"For teens who love to get creative, this is the place to be seen"

Filmmakers and TV producers who have brought productions to Suffolk will be inspiring teenagers to join the industry with a special series of talks and screenings at Latitude Festival this weekend.

Screen Suffolk will join Cultureworks East with a Screen Suffolk Cinema Tent in the Inbetweeners Area, across all three days.

Youngsters aged between 12 and 17 can come along between 11am and 7pm to find out about how to begin working in the industry, and what work they can already be doing to get their name out there.

Chris Lang, a TV screenwriter, producer and executive producer who recently filmed in Suffolk, said: “There are all sorts of things people can do starting out.

“You can write your own screenplays, film them and make them accessible by putting them online, putting them on blogs or creating your own website.

“There are all sorts of things like the BBC Writer’s Room and competitions for young people to write a screenplay, write to production companies and be persistent – shame them into coming back to you.

“It might take years but once your foot is in the door you should be away.”

Mr Lang has written and produced scores of familiar programmes including The Bill, Casualty, Hustle, Smith and Jones and The Tunnel among others.

But Mr Lang has also experienced the Suffolk landscape having written and executive produced the drama A Mother’s Son, a thriller about a girl murdered on the Suffolk coastline.

Having filmed in Southwold and Walberswick, Mr Lang said up-and-coming writers could use the landscape for inspiration, with more than half of the country’s top writers not needing to be based in London.

“I liked the colours of the landscape at the time of year we were going to shoot. I really liked the marshlands and coastline and how that reflected the shifting realities in the series,” he said.

“You can write in Scotland, Belfast, London, anywhere and email it so you can live anywhere in the country.”

For teens who love to get creative, this is the place to be seen! Created in conjunction with incredible Norwich-based arts charity Cultureworks East and their friends at Access To Music, there will be a host of digital and creative workshop spaces where young people can use state of the art equipment to produce their own work, get real hands-on experience of the media and music industry and a chance to work alongside industry pros in a range of interactive and industry savvy activities.

What’s more, they’ll get real hands-on experience of the media and music industry, learning from industry pros in a whole host of interactive workshops – and be able to take home their work to show off their incredible weekend.

There’s also a performance stage and a new hangout space… teens will lose themselves for hours here.

VISUAL ARTS
Friday – Sunday 11am – 7pm

At the entrance to the Inbetweeners area you can join in with our GIANT colouring wall or make your own badge, key ring or mirror.

LATITUDE YOUNG REPORTERS
Friday – 11am, 3pm, Saturday – 11.30am, 2.30pm and 5pm, Sunday – 11.30am, 2.30pm and 4.30pm

Head to our newsroom where you will find top journalists, weather presenters, TV producers, vloggers and photographers ready to teach you all you need to know to get out there and make the festival news!

BRAND NEW FOR 2017! SCREEN SUFFOLK CINEMA TENT
Friday, Saturday and Sunday – drop in from 11am – 7pm

Our friends at Screen Suffolk have put together a daily programme for you to sit down, kick back and enjoy! They’ve got everything from your favourite feature film to films created by talented young filmmakers from across the region. Take part in a Q&A with industry pros or get lots of top tips from the Screen Suffolk team on how you can get involved in the film industry right on Latitude’s door step!

FILM & ANIMATION STUDIO
Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 11am – 1.30pm, 2.30pm – 4.30pm

Animation with the BFI – let your imagination go wild at this year’s BFI workshop! Have a go at making your very own stop motion creation from start to finish using a variety of techniques. No experience needed, all materials supplied.