This upcoming BFI Film Academy Lab is free however you do need to reserve a spot here
Labs are back in 2024/25 for a whole new season! BFI Film Academy Labs are all about helping 16- to 25-year-olds break into the screen industries. These monthly practical sessions are led by industry professionals, with a focus on explaining the specifics of working in film and television, and developing your skills to become the best screen creative you can be. They are run by venues across the UK and take place on Mondays. Labs are completely free, and are run online, so anyone can join.
Our first Lab of the 2024/25 season will help you understand the intricate art of character creation.
Ever stuck for how to make characters? Ever feel that your characters are bland or two-dimensional? In this masterclass, Jenny Thompson will lead you through her method of character creation. Sharing her candid experiences making characters in audio and television, Jenny demystifies the creative process and shares a practical guide to making your characters sparkle. It’s a journey from inspiration to script to casting to the finished product. Along the way Jenny will share her route into the industry and what her key creative takeaways are.
If you’re an aspiring writer intrigued by the magic of character development for the screen, this masterclass is your gateway to unlocking the secrets of the creative process.
Jenny Thompson grew up in Dorset and dreamt of being a great historian. She failed at that, and went from making up stories about the past to making up stories for the present. By being willing to live absolutely anywhere, she won a series of promotions taking her from London to Belfast to Birmingham and to Cardiff and moved into TV. She is, according to her CV, a multi award-winning producer, story producer and development producer. She has a slate of writers with whom she is working and spends her days either reading scripts in the warm or outside in the rain watching a stuntwoman choreograph attack-by-crowbar. Either is brilliant.
Masterclass
18:30 - 19:45 GMT
Zoom Webinar
Register for this event via the Register button at the top of the page.
You will then be sent an email with a link to join the Zoom Webinar. You can also join through the eventbrite page.
You will have an opportunity throughout the session to ask our speakers questions, and we encourage you to get thinking now on what you’d like to know!
Please note: this session will be recorded and event footage will be used on YouTube, the BFI website and social platforms.
The BFI Film Academy is dedicated to hosting events in an inclusive, respectful and safe environment for attendees. All attendees have the right to attend our events without threat of harassment, mistreatment or threats of discrimination.
By registering for and attending this event, you accept our Code of Conduct and agree to be bound by it and to comply with it during this BFI Film Academy event.
Check out the BFI Film Academy Labs events in the Midlands here