Let’s Get Digital

Pelham Art Center is committed to providing local kids with a place to see, study and experience the arts.

Its most recent endeavor, a media arts camp, is further helping to fulfill that mission. 

“The camp is lovely because the whole center comes alive and it’s vibrant,” said Lynn Honeysett, executive director of the center. “The kids have a blast, an absolute blast here. They get to use a variety of media they ordinarily would not. Of course a lot of schools are cutting back on their art programs, so it gives them a chance to be super creative.”

Kids at the camp get to work in a media lab (formerly a photography darkroom) filled with large-screen Mac computers, cameras and even a movie screen. Campers use the space to work on projects including a class movie and music video. 

Eliza, age 11, was doing the latter.

“I love media lab camp. I like editing and filming,” she said.  “I’ve been working on my music video. I really like the song I used (Kids by MGMT), so I don’t get bored while I’m editing it.”

The instructors who teach the weeklong sessions at the Pelham Arts Camp are passionate professionals like Stephanie Schleicher.

“I have a background in video as an editor and videographer and I’ve been making films since I was 10-years old,” said Schleicher, who runs the media lab. “Now, here I am instructing another generation of young filmmakers.”

The campers work both individually and collectively on projects using programs like iMovie to edit their creations. One of the projects they worked on in the animation portion of the class was a battle between the characters Rebecca Black and Fred Figglehorn. Students also are currently working on a murder mystery called “Revenge,” which was shot in Pelham Pizzeria and Ristorante with one of the students wearing a chicken suit.

The children’s work is being spread to a wider audience. All of their work is published on YouTube. Many of the campers already have experience in filmmaking. Eight-year-old, Trevor, for example, has been making movies at home. He said he loves the creativity that he gets to explore through movies. 

“I can make my movies go in slow motion or fast motion. You can play music and add transitions in them. You can put cool sound effects in them too,” he said.

Nine-year-old Alexander said he loves the collaboration at the media arts camp.

“My favorite thing we are working on is the big movie (“Revenge”) with all of these new people,” he said. “It’s nice working on this project with my class, knowing that someone might just watch it and love it just as much as I do.”