A new, comprehensive two-week summer program is putting a group of children, some with autism, in touch with film industry professionals, including producer/director Joey Travolta. The goal is to teach the kids every aspect of digital filmmaking, from acting, producing, and directing to lighting and shooting each of the films they work on. As an inclusion program, the campers include children with autism as well as those who don’t have a disability but who are interested in drama.
The non-profit group Actors for Autism, which brings together people in the entertainment industry who are dedicated to the advancement, education, and exposure of children and adults on the autistic spectrum, is responsible for the series of film camps.
Travolta, 55, created Joey Travolta Entertainment Experience, a film camp for all kids. Then he, along with Alisa Wolf M.Ed., designed the film camp especially for those with special needs. Travolta is a former special education teacher, while Wolf is an industry veteran and the mother of two young children who are autistic. This is the third year that Travolta (the brother of actor John Travolta) is conducting camps such as these around the country.
The students begin their day by learning the lingo used in Hollywood before breaking up into small classes to work on acting skills. “It kind of gives you a safe place to express yourself and build confidence and get used to collaborating with other people,” Travolta said of the acting process in an interview with wrongplanet.net.
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