Intro to Visual Storytelling

This program does not require any type of assessment or portfolio to get into the program. Instructors will work with your child at their level. Your child will improve and learn new skills whether they are a beginner or have been an artist for years.

-Students must bring their own small video camera (any camera with video capability is ok!) or phone with video recording capabilities.
-Laptop if you have one
-Closed-toe shoes for navigating dirt and gravel pathways
-Comfortable work clothes
-Reusable water bottle
-Sunscreen
-Notepad and pens/pencils and/or a laptop
-Rain jacket/poncho
-Good set of enclosed-ear headphones (optional)
-PC or Mac laptop with screenwriting software (optional)
-External hard drive (optional)

In addition, please bring:
-An open mind
-A healthy dose of courage
-A can-do attitude

Phones and other electronic devices are not allowed for recreational use during class time in Children’s Center. Students in this program may be using a phone to record videos for classwork, but they should not be using them for other purposes.

On any given day, film campers will be exposed to foundational film techniques, basic equipment instruction on DSLRs (Digital Single Lens Reflex), practical lab work as well as actual filmmaking crew experience. All of this rigorous learning is balanced with time for campers to enjoy being at camp, making new friends, and experiencing the mountainous majesty and natural beauty of Idyllwild.

Your student will be following this basic schedule each weekday:

Day students should be dropped off at Children’s Center between 8:15 – 8:25 am
(breakfast is not included for day students)

Residential Students will be walked to breakfast as a group and then to Children’s Center

8:30 am: Morning Sing/Greeting
9:00 am – 11:20 am: Morning Classes (snack provided)
11:30 am – 12:15 pm: Lunch in the Dining Hall (provided for residential and day students)
12:30 pm – 3:45 pm: Afternoon Classes (snack provided)

Day students should be picked up from Children’s Center at 4:00 pm.

Residential students will be walked as a group to afternoon activities with the RA’s.

Day students will be allowed to use the pool on Tuesday – Friday from 4:00 – 5:45 pm with the supervision of a parent or guardian. (Enrolled children only, please. No siblings or friends.) Lifeguards will be present.

Saturday classes are at the discretion of the teacher. Some programs will meet on the Saturday between the two week session. Please watch out for more information from the teacher. Sundays are off for everyone, with no mandatory classes held.

Catalina Alcaraz-Guzman is a filmmaker, educator, and activist, selected as Film Teacher of the Year at the All American High School Film Festival 2024. She opened her own professional photography studio in her hometown of Medellin, Colombia, at the age of sixteen. As an active young leader, community organizer and cultural developer, Catalina participated in youth congresses, conferences, master classes, artistic events and performances, focusing on the power of film, theater, and mass media to offset the tumultuous social and political unrest in her country in the 1990s. After completing various degrees in photography, television production
and journalism, she relocated to the United States in 2002 in pursuit of an education and career in filmmaking. Specializing in history and popular culture, she received her BFA in Communication from Castleton State University, followed by her MFA in Film & Television from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2013.

While working as a development producer for 22 Whitestone in New York, Catalina was Artist-in-Residence at Reel Works, which mentors and empowers underserved NYC youth. In 2014, she joined Poverty Row Entertainment, working closely with Jennifer DeLia and Julie Pacino while producing various commercial and music video projects, and leading the creative team on the upcoming independent feature film about the life of Hollywood legend Mary
Pickford (starring Sophie Kennedy Clark, Cary Elwes, Luke Arnold, and Balthazar Getty).

Catalina returned to Savannah, Georgia in 2017, to raise her daughter and accept the position of Film Commission Manager for the Savannah Regional Film Commission, supporting large studio productions, independent films, television series’, and commercials filmed in Savannah. In late 2019, Catalina joined the Film & Digital Media faculty at Idyllwild Arts Academy in
Idyllwild, California, and was promoted to department chair in 2022. She was also appointed as chair of the academy’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) Collaborative.

Recently, Catalina was invited to direct the cinematic filming of iconic theater plays with
recognized troupes in her city of origin, Medellin, and presented in masterclasses in South America for her contributions to several documentaries and short films, including Birdsong & Coffee: A Wake Up Call. Catalina’s debut feature film #Medellin1995 is currently in
development.

Check out our Kids & Teens FAQ’s to learn more about summer programs