Project & Networking Night
2025-09-16 19:45 - 22:15 UTC | Sutton FilmMakers Club – Parochial Rooms, 42 The Broadway, Cheam, Surrey, SM3 8BL, United Kingdom
Our regular club nights are always full of energy, packed with workshops, shoots, and hands-on activities. But one thing that often gets lost in the buzz is the chance to sit down, talk through ideas, and plan future projects together.

This Project & Networking Night is designed to give us that space.

It’s part social evening and part working session. You’ll have the chance to grab a cuppa, catch up with fellow members, and then dive into proper conversations about the projects you’re working on — or the ones you’d love to start.

The Anthology Films will be a key focus. With so many moving parts to bring together, this is the perfect time for those involved to share updates, discuss logistics, and map out next steps. Heads of department will also have the chance to meet and coordinate roles so that everyone knows who’s doing what.

This is nothing like our club nights – but we can aim for it!

But it’s not just about the anthology. If you’ve got a project of your own — whether it’s a short film idea, a documentary, or just a creative experiment — this is your chance to talk it through with the group, find collaborators, or get some constructive feedback.

By the end of the night, you’ll come away with a clearer plan, fresh ideas, and stronger connections with other members. And because it’s a social as well, you’ll also have had time to relax, chat, and enjoy the company of fellow filmmakers without the usual pressure of a busy club night.

So bring along your ideas, your enthusiasm, and maybe even your notebook — this is a night to share, plan, and make things happen.

Guests welcome. First two sessions free for visitors.

Newsdesk Green Screen Presenter Night
2025-10-07 19:45 - 22:15 | Sutton FilmMakers Club – Parochial Rooms, 42 The Broadway, Cheam, Surrey, SM3 8BL, United Kingdom
Step into the spotlight and take the anchor’s chair.

In this fun, hands-on session, we’ll transform the club into a working TV studio. You’ll have the opportunity to present a news-style piece to camera using our green screen setup, complete with virtual backdrops and studio-style lighting.

Whether you want to try your hand as a newsreader, field reporter, or host of a mock chat show, we’ll have scripts and formats available for you to try – or you can bring your own material to perform. This session is ideal for anyone looking to build confidence in front of the camera or learn how to direct presenter-led content.

We’ll cover:

Lighting and framing for green screen shoots

Reading to camera and using autocue prompts

Positioning and timing for live-style recording

Directing presenters and working as a studio crew

Tips on scripting engaging pieces to camera

This time, we’ll also be giving our presenters a topical challenge: reporting on a breaking story that ‘the internet has gone down across the globe.’ With the cause unknown and no idea if or when it will return, you’ll have the chance to deliver this dramatic piece of news straight to camera, footage we hope to use in our upcoming anthology project.

This is a collaborative session, so there will be plenty of chances to try out different roles, whether that’s presenting, directing, operating cameras or mixing live feeds. If you’re more comfortable behind the scenes, we’ll need people to manage sound, lighting, and recording too.

The best footage from the evening may be used in future Sutton FilmMakers promo videos, turned into short presenter reels for those taking part, or even featured in our anthology project.

No experience necessary. Just bring your enthusiasm and maybe a script or story you’d like to try reading on camera. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be on the other side of the lens – this is your night!

Guests welcome. First two sessions free for visitors.

Casting Night for the Anthology Films
2025-10-21 19:45 - 22:15 | Sutton FilmMakers Club – Parochial Rooms, 42 The Broadway, Cheam, Surrey, SM3 8BL, United Kingdom
Session led by Adrian Dean and Rhys Davies

Lights, camera… auditions!

We’re entering the casting phase for our exciting Sutton FilmMakers Anthology Project, and this club night will be dedicated to auditioning actors for a selection of the short films we’re producing as part of the series.

We’d like to invite performers from local drama groups to join us for the evening and actors that would like to be involved. You do NOT have to be a member. They’ll be reading scenes from selected scripts, giving directors and producers a chance to see how different actors bring the material to life. This is your chance to meet local talent, hear your lines performed aloud, and make decisions about who’s right for each role.

It is FREE for those auditioning.

We’ll be:

Auditioning roles from several anthology scripts

Inviting actors from the local community

Filming test scenes where needed, to help with casting decisions

Finalising casting for shoots scheduled in the months ahead

We’re looking for a diverse range of actors for several upcoming short films and scripts.

We’re currently accepting self-tapes and encourage everyone to audition. Even if you’re not cast in this round, your audition will be considered for future projects in the anthology. The Casting night is on the 21st If you can’t make the night a selftape can work.. The self tapes do not have to be videography master pieces, we just want to see you act.

Details: To read the scripts simple click on the film name.

