I can't sing enough praise for Cinema Kidz! My 13 yo's imagination has been unleashed this summer! Since only one week of camp he has been writing, making story boards and filming his own shorts as best he can. It's truly great to see him immerse himself in a new focus thanks to what he was taught and inspired by at Cinema Kidz. Our kid is neurodivergent and from the get go the staff at cinema kidz were genuinely asking for tips and feedback for how to adapt and include him in ways that work. We have not found that as the norm in other programs this summer and it really showed how caring and attentive they are to all the kids in each team. He had his struggles at the start with transitions and they proactively reached out and worked with us on how to let him be him and participate fully. By the second day he was joking with his counselors and he made some great friends with other kids, which is to say the least not always easy for him. Beyond that the equipment and programs he was introduced to were great and the movie they made was funny and highly entertaining. For kids of all ages and especially neurodivergent kids, this is a fantastic program! Thank you! read more

I enrolled by 12 year old daughters in two weeks of this camp based on the rave reviews. One of my kids completed the first week but after the first day of the second week they both decided that they did not wish to return. This was their overall assessment: The staff is kind and friendly. They work hard to handle group dynamics and challenges but my kids described constant classroom management issues that were rarely resolved. This camp does not provide enough enrichment for older students (10 years old and up). Groups are organized by theme, not age band so there was a 3 - 4 year age span in the groups in which my daughters were placed. There is a big difference between abilities and interests in that span and most attention was given to supporting the younger students. My daughters expressed that they were bored and did not learn new skills. Finally, despite reaching out to the camp to express my concerns, I was informed that the students are encouraged to resolve issues on their own. They did not address my concern about the age span in each group. This camp may be wonderful for young students but is not equipped to handle middle school aged students. read more

Review from my 9-year old: "I think the CinemaKidz is a really fun camp. We played drawing games at the beginning and then we started working on our projects. My team, the pink team, was working on innovation on Adobe animate. The other team with us, the blue team, was working on shorter animations and comics in Procreate I think it was really fun because when people were watching it, I was really proud of myself for making it" read more

In my opinion, the owner of this camp should hire someone with far better customer service skills to interact with parents - she is hands-down the rudest and most unprofessional camp owner I have ever dealt with (and given the NUMEROUS statements from her former employees on Glassdoor on the terrible experiences they had, it's clear that her rudeness is not just directed at parents). Before you enroll your child, please read the one star (lengthy) review on here and then go to Google reviews and read the numerous one star reviews there - including my more detailed two star review from my experience a few summers ago. (I am surprised that there are not even more poor reviews of this camp but I think people are often afraid to post publicly, especially when they see the nasty/aggressive responses from this camp owner on Google). I personally hate bullies and felt the need to update my review to reflect the frustration I had with the owner's initial response. I finally got an apology (sort of) from an employee who responded (not the owner). I hope that they take my feedback to heart and improve their customer relations. On top of the rude customer service, my son was a bit bored - he went one week and had zero desire to return. There are much better camp options in NYC for your kiddo! read more

Awful awful communication. I signed up for an after school program and was pressured by their "first come first served" "not confirmed until you Zelle" method. So I paid. Tried to withdraw from the class the following day. Never received a receipt, nor confirmation of registration, nor acknowledgement they would review my withdrawal. My children never attended the classes. Oh and I never received my $ back. After 4 weeks I received 1 email that they showed my "case was closed" and claimed they refunded me (but could not provide proof of refund). Literally theft. Terrible. I'm not the only parent at our school that had issues with this organization. Stay away. Truly the worst after school program I've ever had to deal with. read more

My 10-yr old attending Animation Camp at CinemaKidz this summer. He loved his week there and wants to return for longer next year. Great program with an exceptional counsellor-student ratio. read more

After one entire year CinemaKidz have never refunded me close to $900 for my children's lost of camp time. They took the money and have never reimbursed me. Last year responding, "see you next year." Horrible experience for the kids as well as a financial loss rewarding only their pockets. read more

