Summer at Villa

Morning Session

This camp will give writers the opportunity to finally get all their fantastical thoughts down on paper.  Learn the basics of world building and creating a compelling story. Here, you can customize the rules of your own setting. Writers will examine a range of fictional worlds through novels, short stories, and popular culture examples in order to inspire and strengthen their own story settings. Along the way, learn some tips and tricks on how to overcome writer’s block and how to keep a story going.

About the Instructor

Aryanna Denk holds her BA in English and Creative Writing and her MFA in Creative Writing: Fiction. She has taught many workshops and classes on the craft of writing everything from disability representation to early college composition and short stories. In addition to writing, she has editorial experience as Assistant Fiction Editor of Mid-American Review as well as Poetry Editor of Blanket Sea. She is the author of two novels-in-verse on topics of disability and mental health and has fiction, poetry, and essays published in Lily Poetry Review, The Merrimack Review, Tule Review, Blanket Sea, Healthline, Pain Resource, and others.

Morning Session

Put your love of drawing and cartoons into action! Work singly or in small groups to make a bite-sized animated film. We’ll provide a stylus and Wacom tablet and you’ll be creating immediately!

In this camp, students will discuss the foundational principles of animation – the stuff that makes animation work – and plan and animate a short film using Toon Boom Harmony. Harmony is the industry standard for 2D animation and is used for television and streaming shows (Bob’s Burgers, Rick and Morty and The Simpsons) and even movies (Klaus).

About the Instructor

Emily Kostyo, a junior animation major right here at Villa Maria College, incorporates Toon Boom Harmony into her creative process. Specializing in pre-production development and character animation, Emily’s animation style is a blend of traditional artistry and modern techniques. Her approach to Harmony is innovative, allowing her to craft animations that resonate with audiences, capturing the essence of her unique artistic vision. Being a member of the school as well as a new and aspiring animator she brings a fresh insight on the animation industry and process.

Morning Session

Students will spend a week on a real college campus starting to envision themselves as future college students, while learning about ways to prepare for college and beyond.  They will participate in self-assessments to discover their personal strengths, and then explore what majors and future careers align with those strengths.   They will then identify which colleges offer the majors they are interested in.  They will get to view a real college course syllabus and course requirements to familiarize themselves with college level work/expectations.  Students will also find out ways they can start preparing NOW for the real world by filling out job applications, creating their own professional resume, search (and apply) for part-time jobs, plus much more! There is no time like the present to prepare for your future!

About the Instructor

Jill Manka is the Career Readiness Specialist for the Achieve Program at Villa Maria College.  Jill has created and implemented a Career Readiness Program designed for students to develop and acquire the tools they need throughout their college experience to help them solidify a job upon graduation and become “career ready.”  Jill attended Buffalo State College, where she received her bachelors in elementary education and a master’s degree in English education.

Morning Session

This dynamic camp offers aspiring music producers and beatmakers an immersive experience in the heart of creativity. Participants will embark on a journey through the fundamentals of beat making, sampling, and hip-hop production, guided by industry professionals and seasoned instructors. From mastering drum programming techniques to exploring innovative sampling methods, attendees will hone their skills in state-of-the-art facilities while immersing themselves in the vibrant culture of hip hop. With hands-on workshops, collaborative projects, and opportunities to showcase their creations, this camp provides a comprehensive platform for aspiring artist to elevate their craft and unleash their musical potential. Join us for an unforgettable week of rhythmic exploration and artistic expression at Villa Maria College’s Hip Hop Creative Alliance: Master Class in Beat Making.

Morning Session

This camp will focus on making the proper and creative documentation of Game Design. Game Design documentation is typically a detailed guide that describes what the game is and how it will work. This camp session will cover how to properly set up the unique and fun game mechanics, the world setting, and the flow of creating video games. The students will be able to properly format their game ideas in a cohesive manner as a team creating one large Game Design Document. This will bring individual perspectives into one collaborative experience. Through this course, they will start their path as the next generation of game designers.

About the Instructor

Eddie A. Mas is a Professor for Game Design and the Coach for E-Sports at Villa Maria College. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Game Design from Full Sail University, a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Media Arts from Canisius College, and Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from SUNY at Buffalo State. He has been teaching Game design for the past three years and showing students how to become great game designers.

Afternoon Session

This dynamic camp offers aspiring music producers and beatmakers an immersive experience in the heart of creativity. Participants will embark on a journey through the fundamentals of beat making, sampling, and hip-hop production, guided by industry professionals and seasoned instructors. From mastering drum programming techniques to exploring innovative sampling methods, attendees will hone their skills in state-of-the-art facilities while immersing themselves in the vibrant culture of hip hop. With hands-on workshops, collaborative projects, and opportunities to showcase their creations, this camp provides a comprehensive platform for aspiring artist to elevate their craft and unleash their musical potential. Join us for an unforgettable week of rhythmic exploration and artistic expression at Villa Maria College’s Hip Hop Creative Alliance: Master Class in Beat Making.

Afternoon Session

The Digital Art and Illustration summer camp is an opportunity for students at all skill levels to produce their own creative imagery and digital artwork using Adobe Photoshop. Students will explore how to composite and combine photographic imagery, learn the basics of how to digitally paint, and use vector graphics to create fantastic scenes and invented landscapes. This hands-on camp will have students rolling up their sleeves and diving right into the software from day one.

Afternoon Session

Have you ever wanted to write fantasy, science fiction, horror, paranormal romance, superhero tales -Speculative Fiction? Published author, librarian, and Goddard College MFAW Smitty Abel-Smith, MLS, MFAW will lead you through the process, from finding your story to getting it ready for publication. Through the completion of online modules, asynchronous lessons and writing prompts, and detailed feedback from your instructor you will devise strange new worlds, fill them with magical characters and get a crystal-clear driving story to make the most of them. Modules will include World Building, Outlining your Novel or story, character creation, conflict and tension, effective plotting, and finishing the draft. We will have a brief overview of the history of speculative fiction with examples.

Afternoon Session

Scratch is a visual coding tool where students of any age can engage. It is a type of block programming which uses graphical blocks to represent programming commands. Students can use Scratch to code their own interactive stories, animation, and games. This platform will also provide sprite assets and opportunities to share your artwork. Students will learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively. In this camp, they will be capable of creating their own game as a team through Scratch and start their journey into coding.

About the Instructor

Eddie A. Mas is an Adjunct Professor for Game Design and the Coach for E-Sports at Villa Maria College. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Game Design from Full Sail University, a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Media Arts from Canisius College, and Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from SUNY at Buffalo State.

Afternoon Session

In this hands-on camp, campers will produce a short film of their own! Campers will learn the filmmaking process from concept to final cut, including the basics of screenwriting, on-set production, and post-production skills including video editing and sound design. Campers will work with equipment used by Digital Filmmaking students at Villa Maria College, including cameras, microphones, and lights. Campers will end the week with a screening of their work for family and friends and receive a digital copy to take home.

About the Instructor

Sarah Mann is a Professor in the Digital Filmmaking Program at Villa Maria College. She received both her BA and MFA in film production and theory and has been on countless film sets, from student productions to indie shorts, to big budget films that have filmed in Buffalo. She believes that everyone has a story to tell and enjoys working with others to bring it to fruition.