Young filmmaker George, age 13, is a Studio 4 film student with Sparks Film School Bournemouth & Poole.
We sat down for a chat with George about his experience as a young filmmaker and Sparks Film School student.
Tell us about when you first joined Sparks Film School. How was first day?
I joined back in 2018 in April, before the [Covid-19] lockdowns. I think it might have been one of the first Sparks Film School sessions in Bournemouth, when they first opened, so I’ve been there since the very start.
I kept going after my trial session and then by the third session I loved it and I’ve been coming to film classes ever since.
What first interested you about filmmaking?
I always used to make my own little films at home, I do a lot of filming. I have my own Youtube channel where I make cooking videos, and I’m actually in the middle of making a new video for my channel.
I also make lots of little short videos too of me doing fun things. We saw the Sparks Film School flyer and my mum asked if I’d like to try the taster session. I thought “Why not?” and I loved it.
How has your filmmaking developed since you’ve been a Sparks Film School student?
I have definitely improved as a filmmaker since I started.
I was quite good at camera angles but I always wanted to film handheld rather than using the tripod in our films when I was new.
I have also got better at selecting which shots to keep in the film, as I used to want to keep everything we did but now I can be quite selective and I’ve learnt you don’t need to hold on to everything in the final edit.
I have also learnt to work as part of a team and developed my skills within a team which is really important in filmmaking.
Also planning! Planning is the most important part of production, and I really like to have a shooting script rather than improvising, as it keeps everything organised.
What has been your favourite Sparks Film School production you have worked on?
My second ever Sparks film would be my favourite, it’s called Abandoned.
It was really fun to make and we made a sequel and a third film. We want to wait a while before making the next in the series as we want to try other things, but Abandoned would have to be my favourite. It was a really fun film to make!
What is your favourite topic that you have covered at Sparks Film School?
I have covered a lot of topics during my time with Sparks, but my favourite would have to be when we look at editing, as I do a lot of editing with my own videos at home too.
I also quite like the later section of term when we get really deep into production and we focus on just shooting the main project each term.
What advice might you have for a new Sparks Film School student?
I would say just join in and give it a go!
I might say try not to go too big too soon with your ideas, as with our first films we learnt a lot from them and what we could do when we were new. We tried to make a really big film and there was so much to edit and we did manage to just finish it. It has turned out great and we learnt a lot from it, as we managed to pull it off and it is one of our best films!
Find out more…
George attends the Sparks Film School weekly classes at Sparks Film School Bournemouth & Poole.
Sparks Film Schools offer weekly filmmaking classes at a range of venues across the UK. If you’d like to take part, you can find your nearest Sparks Film School here >>
