Kids Invent! Digital Video Summer Camp participants at Fresno State giving local newscasters ‘tough competition’

Campers are busing making their own versions of the nightly news until 2 p.m.  in Studio A of the Speech Arts Building, located next to the Amphitheatre (north side).

The Digital Videos Camp is underway at California State University, Fresno this week with students producing their own newscasts.

The camp is part of the popular Kids Invent! Summer Camps presented by the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Fresno State. The innovative summer camps held on the Fresno State campus began June 12 for students in grades 4-8 with four summer programs: Kids Invent Toys, Kids Invent Digital Videos, Kids Invent Robotics, and Kids Invent Digital Videos II.

This week’s final session, Kids Invent Digital Videos II, has Valley youth learning video production, basic photography and computer editing for group and individual projects such as 30-second commercials and public service announcements, said camp instructor John Reynolds, who is the director of the Digital Production Group at Fresno State. 

Today, participants are in the Fresno State production studio (Speech Arts Building, Studio A) where they will be filming their team newscasts and getting a little taste of what it’s like to put together those nightly newscasts airing on KGPE 47 CBS, KSEE 24 NBC, KFSN 30 ABC, KMPH 26 FOX and KFTV 21 Univision.

“Just maybe the Valley youngsters’ newscast will show up on one of these local stations,” Reynolds said.

Thursday (July 27), students begin to work on their feature film project -- writing, producing, starring in and editing their own screenplay.  Students will then submit their final work in the Fresno State Lyles Center Short Film Competition to be shown at the movie premiere Friday (July 28) when participants will be competing in categories such as “Best Cinematography, Most Original, Best Sound Effects, and Best Special Effects.”

Friends, family, and local sponsors are invited to attend to vote for the top category of “Best Picture at the camp’s own “Academy Awards Ceremony” at 3 p.m. Friday in the Peters Education Center located in the new Student Recreation Center next to the Save Mart Center on campus