Film Camp

Good morning everyone, and welcome to WJC Today.

This morning, we are joined by two very special guests.

Why don't you introduce yourselves?

Hi, I'm Carson.

And I'm Charlotte.

Thank you both for joining us this morning.

For those of you watching at home,

Carson and Charlotte are community heroes.

You see, three years ago, you both did a series

of viral videos that helped save a youth camp.

If that's not inspiring, I don't know what is.

Well, it wasn't just us.

100%, they say it takes a village,

but for us, it took the whole camp.

Of course, but regardless, the camp has become

so well known for its videos,

that it's become its own little studio.

So take us back to the start, tell us how all this happened.

Well...

Were you just reaching for your phone?

Ah, I forgot.

I can't believe that they took away our phones.

It's a conspiracy, I just know it.

Yeah.

Well, we could go outside, explore?

Now you sound like my dad.

Explore what, Ed?

I don't know, maybe we could go in the woods,

build a fort, there's that bamboo patch up the hill.

There's a bamboo patch up the hill.

It's just not fair, you know?

I don't understand how taking away our technology

can be a legal punishment.

Like, yeah, what if we need to call our parents,

say an emergency comes up?

An emergency, what if we create an emergency?

Let's say, we go into the woods and get lost

and our parents can't find us.

Then they would have to give us back our phones,

and maybe let us play on our games.

So, we stage a missing child abduction.

I wouldn't call it a child abduction,

just four kids going to the woods and they get lost.

Well, we'd have to bring food and water.

How many days you talking?

However many days it takes.

Really?

All right, you got your stuff?

Yeah.

Well, it's...

Are you in the right place? Hey Summer Camp.

I mean, it's Sunday, right? - Mm, hm.

Hey, welcome.

- Hey, hi, hi. - Hey.

I'm sorry, is this Hey Summer Camp?

Yeah, it is. But we like to say, Hey Summer Camp.

Okay, okay. This is my daughter, Charlotte.

Oh, that's my daughter, Charlotte over there.

Are we the first ones here?

Oh, no, there are plenty of girls up in the bunkhouse.

Girls' dorms on the second floor, and is her mom here?

No.

Oh, that's okay. If you don't mind, I can go up

and help her get all situated.

That would be great.

- Okay, sounds great. - Thank you.

- Okay. - All right.

Is there like a registration process, or?

Nah, you just did it.

Oh, great.

Were you filming us?

Yeah, we film everything.

I'm Mazel and this is my sister, Hazel. We're filmmakers.

Maybe you've seen our channel.

Hurry up, we're gonna miss the magic hour.

Magic hour?

Oh, it's the time day where the sun is perfectly diffused.

You wanna come?

Um, next time.

And that didn't startle you?

I could tell right from that point,

this place was going to be interesting.

I mean, not gonna lie, it kind of freaked me out.

They were sitting in the bushes with their cameras,

but they seemed nice enough.

I guess I didn't really get the whole film making thing then.

And tell us who all was there?

It was really cool.

The camp brought kids together from all walks of life

to become a little community for a couple weeks.

You live here?

Yeah.

Welcome, welcome.

All right, we got everybody?

All right, let's go.

- Hey. - Hey.

All right, so you all comfy cozy in there?

- Yeah. - Good.

Oh, this is Rhonda and Tara.

Rhonda, hi.

- Hi. - Nice to meet you, Tara.

Hi, nice to meet you.

Okay, well, I guess I'm gonna go.

It's only a week.

Yeah. Well, the longest week of my life, so.

- I'll miss you. - All right, I love you.

I love you too, dad.

Nice to meet you girls.

Be careful. Brush your teeth.

Bye.

Sorry about that.

It's okay, your dad's kind of hot.

Oh, no. Gross, gross.

Hey.

You guys excited?

Yeah.

Abby.

All right, everybody, put your stuff down there,

get in formation over there.

Move it!

He's harmless, he's harmless.

Come on. Move, move, move, move.

Formation, formation. Two lines, two lines.

Come on, you ever seen a movie in your life before?

All right.

Now, I know that here at Hey Summer Ranch,

it's all about fun and games.

Well, we have to have rules and structure.

That's why I'm here.

See, back in my day, we'd go to bed early,

we'd get up earlier and we liked it.

'Cause one day, you'll be out there in a foxhole,

shrapnel tearing your clothes to pieces.

You and your buddies, mine was Gerdy.

Pat didn't like sardines.

You know what sardines are?

Little, tiny fish, bones. Very tasty.

Sometimes that's all we had to eat.

Thank you, drill instructor Albert.

I think the kids get the message.

Albert is our activities coordinator

/facilities director/maintenance supervisor.

/Arms instructor, no, weapons instructor.

Well, that's a little difficult,

seeing as how we have no weapons here.

But let's hear it from uncle Albert, yeah.

But seriously though, welcome everybody.

I'm gonna let you all get settled.

Boys are on this side, girls are on this side upstairs.

And dinner is at six.

And that's in the chow hall. Sardines.

Anyway, my name is Sally. And this is my husband, Mark.

And our son, Nate, is around here somewhere.

So I want you all to make yourself comfortable

and we'll see you at dinner, okay?

Thank you.

- Welcome. - Yay, come on.

Move it!

He's harmless.

Thankfully, not everyone was as crazy

as our drill sergeant, but I found it surprisingly easy

to make friends that first day at Hey Summer Ranch.

We were all genuinely excited to be there.

And before dinner started,

it seemed like we were all already lifelong friends.

- Oh, hey. - Hi.

Do you dance?

Oh yeah, I do.

Oh, I love your bag.

Thank you, it's from our dance line.

- Oh, cool. - Do you dance at all?

Yeah, I do.

Well, I'm not in a dance line,

but I used to take some classes.

- Nice. - Yeah.

- I'm Charlotte. - I'm Bri.

Hi, can I help you?

Yeah, sure.

I'm Tabitha, but my friends call me Tabs.

Lilly.

Nice picture.

Thank you.

So, where are y'all from?

I'm from Cali.

I'm from Georgia.

Why did y'all come here?

My mom went here when she was a kid.

Yeah, mine too.

She said it was the best part of her childhood.

Wow, doesn't look like much has changed.

Having fun?

Lots.

Hey guys, just wanna make sure you have enough blankets.

It gets cold up here in the mountains at night.

What, is this a girls camp or something?

Well, it used to be.

We opened up to boys a few years back though.

What, you guys have the whole room?

Yeah, I wish that was in the information.

Well, I would think that a teenage boy