This half herm, young filmmakers have been producing films that frighten, shock and entertain as part of spooky October Half Term camps
Warning: This blog contains some gory photos, read on at your own risk! (No filmmakers were harmed in the making of these effects).
Over half term, young filmmakers taking part in Sparks Film School’s half term courses have been busy learning all about different scary movie special effects techniques.
Read on to discover what young filmmakers have been up to over the half term break at Sparks Film School…
Studio 1: Ages 5-7
In Studio 1, the youngest Sparks Film School crews donned their design hats to create some scary – and silly! – skeletons as part of a multimedia half term workshop.
Using a mix of different craft materials, the young filmmakers made some really great skeleton masks to use as part of their film, and also some magical bone props to feature in a fun segment of their movies.
Studio 1 filmmakers also produced some of their own special effects sequences using green screen, which they used to create interesting scenes for the characters travel to magical locations.
It’s been great fun to watch their multimedia antics as they spent half term producing some madcap and mischievous movies about some very sill skeletons!
Studios 2 & 3: Ages 7-9 & 9-11
The half term crew members in Studios 2 and 3 have been busy making some of their own scary movie themed special effects creations, in the form of convincing-looking zombie bites and concocting oodles of their own fake blood.
The results were both impressive and terrifying in equal measure, they even had us fooled! Once they had made all their technical effects, they used them in scenes for their own unique horror movie trailers.
Alongside zombie bites and fake blood, the Studio 2 and Studio 3 crews also made plenty of their own spooky props.
They created their own model spiders – complete with spider’s webs – using different materials. These were particularly creepy, especially when puppeteered for the camera.
Studio 4: Ages 11-14
Young filmmakers in Studio 4 were also hard at work this half term, as they produced their own practical special FX. In their film crews, they experimented with prosthetic techniques, producing their own wounds. The results were scarily realistic and gruesome. They then used these wounds in some dramatic scenes, using some disorientating camera shots to really showcase their special fx.
Filmmakers in Studio 4 also looked further into creating some truly gory special effects work. They explored how to create their own severed fingers effects. They put this into action with a focus pull shot to really maximise the on screen gore!
It’s been a fabulous and frightening time on the half term film sets, with the filmmakers all putting in lots of effort to their special fx work and their storylines to make them seasonally scary!
About Sparks Film School’s Half Term Courses
Sparks Film School offers filmmaking, animation and photography workshops for ages 5-18, including term time classes and holiday camps.
You can find out more about our filmmaking courses here >>>
