These Scouts were the stars of a film festival-themed camporee

Camp Agawam was overrun by zombies, ghosts and evil rats.

Fortunately, Scouts were in control of the situation. They were directing short films at the Michigan Crossroads Council camp last October for the ScoutDance Film Festival.

The moviemaking-themed district camporee not only offered Scouts the opportunity to work on the merit badge, but also showcase their work to fellow Scouts and parents. The films were screened at a nearby theater after the Scouts planned, shot and helped edit the movies. The winning entry – a film about a Scout using the EDGE method during a zombie apocalypse — was judged based on the audience’s applause.

“The theater was the icing on top of it all,” says Logan Zellen, 13, a Star Scout from Troop 284 of Lake Orion, Mich. “It was definitely something else.”

You can see all the film submissions in the playlist below.

A creative camporee

The Pontiac-Manito District hosted the camporee. The event’s organizers recruited volunteers from the council’s public access television show Scouting on Air. The volunteers not only helped the Scouts edit their creations, but taught the youth about the filmmaking process, including scriptwriting and equipment.

The camporee ran like a 48-hour film festival: participants pulled a prompt out of a hat; were given a line of dialogue and a prop they had to incorporate and quickly went to work on their storyboards. They then had to quickly shoot all their footage and have it ready to edit, so the films could be shown later. That’s a challenge by itself, but the Scouts also had to battle the gloomy weather.

“It was pretty nasty – it was cold and rainy,” says Anthony Goatley, 17, an Eagle Scout with Explorer Post 1 of Lake Orion.

But the Scouts persevered, taking advantage of what they had to produce their films. Some groups even worked the weather into their stories.

“They had some tripods there,” says Ben Schoenhals, 14, a Star Scout from Troop 284. “We grabbed those and set them up to get a better image overall.”

Scouts primarily used cellphones to capture footage; however, they also got to check out professional equipment and learn about careers in filmmaking during a workshop before the screening at the theater.

On the red carpet

The camporee’s organizers reserved a screen at a movie theater, a short drive from camp. Parents were invited to attend, and the Scouts cleaned up for the premiere.

Some of the Scouts found the experience surreal.

“Normally when you watch a movie, you don’t ever see someone you know,” says Sullivan Abraham, 11, a Scout with Troop 284. “It was confusing and fun at the same time.”

“It was pretty weird,” says Alec Pineau, 13, a Star Scout with Troop 284. “You saw yourself at a different angle, trying to act.”

Still, the attendees were impressed by the Scouts’ performances, and the Scouts who made the winning film received a “Scouty,” a golden trophy.

“I loved it,” Logan says. “It was a very neat, well put-together campout. I still make fun movies with my siblings.”