Sunderland Film School

Sunderland Film School Final Preparation

22 June — 26 June

Our Sunderland Film School is just around the corner. Over five days, you’ll be immersed in a hands-on short film production experience guided by professional producer Craig Conway.

Filming will take place across a number of locations, concluding with a screening of your finished film! This schedule contains everything you need for your time on campus.

What do we need from you?

Before you can attend could you please ensure that you and your parent/supporter have read and signed the following forms:

• Release Form
• Code of Conduct

Please complete the above forms using the links above. If you attended the roundtable event you will also have a physical copy of these forms. This can be returned on the first day of film school, Monday 22 June. If you have any questions about these forms, please contact events.recruitment@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab).

Travel to and from the University of Sunderland

Please ensure that you've confirmed and discussed with the Sunderland Film School Events Team how you're travelling to and from the Film School each day. You can do this by emailing us at events.recruitment@sunderland.ac.uk.

If you're bringing a vehicle and require parking in our University car parks, please request a car parking permit from our Events Team at events.recruitment@sunderland.ac.uk. The car park will be completely free for Film School Students with this permit. You can park elsewhere in the city, however the university is not liable for any charges if you park somewhere else.

If you're independently travelling to our Film School, you may be able to apply for a reimbursement on your travel costs. Find out more information about our travel bursary.

If you're being dropped off or collected, this can be done at our official collection points. At St Peters Campus, these are at the University bus stop on St Peter’s Way.

Further information

You must register every morning at the help desk. You must also attend all 5 days to complete the Film School. However, we understand that you might have appointments or prior commitments. If you need to leave early simply let a member of staff know at our designated Help Desk, so we can log when you leave.

You'll be required to wear your lanyard at all times. If you lose it, the help desk can replace it for you. We encourage you to find your own way around our campus as all the buildings are signposted. We'll give you a campus map on your first day with us. However, if you get lost or can’t find your building, our ambassadors and staff will be more than happy to help. Someone will always be at the help desk to assist you.

We'll be providing lunch for you everyday. Snacks and drinks will also be available in the green room throughout the week. Please make us aware as soon as possible of any dietary requirements so we can make sure we have a suitable option for you. We have done our best to ensure that there are plenty of food and drink options for you throughout the week, but there are vending machines around campus which you may wish to purchase additional items from. Just remember that our campus is cashless, so you will need to bring a debit or credit card.

You'll be required to wear our Sunderland Film School t-shirts and hoodie throughout the week, in particular for on the off-site location shoot day. We'll provide these for you. You'll also be working outside throughout the week, so please ensure you wear suitable footwear and bring a coat!

There are quiet rooms or spaces that are accessible for all students who require it. There are also specific rooms set aside for prayer that you'll have access to if needed.

A recap of previous sessions

Film School Unlocked

The official launch took place online on Wednesday 22 January 2026, 5–6pm, where our panel revealed further information about the Film School, answered your questions and revealed the film genre... Romantic Horror!

If you couldn’t make the launch or would like to watch it again, please watch our video for more information.

Round Table

Date: Wednesday 27 May 2026

Time: 12pm-3pm

The round table is an additional, optional event taking place on Wednesday 27 May 2026. This event is on campus and those attending will get a first look at the script, be involved in the process of any changes to the script and start planning for the Film School. The script will be written before the Film School due to the lengthy process involved with script writing.

It’s also a great chance to meet everyone involved for the first time, pick up your Film School t-shirt and become familiar with the campus. We're able to offer travel reimbursement for those attending the round table event.

The schedule for the roundtable event is as follows:

• 12-1pm: You'll participate in a meet and greet with other students taking part, Craig Conway and some of the academics running the Film School. We'll also provide food free of charge.
• 1-1:30pm: You'll read through the script for the first time and look at the film you'll be making in June.
• 1:30-3pm-: You'll participate in scriptwriting workshops, suggest changes to the script and look at what goes into writing for film and TV. Then, you'll work in groups to start looking in detail at the script and how you want each scene to look when filming.