# KIDS FIRST! FILM CRITICS BOOT CAMP
##### boot campDo you see yourself as an Entertainment Reporter?
##### Join our KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Team and get an inside look at the entertainment business
### Audition for Fall and Winter KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Boot Camp
##### 
* ##### Online Audition form: <
##### Next audition deadline: Dec 15, 2024. Next boot Camp: January 11 - Feb 15, 2025
Spring audition deadline: Feb 15, 2025
Summer audition deadline: tba
Winter Boot Camp:
January 11 - Feb 15, 2025
Spring Boot Camp: March 1 - April 5, 2024
Summer Boot Camp: tba
Winter and Spring camps meet once a week for 50 minutes, every Saturday, for six weeks. Time: 1 p.m. Eastern, 12 p.m. Central, 11 a.m. Mountain, 10 a.m. Pacific
Summer camps meet daily, Mon through Sat. for 50 minutes. Time: 1 p.m. Eastern, 12 p.m. Central, 11 a.m. Mountain, 10 a.m. Pacific
\*\* If none of these times work for you, please inquire about a private class @ $75 / hour per class session (6 classes; $450 total)
##### Note: You must be between the ages of 9 to 16 to audition!
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| KFFC Online Class |
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| Six Week Class $120.00 USD |
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Our camps that meet during the school year take place via Zoom for six consecutive Saturdays. Our summer boot camps meet daily, Monday through Saturday, with Saturday being "Parent's Day." For all camps, each session meets for approximately 50 minutes at the times listed below. There is an assignment given at the end of each class which should take you an hour or two to complete. For the camps that meet weekly, the assignment is due within 48 hours. For the summer camps that meet daily, the assignment is due within 4 hours. Please plan your time accordingly. (If additional time is needed, please ask your instructor). The deadline is crtical because the next class is based on completing the previous assignment.
##### What happens in class? You will watch and review films, discuss how to evaluate and review them in both written and video format. You will also learn how to prepare for an interview with talent and creators of a film. You will develop your ...
* **Critical thinking skills**
* **Writing skills**
* **Self-esteem and confidence**
* **Team building skills**
* **Vocabulary and grammatical skills**
* **Researching skills**
* **Preparation skills**
* **On-camera skills**
##### **Take a look at some of our current reviews and interviews:**
##### Instructors
TERRY SOLOWEY !
Terry Solowey has a wide range of expertise in early childhood / elementary education and children’s media. She is a writer and developer of print and multimedia programs with a focus on outreach, curriculum and content development. Ms. Solowey served as Assistant Director of the Sesame Street Preschool Educational Program, as Manager of Outreach for Thirteen/WNET and Program Director for KIDS FIRST! where she continues to serve on the Advisory Board and works with the KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Program. Terry is a certified instructor for the KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Boot Camp and a member of the KIDS FIRST! National Advisory Board.
**!.jpg)CHRIS THOMAS**
Chris Thomas is an award-winning screenwriter and a seasoned creative writing instructor who specializes in helping young writers get their stories out of their heads and down on paper. A Senior Visual Strategist, she has written and produced animated educational tools for the national anti-tobacco trials, as well as presentations for the DOJ, the Oklahoma Bombing trial, the FAA, NATO, and NASA. As a Senior Film and Video Producer she is the recipient of three Alfie Awards including the Judges Choice Award, The National Retail Council’s Heineman Trophy and an ITVA award for outstanding Achievement. She served on the Board of Directors for the Boulder Writing studio and most recently, her screenplay, *Desert Run*, took first place in the *Writemovies National Screenplay Competition* and finished in the top 10% of the prestigious *Nichols Competition.* Her work has also been recognized by the New Mexico Film Foundation. Chris holds an MA in Elearning.
**ED GREENE, PhD****!**
Dr. Ed Greene serves as VP for Partnerships and Community Development at the Hispanic Information Television Network (HITN), Brooklyn, NY. Prior to his work at HITN, Ed worked as director of educational outreach for a U.S. Department of Education Ready to Learn Transmedia project.  He has been an instructional leadership coach for principals and  PreK-2 teachers in Detroit Public Schools for Teachscape. Ed was a senior adviser and consultant to Cito USA and its Piramide Approach to Early Learning and director of global outreach for Sesame Workshop. Over his forty-year career, Ed has worked directly with infants, toddlers, preschool children, adolescents and families, as well as in a variety of roles and capacities in the philanthropic, private, public sectors and higher education.  He is a former board member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation and currently serves on the Boards of the Council for Professional Recognition and KIDS FIRST! / Coalition for Quality Children’s Media.
