Durham, NC · Since 2001

Make movies. Master the craft of acting.

Two programs under one roof for young filmmakers and actors, from first-timers to serious teens. Movie Makers puts students behind and in front of the camera. Studio A trains actors for stage and screen.

Explore Movie Makers Explore Studio A

2001Founded
6 to adultAges

Teen filmmakers with a camera, a slate and studio lights in front of a green screen

The filmmaking program · Ages 6 to 17 Movie Makers Explore

Studio A acting company in white masks reaching toward the camera

The acting company · Ages 11 to adult Studio A Explore

Summer Camps 2027Registration opens January 1. Get notified

Two programs, one creative home

Whether your student wants to tell the story or bring it to life, there's a place for them here.

A student camera operator films costumed actors holding a slate on a spooky set

On set

Students setting up cameras on tripods and a boom mic in the studio — Behind the camera

The filmmaking program · Ages 6 to 17

Movie Makers

Students write, direct, act, run the camera and build the sets, costumes and makeup for their own films. Over a 10-week class or a one-week summer camp, they take a story from first idea to finished film. They rotate between roles in front of and behind the camera, so they learn how a real production works. Every film ends with a premiere on the big screen, and every student takes home a copy.

Writing, directing and storyboarding
Camera, sound and filming techniques
Sets, costumes and makeup
A premiere screening for family and friends

Explore Movie Makers

On stage

An actor performing a scene in front of a video camera while a student holds the slate — On camera

The acting company · Ages 11 to adult

Studio A

Serious training for stage and screen. Studio A students study scene work and text for theater and film, using the techniques of Stanislavski, Meisner, Uta Hagen, Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg. They work on camera several times each session, so they learn exactly how acting for film differs from acting on stage.

Scene study, from classic plays to modern film and TV
On-camera acting and stage technique
Audition skills and cold readings
The business side of acting

Levels: Beginning/Intermediate (ages 11 to 15) · Intermediate/Advanced (ages 14 to 21)

Explore Studio A

Where does your student start?

See Fall Classes

Two young students on set in the autumn woods, one in a leopard costume holding a slate

Ages6 to 10

Movie Making classes and themed summer camps. Hands-on, imaginative and built around making a real film together.

Ages11 to 17

Filmmaking, Studio A acting classes, Acting for the Camera and advanced themed camps. More ownership, more technique, more challenge.

Studio A actors in white masks during an ensemble exercise

Ages14 to 21 and adults

Intermediate/Advanced acting, private coaching and audition preparation for students aiming higher.

An instructor showing a group of campers how to use a video camera outdoors

WeekMonday to Friday

Day9 AM to 3 PM

CareExtended care available

Camps fill fast. Many 2026 weeks sold out.

One week. One film. One premiere.

Every summer, campers write, cast, shoot and star in a complete film in a single week, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 3 PM, with extended care available. The summer ends with an outdoor premiere on a giant screen, where friends and family watch the films under the stars.

Themed Movie Making campsFrom mystery and spy to science fiction and horror Ages 6 to 10 and 11 to 17
Acting for the Camera Ages 11 to 17
Dungeons & Dragons campaign weeksLed by a professional Dungeon Master Ages 11 to 17

View Summer Camps 2027 Join the Waitlist

From our studio to the big stage

Our students have gone on to study at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, UNC School of the Arts, USC, UCLA, UNCG and Elon. They have appeared in Law & Order, Army Wives and Survivor, and worked in commercials, voice-over, an HBO miniseries, independent films and professional theater.

Founded2001
20+years of films
Ages6 to adult
As seen onTLC's Kate Plus 8

NYU Tisch School of the Arts
UNC School of the Arts
USC
UCLA
UNCG
Elon

Taught by working professionals

Meet Our Team

Photo

Melissa Lozoff

Founder and Director

Melissa trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and worked as a professional actress in Hollywood in soap operas, TV, film, music videos and commercials. She still acts in North Carolina, mainly in TV and film, and she founded Movie Makers in 2001.

Photo

Josh Lozoff

Josh began acting on stage in the Triangle at age nine and worked on film sets as a teen. He then spent about seven years working in TV and film in Hollywood before coming home to Durham.