What’s New & Noteworthy at Media Power Youth

Misinformation Movie Magic

We are proud to present our latest media creation project! This “Flip the Script” Camp is a project-based summer camp designed to teach teens and tweens about misinformation while building their science literacy skills through the art of movie making.

Campers produced a mockumentary by creating a fantastical tale about one of the exhibits at the SEE Science Center. Halfway through the mockumentaries, campers flipped the script by interrupting their crazy story with the real science behind the exhibit. Tapping into their own creativity, our aspiring film makers explored the concept of misinformation and how to make films that were both fun to watch and scientifically accurate. 

As all good films do, our movie making project started out with an investigation. For example, if you were making a Jurassic Park themed movie, you would have to learn a lot about dinosaurs. Campers gathered information about their exhibits and prioritized which science facts they wanted to include. This process encouraged them to think about sources and the importance of research when sharing information about a topic. Campers chose three exhibits as the focal points for their films: Wishing Well, Plasma Generator, and Air Cannon. They taught us about  tangential velocity, states of matter, and how to move objects with air pressure.

Young people love discovering new technologies and making videos. By participating in a movie-making experience with Media Power Youth, young film makers explore different perspectives, learn persuasion techniques, and engage in real-time problem-solving (things never go according to plan on a film set). Campers leave camp with the skills to make their own movies at home and a better understanding of the impact media makers can have when they create and share content. 

A huge thank you to the Saul O Sidore Memorial Foundation and The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation for their support in funding the development of this Flip the Script science literacy program. Their support allowed us to bring the magic of movie-making to a fantastic group of kids. We are also grateful to the SEE Science Center for hosting this learning experience and inspiring the next generation of scientific innovators.

Now, the most exciting part! The movies! We hope to have all of our creative campers back next year! Enjoy the show!  

Film #1 The Well: Oh no! Aliens have taken over Manchester! Tom Foolery notices that they are controlling human minds, but how? Or is tangential velocity the only strange phenomenon going on here?

Film #2 An In-Depth Examination of the Plasma Generator: Aliens have crash-landed on the wrong planet! Humans panic as they learn that these aliens control the butterfly nebula with plasma … or is this magical-looking substance more electric than extraterrestrial?

Film #3 The Not So History of the Air Cannon: A teacher invites a mad scientist, Dr. Duckinstine, to her class as a guest speaker. What could go wrong? Can Shakespeare, Mr. Beast, and George Washington defeat the British with only coffee, bacon, and air pressure?