Many people fall in love with the glitz and glamour of the movie industry but eight young Bermudians are learning about the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.

Tashel Bean, Lara Hetzel and Ryan Bull are just three of the young people taking part in this year's Bermuda International Film Festival (BIFF) boot camp.

They have been learning about the ins-and-outs of film making including: scriptwriting, lighting, sound and camera work. And by the end of the two-week process, they will all have produced a short film, which will debut at this October's Kids Film Festival.

Aspiring filmmaker Tashel Bean, 14, admits the camp is great for him because he's always loved the arts, entertaining people and making them laugh.

"I've been interested in this (industry) since I can remember," he said. "I've always loved this. It's just the thrill of being in front of people and showing that I can exhibit my talents."

Though each teenager hopes to get something different out of the camp, Mr. Bean plans to pursue a career in film making, possibly even animation. He said: "I definitely will pursue this as a career. I hope to keep this passion going for the rest of my life."

BIFF summer camps have been providing young people with opportunities to learn about film for the past eight years now.

According to instructor Vicky Zabriskie, the boot camp aimed at teenagers 14-16 is good for anyone, whether they are just starting out or more advanced in their skills. "It's good in that if you just want to dip your toes into it to find if you like it or not, or if you want to pursue it whole heartedly, you can," she said.

"It affords them the opportunity and also gives them a stepping stone so even if they don't study it in school they can have a place to learn here, use it outside on their own and go on to create their own work and show them as well," she continued.

Though the teenagers certainly have fun, Mrs. Zabriskie also stresses the hard work involved. She said: "It's definitely the most intense (BIFF camp) by far, it's essentially learning all aspects of film making in the course of two weeks.

"I think that film making is an important subject to learn, not only because of the creative side of it, but it also uses your problem solving skills and your other capabilities — there is a science engineering side.

"Film making is a wonderful interaction between the performance arts and technical arts," she said.

The students taking part in the boot camp, which ends this Friday, also includes Alex Hulse, Charles Field, Nolan Moniz, Andrew Wallace and Brittany Simmons. According to Mrs. Zabriskie, they are all dependent on each other and must perform all filmmaking roles at one time or another, including taking part in each camp goers film production.

When asked about the teenagers overall performance, Mrs. Zabriskie told The Royal Gazette: "I think it is really invigorating to see what they come up with. I particularly enjoy the teenagers because they write their own scripts, so you get to see their imaginations at work.

"I hope that they learn something, have a good time and most of all that they are proud of what they make."

Outside of producing their own films, BIFF camp-goers such as Ryan Bull, 14, have been given skills that will stay with them for a lifetime, like getting over stage freight.

Mr. Bull admits he was nervous in front of the camera a few weeks ago, but has gotten better. "I've learned how to actually get over my stage fright and actually act," he said. "I used to try and stay back behind everyone in the plays, but now I'm over that."

He believes there should be more avenues such as this in schools. "I wish there was more for people that don't like to get in front of the camera so much, like to work behind the scenes," he said.

The Mount Saint Agnes student has been interested in film making for about a year now and says his interest has grown since taking part in the boot camp. "It's a fun camp, you get to meet more people, it's a good experience," he said.

For more information on BIFF camps being offered throughout the summer months please go to www.biff.bm.