-blowing special effects!  Try out simple pyrotechnics, model making and miniatures, special effects makeup, lighting, and post-production effects. You will be introduced to After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Dragon Stop Motion, and HDSLR cameras in this collaborative filmmaking class.

Drawing inspiration from experimental animators like Stan Brakhage, William Kentridge, and Jeff Scher, you will invent new techniques, animate with unconventional materials, and create an original anthology of experimental short films using professional stop motion software.

Have you ever wanted to write and record your own songs? Now you can! Learn the fundamentals of multi-track recording in the CMA’s Sound Booth. Create a collaborative concept album by studying different musical
genres, writing original lyrics, and experimenting with keyboards and guitars. Learn fundamental recording techniques using ProTools and GarageBand software. You will also create your own album artwork. This class is great for music lovers – no previous experience required.

This week will teach you how to step behind the camera. Inspired by your surroundings on Governors Island,  you will learn about photography techniques such composition, lighting, and more. Arm yourself with a digital SLR camera and explore the unique beauty of Governors Island through your lens.  After capturing your images, you will have the chance to experiment with elements such as color, texture, layering, and special effects as you manipulate each image in Photoshop.