Film Camp for Kids

Film Camp for Kids

Classes by Instructor

Instructors are not listed in any particular order, but shown to give you an idea as to who is teaching what class since you may know some of our Instructors.

Instructors are listed ALPHABETICALLY by FIRST NAME.

Instructor: Aaron Fauteaux

Aaron Fauteux graduated Summa Cum Laude from York University’s BFA Film Production program in 2017. He is a director, writer, and production designer for film as well as a multidisciplinary visual artist. From 2013 to 2016, he was a regular instructor and occasional Assistant Director at the Film Camp for Kids and Youth but took over as Youth Program Coordinator for the Windsor Centre for Film, Digital Media, and the Creative Arts from 2017 to 2019. He recently returned from a nine-month trip to New Zealand, during which time he visited (nearly) all of the shooting locations for the Lord of the Rings, his favourite films. There’s some speculation that he may in fact be a hobbit, though these rumours are mostly unsubstantiated. He’s excited to be back in Windsor and to teach this summer’s online francophone filmmaking camp!

Instructor: Courtney Spoiala (Class dates TBA)

Courtney Spoiala is a 4th year Communications, Media, and Film student at the University of Windsor. Her passion for film started in her early teens when she attended Film Camp for Kids and Youth as a camper which helped her excel in her work today. This will be her 2nd year instructing. She is a freelance photographer as well as someone who enjoys doing videography. Courtney’s goal within the Film Camp is help kids with their passion for film making and teach them valuable skills for the future just as her instructors did when she was a camper. See Courtney’s free lessons here.

  • Stop Motion Using Legos
  • Create Your Own YouTube Channel
Instructor: Demetre Kalmantis

Demetre Kalmantis is a filmmaker based in Windsor, Ontario. He has been making home movies since he was 13 and had one of his films accepted into the Windsor International Film Festival at the age of 15. Also at the age of 15, he attended the Film Camp for Kids and Youth, which inspired him to pursue a career in film. He now studies Communication, Media and Film at the University of Windsor. This will be Demetre’s third year as an instructor at the Film Camp for Kids and Youth. 

  • Mondays 12pm-1pm EST. – Creative Writing: Short Stories – Ages 9-13
  • Mondays 2-3pm EST. – Creative Writing: Short Stories – Ages 14-18
  • Tuesdays 12pm-1pm EST. – Creative Writing: Poetry – Ages 9-13
  • Tuesdays 2-3pm EST. – Creative Writing: Poetry – Ages 14-18
  • Wednesdays 12pm-1pm EST. – Acting for Film – Ages 9-11
  • Wednesdays 2-3pm EST. – Acting for Film – Ages 12-14
  • Thursdays 12pm-1pm EST. – Editing Tips for Final Cut Pro – Ages 14-18
  • Thursdays 3-4pm EST. – Editing Tips for Final Cut Pro – Ages 9-13
Instructor: Haley LaBute 

Haley is a 3rd year film student at the University of Windsor. She has had experience working in multiple different film related jobs such as working as a photographer, a video editor, graphic design artist, and has been involved in various productions for school projects. This is Haley’s second year working for the film camp and she is excited to be able to teach classes online as well as be able to adapt to the zoom platform. Haley has free lessons here.

  • Weekly Small Group Filmmaking – Ages 12-14
  • Tuesdays 1-2pm EST. – Choosing Video Editing Software: The Pros and Cons – Ages 12-14 (parents welcome to join with students and ask questions)
  • Tuesdays 3-4pm EST. – Choosing Video Editing Software: The Pros and Cons – Ages 15-18 (parents welcome to join students and ask questions)
  • Wednesdays 1-2 pm EST. – After Effects Class – Ages 15-17
  • Wednesdays 3-4pm EST. – After Effects Class – Ages 12-14
  • Thursdays 3-4 pm EST. – Choosing Video Editing Software: The Pros and Cons – Ages 9-11 (parents welcome to join with students and ask questions)
  • Fridays 1-2pm EST. – Graphic Design: Photoshop – Ages 12-14
  • Fridays 3-4pm EST. – Graphic Design: Photoshop – Ages 15-17
Instructor: Jakob Skrzypa

Jakob has written and directed over thirty shorts as part of the comedy duo Fun Uncle, these films have earned him various festival awards. Additionally, he has worked on major television productions including the long running CBS’ reality series Survivor, Adult Swim’s Decker, Big Brother Canada, as an editor for NYC based Troma Entertainment (Lloyd Kaufman, The Toxic Avenger) and the award-winning Comedy Central series Nathan for You. Jakob’s free lessons can be viewed here.

