Sparks Film School’s Film of the Month Award shines a spotlight on a film production made by film crew members taking part in Sparks Film School courses.
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 Mono Academy from Sparks Film School Richmond!
For May 2024’s Film of The Month Award we are turning our gaze over to Sparks Film School Richmond.
This month’s winner is the dramatic, exciting, and eerily dystopian film Mono Academy! This film was made by the talented filmmakers from Sparks Film School Richmond during their weekly filmmaking workshops.
Last term Sparks members were challenged with the terms theme of ‘True Colours’, in which the filmmakers looked at the myriad of ways we can use colour in film to great effect. Well, Sparks Film School Richmond’s weekly crew have really excelled and produced an eerily relevant, atmospheric, and beautifully shot film in Mono Academy.
The film is set in a dystopian world where colour is forbidden and everything is under an evil government’s control. We follow our main character as he learns of a rebellion group called ‘The Resistance’. This rag-tag group of friends plot to overthrow their authoritarian headmaster, The Administrator.
From the Judges…
“This film has an amazingly atmospheric opening. The crew have really outdone themselves and used the venue’s architecture to their advantage in their film.
The film opens with shots of padlocked gates and wired fences, unified and beige brick walls, and straight harsh lines of school buildings against the grey sky. The world already feels heavy and like we are trapped. Some really excellent subtle storytelling with the use of sets from the crew here. The audience instantly gets a sense of tone with this film, and it really pays off!
We were really impressed with the way this film’s story is handled by the filmmakers. The dystopian world feels alive and dangerous, and we really want to see our heroes succeed.
Crew members from Sparks Film School Richmond on the set of Mono Academy
The use of colour grading is great here too, as we see the film is graded to appear darker and gloomier, giving the film that heavier atmosphere and sense of drama and unease which is perfect for the story. The odd usage of bright colour is then even more of an affecting scene, as colour is purposefully sparse. Really great choices here in the post production edit and use of colour from the filmmakers here!
The young filmmakers shooting for Mono Academy
The crew have also employed a great range of camera angles and shot types throughout this film which really pays off and makes for a more interesting watch. It’s clear to us that the crew have also used advanced camera techniques, such as focus switching, a skill they learned during the term and have clearly implemented to great effect in their film.
Our panel also wanted to commend the crew for some really fantastic acting performances on show here too.”
Our judges didn’t want to spoil too much about the story here, so go and watch Mono Academy to see for yourselves!
Congratulations to all the crew members involved for such great work. You have earned the Sparks Film of The Month Award for May 2024…
Well done to everyone involved!
About Sparks Film School’s Filmmaking Courses
This film was made by young crew members taking part in the Sparks Film School weekly classes. 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 >>>
