Our Film of the Month Award shines a spotlight on a film production made by Sparks film crew members.
Sparks Film School students all work incredibly hard to produce their own film productions. On our courses, workshops and events, they work collaboratively to make a film that expresses their ideas and creativity, whilst also showcasing their technical abilities and skills. We love to shine a celebratory spotlight on their achievements!
Each month, 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 SOUP-A-HERO from Sparks Film School Hove!
The film opens with the main villain and their minions as they attack an elderly superhero with their sneeze gun, with some excellent special effects on show instantly!
The story then continues as we see the creation of our main hero, Soup-A-Hero’ and how he and his team of fellow superpower wielding sidekicks can overcome the evil villain and his mischievous minions.
From the Judges…
“We were very impressed with the simply incredible camera work, framing, smooth edits, and creativity on display with this film. Within the first minute we as an audience are gripped, as the film opens with a very snappy and fun action sequence that draws us straight into the action of the film. The tone of the film is instantly clear, it is action packed, high octane, super power comedy, and it’s great! What a strong intro sequence to a brilliant film.
The crew have really excelled in this film with their interesting use of camera work and framing. There is such a great variety on display of different kinds of shots, camera techniques, and cuts or transitions. The film has a high energy that doesn’t drop throughout, keeping up the fun and high level action with its high level of editing, pacing, fun and over the top characters (who are all portrayed brilliantly by the cast!).
The film involves a very high level of editing and special effects, which only add to how fun and exciting it all is. The kidnapping scene followed by the chase scene were definite standouts. Here we see the filmmakers really use their creative minds as they create superspeed and the power of flight onscreen with the use of a green screen. These scenes really highlight the crew’s brilliant use of special effects and how to create superpowers onscreen.”
Our judges were delighted with the final fight scene! How could they not be? The fight scene is simply fantastic from start to end, full of twists and turns using all of our superhero’s unconventional powers in interesting ways. From a filmmaking standpoint, the camera work and level of pre-production planning is clearly very high here, with the whole crew working collaboratively to create an outstanding scene. Amazing work crew!
Overall our panel was incredibly impressed with ‘SOUP-A-HERO’. It’s an exciting and fun film that is brimming with action and comedic storytelling right from the first frame. The filmmakers have really done themselves proud here and we are so happy to announce Sparks Hove’s ‘SOUP-A-HERO’ as June’s Film of The Month! Congratulations to all involved!
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 >>>
