STUDENT JOINING INSTRUCTIONS
Young Film Academy (YFA) Filmmaking & Screen Acting Summer Camp 2024
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We can’t wait to welcome your student to Young Film Academy’s Filmmaking & Screen Acting Summer Camp 2024! We’re looking forward to a bumper summer of creativity.
Please read the joining instructions below carefully, as these instructions will provide you with all the information you need before camp begins.
Arrival
The camp takes place at:
Culford School
Bury Saint Edmunds
IP28 6TX
The nearest train station is Bury St Edmunds. For local taxis to travel to Culford School: CLM TAXIS 07497554038 & A1 TAXIS 01284766777. Please note that taxis should be booked ahead of time as bookings made on the day can often be subject to a long delay.
Arrival times:
Sunday (4th August & 11th August 2024). We are staggering arrival times, and request that you arrive at the following times for check-in:
Please note: check-in may take up to 2 hours.
If your student is being chaperoned from the airport by YFA (by prior arrangement) the above does not apply.
Parking is available onsite in front of the main school building.
Contact
For enquiries prior to the start date of the summer camp, please call the YFA main office:
+44 (0) 207 387 4341
During the camp (4th-18th August), you can reach the on-site YFA Administration team on:
Please note: The Culford School site has wi-fi but mobile phone reception throughout is intermittent depending on mobile network, so wi-fi calling is best (e.g. Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp).
If you want to call your student, we recommend between 6:30PM-7:00PM as students have free time then.
We ask that you DO NOT send any post or packages to your student whilst at camp, unless it’s an absolute emergency. The post goes through the school and is not always reliable.
What to bring to Camp:
We suggest the following clothing for 1-week students. For 2-week students, we recommend increasing the numbers accordingly.
3 pairs trousers/jeans/skirt
3 pairs shorts (including sports)
6 short sleeve shirts/t-shirts
2 long sleeve shirts
1 swimming costume
8 pairs underwear/socks (including sports)
2 pairs pyjamas
1 bathrobe
1 beach/swimming towel
1 bath towel
2 light sweaters or sweatshirts
1 light waterproof jacket
1 hat for rain/wind/sun
1 smarter/glam outfit for Talent show night (Saturday)
Costume elements for our Mystery Movie themed evenings!
4th-11th August theme: Western
11th-18th August theme: Aliens/Sci-Fi
(Movies shown on these evenings will be revealed at Camp)
Footwear:
1 pair sports shoes/running shoes/trainers
1 pair comfortable/casual shoes
1 pair flip-flops
1 pair of slippers for boarding house
Compulsory Accessories:
Laundry (for 2-week students ONLY):
To make use of the laundry services available at Culford School, 2-week students must label EVERY ITEM of clothing, which will then be deposited in communal bags for white and coloured clothing. For intimates, students MUST bring 1x large mesh washing bag (min 60cm x 90cm) which is labelled with their name.
Washing bag can be purchased by clicking here.
Optional Accessories:
Bedlinen and Towel
Students must bring their own towel to the camp.
All bedlinen is supplied but students may wish to bring their own second pillow (one pillow is supplied).
Electronic Equipment
Mobile phones/tablets are allowed at camp, but they may not be used during filmmaking/acting sessions. Boarding rooms do not have lockable storage, it is therefore strongly advised that students do not bring valuables to camp.
Note: YFA is not liable for any lost/damaged/stolen equipment.
Activities Equipment
As part of the afternoon activities, yoga and tennis options may be available. We advise bringing a yoga mat and/or tennis racket should the student like to participate in these activities (other activities will also be available as an alternative to these options).
Pocket Money & Passport
YFA operates a cashless system onsite when purchasing items such as snacks, souvenirs, and merchandise in our onsite tuck shop. Any pocket money not used by students who have provided UK bank details will be returned to parents via BACS within 15 working days of the Camp’s end. Students with non-UK bank accounts will have unused cash returned to them in cash when they checkout.
Students must bring pocket money in CASH only, which must be handed in to YFA at check-in:
Students staying 1 week: we suggest £75
Students staying 2 weeks: we suggest £150
Please note we can’t accept card payments for pocket money, so please do bring cash for this purpose.
Students will retain their own passports or ID cards (if travelling from abroad), as YFA cannot accept responsibility for these.
What NOT to bring to the camp
Do NOT bring expensive electronic equipment to the camp as there is no lockable storage in the student accommodation. All filmmaking equipment will be provided by YFA.
