PANNIQTUUQ/PANGNIRTUNG - For the third year in a row, young aspiring film makers and photographers gathered at the Sannirut Youth Photo and Video Camp outside of Pangnirtung to share their knowledge and think creatively.

Rita Claire Mike Murphy focuses on getting the right shot during the Sannirut Youth Photo and Video Camp held outside of Pangnirtung at the end of last month. - photo courtesy of Making Connections for Youth: Pangnirtung

"We were already kind of experienced but we learned much more," said 21-year-old participant Roselynn Akulukjuk.

Qajaaq Ellsworth and Stacey Aglak MacDonald led the six day advanced workshop which ran from Sept. 24 to Sept. 27.

Akulukjuk and Rita Claire Mike Murphy made a 13 minute horror comedy movie called Annulukkakii about a monster that crashes a house party.

Akulukjuk said it was challenging to film the party scenes because there were eight or nine actors and it was hard to repeat the shots. A continuous shot was used and scenes were cut during the day-and-a-half-long editing stage.

Editing is where Akulukjuk excelled.

"It's really fun to see what you and your friends have shot videos of and you are hoping it will turn out good," she said.

Julie Alivaktuk's project for the week was to work on a sound slide show with photos documenting someone's day.

After finding a model, she got to work and took pictures of him brushing his teeth, having breakfast and playing soccer.

While she did not get to finish her project, it gave her the opportunity to try a different style of art.

"At first I liked to take pictures of people, now I'm more into landscapes, objects and I try to take pictures with different angles," Alivaktuk said.

Other participants were Jamie Etuangat, Carmen Sowdluapik and Trevor Kooneeliusie. Betty Ann Akpalialuk and Dean Qaqqasiq were the camp cooks, while Making Connections co-ordinator Chris Heide provided logistics with outfitter Joavi Aliaktuk. Making Connections for Youth put on the camp with funding from the Nunavut Film Development Corporation.

Aglok MacDonald, a trainer and editor said the camp is part of Inuusivut, a project run by the Embrace Life Council.

"It has a health focus, what's really great about it is that it's not always just about focusing on suicide, it's about people having fun and giving them opportunities to take part in things that they enjoy doing,

Aglok MacDonald said.

A big part of the week was spent going through the thousands of photos taken during the last three years at the camp. She said the group plans to put together a book of photos along with captions and anecdotes.

Alivaktuk has already graduated high school and she plans on going to college in a year or two to study media fundamentals or film. She and Akulukjuk are cousins, so she said they learn from each other and that is why she thinks they are able to produce better work together.

For Aglok MacDonald this is what the camp is all about.

"The best way for them to learn is not being right by their side 100 per cent of the time so they can make mistakes and learn on their own," she said.

Akulukjuk said she likes the mediums used at the camp.

"When teens or other people have something to say to others, it is kind of hard to just say it, but with this it makes sense to other people," she said.

Currently in her first year of the Nunavut Teacher Education Program, she said she plans to use the skills she has learned and incorporate the use of art and technology in the classroom as a learning tool.

Aglok MacDonald said she hopes participants who learned more about their culture will continue to be involved in their communities and continue to do what they are passionate about.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.