My 7 year old son is at Cinemakidz now, his second week. My son has a lot of anxiety around dropoff situations and this camp has been extremely accommodating and my son has really enjoyed his time here. They really help to foster his creativity and he is always coming home excited with stories about the fun artsy activities they do! He comes home storyboarding, and has even asked for a green screen at home. I'm grateful to John, Christian, Maya, and the whole team over there who are really helping him to express himself, talk about his feelings, and have fun! read more

Cinemakidz has been a wonderful experience for my nine-year-old aspiring film-maker. My daughter professed an interest in doing some hands-on work in film over the summer, and so we enrolled her in three weeks at Cinemakidz. The courses she followed were Creative Film-making, where she did camera work, direction, and worked with green screens, Rube Goldberg Academy, where she worked with others to construct and shoot a series of actions and reactions with a Rube-Goldberg-like device, and Animation, wherein she learned about stop-motion and pictorial animation. My daughter's films are authentic children's work, which I love, and also show her growing confidence with a range of more sophisticated programs. My daughter loved working with a variety of children of different ages in the camp, and she loved the weekly Screenings where everyone's work was put on display. The counselors did a great job of bringing structure as well as a sense of play to the program, and of giving children a sense of strong voice and ownership in each project. My daughter concludes her time with Cinemakidz with hands on skills and with a sense of excitement over the projects she may next embark upon. read more

My 6-year old who is never in a rush to go anywhere, races to Cinemakidz UWS each morning. She has learned the basics of animation and sound design and completed 5 projects in 2 weeks. The camp fosters a positive, playful and encouraging atmosphere and the counselors are supportive and good humored. The end-of-week film festival was celebratory and a really lovely way to wrap the week and enjoy the kids' achievements. And overall, my kid's experience at Cinemakidz this summer has been overwhelmingly positive. read more

My five-year-old attended the Adventures in Animation camp for a week and had a blast. It was super engaging for him, and he learned an amazing amount in a week not just about how to make stop motion but storytelling, voice over and building models and sets. He didn't know anything about video-making going into it, and isn't even really into devices or computers that much yet. He also said it was just fun camp stuff. Plus the videos the kids make and the camp shares are so amazing and adorable. The staff was friendly and communicative, and everything was super easy for us as parents to sign up and drop off. Highly recommend. read more

Unfortunately, neither of my children had a positive experience at Cinemakidz camp, nor did my son's friend who joined us for the week from out of state. Filming was done on an ipad, not the great equipment they suggest on the site they are going to use. There was far too much downtime without any effort to provide organized activities for nearly 1/2 the day each day. 90 minutes for lunch in a scorching, shadeless park and then a solid 2 hours at the end of each day spent mostly outside with minimal supervision and zero enrichment in the blazing basketball court is ridiculous. The nyc movie adventure camp was billed as this amazing experience trekking around the city when the only real trip away from the neighborhood was to grand central, apparently for just a few minutes and then a quick return home to be ignored by the counselors for the rest of the day (they also went to the parking lot of the Brooklyn Museum twice but seriously - that's not what was advertised). "Secret hidden landmarks throughout New York City"? "Governors Island, Fort Tilden Beach, the Roosevelt Island Abandoned Castle, the Staten Island Boardwalk, Greenwood cemetery, Little Island Park, The Cloisters, and so much more."? Hardly! The absolute definition of bait and switch. Finally, the counselors frequently chided the kids during that 2 hour period of fending for themselves for looking at phones while at the same time staring at their own phones. I do not condone phone usage AT ALL during camp and was frustrated that any of the kids were pulling them out but the COUNSELORS WERE GLUED to theirs and if they'd been stimulating and interesting to the kids, I'm sure no phone distraction would have ever surfaced on either side. Totally NOT OK. For my daughter's class, the kids were told they couldn't do any cooking with dairy products because the counselor had extreme allergies...why on earth would they assign someone with extreme food allergies to a cooking themed camp, particularly when they made it clear up front that they planned to make pizza??? She told them that she had no control over which class she was assigned to and was equally surprised at the assignment. My daughter's issues with the overall experience were very similar to my son's and to our friend's son so it wasn't just what was being prepared, but it was an additional bizarre addition to the overall experience. In sum, they were bored and frustrated for the duration and their interest in movie making was entirely crushed by the extremely lackluster experience and the excessive, neglectful level of downtime. They spent an unacceptable amount of time in the blazing, scorching courtyard and were left to do absolutely nothing for hours each day. I don't need to pay hundreds of dollars for my kids to be ignored by counselors. If I wanted them to do nothing all week, I could have kept them home for free! Cinemakidz was quite the opposite of what was advertised. It ruined the week visit from our friend's son in his first time in NYC and needs HUGE improvements to live up to what they've promised. read more

