NEA Big Read - Film & Media Camp: Storytelling Through the Lens

Film & Media Camp

Storytelling Through the Lens

June 8 – June 20, 2026 (Monday–Friday)

Lights. Camera. Wild action.

As part of Raton’s NEA Big Read, this two-week immersive Film & Media Camp invites youth and adults to create inspirational visual stories inspired by the themes of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law.

Hosted by local media education nonprofit El Raton Media Works (ERMW), this hands-on camp blends literary inspiration with cinematic creativity. Participants will explore how stories move from page to screen — learning the fundamentals of writing, directing, filming, and producing original short films.

✨ What Participants Will Do:

• Develop scripts inspired by wildlife, coexistence, and human-nature conflict

• Learn camera, lighting, and sound techniques

• Collaborate as cast and crew

• Edit and produce a finished short film

• Explore creative formats including narrative, documentary, experimental film, or 360° VR storytelling

Whether you’re brand new to filmmaking or already passionate about media production, this camp provides real-world experience in a supportive, collaborative environment.

Participants will have the opportunity to showcase their completed projects during the NEA Big Read Closing Celebration at the historic Shuler Theater on June 27, 2026.

This is more than a camp — it’s a creative launchpad.

Free to attend. Space is limited. Registration required.

About Fuzz

What’s to be done about a jaywalking moose? A bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree?

In Fuzz, New York Times bestselling author Mary Roach dives into the surprisingly complex world of human-wildlife conflict. Blending humor, science, and fascinating history, Roach explores how communities navigate encounters with bears, mountain lions, elephants, and more. Three hundred years ago, animals were assigned legal representation and put on trial. Today, the answers lie not in the courtroom but in science — at the crossroads of wildlife biology and human behavior.

For mountain and mesa communities like ours in northern New Mexico, where encounters with wildlife are part of daily life, Fuzz offers a timely, humorous, and insightful lens into coexistence.

NEA Big Read Activities

From March through June, the NEA Big Read will bring together local artists, educators, scientists, and community partners for reading discussions, creative writing workshops, arts and media projects, nature tours, and public forums designed to spark curiosity and conversation.

The program will culminate on June 27, 2026, with a public film screening and panel discussion at the Shuler Theater, showcasing community-created work and highlighting the power of literature, creativity, and dialogue in deepening our understanding of nature — and our place within it.

✨ Come be part of a community-wide exploration of storytelling, science, and coexistence.

All are welcome!