Our 3rd Form pupils put their filmmaking skills to the test with the One Day Film School last week.
In the morning, they learned the essentials:
Film History – from the early days of film to the latest in special effects
Fight Choreography – analysing James Bond/Indiana Jones fight scenes… and filming their own screen punch
Camera – learning to use an iPad like a pro, tips and tricks to avoid common mistakes, making a practice 3 Shot Film about a theft
Screenwriting – discovering 3 key things every good script needs, how to tell a great story, create memorable characters… and make us care
In the afternoon, pupils took the 10 Shot Challenge: creating a short film (2mins, max) based on a classic narrative (eg. ’Someone is kidnapped, an attempted rescue’) for premiering at the end of the day. Pupils self-allocated a role within their film crew (writer, director, producer, screenwriter, actors).
Most adverts take several months to make, so the challenge of making a successful short film in just ninety minutes can be daunting. However, the groups gelled exceptionally well, showed great leadership and teamwork, and no-one missed the deadline.
Their final task was to introduce their film, just like at the Cannes film festival, and give it a poster tagline (eg. ‘In space no-one can hear you scream’). Then it was time for the VIP judges (Mrs Cocksworth and Young Film Academy representatives) to take their seats and decide which would win the ultimate prize: the Best Picture Oscar…
The standard was very high, so it was a tough decision… the Best Picture Oscar was awarded to ‘The Rose’. It told an engaging, entertaining story which was technically superb: the judges were particularly impressed by the excellent performances and high standard of camerawork, editing and sound design.
Congratulations to the winning team – hope to see you at the (real) Oscars!
Thanks to the team at One Day Film School who have worked with LWC pupils for over 10 years now! More on their work can be found here: The One Day Film School – Young Film Academy London – The One Day Film School
