Self-Written Short Films

Our Under 12s and 12-16s are currently shooting their own self-written short films ‘Imagined’ and ‘Mirror Image’. Both groups worked over lockdown to devise and write two brand new screenplays and we finally began shooting at the weekend.

‘Imagined’ is a mystery thriller devised and written by our 12-16s. The story follows Max, a young boy whose best friend has gone missing but no one else remembers that she ever existed.

‘Mirror Image’ is a coming of age drama devised and written by our Under 12s. Torn between friendship groups, Shay struggles with her identity and finding her place in the world.

Acting for stage and acting for screen require many of the same core skills, both demanding reactivity, connection and truth from the actor. But becoming comfortable and finding an ease on camera takes experience and practice and the technicalities of acting for film and TV are very different from the world of theatre. All of our members at Urban have the opportunity to work in front of the camera and explore the craft of acting for screen.

We continue shooting our short films this weekend. Last week some of our external scenes were rained off and the actors got to experience one of the biggest differences between stage and screen – working out of sequence. When working on a film, the order that the scenes are shot is very rarely chronological. As an actor, the first scene you do might be the very last scene of the film, you may have to say goodbye to your best friend before you’ve met them or betray your boss before the interview.

This week we’re keeping our fingers crossed for sun!