At Sparks Film School, our monthly film award shines a spotlight on youth filmmaking, with a chosen film production made by Sparks film crew members.
Sparks Film School students all work incredibly hard to produce their own film productions, during youth film courses, workshops and events. Each month, we love to shine a celebratory spotlight on their filmmaking achievements!
Our panel of judges – assembled from our team of filmmaking instructors – look at submissions from across Sparks Film Schools nationally. They assess based on each film’s impact on screen and explore all its little details to uncover all the things we love about each film chosen.
Film of the Month: Selection Criteria
To be selected as Sparks Film of the Month, a film production needs to be…
Original:
We look for originality and imagination above all else when choosing the winner of Film of the Month. We looks for films that surprise us, offer some inventiveness and challenge convention.
Interesting:
To be chosen as Film of the Month, a production needs to be interesting. We want to see what happens next; we want to learn more about the characters. We should be invested in watching until the very end.
Well Made:
We need to be appreciate the technicality in how a film has been made for it to be awarded Film of the Month. It should feature a clear storyline, be well shot, well acted, well edited and put together.
Made by Students of Sparks Film School:
Film of the Month can be awarded to any film production made by students at any Sparks Film School across the UK. It can be made independently or during film school sessions.
Congratulations to the crews behind Ministry of Murder from Sparks Film School Farnham!
For this month’s Film of the Month award, Ministry of Murder by filmmakers from Sparks Farnham has been chosen.
Ministry of Murder is a surprising murder mystery film with a twist round every corner. It was produced by members of Studios 2 & 3 during February Half Term 2024. Our panel loved watching this film, with its amazing acting performances!
From the Judges…
“First off, the film starts with a seemingly innocent enough opening. Two friends meet in a cafe. As one of the friends leaves, she collapses on her way out and when the police later arrive, it is clear she has been murdered.
The opening really impressed us, as the reveal of the murder was really well handled. We did not expect it at all and we loved the shock of it. What a great opening, it really pulls the audience in straight away. We were instantly intrigued and wanted to know who the murderer was, so the whole opening sequence featured great storytelling craft and had us hooked straight away.
We really wanted to commend the crew on their acting performances. The cast have embodied their individual characters, each with their own personalities and plenty of believable reasons they could have been involved in the murder. We were particularly impressed with the two police officers and their performances. They had a great dynamic together and the film is fun watching them try to solve the case.
The crew have clearly been inspired by crime thrillers and ‘whodunits’ in this film, and it really shows how well they understand this genre. They have created some fun, original characters, each with potential motives for murder, and each with their own well-shot and well-acted interrogation scenes. We were really impressed by the screenwriting here, the crew have clearly thought a lot about how everything could all connect together and the tropes of their genre.
Finally, we simply loved the twist ending. No spoilers, but we were genuinely surprised. On the whole, Ministry of Murder is a fun and efficient mystery film, which makes a lot of skill and craftsmanship look effortless. Well done to all the cast and crew involved in this well-executed and playful production.”
Congratulations to all involved in Ministry of Murder! We’re delighted to award you August 2024’s Film of the Month!
About Sparks Film School’s Filmmaking Courses
Sparks Film School offers filmmaking, animation and photography workshops for ages 5-18, including term time classes and holiday camps.
We offer free taster classes and there are lots of opportunities to get involved. You can find out more about our filmmaking courses here >>>
