Max Ribbans, Juggling Filmmaker

July 12, 2017

We are so pleased that our Filmmaking Summer Camps have been such a hit. This year’s offerings have booked up quickly, though there are still spots available for the rest of July and August. Check out our calendar for the full lineup. The camps provide a wonderful opportunity for young, aspiring creators to learn from established filmmakers and media pros. Our roster of instructors boasts an impressive array of diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Max Ribbans is among them. Max is a recent graduate of Tufts University, with degrees in both Child Study and Human Development and Film and Media Studies. And here’s a fun fact: Max has been a juggling coach and circus performer with New England circuses for the past five years. We recently chatted with Mr. Magic Max to get his take on why teaching filmmaking to middle school students was so rewarding for him.

“I love helping students share their stories,” Max explained.  “Middle schoolers especially have such creative minds, and the stories they tell are fascinating. I teach the technical side of filmmaking so that the students can use the language of film to bring their imaginations to life.”

Max went on to explain what he sees as the connection between media literacy and media creation. “Media and advertisements are everywhere. More and more, digital media is designed to make passive consumers out of audiences. In order to deconstruct the messages of media, we must become creators of media ourselves. Middle school students are always looking for a way to share their voices, and filmmaking allows them to think like producers about the messages behind media content.”

And what connection does Max see between making films and performing magic? “Filmmaking and magic are both about the art of astonishment. Combining magic and film provides a natural structure to sharing wonder and joy through two technical arts. Both arts rely on an understanding of how a producer creates content for a specific audience.”

It’s obvious that Max successfully juggles (pun intended) quite a bit in his professional life. We’re so very happy he is among our roster of super talented filmmakers instructing and inspiring a new generation of media makers!