The school is entirely nut-free and it is strictly forbidden to bring products containing nuts on campus. It is also forbidden to bring chewing gum, bubble gum, matches or lighters on site.
Medicines & First Aiders
Students who take medication should bring the correct amount for the whole duration of their stay at camp, labelled with their name. Please bring two of everything so we have a spare e.g for inhalers & epipens. At check-in, please make sure the YFA Safeguarding Officer is aware of what medications the student requires, as declared in the medical section of your booking form. YFA staff will make sure that students take their medicines regularly.
Members of YFA staff who are first aid trained will be pointed out to students onsite.
Students are instructed not to bring ibuprofen nor paracetamol. This is available in the YFA Office onsite, and must be taken with the supervision of a staff member.
Accommodation
All students will be sharing a room with 1-7 other students. If a student is in a solo room, they will be informed ahead of the start of Camp.
Male and female accommodation will be separated. There are separate male and female bathroom facilities. Students are prohibited at all times from using (or entering) the restrooms and accommodation of the opposite sex and will need to use their allocated bathrooms only.
Students are responsible for the general upkeep and cleanliness of their own rooms and common areas and this will be particularly encouraged.
Each night there will be a curfew time by which all students must be in their own rooms. Students must sleep in their own room. Sleepovers are not permitted.
If, without prior consent from a member of YFA staff, a student leaves the school campus at any time, they may be dismissed from the camp at their own expense, without refund.
Travel Insurance
Students travelling from outside the UK must have a full travel insurance policy in place.
Code of Conduct & Complaint Procedure
Young Film Academy operates a zero-tolerance policy regarding alcohol, smoking, illegal and non-permitted drugs, theft, lewd and indecent behaviour, sexual, racial and personal harassment / intolerance or absence from the group or camp site at unauthorised times.
Students are asked to read the YFA Code of Conduct for summer camp (attached below) before arrival. Due to YFA’s zero-tolerance policy, should a student not abide by the code of conduct, YFA reserve the right to remove them from the camp at their own expense.
Should a parent wish to submit a complaint, the procedure to do so is to email Events & Partnerships Manager Amelia Sciandra (manager@youngfilmacademy.co.uk) or call YFA during camp on +44 2073874341 explaining the reason for the complaint. Should a student wish to submit a complaint or share a concern regarding themselves or any other students, they may discuss this with the designated Safeguarding Officer onsite. The Safeguarding Officer will be on site at all times and can be approached at the students’ convenience.
Final Films Premiere Screening and Checkout
There will be a Premiere screening of the movies produced during camp on the final Sunday of each week. Please see the information below for the time of your student’s screening. (Note: students on the 2-week Filmmaking or 2-week Screen Acting have their screening only at the end of the second week of camp.)
The following times apply for ALL students (both filmmaking and screen acting crews):
Sunday, 11th August
Ages 15-17 — please arrive at 9:30am for parent registration and screening; check-out from 11:45am – 12:30pm
Ages 13-14 — please arrive at 10:00am for parent registration and screening; check-out from 12:00pm – 12:45pm
Sunday, 18th August
2-week Students Ages 15-17 — please arrive at 9:00am for parent registration and screening; checkout from 11:15am – 11:45am
1- week Students Ages 15-17 — please arrive at 11:15am for parent registration and screening; check-out from 1:15pm – 1:45pm
All Students Ages 13-14 — please arrive at 10:00am for parent registration and screening; check-out from 12:00pm – 12:45pm
Please note: if your student is doing 1 week of each discipline, they will have a film screened on BOTH Sundays and you are welcome to attend both screenings. All films will also be made available after the Camp is over, so if you’re only able to attend the final screening (or neither) you will still have a chance to see the films your student makes.
Parking is available on-site.
If you are travelling to and from the Bury St. Edmunds train station, we highly recommend you pre-book a taxi. The area is rural and the wait for taxis can be long. Additionally, the area doesn’t have full cell service so calling on the day may be difficult.
Lunch is not available for students or parents on departure days and we recommend making alternative arrangements.
We cannot check a student out earlier than 9am on the final Sunday.
Digital copies of the completed films will be sent to every student within 15 working days of the end of camp.
Films produced on camp may be nominated for the Young Film Academy Awards which takes place on Saturday 31st August, 3:30PM – 5:00 PM at the British Film Institute (BFI), Southbank, London, SE1 8XT. We aim to invite nominees to attend by the 27th August.
THE END…(roll credits)
We look forward to welcoming you to YFA summer camp to eat, sleep and breathe movies with us!
Best wishes,
The YFA Team
