Crazy Times at Discovery AND UnPlugged!

This week uCamps is hosting not one, but two programs at our Sempervirens sight. Discovery, our youngest camp, is as fun and wacky as ever. We kicked off camp with a giant pool party, followed by cabin games and, of course, the counselor makeover. Last night was the hoedown, and every single camper, counselor, and staff member could be seen rocking bandanas, cowboy hats, braids, and more! Tonight will be movie night followed by sleeping under the stars, a uCamps favorite. 

Our UnPlugged campers have been making some amazing memories of their own. Yesterday morning they ventured out on their first hike, followed by an afternoon creek stomp. This morning they built a GINORMOUS teepee on site, and can fit twelve people inside it! With their first overnight hike tonight and more gorgeous hikes to come, we cannot wait to see what uCamps UnPlugged takes on next!

uCamps SoCal

uCamps SoCal has been off to a great start! For the first time in SoCal history we have an entire counseling staff of former SoCal campers. We are so happy to see the growth of the SoCal culture and SoCal staff.

On Monday we had our annual uCamps Hoedown. Everyone dressed up in their best Hoedown outfit and learned how to square dance. Last night we had a nighttime pool party, and everyone had a blast! Tonight we'll be watching a movie under the stars followed by stargazing. Last year we saw an epic shooting star, and campers are hoping to catch a glimpse of another shooting star tonight.



The campers are working hard on their performance workshops, including lyrical, hip-hop, film, musical theatre, rock band, reader's theatre, choir, pop star, and stand up comedy. We can't wait to see you all on Saturday and share these amazing performances with you!

Todd Constantine, Previsualization Artist for “San Andreas”, “Amazing Spiderman 2” and more, visits uCamps Academy

Have you ever wondered how directors construct fantastic shots of the Golden Gate bridge collapsing into the Pacific ocean, or Godzilla knocking down buildings like dominoes? Last night, uCampers were given the opportunity to get an inside look at this process, called “previsualization”, through an in-depth presentation and Q&A by Todd Constantine. Constantine, who works at The Third Floor Productions, has been the previsualization artist on films such as “Divergent”, “Insurgent”, “San Andreas”, “The Amazing Spiderman 2”, “Iron Man 3”, “Thor”, and many more. During his presentation, Constantine showed campers clips of the previsualized animation side by side with the final product of films such as Godzilla and San Andreas, to show just how much input previsualization artists have on the create process and final product. 

After his presentation, Constantine opened up the floor for questions. Leadership academy camper Zoey Fogerty asked him what project he most enjoyed working on and why. He explained that his favorite films to work on are the ones where the creative process is fun, and where the people he collaborates with bring new ideas and energy to the table. Todd Constantine closed the Q&A with a message about the importance of hard work. He explained that he got ahead in the industry by hanging around, staying late, asking questions, and practicing. This is the message that stuck with uCampers as they left the dining hall last night, and it is already being reflected in their workshops today. We can’t wait to see the art this week has inspired!

uCamps hosts Q&A with ‘Creed’ writer Aaron Covington

Thursday night, uCamps Academy students were treated to a very special experience. Film, acting, and leadership majors attended a Q&A with Aaron Covington, writer of the 2015 film ‘Creed’, starring Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone (who won the Golden Globe for best supporting actor). Covington is not only a successful film writer, but a former uCamps film staff member, known to campers as “Stonewall Blackheart”. During the Q&A, camp director Doug “Bald-E” Cembellin interviewed Aaron, asking questions about his time at USC studying film, his creative process, and the steps he took to achieve such success with his script. Covington explained that the most important thing someone in the film industry can do is continue creating and putting their work out there. After the interview, campers had the opportunity to ask Covington their questions. One film major, Harry Lahn-Schroeder, wanted to know how the writers went about choreographing and studying fight scenes for the film. Another camper, film major Sylvie Lodish, asked how he avoids clichés. After twenty minutes or so of questions from eager film and acting students, campers were given a chance to reflect on the conversation. The following morning, Aaron met with the film and acting students separately to continue the discussion about the artistic process, and to offer advice and constructive criticism on their current projects. With his help, two uCamper original scripts will come to life this session! 

All smiles at Session Two!

Hello all!

This week’s session is shaping up to be one of our craziest camps yet! Last night was our weekly pool party, complete with water guns, inner tubes, and counselors pushed in the pool! The night before was the Hoe-Down, and all day campers and staff alike could be seen with flannel, freckles, and crazy accents. Yee-haw!

The workshops this session have already started turning out some amazing art. Campfire productions just finished their first Melodrama, and their second one is under way! Sign Language, a brand new workshop taught by our very own Blackbird, has really taken off, and the kids can’t wait to show off their new language skills on performance day!

From memorizing monologues to mastering dance routines and creating beautiful films, the art coming from this session is particularly spectacular. With movie night tonight and Monday Fun-day around the corner, more art and memories are surely in store.

Session One is in full swing!

Hi there uFamilies!

We are halfway through Session One, and there could be no better way to kick off an amazing summer!

The week began with a fabulous counselor makeover and fashion show, followed by game night and ice cream. On Saturday we had our annual uCamps Hoe-Down, and had a hand-clappin’, foot-stompin’ good time! The following day everybody hopped in the pool for an AWESOME pool party, complete with great music and smiling faces. Last night, campers had the option to sleep under the stars and enjoy all the beauty that Camp Sempervirens offers.

In addition, we’ve seen some amazing performances on our campfire stage: vocal improvisations, original songs, revamped Shakespeare, and more! The talent and positive energy coming from this group is remarkable, and we’re only halfway done! With our Carnival, Rock Star hike, Black Light lounge AND performances to look forward to, we can’t wait for the amazing art and memories to come!

uCamps Session 2!!!

Hello uFamilies!

Session 2 is in full swing and some amazing art and memories are being created this week!

We started this session with the uCamps counselor make over; everyone had an AWESOME time dressing up not one but two counselors. A couple days ago we had the Classic uCamps Hoe-Down where everyone learned and danced traditional western line dances, huge smiles were seen all around the dance floor from campers and staff alike.

In addition to evening activities we have campfire every night where the campers and staff get the chance to perform and share their talents with the whole uCamps community, some of the amazing performances we have seen include people performing songs, skits, poetry, and sharing painting and art pieces they have created. This year is shaping up to be the best year EVER here at uCamps!