What is the Northern Stars Young Persons’ Film Academy?

Location shooting for Road, one of three short films made by Northern Stars in 2006.

Location shooting on Director’s Cut, with award winning short film director, Daniel Elliott.

Stop-motion animation filming for Spiked.

Tyneside Cinema, Yipp Films and Northern Lights Film Festival want to support the most talented and committed young film makers of the region by providing high quality filmmaking training with professional filmmakers through its youth film academy.

The Northern Stars Young Persons’ Film Academy

Northern Stars Young Persons’ Film Academy is now open to the most talented and promising individuals aged 15-18 years who are truly passionate about filmmaking. If you are in love with film and if you think you might have the talent to work in the industry one day, then Northern Stars is a unique year-long training opportunity that will give you the chance to work with the very best professionals and prove you have got what it takes to work in the film industry.

About the Academy

Northern Stars Young Persons’ Film Academy bridges the gap between academic study and the film industry, offering its members a brilliant and unique opportunity to learn all of the aspects of filmmaking from scriptwriting and casting to directing and editing, in a creative environment. The academy is focused around developing your skills through a series of film production projects, weekend workshops and intensive training programmes during school holidays spread across a whole year.

The 2007-2008 academy programme starts in January 2008 and includes a 4-day Gillian May Dickinson Residential Film Camp during February half-term, where you will stay in North Yorkshire to work intensively in groups to write, shoot and edit a short film with professionals. These films will be premiered at the grand reopening of Tyneside Cinema in 2008.

This is followed by a series of training events, chances to meet with and learn the tricks of the trade from real practising industry professionals and you opportunity to produce films for screening at Tyneside Cinema and at Liverpool Capital of Culture.

Who can join?

Northern Stars Young Persons’ Film Academy is open to everyone. You must be aged 15-18 years, from the North East of England* and have a genuine and proven interest in learning how to make film.
*You must be resident in either Tyne and Wear, Northumberland, County Durham or Teesside.

Members are selected through a competitive selection process, which will include an interview and a practical filmmaking task. Commitment to workshops and holiday activities is essential.

Fees

There is a one-off Membership Fee for Northern Stars of £150, which includes:
4 day Gillian May Dickinson Residential (travel, accommodation, meals and transport).
Weekend and half term workshops.
Film screenings.
Participation in workshops and production projects through to August 2008, details TBC.

This fee can be paid in instalments and there are a limited number of bursaries available for fees and travel expenses. Please contact us for further information.

The application deadline for this year has now expired

“It was only by chance I noticed the advert calling aspiring young filmmakers from the North East to join the group Northern Stars at the Tyneside Cinema. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of my developing filmmaking career.

Not only have I made friends that I still keep in contact with today but created a few pieces of work which have proved extremely valuable in furthering my knowledge and skills. Working on my short film, Reign Man, I learned skills from pitching ideas to writing and directing, and the video has been entered into film competitions and even won grants, allowing me to continue making films.

The workshops proved extremely informative and useful for the projects we worked on, and gaining both a basic and advanced knowledge of all aspects of filmmaking.

The last film I worked on in the academy was by far one of the best I have made, and opportunities from it are still arising today (over a year after it was made) as a result of the effort we all put into its production.

Without the Northern Stars Young Persons’ Film Academy I don’t think I would be half the filmmaker I am today!”