In this term’s Filmmaking Classes, the young crews have drawn inspiration from award winning films…
Read on to discover what young filmmakers taking part in Filmmaking Classes have been up to so far this term.
The Camera Games
Every summer term, from April to July, Sparks Film School students across all locations gear up for our most anticipated project of the year – The Camera Games.
This prestigious annual challenge invites our young filmmakers to showcase everything they’ve learned, pushing their creative boundaries to produce their very best work. It’s more than just a competition; it’s a celebration of storytelling, technical skill, and the incredible talent that emerges when passionate young minds are given the tools and freedom to create.
The Camera Games represents the culmination of months of dedicated learning, where students can demonstrate their mastery of filmmaking techniques, from compelling storytelling and cinematography to editing and sound design.
Our expert panel of judges carefully evaluates each submission, recognising not just technical skill but also creativity, originality, and the unique voice each young filmmaker brings to their work. With previous winners like the talented filmmakers from Sparks Film School Bournemouth earlier this year, The Camera Games continues to discover and celebrate the next generation of film industry talent, providing a stepping stone for students who are serious about pursuing their passion for filmmaking.
Updates from the Film Sets So Far…
Studio 2 and Studio 3 (Ages 7-9 & 9-11)
The filmmakers in Studio 2 and 3 have so far been looking into an array of film genres (such as Horror, Drama, Fantasy, Science Fiction etc). They have been busy exploring what makes film genres feel different from each other, and how you might be able to tell a films genre from its filmmaking style.
The filmmakers quickly got practical and their hands on the cameras, and created some short ‘mash-up’ films, putting different genre styles together into short 6 shot films to some really interesting results.
During the second session, filmmakers looked to recent multi award-winning film The Wild Robot for inspiration as they explored montages. Filmmakers learnt montages can help us see a passage of time and a character’s progress (eg; a training montage)
The crews quickly got in to filming their own montage scenes using extreme wide shots, in order to show a character getting better at something over time. Each of the crews collaborated really well on these montages, and montage may be a film technique they wish to take into their final film later this term.
Studio 4 and 5 (Ages 11-14 & 14-18)
In their first sessions this term, young filmmakers in Studios 4 and Studios 5 explored the filmmaking technique of focus pulling.
This is when the focus changes and shifts from one object/character during one shot to another. The crew experimented with focus pulling by creating some short films mashing up different film genres into one.
The Studio 4 and 5 crew members have also been exploring another filmmaking skill this term, mise-en-scène. This is when the whole frame of a shot is designed and planned in a way to really help tell the story, down to details such as costume, colour, location, framing etc.
The crew also looked to recent award winning film Wicked for inspiration on mise-en-scène and colour psychology in film, how we use colour palettes on screen to help tell our stories and show our characters.
In Studio 5, the crews focused on acting and directing a scene, exploring how we can direct actors to give more nuanced performances, and how as as actors we can play with our characters status and intention in a scene.
Now that the crews have all explored their different film inspirations, the time has come to put their learning into practice on the sets of their group film productions. After the half term break, the crews will transform their studio spaces into their own film sets and turn their imaginative ideas into action.
Over the next few weeks, they will produce and edit their latest creations, ready for the judging panel to determine the winners of this year’s Camera Games!
Find Out More
To learn more about Sparks Film School’s youth filmmaking classes, take a look here >>