Our kid had a blast this summer at CinemaKidz! Every week he worked on a different project, in a small team of 5-7 kids, which culminated with the film festival on Fridays, where each team presented their video and parents could attend as well! We'll definitely be back next summer! read more

This is the second year my nephew attends the CinemaKidz camp and once again he loved it. Instructors were great and he got along with the kids. He was not able to attend all the weeks but just the few times he was able to attend, he was happy and he learned something new. He worked on a movie and it was all he could talk about. Great program, courteous and professional staff! Thanks all! read more

CinemaKidz - My nephew creating - Party & Event Planning Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Our 7 yr old daughter attended CinemaKidz Summer Camp at the Brooklyn location this summer and had a great time. She really enjoyed learning animation as well as collaborating with other kids her age to produce a film short. The fact that she's having fun while learning an interesting and valuable skill during the summer is a big plus. At the end of the week the camp has a viewing for the film and animation projects the children created and it's very entertaining. read more

Highly recommend for a unique and fun birthday celebration! The team at CinemaKidz were amazing, thoughtful, creative, and personable. Can't thank you enough for all your efforts it creating this dream and making come together for my 9 year old's birthday. Thank you, Jonny!! read more

my son had a great time for 4 weeks at Cinema Kidz- he loved the playful creative Project's and absorbed new cinema skills each week. we'll be back! read more

CinemaKidz Co has been an amazing experience for my children (almost 9 and 7) during quarantine. It has been the perfect reward for them after a long day of learning and gave them something fun to look forward to in the day. I'm so grateful for the creative instructors that have mastered how to engage the children , problem solve their questions and always make them laugh.... all over zoom! The administrative staff has been fabulous working with me to create private classes and answer one of my many questions. They always got back to me quickly and were accommodating. We have taken the props class, acting class, YouTube (we took twice) Makeup class and cannot what to do the Game Show next week! My only complaint is they are not in Chicago for us to take classes once life goes back to normal. read more

My kid had such a great time at Cinema Kidz (the summer camp program). The counsellors were engaged, friendly, and fun, and the camp provided a wonderful creative environment. My kid isn't super into sports/outdoorsy things, so it was nice to find an all-outdoors program where they could be creative, get fresh air, and let out their sometimes very high energy. They're looking forward to signing up for another Cinema Kidz program! read more

Great camp. My daughter did one week of it and loved it. The project was fun and educational, and most importantly the instructors were enthusiastic, caring and engaging. It was also very well run. read more

The camp was super well organized which made everything easy for us. My younger sister was visiting my for the week this summer and she had a blast a CinemaKidz. They would walk to different areas of the park, film superhero scenes, push the kids to be creative, and even let the kids play at the jungle gym for a while. They crew was timely at drop off and pick up everyday. They also helped her feel comfortable since she's more of a shy kid. The other kids were all friendly--I didn't hear any stories of meanness which is great. The group was ~10-12 kids so it was small enough for everyone to get along. And my sister would come home showing me editing techniques that she learned on the iPhone, which is such a fun thing at 7. We got to see all the videos of each group at the end of camp! The only change I would ask is that they would meet at the corner edge of the across from the library or at the park or the entrance across from Grand Army Plaza so that we didn't have to walk so far to drop the kids off when you take a train to get there. It's hard to get to if you don't live in the area or have a bike. read more

My child has been going to CinemaKidz summer camp in Brooklyn for a few years now and we think it's great. They get a good amount of time running around in the park, so they're not just sitting in front of computers all day. My favorite thing about this camp is that it's not designed to produce fancy-looking movies to impress the parents - it's designed to be child-led and fun and wacky and creative and weird. They have also had a number of counselors that my child has really bonded with. read more

