Derek Kimball is a Portland Maine based filmmaker and teacher. After nearly a decade teaching directing and cinematography for New York Film Academy, Boston College and Emerson College, Derek returned home to focus on his own work. As writer/director he has completed three award winning short films in the past two years. Most recently "The Bully," which is in its second run through the festival route after winning 8 best short film categories in festivals all over the country. To satisfy a life long urge to shoot on Maine's rocky coast, Derek is now writing his second feature length film which is scheduled for production in 2013.
Young Filmmakers
This workshop is for teens who want to learn the latest skills and techniques in filmmaking from accomplished filmmakers and working professionals. The workshop is intense and offers hands-on opportunities to use film and HD cameras as well as professional sound and lighting equipment. Students design shots, plan action, light scenes, conduct interviews and direct a crew and actors. Students learn the roles of director, cinematographer, camera operator, camera assistant, grip, gaffer and boom operator.
Participants in the Young Filmmakers workshop produce music videos and dramatic shorts. Scripts are provided, but students are encouraged to bring their own ideas to develop. Professional editors work with students to complete projects. Students receive a DVD of their projects and leave with an understanding of the filmmaking process and a sense of their individual talents. Students can attend master screenings and lectures, hike, swim and explore the beauty of Midcoast Maine.
About the Young Artists Program: Young Artists’ days are comprised of both classroom and field/location work: lectures and critiques, demonstrations, shooting, editing, writing, computer workflow and/or darkroom work, depending on the workshop. All instructors are talented industry professionals as well as experienced educators, and each works with a teaching assistant, providing additional support for their class. The students are busy all day and into the mid-evening hours, attending presentations from visiting master faculty. All Young Artists reside at a nearby residence (a motel-style building, with four students to a room, gender specific, and private bath) located 3/4 of a mile from campus. The property is controlled by Maine Media Workshops and is used exclusively by students and their counselors. Students are shuttled to the main campus each morning for breakfast and to begin their day, and are driven back at the end of the each day, following their last class or other scheduled activity. All meals are taken together. Parents can indicate any special dietary needs upon registration. Counselors supervise the students 24 hours a day, and help make group decisions about weekend activities like swimming, bowling and hiking. Coin laundry facilities are available on campus. A lobster dinner is served (there are other choices) on the last Friday night of each workshop, and all Workshops students gather for an evening presentation of highlights from the week’s work. Parents are welcome to attend and meal tickets may be purchased in the Registration Office. We recommend students have access to $150 over the two-week period for incidentals, snacks, movies, field trips etc.
Check-in is on Sunday, between 3 and 6 PM and departure is on Saturday morning.
Tuition Note: includes room and board
Testimonials:
"So glad I had the opportunity to come here! An amazing course to learn the basics in film. Great for any filmmaker!"
- Maxwell Bradshaw, Bangor, ME
"It's really a dream come true to do what you love day in and day out, and that's an understatement of what you get at Maine Media."
- Noah LePage, New Sharon, ME
"Having creative freedom and a group of people with your same interests, who are willing to help you make your dreams a reality, makes for a great 2 weeks."
Instructors
Derek Kimball
Alex Bilodeau
Alex Bilodeau is a veteran of the Maine Media Workshops. He has served as the school’s Post-Production Manager, Film Equipment Technician, and has worked intimately with its Professional Certificate program. He has garnered skills in a wide range of the art forms that make up the filmmaker’s palette. Additional experience includes work in such positions as camera operator, gaffer, and editor; on both fiction and documentary films. He has produced and directed his own documentary covering the ’08 Iowa Caucus and his most recent short film, “Business Training,” is nearing its final stages in post- production.
Alex has also made it a point to spend a part of each of the last five summers working with the MMW’s Young Artists program. Recent students have been accepted to the NYU, Emerson, and Wesleyan film programs. This is his third year serving as summer faculty.
Currently, Alex is working on a theater production of Scapino! and is developing an independently produced stop-motion animation.
