UT Austin Film and Media Camps

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Radio-Television-Film Media Camps

Learn & create with us.

Thinking ahead to Summer 2025?

Stay in the know about registration and discounts on future Radio-Television-Film summer camps!

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Are your kids curious about the process of filmmaking? Do they live for animation or love to laugh at funny movies?

Kids and parents have raved about our camps. Our faculty of advanced graduate students, professors, and media professionals can teach your kids the skills they need to make the content they love. Each class presents an opportunity for your kids to stay engaged creatively this summer while making friends and having fun with other imaginative kids.

Questions?
Email rtf-summercamps@austin.utexas.edu
 

In-Person Camps     Virtual Camps

In-Person Camps

Our Day Camps will take place on the UT campus. We will also a offer a limited number of Virtual Camps for high school students.

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Stop-Motion Animation: The Wonderful World of Paper (Half-Day, ages 6-9 yrs & 10-12 yrs)

Your kids will learn the magic of stop-motion animation as they let their imaginations come alive with a special focus on the art of paper animation. Campers will start out by sampling a variety of stop-motion animation techniques, then work in pairs to make fun short films using paper / cut animation. No prior animation experience is necessary. Return campers are also welcome.

One 1-week, half-day sessions:
Ages 6-9 yrs         M–F: 9 am – 12 pm
Ages 10-12 yrs      M–F: 2 pm – 5 pm
Summer 2025 Dates TBA

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Stop-Motion Animation: Fantastic Adventures in Claymation (Half-Day, ages 6-9 yrs & 10-12 yrs)

Your kids will learn the magic of stop-motion animation as they let their imaginations come alive with a special focus on the art of claymation. Campers will start out by sampling a variety of stop-motion animation techniques, then work in pairs to make fun short films using clay animation. No prior animation experience is necessary. Return campers are also welcome.

One 1-week, half-day sessions:
Ages 6-9 yrs  9 am – 12 pm (morning)        
Ages 10-12 yrs: 2 pm – 5 pm (afternoon)        
Summer 2025 Dates TBA

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Heart of the Story: Storytelling Fundamentals (Ages 8–10 yrs, 1 week)

Let your kids channel their imaginations! Through fun writing, improvisational, and hands-on exercises, campers will collaborate with other creative kids to devise their own original world and characters. They will learn about character, setting, wants, obstacles, and basic story structure while having a blast. At the end of the week, parents can join us for a dramatic reading of our new stories. 

Grades 3rd–5th (Ages 8-10 yrs) 
M-F: 9 am – 2 pm 
1-week session: 
Summer 2025 Dates TBA

Stop Motion Animation Camp for Middle School

Animation Camp (Middle School, 1-week)

Make your imagination come to life this summer! Campers will learn both traditional stop-motion animation and 2D computer-based animation to create short projects. No previous animation experience required.  

Ages 11-14 yrs        1 Week; M-F: 9 am–5 pm
1-week sessions available:
Summer 2025 Dates TBA

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Sound Design with Garageband (Ages 9-13 yrs, 1 week)

Bring out your inner songwriter and music producer and make music with GarageBand! Campers will use Apple’s composition tool GarageBand to write, record, and mix songs. We will also cover how to make ringtones and basic scoring/sound design for film. No songwriting experience is necessary, although some basic music knowledge and a good creative imagination are recommended. Computers will be provided. 

Ages 9-13 yrs   M–F: 9 am–2:00 pm 
1-Week Session:
Summer 2025 Dates TBA

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Co-Write a Web Series (Middle School, 1-week)

This popular camp elicited amazing responses from campers and parents alike. “This has been one of the best camps [my child] has attended!” said one parent. From another mom: “The instructors make the campers feel like champions.”

In this one-week screenwriting camp, middle-schoolers will collaborate with other creative kids to craft their own short web series. They will learn about character, setting, dialogue, and structure while having a blast - engaging in fun writing and improvisational exercises.

Ages 12-14 yrs    M-F: 9 am–2 pm
Summer 2025 Dates TBA

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Making Films Together (Grades 6–9, 1-week)

Films are typically made alone by one person with no outside help. Right?... WRONG. Filmmaking isn’t a solitary process. It’s a team effort. It’s working together. It’s collaboration. In this intensive one-week camp, we’ll focus on two main objectives. First, we’ll introduce and build core filmmaking skills through daily exercises, exploring such topics as storytelling, screenwriting, cinematography, sound, and editing. Then second, we’ll utilize those new skills and create collective short films where everyone contributes a piece to the puzzle. Campers will work in groups of up to five students to create original video projects from scratch and will receive a copy of each group's finished product. Let’s make films together—and let’s have fun while we do it!