**!ANDREW BEVER**“*Write What You Know, Shoot What You See*” is Andrew Bever’s mantra. A lover of all art, with a focus on cinema and short films, Andrew has been making his own short films since high school, starting when he was tasked by his drama class teacher to write a two act play for his final, and instead wrote, shot, and edited the same script using a combination of a Sony Hi8 camcorder and tape recorder. After handing it in, showing it to the class, and seeing their reactions, it was a high speed, downhill race chasing the dream of being a filmmaker.
Andrew attended several colleges in New Mexico and West Texas, before he found his alma mater in Santa Fe University of Art and Design, where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Degree, with a focus on Film Producing and Cinematography. He currently owns and operates Bad Raven Films in Southeast New Mexico, specializing in local commercial production, social media content, and product videography and videography. Bever currently serves as lead video editor and video coach for the KIDS FIRST! Film Critics team and we love him!
**PHILOMENA SALEM!**Philomena is an artist, educator and advocate of child well-being. Philomena studied Media Technology at Jack Yates High School in Houston, Texas and earned a BA in Moving Image Arts from the Santa Fe University of Art & Design. Philomena has worked directly for the betterment of children since 2007 when she worked as a production assistant and juror for KIDS FIRST! She has worked with children of all ages in preschools, summer camps, museums and juvenile correctional facilities where she teaches video production, photography, theatre, painting and graffiti art, poetry and graphic novels. Philomena is the founder of the non-profit organization, Unlocked Minds, Inc., a programming resource that provides creative outlets, goal-oriented mentorship and professional networks to incarcerated and at-risk youth. Currently, Ms. Salem teaches at the Santa Fe Art Institute, Golden Acorns Camp of Living Arts & Culture, the Garcia Street Club Preschool and a certified instructor for the KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Boot Camp.
**\*\* This event is subject to cancellation if adequate registration is not received or other unexpected circumstances make it impossible to take place.**
**All camps have limited enrollment and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.**
**KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Boot Camp** is a project of the [Coalition
for Quality Children's Media, a national, nonprofit
(501-c-3) organization founded in 1991 whose mission is to teach children to become critical media
users.
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# KIDS FIRST! Film Reviewers
## Tips on Writing Your Film Review
For our volunteer reviewers or those auditioning to join our KIDS FIRST! Film Critics team, please read the guidelines below before you write your first review.
A. Your review should be approximately 400 words long. (200 words for auditions)
B. Always put the title of the film at the top, your name, your age, and the date of your review.
C. Follow this format for your review. The KIDS FIRST! style is to write in five paragraphs.
* Paragraph #1. Begin with a short exclamatory sentence telling how much you liked or did not like the film. Remember that this is your opinion, don't say why you think others would like it. We want to know why you do or do not. Follow that with two or three reasons why.
* Paragraph #2. Give a brief description of the film using no more than three or four sentences. Take a look at IMDB as an example, but don't copy what they write.
* Paragraph #3. Expand on what you said in paragraph #1. Describe your favorite or least favorite parts of the film. Tell us what you liked or disliked about them. Tell us abuot the actors' performances, being sure to look up their name on IMDB so you spell it correctly. Tell us about your favorite characters, who plays them and what makes them memorable. Talk about the plot development. Does it make sense? Is it paced well? Talk about things that stick out in your mind such as the music, sets, costumes, script, make-up or the animation. These are important aspects that make films stand out. Whenever you make a generalized statement, back it up with a specific example.
* Paragraph #4. Tell us about the message of the film. Films are storytelling on the screen and their message is the "lesson" you learn from watching it. There is no right or wrong answer here - the message you take away may be completely different from someone else's. Include any warnings in this paragraph about things parents should be aware of such as bloody, gory violence; profanity; inappropriate sexual behavior; bias in terms of race, gender or religion; other unsafe behavior.
* Paregraph #5. Give it a star rating (with 5 high); remember to name the scale. i.e. I give this 3 out of 5 stars. Give it an age recommendation using the KF groups of: ages 1-5, 5-8, 8-12 or 12-18. You can combine two groups if you need to and you can always add: plus adults if you think adults would enjoy it as well. End by letting your audience know when and where it will be released. i.e. "Releasing in theaters October 31, 2022.
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## Write your review in either a word document or a google document and send to  when complete.
# KIDS FIRST! Jury
# Juror Documents
### KIDS FIRST! Film Critics and Junior Film Critics
This page is for trained jurors only. If you are interested in becoming a juror, please go to ), call our Jury Manager at (505) 986-8076 or contact us 
| Our goals are: A. To teach children to become critical media users; B. To help adults recognize the importance of teaching critical viewing skills to children; C. To help children identify and be aware of outstanding media programming; D. To develop programs for children with special needs such as low-income, hospitalized or at-risk children. |
### Evaluation Forms for Tween, Teen and Adult Jurors
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### Evaluation Forms for Preschoolers
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