Prefect Training - One Day Film School

May 20th 2025

As part of their Prefect Training, a group of Lower Sixth students put their filmmaking skills to the test with the One Day Film School. In the morning, they learned the essentials:

Film History: from the early days of film to the latest in special effects
Fight Choreography: analysing classic fight scenes then filming their own roundhouse punch
Camera: learning to film like a pro, and tips and tricks to avoid common mistakes
Screenwriting: learning the three things every good script needs, how to create memorable characters (and make us care)

Then it was time for the 10 Shot Challenge: pupils worked in groups to create silent (with music) films of up to 2 minutes based on a classic narrative (eg. ’Someone is kidnapped, an attempted rescue’).

Finally, we held the Oscars! The judges (Young Film Academy representatives) took their seats for the ‘world premiere’ of pupils' films, and to decide who would win Best Motion Picture, Best Performance and Best Technical Achievement.

The results were:

Best Motion Picture: "Unseen Love"
Best Performance: "Love at War"
Best Technical Achievement: "Altared Plans"

Bill Baker, Head of Sixth Form, said: "We use the One Day Film School as part of our Prefects’ Training. Students practice the skills of working together, assigning roles and responsibilities, compromising, being creative and decisive, and for some it also helps to develop confidence. The day is a lot of fun and this is reflected in the feedback from students. The outcomes are surprisingly good too!"

Well done to all the students for trying something new and working so well together.

You can see a “behind the scenes” video here: