Today’s digital technology allows teens to produce short films with enviable accessibility. But there is a darker side to this technology: the expectation to live and share your life online, to become an instant success with your first creations.

Imagine being free to experiment and play with the medium, with a mentor beside you helping you craft solid, professional work that never looks like a home movie. Industry pro Deborah Patz is that mentor. Much like writers pen journals they don’t publish (aka writing practice, as taught by Natalie Gold-berg), Write! Shoot! Edit! mentors teens in first filmmaking, crafting complete, scripted movies in a safe place free from public exhibition and scrutiny, experimenting with the medium, and discovering one’s own visual storytelling voice.