Unleash your creativity.
Look out! A brand new set of practical filmmaking and acting workshops are landing this June at Young Film Academy HQ in the heart of London. That’s right, for the first time ever, students aged 14-18 are invited to YFA’s creative sanctum to develop hands-on skills that every future filmmaker needs, guided by our trusted team of industry professionals. Our casa es su casa… Is that how the saying goes?
Over three weekends in June & July, YFA are offering six standalone workshops offering early level, yet highly focused and practical teaching. Students already enrolled on other YFA programmes (e.g. YFA Summer Camp), will also be able to prepare for, or build upon, their existing training. Each workshop session is a hands-on deep dive into a key stage in the filmmaking process and designed to teach aspiring students specific, practical skills. You can attend one or all six – the workshops complement each other and together provide a fool-proof arsenal for getting ahead in the industry. As a bonus, it’s 10% off when you book more than one date per student! With only six places available in each workshop, they are unique and intimate hands-on opportunities.
So what are you waiting for? Your weekend plans just got a creative upgrade.
Have you got lots of ideas but not sure how to find the story to tell? Do words like logline, premise and outline make you freeze? This workshop will help you transform raw themes and concepts into stories that will actually work on screen. Plus, you’ll demystify the professional process and documents you need to get your story off the ground. Come away with a toolbox to build the crucial structural foundation of any film – the script!
This workshop is for aspiring young directors looking to take stories from the page to the camera. Learn how to break a scene down into a clear and professionally formatted shotlist. Discover the value of shooting a “pre-vis” on your smart phone – and what a pre-vis actually is! Participants will practice planning and blocking a scene and choosing the right type of shots to tell the strongest visual story effectively.
This workshop is for aspiring young actors who want to master the self-tape and audition process – the essential first step in landing any role. Participants will learn how to set up and prepare for a professional audition tape, understand what casting directors look for and practice performing a short scene on camera. Each student rehearses, films and reviews their own self-tape with tutor guidance, leaving with a polished audition clip.
Do you want to build confidence in spontaneity while acting? This session focuses on learning when and how to use improvisation to find storytelling “juice” in the moment, how to stay in character and think on your feet. Through games and on-camera exercises, participants will be encouraged to develop a playful and creative energy towards their craft in a supportive environment to build improvisation skills for film and theatre.
This workshop gives students the unique opportunity to get hands-on with the award-winning Alexa Mini LF and discover when and how to use industry standard prime lenses. Once you’ve shot on one of the world’s top cinema cameras, you will compare and contrast results with other cameras (including an iPhone!) to learn which tools and workflows suit different projects. Dive into colour grading and play around with the different footage to understand how camera choice impacts flexibility in post-production and what moods you can create. Learn key technical aspects, camera functionality and how these decisions shape the visual story.
Do you want to learn the same tools and workflows professional filmmakers use to achieve modern visual effects? In our Chroma key green screen studio environment, participants will explore how to adjust lighting, distance and depth to create their own convincing results. Learn to choose and layer digital backgrounds in post production, how digital LED screens work and use software like After Effects to enhance and refine scenes. This workshop also introduces key industry techniques and best practices, focusing on combining digital effects to create truly believable, professional-quality visuals without leaving the studio.
| Workshop | Date & Time | Ages | Price | Location | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screenwriting Lab | Saturday 20th June 2026, 10:00-17:00 | 14-18 | £250 | Fitzroy Square, London, W1T 6EP | Book Now |
| Directing Lab | Sunday 21st June 2026, 10:00-17:00 | 14-18 | £250 | Fitzroy Square, London, W1T 6EP | Book Now |
| Screen Acting Lab | Saturday 27th June 2026, 10:00-17:00 | 14-18 | £250 | Fitzroy Square, London, W1T 6EP | Book Now |
| Improvisation Lab | Sunday 28th June 2026, 10:00-17:00 | 14-18 | £250 | Fitzroy Square, London, W1T 6EP | Book Now |
| Cinematography Lab | Saturday 4th July 2026, 10:00-17:00 | 14-18 | £290 | Fitzroy Square, London, W1T 6EP | Book Now |
| Visual Effects (VFX) Lab | Sunday 5th July 2026, 10:00-17:00 | 14-18 | £250 | Fitzroy Square, London, W1T 6EP | Book Now |
Steven Lee is a screenwriter who grew up in the Shetland Islands. He has worked in development on feature films and TV shows for several production companies, and holds three Master’s degrees including an MA in Screenwriting from the National Film and Television School. His short films have screened internationally and been recognised by the BBC Writer’s Room and the British Short Film Awards. He teaches screenwriting at South Essex College.
Ruby is a director and facilitator who graduated from Mountview with an MA in Theatre Directing and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with a BA in Acting. She has a passion for new work, having collaborated with multiple writers on work which has been performed at the Edinburgh fringe, the Camden Fringe and multiple other venues across the UK. More recently she has moved into directing for film. Alongside this she works as an acting tutor for both stage and screen, working with young people and student actors. She is a regular guest director at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Dan is an award-winning director, writer and editor from the UK, working in short fiction, features and commercials. His debut feature film, “Unhinged”, received international distribution via 88 Films and eOne entertainment. In 2018, his #3MinuteHorror series received acclaim after being released via Crypt TV, amassing over a million views online. Episode one, “The Mime”, has since screened at Bafta and Oscar qualifying Leeds International Film Festival, amongst others. Dan is currently in post-production for his next feature Bambi: The Reckoning.
Dominic Ellis is a filmmaker from Essex who has shot over 25 feature films, documentaries for channels including BBC 1, BBC 3 and Channel 4, as well as TV commercials for global companies including The Odeon, Omaze and Churchill. Dominic began teaching filmmaking whilst at The University of Southampton, before going on to teach for the Young Film Academy in London.
Young Film Academy is located on the stunning and iconic Fitzroy Square, known for its historic architecture and creative heritage. The building is a stone’s throw from Regents Park and within easy walking distance of Warren Street and Great Portland Street tube stations, and is also conveniently close to major transport hubs including Euston, King’s Cross, and Tottenham Court Road, ensuring excellent connectivity across London and beyond.
Young Film Academy provided my sons with an excellent week of education and fun. Their short film really surprised us all with its excellent artistic and technical merit – their imaginations have been sparked. Thank you and thank you!
Jake said it was he best course he has ever done and he is very picky and critical about what he does and doesn’t like. He loved every day!
Young Film Academy courses are excellent for young people. They get a taste of the craft of filmmaking, in all departments and I was astonished by the speed at which they learned.
Milo had a wonderful time and declared the Four-Day Film School ‘awesome’. He really enjoyed every aspect of it from scripting and storyboarding, to performing and editing. The tutors were excellent and the totally hands-on have-a go-approach was not only fun but very effective
I have to tell you that Serena had the BEST time at the course. She was so enthused by it all, and really loved the people and the entire experience. PLEASE let us know when your next London based film camps/courses are!
See dates for all our upcoming courses here: