A YEAR-ROUND FILM ACADEMY
Join any time. Start making films straight away.
Motion Film Academy is an ongoing filmmaking and acting academy for young people aged 11–17.
There are no fixed start dates and no need to wait for September.
Your child joins a weekly weekend class, becomes part of a real production team and keeps progressing from there.
Approximately 36 two-hour lessons every school year, for one simple monthly price.
Learn by doing
Acting and filmmaking students train separately, then come together to shoot real scenes. Actors become the cast. Filmmakers run the crew. Everyone learns what the other side of the camera involves.
Chesterfield Filmmaking students are mentored by Stanley Roubaix, an active feature film director.
Students can work as a:
- 🎬 Director
- 🎥 Camera Operator
- 🎭 Actor
- 🎙️ Sound Recordist
- ✍️ Writer
- 🎞️ Editor
- 📋 Producer
Membership
£85 per month
One price for every age group, whether your child acts, makes films or both.
Your membership includes:
- Weekly two-hour weekend lessons
- All cameras, sound and lighting equipment
- Filmmaking and acting taught by experienced industry professionals
- Full safeguarding: every member of staff is Enhanced DBS checked
A free taster session lets your child try a full lesson before you join.
How billing works
- Your annual fee is spread across 12 equal monthly payments of £85 (£1020 a year), by Direct Debit on the [1st] of each month.
- This covers at least 36 lessons across the school year. Most years have more.
- The academy follows school term dates, so there are no scheduled lessons in school holidays. Your payment stays the same each month, which is why we spread it evenly rather than charging larger amounts in term time.
- Joining part-way through a month? Your first payment is pro rata.
- If we cancel a lesson, we’ll run a make-up session or credit you.
- If your child misses a lesson, we can’t offer a refund or make-up.
- Cancel at any time with [one month’s] notice.
Your year at a glance
The academy runs on school terms, not 52 weeks a year. Exact dates for your academy are published before each term. [Insert local dates.]
| Month | Lessons | Break |
|---|---|---|
| September | ✅ Weekly | — |
| October | ✅ Weekly | October half-term, about 1 week |
| November | ✅ Weekly | — |
| December | ✅ Until term ends | Christmas break begins, about 2 weeks |
| January | ✅ Restart with school term | — |
| February | ✅ Weekly | February half-term, about 1 week |
| March | ✅ Weekly | — |
| April | ✅ Weekly | Easter break, about 2 weeks (dates move each year) |
| May | ✅ Weekly | May half-term, about 1 week |
| June | ✅ Weekly | — |
| July | ✅ Until term ends | Summer break begins |
| August | ❌ No normal lessons | Summer break |
Monthly payment: £85 in every month
Holiday Film Camps
During selected school holidays we run optional Film Camps: intensive production days where students make a film together.
They’re priced separately and completely optional.
- 🎬 Halloween Film Camp
- 🎬 Christmas Film Camp
- 🎬 Easter Film Camp
- 🎬 Summer Film Camp
Session times
Each academy runs on a Saturday or Sunday. For example:
- Filmmakers: 9:00–11:00
- Actors: 10:00–12:00
| Time | Filmmaking Students | Acting Students | Tutor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00–10:00 | Film theory + practical | — | Filmmaking Tutor |
| 10:00–11:00 | Filming | Acting/rehearsal | Two Tutors |
| 11:00–12:00 | — | Acting theory + practical | Acting tutor |
Questions parents ask
Do I pay in the school holidays?
Yes. Your fee is an annual fee split into 12 equal payments. You still get at least 36 lessons.
What if my child misses a lesson?
This is not refunded
Can we try it first?
Yes. Book a free taster session and see a lesson before you commit.
Ready to make films?
Lesson dates follow local authority term dates and may vary by academy location.