See session options by grade levels below.

M–F: 9 am–5 pm   
1-Week Sessions  

Grades 6th–8th
Summer 2025 Dates TBA
Grades 8th–9th   M–F: 9 am–5 pm       
Summer 2025 Dates TBA

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Filmmaking (High School, 1-week)

Make a movie in a week! This one-week-long, all-day intensive workshop structure gives campers the opportunity to learn the basics of filmmaking, including: writing a screenplay/script, shooting video, operating sound, directing crew/actors, acting, and editing video. Campers will work together in groups of up to five students to create original video projects from scratch and will receive a copy of each group's finished product. Be prepared to focus and have fun!

Grades 10th–12th           M-F: 9 am–5 pm
1-week sessions:
Summer 2025 Dates TBA

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2D Animation: Intro to Animation (High School, 1-week)

Make your imagination come to life this summer! In this introduction to animation, campers will learn 2D computer-based animation as well as traditional stop-motion animation to create short projects. No previous animation experience required; however, if you do have experience, you will have lots of opportunity to take your work to the next level.

Grades 9th–12th
M-F: 9 am – 5pm
1-week sessions:
Summer 2025 Dates TBA

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Screenwriting (High School, 2-week)

This summer, your teenagers can let their creative imaginations run wild while learning the craft of screenwriting. In this two-week screenwriting course, taught by UT faculty and graduate students, campers will study scenes from screenplays; watch and discuss movie clips; learn about character, setting, dialogue, and structure; and write screenplays. During the first week, they will write original short scripts, and during the second, they will collaborate with other creative teens to write a web series. Computers will be provided.

Grades 10th–12th   M–F: 9 am–3 pm 
2-Week Sessions:
Summer 2025 Dates TBA

Cinematography Intensive Workshop

Cinematography (High School, 2-weeks)

Delve into all things lighting and camera! You'll create multiple short projects, stretching your skills in composition, lighting, movement, and visual storytelling. Designed for storytellers and camera aficionados alike, this course will help you take your filmmaking to the next level.

Grades 10th–12th       M-F: 9 am–5 pm
2-Week sessions: 
Summer 2025 Dates TBA

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Post-Production Techniques and Color Correction (High School, 1 week)

New camp in advanced editing/post-production! 

Designed for campers who have experience with basic video editing and cinematography, this one-of-a-kind camp offers advanced opportunities to take your skills to the next level in post-production. We will provide hands-on practice in digital color grading using DaVinci Resolve as well as cover editing concepts, sound editing, sound effects tips for editing different genres such as comedy and horror, and how to create different types of transitions. In addition to lectures, the camp will include analyses of film and TV scenes and creative labs in which campers will put into practice the concepts they learn. Basic experience with editing software is recommended but not required. 

Grades 10th–12th       M-F: 9 am–3 pm 
1-week 
Summer 2025 Dates TBA

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Advanced Filmmaking (High School, 2 weeks)

Take your skills to the next level in this two-week camp. In addition to collaborating with fellow teens who share your interests, you will have more time to develop scripts, plan your films, focus on sound and camera techniques, learn about how to cinematically 'cover' a scene, and think like an editor. Campers will work in groups of up to five students to create original video projects from scratch and will receive a copy of each group's finished product. Be prepared to focus and have fun! Ideal for campers entering grades 10-12 (and recent high school grads) with some previous filmmaking experience either in an RTF camp or elsewhere.

Grades 10th–12th   M-F: 9 am–5 pm
2-Week Sessions available:
Summer 2025 Dates TBA

Virtual Camps

These programs will meet over Zoom and through online learning platforms.

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Virtual Camp - DIY Filmmaking (High School)

This online production course will help students utilize resources they have to make a short film. Using smart phones, tablets, or cameras (whatever devices you have at home), each student will employ the fundamental elements of visual storytelling to shoot practice exercises to hone their skills in writing, directing, shooting, and editing. Students will then apply those skills to a 3-5 minute short video project of their very own. Designed for content-creators, storytellers, and camera aficionados alike, this course will help you take your filmmaking to the next level.

Grades 9th–12th  
3 weeks, meets 3x a week    M/W/F: 11:00 am–12:45 am CT
Summer 2025 dates TBA