When the party starts, are you the one behind the camera, camcorder, or camera phone? In computer lab, are you the first in line for Kid Pix? Whether you dream of being the next Steven Spielberg or just like to click, crop, and animate, turn your passion for pixels into a project for animals. That's what ten-year-old Emily Nikolaisen did when she produced a video about homeless dogs at an animal shelter. Click to watch her DVD, Be a Hero, Adopt a Dog.

If you're interested in making a short film about an animal or environmental issue, check out sites such as www.listenup.org. Talk to your parents and teachers about your interests. See if there's a class at school or a workshop in your area that can help you develop your skills-from storyboarding to the final cut. Send us a copy of your video and we might post it! (Mail your nonreturnable DVD to KIND News, 67 Norwich Essex Turnpike, East Haddam, CT 06423.) Also look into film festivals where kids can showcase their original movies. Youth film festivals are hosted by a variety of organizations throughout North America and around the world. Some are local; others are national or international competitions. Type "youth film festival" into a search engine to research options, rules, and deadlines.

Based in Canada, Reel Youth is an organization that promotes films made by young people. Reel Youth will host its first film festival from May through June of 2006. One of the short films they'll be showing is called Stop the Hunt. It was produced by children at Queen Mary and Lord Nelson Elementary Schools, and it expresses students' feelings about the seal hunt that takes place in Canada each year. The movie is less than a minute long, but it givers viewers plenty to think about. Watch it at www.reelyouth.ca/claymation/060301_stopthehunt.html. Then answer these questions: What color are the seals in this film? Why, do you think, was that color chosen? What happens to the sun during the film? What do you think that means?