My 10 year old twins loved CinemaKidz! Both of them have mentioned wanting to do it again next year. They both really liked their counselors who were engaging and fun while also really knowing their stuff. I was a little worried that one son who I signed up for their YouTube unit would just watch Minecraft videos all week but they are making movies and YouTube Channel trailers and talking about internet safety. I'm looking forward to film festival at the end of the week and I highly recommend CinemaKidz, in particular the BAM location! read more

If I could give more than 5 stars I would. CinemaKidz did my sons 9th birthday party and it was the best one we ever had. The team was amazing. Jonny helped my son create a great story and on party day Jonny and Christian kept all of the kids involved and engaged. They had so much fun acting and working behind the camera. The finished product is perfect. We have watched it over and over again. It's a wonderful memory. Thank you Ingrid. Your team is the best. read more

Thank you so much for a wonderful celebration. My eleven year old daughter and her friends had a blast filming and acting out the movie. Our daughter wrote the script, shared it with her friends and worked on making the costumes for her movie. On the day of filming, Ingrid and her team were ready fo us at a convenient studio. Cinemakidz let the girls use the cameras, hold the boom, direct, and be engaged in the film making process. Cinemakidz made everything happen! We truly enjoyed the whole process and watching the girls filming and what great memories! Everyone (including parents) are excited to see the movie. read more

My 8-year-old LOVED the animation camp. He was so enthused that he made 3 animated videos on Procreate instead of 1 or 2. Every day he came back excited, full of stories about what he had made, and when we got to see his videos at the end, we loved seeing his creativity come out. The only complaint he had was that he didn't have enough time to do the two other camps he was interested in that CinemaKidz offers! We'll be back next year! read more

Under the shelter in place situation I began looking around for some fun extra curricular classes for my 10 year old/4th grader. I came upon Cinema Kids via Sawyer. My daughter had a blast with these classes. She took two Special effects makeup classes. We all loved seeing her after class with the special effect of the day, like a pencil going through her hand, or claw marks. The teacher Lilly was so awesome. Her and my daughter really clicked and had a blast. It's amazing what an impact it's had on her. She's doing all kinds of fun stuff with face paint and makeup everyday. We're absolutely keep going! read more

My son went to CinemaKidz Camp for a week and had a blast!!! I wasn't sure how he would do, since he had no prior experience in any film making, story writing, acting , etc but he was excited to go every morning !!! He felt proud of his films, they had a movie showing the last afternoon of the week, and he was happy to learn a new, cool skill! Everyone was patient, inclusive and friendly and I felt like the staff showed a lot of passion for the craft of cinema/movie making and passion/playfulness of working with kids. My son ended the week on a high, his confidence was up, and he had some very funny stories from making the movies. I'm definitely doing this camp again next summer !! Just for background - my son is 7 years old, moderately shy, not too comfortable with his reading and writing skills, but loved being able to join the group and ham it up while he was acting. We loved it!!! read more

My kids (11 and almost 9) had a great time at this summer camp--we even signed up for a second week given how much they loved the first one! The counselors were engaging and enthusiastic, and my kids really enjoyed creating a movie plot, plus learning about camera techniques and special effects techniques. And they were especially excited to learn about the editing process, which made them feel like they were doing real film work. (Not to mention all the fun they had running around in the park, and through the water sprinklers at the end of the day!) read more

My son loved loved loved CinemaKidz! The kids got just the right balance of direction and freedom so they could really explore how to work with each other, compromise, and complete a final project. They did a mix of short projects (perhaps making 3 videos in one day) and longer projects (thinking of an idea and shooting all around the city then coming back to edit). My son preferred the longer projects because the stories ended up better, in his mind. We will be returning to CinemaKidz next year for sure! I can't wait to see what they come up with then! read more

Our 8 year old son took a one-week virtual Youtube Video Production course and loved it. The instructor was great at engaging with the kids and instructing through 5 one-hour Zoom sessions. He was so good at working with the kids that no parental support was required. The class had 3 kids, aged 8 - 11, and over the course of the week they learned to record their own videos, do voiceovers, create custom intro graphics, and edit it all together through iMovie. They created their own Youtube channel and learned how to publish their creations. I was so impressed with how much they learned and were able to accomplish. We are already signed up for a week long summer camp with CinemaKidz, but they have done such a great job with the virtual classes I have a feeling we will be signing up for even more. read more

