Students Gain Filmmaking Insight at York Film Festival

Second year Film Studies students at Cronton Sixth Form had the exciting opportunity to visit the beautiful city of York to attend the Aesthetica Short Film Festival, inspiring them for their own short films they will be creating as part of the A Level course.

The Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) is an international film festival which takes place annually in York.

Over three eventful days, the students were able to hear talks from British film directors Harry Mcqueen and Gerard Johnson, who discussed their careers and films, providing first-hand professional advice on how to make it in the industry.

The students attended a special effects event hosted by Industrial Light & Magic, a company founded by legendary director George Lucas, where they learned about how the effects were created in the Star Wars films and in the hit tv series The Mandalorian.

Other activities included taking part in a Q&A session with short filmmakers, which highlighted the different roles involved in the filmmaking industry, and they also enjoyed screenings of short films from a variety of genres in stunning venues such as the Yorkshire Museum and the Friargate Theatre.

The group were also able to enjoy a ‘ghost walk’ tour and visited The York Dungeon to learn about the history of the city.

Kerrie Yates, A Level Film Studies Tutor at Cronton Sixth Form, said, “The trip was an amazing opportunity to enrich our students’ knowledge of the industry and career opportunities, as well as inspiring them with ideas for their own short films which they are currently producing as part of their coursework.

“Given the climate of the past few years, it was lovely that we could combine the trip as not only a bonding exercise for students who have missed out on so much, but also an opportunity to gain a unique and rare insight into film making.”