FILM SCHOOL FOR KIDS 

Film School for Kids is an independent educational program designed to introduce children to various aspects of filmmaking, empowering them to develop practical skills and creative storytelling abilities within a structured curriculum. The course is designed to equip children with the knowledge and practical skills in the Film and Media sector. We also offer filming and audio recording solutions for schools who need to capture a specific topic or event or production completed by the school.

About the course: 

• Covers every aspect of filmmaking over a 6-week period.

  • Topics include: camera operation, lighting, sound, storyboarding, scriptwriting, and basic editing.

  • Result: Children produce a short film and gain practical skills that can be applied to other areas of their schoolwork

  • Target Audience: Key stage 2, adaptable for key stage 1 or key stage 3.

Alignment with Curriculum:

• Expressive Arts: Exploration of creative techniques, materials, and processes in drama, film, and digital media.

• Health and Wellbeing: Fosters decision-making, resilience, and empathy through hands-on experience and problem-solving.

• Languages, Literacy, and Communication: Promotes teamwork, effective communication, and the role of literature in fostering creativity.

• Maths and Numeracy: Incorporates numerical concepts such as shutter speeds, angles, and position into practical filmmaking exercises.

• Science and Technology: Engages children in designing and making pinhole cameras, investigating light properties, and understanding diffusion.

Development of Integral Skills:

• Creativity and Innovation

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

• Personal Effectiveness

• Planning and Organising

Testimonials:

• School Feedback (Kings Caple Academy, Herefordshire):

  • "What an amazing experience the children in school had thanks to Mark and his film project. The children loved Mark coming in and could not wait for the next week to arrive to do the next session. The project hits so many areas of the curriculum, from light in Science, playscripts in Literacy to designing and making pin hole cameras and bounce boards in Design and Technology. The way that Mark allowed and encouraged the children to set the scenes up, guiding them along the way, really gave the children the ownership of their final film. The sense of achievement the children got from the whole process, from coming up with their story, breaking it down into scenes, visualising how those scenes would be filmed and then actually doing all of the lighting, sound, acting and camera work was so fulfilling to see. Watching them watch their own film at the end was brilliant. I would definitely recommend to any school to get Mark in for this project...the benefits to the children are huge! I will be getting him in again for another project very soon!!" - Jamie Gittins, Kings Caple Academy, Herefordshire.

 

• Pupil Feedback (Cross Ash School, Yr 6, Monmouthshire):

  • "I really enjoyed the practical aspect of the lesson. I really like that you do theory-based tasks first, followed by the practical after break."

  • "I like the way you do quick ‘catch ups’ after break to revisit anything that we may have forgotten. It’s nice to reflect and remind ourselves."

  • "You interact well with us and I feel you help me a lot with learning new things."

 

Course Content Overview:

The course delves into a comprehensive range of subjects:

• Science: Participants explore the principles of light propagation and its manipulation techniques.

• Mathematics: Understanding the interplay between shutter speed, aperture, and light intensity on sensor exposure.

• Language Arts: Engaging in scriptwriting, storyboarding, and various narrative development techniques, among other essential skills.

 

Working with sound:

Within this course, children are instructed in the art of post-production sound design, where they learn to replicate real-world sound effects, enriching their understanding of the auditory components crucial to cinematic storytelling

 

Final project outcome:

Upon completion of the course, children will have acquired the necessary skills to conceptualise, direct, illuminate, film, and edit a scene, culminating in a polished piece ready for presentation to both parents and peers, showcasing their newfound proficiency in filmmaking