  • Weekly Small Group Filmmaking – Ages 15-17
  • Tuesdays 1-2pm EST. – Writing: Script Formatting / Dialogue and Transitioning – Ages 9-11
  • Tuesdays 3-4pm EST. – Script Formatting, Dialogue, Transitioning / Dramatic Intent – Ages 12-14
  • Wednesdays 1-2pm EST. – Script Formatting, Dialogue, Transitioning / Dramatic – Ages 15-17
  • Wednesdays 3-4pm EST. – Directing Your Film – Ages 12-14
  • Thursdays 1-2pm EST. – Directing Your Film – Ages 15-17
  • Fridays 1-2pm EST. – Editing in Final Cut Pro X – Ages 12-14
  • Fridays 3-4pm EST. – Editing in Final Cut Pro X – Ages 15-17
Instructor: Kirsteen Navarro (Class dates TBA)

Kirsteen Navarro is a Communications and Creative Writing graduate. She has been a producer for student short films and a literary editor for local poets and authors. In her spare time she reads fantasy novels, reviews books on her blog, and edits gaming montages while hanging out with her calico cat.

  • Storyboarding – Ages 9-11: Saturday’s 1pm-2pm EST.
  • Intro to Animated Character Concepts – Ages 12-15
Instructor: Mitchell Branget 

Mitchell Branget is a passionate, Canadian writer, director, special effects/makeup artist, and production designer. Mitch has 7 years of experience working with children as a gymnastics coach and camp counsellor.  He is currently in the Masters program studying Cinema Production at the University Windsor. There he has written and directed a number of Internationally award winning short films such as Die Kriste: The Crate, and Dreamer’s Journey and has also worked as a special effects artist on over 15 films. Mitchell is currently running a local media production company called New Way Media Productions which specializes in commercial ads, wedding videos, music videos, live event recording, and short films.

  • Sundays 10-11am EST. – Quarantine Phone Photography – Ages 9-13
  • Sundays 12pm-1pm EST. – Quarantine Phone Photography & Editing – Ages 14-17
  • Mondays 4-5pm EST. – Background Sounds – Ages 9-11
  • Tuesdays 4-5pm EST. – Background Sounds – Ages 12-14
  • Wednesdays 4-5pm EST. – Multi-shot Continuity Editing using Different Angles – Ages 13-16
  • Thursdays 4-5pm EST. – Backgrounds Sounds – Ages 15-18
  • Saturdays 10-11am EST. – Fake Blood and Slime – Ages 9-11
  • Saturdays 12pm-1pm EST. – Fake Blood and Slime – Ages 12-14
Instructor: Nicole Gellman (Classs dates TBA)

Nicole is a 2015 graduate from the University of Michigan’s Screen Arts and Cultures department, with a concentration in production, and also holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from the school. Nicole served as the Director of the Film Camp For Kids & Youth in its initial four years of operation. She currently works in LA as a freelancer in film editing and acting, as well as in Windsor as part of the MANAN Media Team. Nicole has worked on films that have been selected for Film Festivals as well as written and directed films and stage productions. She worked as a P.A. on Windsor’s hit local feature film, The Birder, produced by The Dot Film Company.

Instructor: Samantha Ainsworth

Samantha Ainsworth is a Drama, Film and Communications graduate from the University of Windsor and is currently studying Graphic Design at St. Clair College.  She is known for her love of Disney, but is also crazy about her cat, Emmy; reading, guitar, and typography.  Her favourite movie is “The Princess Bride.” Samantha holds her third degree black belt in Taekwondo. She is excited to be back with the Film Camp and looks forward to finding creative ways to connect with the kids on a digital platform. Her favourite camp video is “The Jewel of Windsor. Some of Samantha’s sample lessons can be seen here.

