St Swithun's students put filmmaking skills to the test

St Swithun's School Year 10 put their filmmaking skills to the test on 22nd June with the One Day Film School.

In the morning, they learned the essentials: 

1. Film History - from the early days of film to the latest in special effects
2. Fight Choreography - analysing James Bond/Indiana Jones fight scenes... and filming their own screen punch
3. Camera - learning to use an iPad like a pro, tips and tricks to avoid common mistakes, making a practice 3 Shot Film 
4. Screenwriting - discovering three 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 based on a classic narrative 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. Then it was time for the VIP judges (Mrs Amin and the 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 Chase’. 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!