Students: if you don't want to spend another summer vacation hanging off the couch watching movies, here's your chance to actually make a movie.

The Bermuda International Film Festival (BIFF) is offering a number of summer programmes for budding filmmakers from age seven to 16.

"We do a substantial education outreach," said BIFF director Aideen Ratteray Pryse. "Through our summer camp programmes we help Bermudian young people learn to look at films differently."

There are three different camp levels designed for ages seven to 16.

All stage one and stage two camps are independent of one another and can be attended individually or in conjunction with another. Stage three is a two week film camp that is offered only once.

Bermudian actress Lana Young will be teaching summer camps in the Stage One category for seven to nine-year-olds.

Ms Young trained at the Arts Educational School in London where she received her Masters in Acting. Her on-camera credits include a co-star role on 'Zoey 101', several commercials and as leading lady in Lucinda Spurling's award winning docu-drama 'The Lion and The Mouse', among other things.

She now resides in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she is the Founder and Managing Director of the Hollywood Theatre Lab.

"She's thrilled to be coming home to teach young Bermudians life skills through acting," said Ms Ratteray Pryse.

One summer camp for this age group will focus on acting, while the other will focus on storytelling.

"Often kids like to be in front of the camera instead of behind the camera," said Ms Ratteray Pryse. "That is why this camp will focus on acting. Each camp makes a film."

Screenwriter and producer Andrew Stoneham will be teaching the storytelling camp.

Andrew Stoneham is a graduate of Full Sail University's film programme where he received his bachelors in Filmmaking.

"He has a passion for writing, and seeks to pursue a career as a professional screenwriter," said Ms Ratteray Pryse. "Andrew has written a number of screenplays which have been made into short films, one of which has gone on to win two audience choice awards at film festivals.

"He also had his own original short stage play put on by both the Bermuda Musical Dramatic Society, and the Producers Club Theatres in New York City."

He will be teaching the junior storytellers the basis of story, such as what a protagonist and an antagonist is to a story.

"Children make up stuff in their heads all the time," said Ms Ratteray Pryse. "This is about learning to take what you are making up in your head and thinking it through to put it into story form."

She said all the camps have a learning aspect; they are not about babysitting.

"Our stage two camps are for ten to 13-year-olds," she said. "We offer three different camps for them, camera camp, acting camp and animation camp."

In the camera camp, students will learn about cinematography and lighting and other things vital to filmmaking.

"Students will learn to look at films differently," said Ms Ratteray Pryse. "They will learn about film genres and how to categorise films based on different camera styles, as well as how to look at a film critically."

Each day the camp participants will get to handle the camera and do shooting exercises. Campers will storyboard and shoot a short film.

Several students will be asked to be actors in the film, but they will also get to use the camera in other scenes.

Camera camp will be taught by Karli Powell and Kara Smith. Animation will be taught Canadian Erik Goulet who teaches animation in Montreal.

He has taught BIFF summer camps in the past.

Stage three camps will be for students 14 to 16-years-old.

"At this stage, students learn to write a script and film it," said Ms Ratteray Pryse. "They learn the basics of lighting and sound and script writing in the first week. In the second week they show the film. That is limited to ten students. That is what we do each summer."

Ms Ratteray Pryse said that some of their former campers had now gone on to study film in university.

The first of the summer camps kick off on July 5.

They are $275 per week. Camps are held at the BIFF office at 15 Front Street, Hamilton.

Students who are associated with the Family Centre can ask for financial assistance to attend the camp. They only have to confer with The Family Centre.

For more information or for registration check out the BIFF website at http://www.bermudafilmfest.com/biff_film_academy/film_pro_camps.html or telephone 293-3456.