Willow Glen Resident

Community

Camp Cinequest puts the spotlight on lights, camera and awareness

By Emilie Crofton

With his British accent, glasses and all-black attire, filmmaker Andrew Marks looks sophisticated beyond his years, but the reality is that he's only 12.

The Willow Glen resident recently completed one week at Camp Cinequest on the San Jose State University campus.

"It was the best five days of my life," Andrew says. "It opened my eyes to absolutely everything involved in film."

Andrew is no amateur when it comes to filmmaking. When he was 5 years old, Andrew and his family made a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for his younger brother Christopher's birthday. He started recording the different types of fish and soon created his first movie.

Since then, Andrew has made a number of small films, including Beaglemania, Helmet Surfing--Stop Motion with People and Fun with Dry Ice, a movie he made with Christopher, now 10, that won the grand prize in the movie competition in Make Magazine's "Make Movie Festival." Make Magazine is the first magazine devoted entirely to do-it-yourself technology projects.

"I like film because it's fun to do and a great way for me to get a message across," Andrew says, "and I like to make people laugh."

Camp Cinequest, an interactive camp for seventh- and eighth-graders, helped Andrew develop his talents. The program teaches children how to make a short film from beginning to end. Students learned all about writing a script, shooting, casting, lighting, filming, recording sound and editing. By the end of the camp the students, separated into small groups, created their own short film and previewed it.

This year's film theme was creating awareness about the environment.

"The camp's goal is to have the voices of our youth heard through the medium of film," Cinequest special projects coordinator Susie Mun says. "We're very proud of all the projects the students made this year."

At the camp, Andrew and his group made the film Bee Aware, that created awareness about the decreasing number of honeybees. In the film viewers learn that if honeybees die off, humanity would only live for four years. Honeybees pollinate everything from nuts to plants and without them, there would be no food for humans to survive.

Films created by other students covered water conservation, reforestation, recycling and landfills.

Although there are counselors to help, almost all the work is done by the students. The counselors are film students and independent filmmakers.

"The counselors act like filmmakers and help out, but the students act as film producers and are in charge of almost everything," Mun says.

Since students have limited time, space and resources, they are forced to be very original and creative.

"The students walk away feeling empowered," Mun says. "They overcome boundaries while increasing their confidence and awareness. It's an opportunity to explore their dreams and passions."

Andrew's mother, Rosemary Marks, saw the immediate impact the camp had on her son.

"Andrew was with others who share his interest and passions," she says. "He's only 12, but on film he was so mature and confident. He had this certain composure about him."

Andrew says he was reluctant at first when it came to making a movie with strangers but quickly developed friendships with the others.

"I just put on my British accent and tried to be as charming as possible," Andrew says.

Andrew and his brother are both home-schooled by their mother, who runs Wonder Why Academy out of her Willow Glen home.

The family, originally from England, has lived in Willow Glen since 1999.

Andrew, who says he wants to be either a cameraman or an actor, not only has prior experience behind the camera but on stage as well.

For seven years, Andrew has put on performances at Kirk Community Center in Willow Glen.

Marks says going to Camp Cinequest was Andrew's birthday present.

"The camp was worth every penny," Marks says.

CineQuest is having an outdoor screening of student films on Aug. 10 and Aug. 17 at dusk in St. James Park. For more information on Camp Cinequest, visit www.cinequest.org/ index.php. To see Andrew Mark's short films, visit www.funnystories. blogspot.com.