  • Weekly Small Group Filmmaking – Ages 9-11
  • Tuesdays 1-2pm EST. – The Colour Wheel in Film – Ages 10-15
  • Tuesdays 3-4pm EST. – Design a T-shirt this Summer – Ages 10-15
  • Wednesdays 1-2pm EST. – How to Make a Movie Poster In Photoshop – Ages 10-15
  • Wednesdays 3-4pm EST. – Stage Make-up – Ages 10-15
  • Thursdays 3-4pm EST. – Photography Composition – Ages 14-18
  • Fridays 1-2pm EST. – Short Story Writing Game – Ages 10-15
  • Fridays 3-4pm EST. – Short Story Character Development – Ages 10-15
Instructor, Sean Sweeney 

Sean Dolan Sweeney is a recent graduate from the St. Clair College’s 2d/3d animation program. He specializes in illustration, animation, and filmmaking. He is also a alumni of the Film Camp, starting as a camper at the age of 14, then the camp’s first student volunteer, then finally one of the camp councillors, where he supervised, taught and assisted with students aged 8 to 18 and completed over 10 short films, from story development to completion .  His hobbies include drawing, watching movies and TV, animating, editing, and making music. He specializes in Autodesk Maya, Harmony Toonboom, the Adobe products (Premiere, After Effects, Photoshop), and Final Cut Pro.

  • Sundays, July 12, 19, 26, 4-5pm EST. – a 3-part series – Drawing for Animation – Ages 9-13
  • Sundays, August 9, 16, 23, 4-5pm EST. – a 3-part series in Drawing for Animation – Ages 9-13
Instructor: Sebastien Gaspar Woods

Sebastien has produced a number of award-winning short films such as: Dreamer’s Journey, and Decrescendo. In the past he spent time at Amalgamated Dynamics Incorporated as a studio assistant working on various films such as Kids Vs. Monsters, and Harbinger Down. His short story ‘The Red Window’ has also been published in the horror anthology ‘What Monsters do for Love.’ Sebastien is also the winner of several screenwriting awards including a Rome Independent Prisma Award for Best Short Screenplay, a New York Movie Awards win for Best Short Screenplay, and an Underground Indie Film Festival Award for Best Short Screenplay.

  • Mondays in July: 1-2pm EST. – Intro to Horror Screenwriting: The Essentials – Ages 14-18
  • Mondays in July 3-4pm EST. – Visual Perception for Stop Motion – Ages 9-12 
  • Fridays, July 10th and 24th, 3-4pm EST. – Introduction to Stop Motion (using Legos) – Ages 9-12
  • Mondays in August 1-2pm EST. – Visual Perception for Stop Motion – Ages 13-16 
  • Mondays in August 3-4pm EST. – “Armature” Construction for Stop Motion – Age 14-18
  • Fridays, August 7th and 21st, 3-4pm EST. – Fleece Puppet Construction – Ages 13-16
Instructor: Sikandar Saleem

Sikandar Saleem is a graduate from University of Windsor’s Communication, Media and Film program. He specializes in the audio department. Working on several projects, production to post-production, he has built his resume and has become one of the top people for audio work in the Windsor scene for films, podcasts, audio editing and music production. He now runs his company based around audio production, called Six Visions Media. Demos of Sikandar’s lessons can be found here.

Instructor: Stefano LaCivita (Class dates TBA)
  • Audio Software
  • Music Production from Home
Instructor: Victor On (Class dates TBA)

Victor On is a graduate of the University of Windsor Undergraduate Film and communications program. He has directed three short films, two short documentaries and a web series. Victor lives in Toronto, Ontario where he works on independent film sets as a Camera Assistant. He hopes to direct several feature-length films in his career.

Film Camp for Kids & Youth is a non-profit program operated by the Windsor centre for Film, Digital Media and the Creative Arts.