As the year draws to a close, there is a lot for us to look back on and celebrate at Sparks Film School!
2024 has been a strong year for youth filmmaking, with over 1000 new Sparks Film School productions made with love, care and talent by crews aged 5-18.
Lots of New Programmes, Themes and Creative Learning
This year, students at Sparks Film School have explored…
True Colours: in the spring, term time students were busy taking a look at how different colour techniques can impact on filmmaking and storytelling
Finishing Touches: in the autumn, filmmakers were taking a look at post-production techniques, including sound, editing, effects and credits/titles
The Camera Games 2024: in the summer term, students were all in production mode, working on extended projects for the Camera Games competition
FX Fest: a look at special effects filmmaking for horror films
The Element of Surprise: this year’s Summer Shoots theme was all about suspense, surprise and originality
The Unbeatables: back during the Easter holidays, film crews looked at superhero filmmaking, including special fx, production design and screenwriting
The Scene of the Crime: all the way back o February Half Term, the crews were busy exploring crime and mystery techniques and producing their own detective dramas
We also welcomed more animation students to courses throughout the year, with seasonal masterclasses and a range of 2D drawn, computer and stop motion animation techniques used.
New Friends & Partnerships:
This year also saw us working in lots of new partnerships with schools and community organisations.
Some of our highlights include:
30 Second Scare with the BRIT School
Youth mental health partnership with Young Greenwich
ASD projects training, funded by the City Bridge Trusts and supported by the National Autistic Society
Youth film screenings at lots of local cinemas
New Sparks Film Schools Open in Chelsea, Cardiff, Athens, Blackheath, Teddington and Bath
This year we’ve seen 5 new Sparks Film Schools open within the UK, and 3 new schools based in Athens, Greece.
There are plans for new additions in 2025, so watch this space for even more locations and opportunities to join in!
Award Wins, Festivals and Prizes
This year, we saw filmmakers from Sparks Film School Farnham take away two awards at CIFFOW, and many more films from Sparks film crews screened at film festivals around the world.
Filmmakers from Sparks Film School St Albans were crowned the winners of 2024’s Camera Games, and we celebrated 12 unique new Films of the Month.
Our 14th Birthday
May 2024 marked 14 years since our first youth film courses took place in London.
In May 2025, we’ll be celebrating 15 years and we have some exciting surprises in store as part of our celebrations!
Thanks to all our students, participants, families, team members, friends and supporters for being a part of our community in 2024. We wish you a very happy new year and we look forward to spending time with you in 2025!
