Green screens. Zombies created by pollution. Messages about family and gang violence. These are just a few of the highlights from week 2 of the Adobe Youth Voices and Cinequest Film Camp. If the future of filmmaking is one thing, it’s inspiring. These would-be Spielbergs, Tarantinos and Camerons have energy to spare, and you can feel it in this video we shot last Saturday downtown San Jose.

Opening night of Cinequest was a smash hit last night with the premiere of The Good Heart (excellent). More on that in an upcoming post. But if that is the present, then these teens are the future. And they’ll get the chance to be rock stars for a day when they screen their films on a gloriously large Camera cinema screen next week at the festival.

There were some incredible moments. When you bring together kids with conviction and passion from diverse backgrounds, a firestorm of creativity is unleashed.

And thanks to the wonderful support of the mentors—themselves professionals in the field of film and media—they are able to reach new heights. Well, okay, it sounds cliché. Bute let me tell you: it’s true. I was there, and, in the words of Cinequest, I was astounded and electrified. It was a room of future Mavericks!

I freely admit that these same kids probably think Loni and I are two of the craziest people around; but we’re so honored to be invited to be part of this special process.

Do you know what happens when a strawberry gets stabbed with a toothpick?

Watch the video to find out…

Clinton Stark

Clint writes about new media, arts, wine, indie film, and tech (including his trusty Droid). An aging ice hockey player, he tries in vain to direct Loni in SSC videos. He's held executive marketing roles at tech companies including Cisco, EMC and Salesforce.com. Originally from Ottawa, Canada, he now lives in Silicon Valley. More »

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