Private Project

Garden of the Glades: A Week at Conservation Ranger Camp

Fish, frogs, fire, and friendships! In a first-of-its-kind summer camp hosted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, twelve high school students embark on an adventure to test their limits and deepen their connection with nature. Through hands-on career exposure and shared challenges, they discover their potential and resilience.

  • Vincent Marcucci
    Director
    Tales of Sunshine: Florida EcoStories
  • Vincent Marcucci
    Producer
  • Michael McCanna
    Composers
  • Zak Houston
    Composers
  • Matt Hyland
    Cinematographers
  • Vincent Marcucci
    Cinematographers
  • Clio Yang
    Sound Operator
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Environmental, Youth, Society
  • Runtime:
    30 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 20, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Sunscreen Film Festival (2025)
    St. Petersburg, FL
    United States
    April 25, 2025
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • University of Central Florida (2025)
    Orlando
    United States
    April 15, 2025
    Interdisciplinary Studies Program
Distribution Information
  • South Florida PBS (2025)
    Distributor
    Country: United States
    Rights: Free TV
Director Biography - Vincent Marcucci

Vincent R. Marcucci was born and raised along the Caloosahatchee River in Southwest Florida, where coral reefs, springs, and swamps fostered his deep connection with nature. He began his career as a broadcast journalist in his teens, gaining early experience in listening and production. Marcucci's passion for outdoor education grew during his time as an adventure trip leader and farmhand at the University of Central Florida.

His curiosity about human perspectives led him on solo backpacking journeys through Jordan and Indonesia, where he practiced languages and volunteered as a media producer and team-building instructor. Over the years, Marcucci has lived low-budget and low-impact lifestyles out of a pickup truck, tent, backpack, boat, and by campfire under the stars.

Now based in New York City, Vincent continues to practice his craft as an artist while working with children of all ages through the NYC Department of Education.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I am a filmmaker drawn to environmental justice. My work is driven by a deep curiosity about the natural world and the ways humans interact with it - sometimes harmoniously, sometimes destructively. With a background in filmmaking, environmental science, and wilderness instruction, I tell documentary and narrative stories that critically observe the relationships we have to our systems.

In my documentaries, I choose to prioritize interview-based storytelling and omit voiceover narration. This process entails breaking down interview transcriptions and re-organizing their content like a puzzle. While verite cinematography is also crucial to my practice, it is secondary to the aural landscape. I am currently concentrating my discipline on slowing the pace of my stories to enrich their impact, and resist a media system that demands short, disposable content. I am pursuing a direction towards marine science.