Students of a two-week film school that has seen past members go on to work for The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent are preparing to premiere this year’s project.

The first year students on the extended diploma media production course at Cornwall College Camborne have been working with the professional Dogbite film studio in Falmouth.

In the space of two weeks, the students have to come up with an idea for a film, plan the production process, collect props, build sets, cast, shoot and edit the film before pitching the finished product to top industry professionals, all on a budget of £350.

To help them the youngsters have been given access to high end equipment, including one of the best digital cinema cameras in the industry, the RED Scarlet – the same camera used to shoot movie blockbusters like Robocop, Captain America and 300.

The result of their efforts will now be shown at a premiere at Dogbite’s production house at Discovery Quay.

Dogbite company director John Crooks, who runs the course with the college’s Rory Mason, said: “The aim of Film School is that the learners are responsible for every aspect involved in the film making process and that builds confidence. The only way to get on in this industry is to be exposed to the real thing, make mistakes and learn from them.”

Tamara Stidwell, age 18 from Porthleven, said: “Film School is a great introduction into the industry. We get the amazing opportunity to work in a real studio, where we are treated like adults and allowed to make mistakes in a friendly environment.”

Rory Mason, cluster manager for media production and game design at Cornwall College, said working in a professional studio with industry specialists gave students an experience that would be impossible to create in the classroom.

Since Film School began in 2005 the project has collected four awards at the Cornwall Film Festival, a prestigious Royal Television Society student award and seen countless students progress to top university places and employment on TV shows such as The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent.