Teens Blog
We're gearing up for the Teen Filmmaker Festival on Sunday, and the anticipation is just killing us! If you can't wait, check out this Arts & More preview from WMUK. There's a great article about the Festival, a preview by film critic James Sanford, and a look at the making of Becky Burgen's entry Be You.
Tickets for the Festival will be available on Sunday at the Rave, starting at 11 AM when the theater opens. There's no cost for admission, but make sure you get there early because the Festival was standing-room only last year!
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Teen Film Fest
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http://www.kpl.gov/teens/filmmakerfest/
OK …you’re back to school and your break is over. Now it’s time to focus on all the winter fun that is ahead! Where you say? At the KPL Teen Services of course! Come on down and see our, I mean, YOUR new space. It is colorful and bright with twelve windows and even a door!
Some of you got the memo, it was on and popping in Teens this afternoon. If you haven’t been down to check us out then “make your way downtown” to the library.
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photos: Amanda Green
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KPL Teen Services
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/teens/If you missed the last Cartooning with Kenjji program at Oshtemo, don't sweat it: we've got a great series of videos showing Kenjji doing what he does best! Check it out:
If you're having trouble with this video, the whole playlist can be accessed on YouTube.
Summer will be here before you know it! The last day of school for Kalamazoo Public Schools is June 15th, and that's also the first day of Summer Reading Games here at KPL. This year's game is easier than ever, so stop in at the Teen desk or any branch library, pick up a game board, and then start reading! The more you read, the more prizes you'll earn. Don't forget to come down to the library for Summer programming, too- we've got all sorts of activities to keep you entertained. Here's just a few program highlights for teens:
There's literally tons more stuff to do this summer, so be sure to check our calendar regularly to make sure you don't miss out. Even better, certain programs are special prize drawing programs where you can nab all sorts of cool stuff- but you've got to show up to win! Signup begins June 15th... don't miss out!
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Teen Summer Reading
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Attention teen filmmakers: You now have exactly 19 days left to submit your films for this years' Teen Filmmaker Festival, presented by Kalamazoo Public Library, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and Public Media Network! You'll need to submit films and entry forms to the Teen Services Desk at Central Library by 5 PM on Saturday, January 22th, so there's no time to waste. You can also mail your films to: Teen Services Department: ATTN: Teen Film Fest, Kalamazoo Public Library, 315 S. Rose Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49008. Make sure your envelope is packaged securely so your film doesn't bite the dust on the way here.
You can read up on all of the official rules and download an entry form on the official Film Fest page, and don't forget to check out clips of last years' winners at the KPL YouTube channel! Take a look at our list of tips and tricks for first-time filmmakers, and don't miss our list of Frequently Asked Questions for more answers!
Fellow graphic novel fans, let us all rejoice in the latest news of Scott Pilgrim! What's that? You don't know about Scott Pilgrim? Why, it's only the single most awesome graphic novel series of the past whatever years! At once hilarious and touching, the award-winning Scott Pilgrim series combines comedy, romance, science fiction, martial arts, manga, video games, skateboarding and rock music into a graphic novel so amazing, mere description simply does not do it justice- but I'll do my best:
Scott Pilgrim (20-something slacker and bass player for the band Sex Bob-omb) is unemployed and living in Toronto when he quite literally meets the girl of his dreams. Scott's been dreaming about rollerblade-wearing Amazon delivery girl Ramona Flowers ever since she started using his head as a trans-dimensional gateway to make her deliveries on time, and when they finally meet at a party it seems everything's looking up for ol' Scott. But not so fast! Ramona has seven evil ex-boyfriends and they're all coming to kill Scott, so in order to keep himself and his relationship with Ramona he'll have to defeat all of them in hand-to-hand combat. In short, just your average Canadian-slacker-bass-playing-boy-meets-rollerblading-girl-of-his-dreams-and-must-then-defeat-her-seven-evil-ex-boyfriends-who-are-coming-to-kill-him kind of story.
Two days ago, series creator Brian Lee O'Malley released the completely astounding cover art to the long-awaited sixth (and final) volume in the series, Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour! I've posted a small version of the cover here, but you can download a bigger version for your computer or phone at Brian's official site. Now, as if that wasn't enough, some marketing genius saw fit to post the trailer to the upcoming film adaptation Scott Pilgrim vs. The World this morning! The movie, directed by Edgar Wright(who also directed Shawn of the Dead and Hot Fuzz so you know it'll be great), will be released here in the US on August 13. If you've read the series, you'll recognize just how awesomely awesome this trailer is. Check it out!
This year's Teen Filmmaker Festival was another huge success. Despite horrible weather outside, over 200 people came out to enjoy the best films from area teen filmmakers. Shown above, a still from Zach Terry's Defining David Dalton, which took home the Best Film and Peoples' Choice awards. We've got info on all of the finalists on our Teen Film Fest page, as well as links to our YouTube channel where you can view all of the award-winning entries in their entirety. Congratulations to all of our area filmmakers!
This past Friday, we had an overflow-capacity crowd show up at the Kalamazoo Institute of Art to watch this year's selected films for the 6th annual Teen Filmmaker Festival. The audience grabbed free popcorn, candy, and Jones Soda and took a seat for the hour-plus screening. We had a mix of all different kinds of films this year- science-fiction, comedy, horror, animation, and more... sometime within the same films! We've uploaded the winning films to our YouTube page... be sure to check 'em out if you missed the Festival. And don't forget to catch the replay of the Fest on the Public Media Network to see not just the films but also interviews with the filmmakers, sponsors, and facilitators of this year's event! More info and a list of all of this year's film and winners can be found on the Film Fest page. Once again, congratulations to all of our winning filmmakers and thanks to everyone who participated!
The Oscars may be over, but the 6th annual Teen Filmmaker Festival is almost upon us! We've sat through a mountain of submissions, made some tough choices, and now it's your turn to check out the best films by teen directors of 2009. Check out the updated Teen Film Fest page for info on the films to be screened, prizes, dates and times and more!
Personally, I think we need a "Best Title" category... Winnie The Pooh: Chainsaw Massacre would easily get my vote.
If you're thinking of entering a film in the Teen Film Fest this year, make sure you get your entry in to the Teen Services desk by 9:00 PM on Monday the 26th! If you haven't started shooting your masterpiece yet, well... there's still time, but you gotta hurry. After Monday it'll be too late until next year, so don't spend too long in the editing booth...
Update: Tom Sullivan, who has done special effects and makeup for the "Evil Dead" series, has agreed to be one of the celebrity judges for the Teen Film Fest. Tom lives in Marshall, and is looking forward to meeting Film Fest entrants and seeing their work. He joins Kalamazoo native Matt Dunstone, who worked on such films as Office Space and The Rookie, and James Sanford, film reviewer for the Kalamazoo Gazette. Get your films in front of these guys!
Update 2: If you're short on budget and you're still looking for ways to shoot your masterpiece on the cheap, check out this free download on how to make your own SteadyCam rig out of steel pipe, bicycle parts and barbell weights!