During the Easter holidays, young filmmakers taking part in Sparks Film School’s filmmaking and animation camps were busy making their own heist films…
Over the Easter break, Sparks Film School students joined in with lots of fun film and animation adventures during heist themed Easter holiday camps.
Film students aged between 5 and 14 spent the week developing different film and animation skills and working towards their own portfolio productions.
Take a look at some of the highlights from the week…
Inside Studio 1 with Filmmakers Age 5-7
The young filmmakers started the half terms camps getting to grips with the basics of the camera and the roles on a film set, looking into different shot types and how to operate the equipment.
Studio 1 experimented creating short chase scenes using montages, and how they could use them in their film to really entertain the audience in unique and interesting ways. The crews were very busy creating their own montages to show an exciting chase happening with a range of camera shot types in a very short sequence.
During the Easter camps, filmmakers in Studio 1 got creative with the green screen, creating their own news reports.
They focused on what a news report could do in film for the audience (such as introducing characters, or story points) and then got creative, making their own news reports on a special heist case, with the green screen for news graphics and edits.
Inside Studios 2 & 3 with Filmmakers Age 7-9 & 9-11
As part of the Operation Heist Easter film and animation workshops, young filmmakers in Studio 2 and Studio 3 developed their storytelling skills by creating cunning plot twists, and high stakes drama.
The crew began the week by practising some different camera techniques, after which they started to look at different styles and tropes of heist film and crime dramas, such as montage and plot twists. They also focused on techniques to help bring the drama out of their scenes such as using interesting direction choices or lighting.
The crews also got crafty and created their own evidence boards to use in a fun sequence in their films. The crew discussed how in heist films investigators often put all of the evidence that they have collected onto the wall to help them make connections and solve the crime.
After creating their own props, the crew used tracking shots and push in shots to create dynamic scenes of the investigators discussing the evidence.
The crew then looked into narrative structure and how a story is formed. They later got to pitch their film story ideas to each other and decided via a group vote on which they wanted to film this week.
After being inspired by the film The Third Man, the crews got creative and used shadows to create some interesting shots. The crew added drama and mystery to the film by shooting scenes where an actor’s shadow was shot performing a crime (e.g. stealing a gem).
Inside Studio 4 with Filmmakers Age 11-14
Studio 4 started out by looking at roles on the film set and how to operate the equipment. They looked at some camera techniques that they could use for dramatic effect in a heist film, such as how to control the focus, zoom, and how an angle can influence an audience’s reaction. They also created a micro chase scene to experiment with wide shots, low angles, and panning shots.
The crews were also inspired by a sequence from Toy Story 3 in which the characters were being filmed on CCTV and didn’t know it. From this, the crews experimented with hidden camera shots. They created short scenes in which the characters were not aware they were being filmed as they committed the crime, adding drama to the story, and evidence for our team of investigators.
The Studio 4 crews experimented with interrogation scenes. They discussed how these scenes are shot, and how we can create moments of drama and tension in them. The crew used over the shoulder shots to create a sense of being involved for the audience, and used side lighting on the actors to add a darker and moodier tone to the scene.
Well done to all the filmmakers involved in the Easter film and animation camps! It was such a fun week with some amazing filmmaking!
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 >>>