CinemaKidz is an outstanding company! The instructors are excellent, classes are so fun, and the organization as a whole is incredibly professional. The boxes of supplies that are sent for classes are incredible, top notch, supplies! We are blown away by the quality and variety! we recently had a virtual birthday party with them and even received a professional level video of the devised story the guests created after the class. CinemaKidz has by far the best virtual kids classes out there! Ingrid, the owner and founder, is incredibly attentive and professional. We can't say enough good things about this company! Highly recommend!!! read more

I travelled an hour and a half back and forth for two weeks from Jersey to Walls st. NYC just to drop of my son to his Masterclass Filmmaker workshop. As a person who is in the creative industry-- it was worth the time and effort. Very organized, very detailed and well thought out programs. My son cant wait for next summer. And I cant wait for them to expand to Jersey! read more

My 6 year old son participated in the virtual stop motion camp. It was really great - the instructor was attentive and patient and my son learned a lot during the week. It's been really fun to see his new videos everyday. It was particularly helpful during this challenging time because the camp kept him fully engaged for 2 hours - he didn't come out once asking for my help or if he could get off the call (which was not the case for remote school). We look forward to participating in another week later in the summer! read more

My kids (10 and 12) are having the best time! With the camp being virtual, I wasn't sure if it would measure up to an in-person experience. But my kids are in their 3rd week and have made short films, music videos, youTube videos -- all on their own. They are so proud of their work and I'm so happy that camp is engaging them while teaching them to use the technology. So far they've had two great instructors who make this feel like a hybrid of camp and zoom playdates, while encouraging the kids to be creative and have fun. CinemaKidz has saved the summer for the kids while I work from home. A big thumbs-up! read more

CinemaKidz created an excellent experience for my daughter's 8th birthday party. I received generous feedback from parents who really enjoyed watching the fruits of their child's labor in the form of a stop motion movie. The creativity flowed and the easy going atmosphere set the tone for a wonderful stress free birthday party. Ingrid and her fantastic crew took care of the children and their creative/technological needs every step of the way. If anything I observed how much MORE my daughter and her friends knew how to navigate the ipads, software and equipment. The kids did special effects, sound and pixelations...forgive me, I am a novice at this...but the children were not. A blast was had by ALL. Thank you Ingrid and CinemaKidz! read more

My daughter had a wonderful time at CinemaKidz this summer. She participated in the NYC Adventures program and thoroughly enjoyed the filming making, visits to Governors Island, and working with the other children and film instructors. read more

CinemaKidz did a phenomenal job with our son's movie party. From expertly translating his vision into an awesome script to providing a great studio space for the kids to work in, engaging the kids in making the movie and then producing a keepsake video bringing it all to life we were astounded on how personable, creative and efficient the team was to making it all happen. This was a unique party experience that made my creative child's 7th birthday and year! read more

Best birthday party ever. If you have a budding film maker, look no further. They set up a full movie production for his birthday..it was amazing! read more

I just used CinemaKidz for my daughter's 9th birthday party and it was Fantastic! She is super into singing and Kidz Bop videos so we chose their music video making party and invited 8 friends (plus her sister). I can't rave enough about it. First, they were very thorough in their pre-planning; we had a FaceTime call a month before where Ingrid, the owner, asked helpful questions and got to know my daughter and how we would like to the party go. They booked a studio nearby and brought props and it was really easy for me. Second, the actual party itself was SO FUN! We had Alex (videographer) and Brooke (choreographer) and they were fantastic and fun with the kids while also keeping them engaged and focused. They really took care of everything on the day of (I just brought the cake and snacks). My daughter literally had the time of her life, as did her friends! Lastly, we got the video about 2 weeks after the party and it is SO personal and awesome and exactly what we had imagined! I also have to mention that given the nature of the party and level of engagement, I think it was reasonably priced for 10 kids, and we got a tremendous amount of value as opposed to some of the cookie-cutter parties in NYC... I have thrown a lot of birthday parties at this point and this was by far the most unique and really the best!! read more