The Irvington Theater Presents “Intro to Filmmaking,” A Class for Teens

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Award-winning writer and filmmaker Spencer Sapienza

March 6, 2024

By Shana Liebman–

Beginning in April, the Irvington Theater will offer a 6-week filmmaking class for teens. However, as the Irvington Theater commissioner who started the class, I find this to be a tricky article to write.

So I will be honest: after years of Googling, Facebook posting, and asking everyone I knew about how to find a local filmmaking class for my ninth-grade son (who spends his free time directing quirky murder mystery shorts that he films on his iPhone mini and edits on iMovie), I decided to create one.

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“Intro to Filmmaking,” produced by the Irvington Theater, will be taught by award-winning writer and filmmaker Spencer Sapienza — who has a BFA in Film and Television from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, an MFA from the Feirstein Graduate School of Filmmaking at Brooklyn College, and is currently the Education Manager of The Picture House Regional Film Center.

“I’m hoping to provide the type of class I would have wanted to take as a burgeoning cinephile: equally fun and informative, collaborative but with a workshop element where peers can provide constructive feedback,” Sapienza says.

The weekly course will begin on April 9, meeting on Tuesday evenings (5-6:30 pm) at the Irvington Library. Students will learn screenwriting, directing, cinematography, editing, and post-production — and will have the opportunity to shoot and screen a short film.

“This class is for anyone (ages 13-18) interested in filmmaking. No barrier for entry: All skill levels are welcome, and available equipment should not be a hindrance. Great movies have been made on cell phones!” he adds.

This is not the first filmmaking class offered by the Irvington Theater. In 2020, the theater ran a brilliant online class with Videos for Change, and one student’s film won the Videos for Change International Competition. But this is the first in-person class the theater has produced, and as the mom of a “burgeoning cinephile” who has searched long and hard for a class like this, “Intro to Filmmaking” is a rare and exciting opportunity for teens who have an interest in making movies or videos.

The class is open to all Westchester residents (not just Irvington residents.) Sign up now (only 10 spots open). More information at The Irvington Theater.

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