The teen team on the Sherman Oaks set of "Gloria."

Dominic Monaghan, as one of the two celebrities expected to participate in Fresh Films – the program aimed at providing teenagers with a summer-long filmmaking experience – arrived just seconds before the rookie crew of teenagers were even ready to shoot. Shouts of advice – like “work smart – not hard,” filled the background of the bustling set as the 17 winners of Reese’s Puffs‘ nationwide contest put their budding talents to the test of real-world movie making.

Two groups were formed, and issued the task of each creating a short film; In so doing, participants would gain an invaluable hands-on experience in almost every facet of the production process – from scripting to post-edits. Sarah Wendel, the sole Californian to be accepted into the program, said that she appreciated the ability to rotate into different jobs in order to learn the significance of things like continuity, lighting and sound mixing.

Monaghan admitted that his initial attraction to the program was the opportunity that it offered teens. He’s known for his roles in “Lost,” and “Flashfoward,” while Bobbie J. Thompson, the other celebrity to get involved with the project, may be recognized from his work with “30 Rock” and “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. In the short films, Monaghan portrays a rock god in search of his lost guitar, and Thompson plays a teen who won a chance to be a DJ for the day at a favorite radio station, only to discover the format of radio has changed entirely.

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The films themselves will be available to view online at fresh-films.com from April 12 to 26, where viewers can vote for the winner. Each member of the winning team will receive a $1,000 scholarship and a portable Flip camera.

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