Camp Reel Stories - June 2025

For 11 years, Reel Stories has worked to close the gender gap in the film industry. At Reel Stories, young women and gender-expansive youth learn the craft of filmmaking, sharpen their media literacy, make industry connections, and create films that represent themselves and inspire others. Join us this summer to share your stories, your audience is waiting!

Camp Reel Stories is for girls and gender expansive youth ages 13-17, who are new to filmmaking - no experience required!

Campers work together in teams to write, film, and edit their own documentary or narrative films over the course of two weeks with the support of Reel Stories Staff and mentors. In addition to our staff-lead workshops, we invite experienced guest speakers from all aspects of the film industry to lead workshops and have exclusive Q&As with our campers. Past guest speakers have included Oscar winners Brenda Chapman and Lora Hirschberg, award winning directors Cathy Yan, Nijla Mumin, Screenwriter Kristy Lowrey and many others!

Camp concludes with a film festival at a local Bay Area theater where students screen their films for friends and family. Watch our films from last summer on our YouTube channel! After camp ends, Reel Stories staff submit camp films to festivals throughout the year. Reel Stories films have shown at film festivals such as: The Mill Valley Film Festival, POWfest, All-American High School Film Festival, Bay Area International Children’s Festival, Coven Film Festival, and many, many others.

WHEN: June 16th - June 27th, 2024, 9:30am-3:00pm

WHERE: Oakstop, 1721 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612

WHO: Young women and gender expansive youth ages 13-17

FILM FESTIVAL DATE: June 28th, 11:30-1pm, location TBD

No filmmaker is ever turned away due to lack of funds. If you need financial assistance for this program, please email [email protected] to start a discussion about the options available for your student. We offer scholarship options and pay-what-you-can sliding scale tuition and do not require proof of income. Applying for financial aid will not affect your chances of getting into our camp and we encourage you to ask for assistance if you need it.

Masks are recommended but not required. All staff members are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. There will be face masks, hand sanitizer, and rapid COVID-19 tests available for all students and staff.

You can also cancel your enrollment up to two weeks before the camp session you signed up for starts for a full refund, minus a $50 registration fee. If you need to cancel less than two weeks before your session of camp starts, and do not choose to swap to another session, we will not be able to issue you a refund.

Campers will learn media literacy tools to aid them in viewing the media they see every day with a critical eye.

Campers will create their own industry standard scripts (AV scripts or screenplays depending on their projects), storyboards, and shot lists. During production campers will have workshops on and film using Canon DSLR cameras, and use professional audio equipment such as; Zoom audio recorders, shotgun mics, boom poles, and lav mics. Campers will be mentored in creating either a narrative or documentary short film.

Campers will finish their films by editing in Adobe Premiere Pro and have the opportunity to learn the basics of animation in Adobe After Effects or Adobe Animator or use mobile Stop-Motion apps. Including our technical training, campers gain experience with public speaking, pitching, and giving constructive criticism throughout the filmmaking process and at our final film festival.

Reel Stories is an Oakland-based program that seeks to close the gender gap in media by training, mentoring, and supporting the next generation of empowered filmmakers. Reel Stories is part of BAVC Media, a community hub and resource for media makers in the Bay Area and across the country, serving over 7,500 freelancers, filmmakers, job-seekers, activists, and artists every year.

For more information about Camp Reel Stories, feel free to visit our FAQ section on our website.

For general questions, please email the Reel Stories Program Manager, Morgan Lewis, at [email protected]

Host or Publisher Bay Area Video Coalition