April 4, 2008 — If there is a budding Steven Spielberg, Denzel Washington or Hype Williams on the island, please come forward: Denise Humphrey wants to meet you.
Humphrey, co-director of the University of the Virgin Islands' Reichhold Center for the Arts, is recruiting for the annual Youth Moviemaking Workshop.
"You don't really have to be any of the above," Humphrey says. "But you must exhibit an aptitude for the fine arts: photography, music, dance, writing, drawing, painting."
The workshop is a seven-week course for local students 13 to 21 years old. It puts the youngsters in front of and behind the camera lens. They will learn to use the latest media technology while developing teamwork and filmmaking skills. And they will produce their own film, which will premiere at the center — the V.I. version of Tinseltown.
"Is a story always floating around in your head?" Humphrey asks. "Is anime your favorite pastime?"
Last year, 12 students produced "Torn," a story conceived by the young filmmakers, which explores relationships in two different cultures, Dominican and Virgin Island. When a baseball team from Santo Domingo comes to play St. Thomas, tempers flare over a friendship between two of the participants. (See "Student Filmmakers Wrap Up Shoot Before Saturday Premier.")
Most of "Torn" was filmed at Brewers Beach between the airport runway and the road, so the young filmmakers learned about controlling noise, always an issue in filmmaking.
Humphrey has had great success with the programs, often inviting professionals from the States to lend a hand. YMW alumni have gone on to several colleges and found jobs in the television industry.
YMW starts June 23. The deadline to apply is May 30. Applications are available at Reichhold Center's office by calling 693-1550 or by email. For more information on the Youth Moviemaking Workshop, visit the Reichhold Center's website.
The program is open to 15 students, who must be available for the entire seven-week project. Applicants will be asked for a sample of creative works — artistic renderings, a short story, poems, photographs; a short essay explaining their desire to participate; and two letters of recommendation, one of which must be an academic reference.
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