CamerAcademy

CamerAcademy Learn to film like a pro in one of the most cinematic locations on earth. We also offer in-company training for teams. B We offer four progressive class levels ?

CamerAcademy runs hands-on camera classes in Queenstown, NZ — small groups, four levels, and taught by a working commercial filmmaker. CamerAcademy is Queenstown s only hands-on camera and filmmaking school. from complete beginner to professional production ? taught by Dave Maguire, an active commercial filmmaker and founder of FanCast Productions. Small groups of up to 8 students, all skill level

s welcome. We also offer tailored in-company training for businesses wanting to build an in-house video content capability. Real skills, small groups, Queenstown s best backdrop.

Screen time, but make it a skill 📸Our first Kids School Holiday Content Day is done and these kids absolutely brought it...
19/07/2026

Screen time, but make it a skill 📸

Our first Kids School Holiday Content Day is done and these kids absolutely brought it.

They planned their own videos. Framed every shot themselves. Then edited it all together in CapCut with music and text, and watched it play back.

Small groups, so everyone got proper time with us. Toni and I had the best day.

A massive thank you to Te Atamira for hosting us. What a space to create in, we could not have asked for better.

And Kirsten Summers // Queenstown Wedding & Family Photographer ❤️ for these photos. She caught the day exactly as it felt.

To every parent who trusted us with your kid, thank you 💛

We're running it again next holidays. Comment or DM us and we'll let you know when the date drops.

Swipe through 👉

What a day. 📸Last week we ran our very first School Holiday Content Day for Kids at Te Atamira, and our young creators a...
18/07/2026

What a day. 📸

Last week we ran our very first School Holiday Content Day for Kids at Te Atamira, and our young creators absolutely brought it.

Two sessions, ages 9 to 17, and every single one of them walked out with a finished video they made themselves. They learned how to film properly on their phones, planned their own little videos, then edited them together in CapCut with music, text, the lot.

Watching a kid see their own edit play back for the first time never gets old. That grin is the whole reason we do this.

Small groups, so nobody got left behind and everyone got time with us on the day. Toni and I had an absolute blast.

To every parent who trusted us with your kid, thank you. It means the world.

Photos from the day are on their way to you all now. 💛

Loved this? We run these every school holidays, and our Young Content Creator Club keeps our teens building all through term time.

Want your young creator in the next one? Drop a comment, send us a message, or email [email protected] and we will keep you posted.

Photography Credit the wonderful Kirsten Summers

See you at the next one!

Plot twist: the "not creative" ones are secretly the best.Every week someone walks in convinced they're going to be hope...
07/07/2026

Plot twist: the "not creative" ones are secretly the best.

Every week someone walks in convinced they're going to be hopeless at this. They apologise before they've even started.

And every week the same thing happens. They stop overthinking it, something clicks, and suddenly they're the one who doesn't want to put the phone down.

They didn't need talent. They needed someone to show them how.

Could be you. Only one way to find out.

Content Training, Wednesdays 6pm in Queenstown.

There's a moment in every class where the camera disappears.You stop thinking about settings. You stop watching. You sta...
01/07/2026

There's a moment in every class where the camera disappears.

You stop thinking about settings. You stop watching. You start seeing.

That only happens with reps in your hands, not tutorials on a screen.

That's why every Camera Fundamentals class has two instructors in the room, not one. Two sets of eyes on your shot. Two ways of explaining the same idea, because what clicks for one person doesn't always click for another.

More hands-on time. Faster feedback. Someone always free when you're stuck mid-shot, so you're never just standing there waiting for a turn.

Everyone has creativity. We just teach you to find it, one shot at a time.

Small groups, real cameras, real guidance.

Every Tuesday, right here in Queenstown

Your phone is already enough.You don't need a fancy camera. You don't need to be born "creative." You just need to be sh...
27/06/2026

Your phone is already enough.

You don't need a fancy camera. You don't need to be born "creative." You just need to be shown how.

That's what Content Training is.

Phone in your hand, a small group, and someone showing you exactly what to do next. You're never lost, never just watching the person beside you.

Because creativity isn't a gift you're born with. It's a method. And a method can be learned.

Wednesdays, 6 to 7:30pm, right here in Queenstown.

Come this Wednesday and become the creator.

Save your spot in the DMs, or just turn up.

Credit 📸 Kirsten Summers // Queenstown Wedding & Family Photographer ❤️

People ask me what actually happens in a Camera Fundamentals.So here it is.You don't sit and watch slides for two hours....
23/06/2026

People ask me what actually happens in a Camera Fundamentals.

So here it is.

You don't sit and watch slides for two hours. You pick up a real camera in the first ten minutes, and you start shooting.

We read the light. We shape it. We take it outside and chase the shot together.

And somewhere in there,usually when you're crouched in the gravel chasing one frame, it clicks.

That's the whole point. Shoot, don't watch.

Camera Fundamentals runs every Tuesday, 6–8pm, 1/45 Camp Street, Queenstown.

Small groups, real cameras, real skills.

"I'm not creative."I hear it every week. Usually from someone with a camera roll full of stuff they never posted. Someon...
18/06/2026

"I'm not creative."

I hear it every week. Usually from someone with a camera roll full of stuff they never posted. Someone who films a moment, watches it back, cringes, and deletes it. Someone who sees a reel they love and thinks, "I could never."

So let me say it plainly: you're not short on creativity. Everyone has that. The problem was never talent — it's the doing, and the doubt that stops you starting.

And that doubt doesn't go away because you finally feel ready. It disappears the second you start creating. Usually in a room full of people doing it too — all a bit nervous, all doing it anyway.

That's what CamerAcademy is for. Everyone has creativity. We just teach you to become a creator. Whether that's a proper camera or the phone in your pocket, you're making something from day one.

Two ways in, both in Frankton, both small groups:
Camera Fundamentals — Tuesdays, 6–8pm
Content Training — Wednesdays, 6–7:30pm

No commitment, come as you are. Link in bio, or just drop me a message.

I've been teaching long enough to know the thing that stops most people isn't the camera. It's the worry that they've st...
16/06/2026

I've been teaching long enough to know the thing that stops most people isn't the camera. It's the worry that they've started too late and they'll be behind for good.

So I built CamerAcademy the opposite way round. There's no week one you have to catch. Every class loops back around — turn up when you can, and nothing's ever out of reach.

And new gear won't turn you into a creator. A new way of seeing will. That's the part I actually teach.

If you've been putting it off, come this week. No commitment — just turn up and see how it feels.

📍 Country Lane, Frankton
🎥 Camera Fundamentals — Tuesdays, 6–8pm
📱 Content Training — Wednesdays, 6–7:30pm

This is the bit I love.Three students this week, three completely different goals — and every one of them walked out wit...
14/06/2026

This is the bit I love.

Three students this week, three completely different goals — and every one of them walked out with exactly what they came for.

Christina got her head around manual mode. That moment it clicks and the camera stops being scary? That's the good stuff.

Nicole's building content for her own business — real reels, real strategy, not theory she'll never use.
And a one-on-one student got fast-tracked straight to where he wanted to be. Sometimes, you just need someone in your corner, going at your pace.

That's the whole point of how we teach. It doesn't matter where you're starting or what you're chasing. We don't do generic. We work on your thing, on the day, until it makes sense.

Everyone's got it in them. My job's just to help you become the creator.

Genuinely grateful for these three. Thank you. — Dave

Address

45 Camp Street
Queenstown
9300

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 6pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 6pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 6pm
Thursday 8:30am - 6pm
Friday 8:30am - 6pm
Saturday 8:30am - 6pm

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