Hertsmere Young Filmmakers Premiere Short Film After Creative Futures Course
Thirty local teenagers aged 11-17 created and premiered their own film, 'The Face', after a five-day intensive course.
By Samuel Crowe
••3 min read
AI
Generic image of young people participating in a filmmaking workshop.
Thirty young filmmakers from Hertsmere have celebrated the success of the first programme delivered through Hertsmere Creative Futures, a free five-day Film and TV course, which saw them create their own original film and watch it premiere on the big screen at REEL Cinema in Borehamwood.
During the October half-term, young people aged 11 to 17 gained first-hand filmmaking experience. They developed scripts and storyboards, operated cameras, recorded sound, directed scenes, and edited their work to produce a short film titled The Face in just five days.
Participants also visited Sky Studios Elstree and learned from industry professionals. Rebecca Hawkes, Head of Studios at Elstree Studios, and John Lee, Head of Model Making at the National Film and Television School (NFTS), led a practical model-making masterclass. BRAVE FX delivered specialist practical effects workshops.
The week concluded with a red-carpet premiere at REEL Cinema in Borehamwood, where the young filmmakers, alongside family and friends, watched their completed film on the big screen.
The five-day course was the inaugural programme from Hertsmere Creative Futures, a new initiative funded by Hertsmere Borough Council to introduce local young people to career opportunities in the Film and TV industry. Brilliant Film Academy was commissioned to develop and deliver the programme.
Feedback from participants and parents has been overwhelmingly positive, with many highlighting the programme's success in boosting confidence, developing new skills, and increasing understanding of careers in the Film and TV sector. One student described the best part as “discovering new careers in film and TV”, while another commented: “I loved making the movie and learning about how everything works.”
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"I’m so proud of what these young people achieved in just five days. Many arrived with little or no practical filmmaking experience, and by Friday they were watching a film they’d made together on the big screen. It wasn’t just about learning how to use the equipment. They had to work together, make decisions and solve problems along the way. That’s what makes practical filmmaking such a valuable experience."
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"Hertsmere has a thriving Film and TV industry, and we want more local young people to know about the opportunities it offers. This programme has given 30 young people the chance to try filmmaking for themselves, meet people working in the industry and find out about careers they might never have considered. Seeing their finished film on the big screen at REEL Cinema was a wonderful way to end the week. Congratulations to everyone involved and thank you to Brilliant Film Academy for delivering our first Hertsmere Creative Futures programme."