Echoes of Silence (family drama):

DAUGHTER: 16, female – sarcastic

MOTHER: 40, female – playful & warm

FATHER: 40, male – loves a bit of banter

GRANDMOTHER: 65-70 patient – wise & playful

TV BROADCAST: 30-50, any gender

The Scam (slice-of-life drama):

PETER: 60-70, male, well spoken

YOUNG PETER: 25-35, male, well spoken

PETER’S SON: 20-30, male, techy/geeky

EVELYN: 60-70, female, well spoken

JOHN/SIMON: 50-60, male, accents preferred

After I Am (family drama):

BILLY: 7-11, male

GINA: 30-40, female

GRANDDAD: 50+, male

Undelivered (action):

DELIVERY CYCLIST: any age and gender – own bike preferred

WORKER: any age and gender

RECIPIENT: any age and gender

Self Driving Trouble (workplace drama):

LESLIE: 20, male – timid but earnest

TARON: 40, male – chaotic and in-command

Threadbare (sewing bee comedy):

CLEANER: 30+, any age and gender

DEREK: 50-60, male – cheerful and calm

LUCY: 28, female – warm-hearted but tired-looking

MARGARET: 40s, female – prim, proper, composed but warm

PAM 58, female – quick, colourful and with (a Northern Irish lilt, not essential)

If you’re interested, please submit (if you have them) your headshot, résumé, and self-tape of one page from the relevant script(s) if you can’t make the night. Please complete the form on this page – Casting Call.

If you’re involved in one of the anthology films, or simply want to learn more about directing actors and running auditions, this is a must-attend session. And if you’re an actor yourself, you’re very welcome to attend and read – just let us know in advance!

Whether you’re a director with a script in the anthology, a writer curious to hear your dialogue off the page, or just interested in the casting process, this will be a lively and engaging evening.

The casting choices made here will shape the next phase of the project, so come along and help us discover the faces of our upcoming productions.

Sutton Filmmakers Spooktacular - Part 1
2025-11-04 19:45 - 22:15 | Sutton FilmMakers Club – Parochial Rooms, 42 The Broadway, Cheam, Surrey, SM3 8BL, United Kingdom
Session led by Owain Dain

History of Horror is here!

Welcome, boils and ghouls!

Prepare to take a deep dive into the history of horror and discover why we at SFM just can’t get enough of being scared.

We’ll explore how horror has evolved over the years, discuss how the “rules” of who lives and dies have changed, and figure out the best way to tell who’s next to go.

“There’s a formula to it, a very simple formula!!”

In this spooktacular, expect clips, conversation, and maybe a few jump scares of our own.

We’ll also talk about why horror is such a genius genre from a filmmaking perspective — low budgets, minimal sets, no big-name actors (though plenty of famous ones started in horror), and still massive returns.

We’ll cite the Blumhouse financial model and look at just how effective it’s been.

It’s creative freedom with a killer payoff. We’ll explore sound design (where less is definitely more), the history of the jump scare, and how music and camera positioning can turn an ordinary scene into pure nightmare fuel — or even casual comedy.

Basically, what makes horror work — and why it keeps haunting us.

To top it all off, we’ll be screening and evaluating two club horror films — Night Fears and Lake on the Cabin — discussing what works, what doesn’t, and what we can learn for our own projects.

By the end, we’ll all have a better sense of how to create a solid, spooky short ourselves, using everything we’ve learned.

Filmmakers beware — you’re in for a scare!

Guests welcome. First two sessions free for visitors.

Screen Acting Workshop with Sara Jordan
2025-11-18 19:45 - 22:15 | Sutton FilmMakers Club – Parochial Rooms, 42 The Broadway, Cheam, Surrey, SM3 8BL, United Kingdom
Session led by Sara Jordan

Bring your stage craft to camera

This event has passed. However you can see the write up and footage here Screen Acting Workshop, One Line at a Time

Bring your stage craft to camera with clarity and confidence. This focused, two hour workshop is designed for theatre trained performers who want to understand what changes on set, how the lens reads truth, and which habits help you deliver clean, believable takes.

Led by experienced actress and award winning Director Sara Jordan, you will feel the difference between stage scale and screen intimacy, and leave knowing exactly what directors at Sutton FilmMakers are looking for.

What we are aiming to achieve

By the end of the night you will

recognise how the camera magnifies thought and pares back gesture

know where to place your eyeline and how to keep it consistent

use stillness, breath, and listening to carry a moment

match simple actions for continuity so your performance cuts smoothly

take a clear redirect and repeat the beat with confidence

Theatre vs. Screen Performances

How the night runs

A short welcome, why screen acting is different, three simple rules, smaller, later, listen

Live demonstration with immediate playback to show stage size, medium shot, and close up

Paired drill off camera to practise eyeline and stillness with a reader just off lens

On camera hot seat rotations, each actor delivers a short contemporary beat, receives one precise note from Sara, and runs a quick pickup

Group debrief, five recurring patterns to watch for in future screen auditions, and practical next steps

Who this is for

Actors with strong theatre experience who are new to camera or returning after a break, recent graduates building their first screen credits, am dram performers ready to translate their skills to film, performers who want sharper, simpler on set habits.

Theatre trained actors who want to translate stage craft to camera with confidence

Amateur dramatic performers ready to shift from projection to on camera truth

Recent drama school graduates building screen experience and set discipline

Actors returning after a break who want a fast, practical refresh on screen habits

Presenters, creators, and voice actors moving into filmed performance

Directors or writers who act in their own projects and want cleaner takes

Any performer who’s heard “smaller, later, listen” and wants to feel what that means under the lens

If you can hold a scene, take a note, and you are curious about how the camera reads thought, this night is designed for you.

What to bring

Neutral top without logos, minimal jewellery, comfortable shoes, a bottle of water, your curiosity and a willingness to listen on camera

Why we are offering this

Our recent anthology casting brought in brilliant theatre talent, and we saw how much potential there is when stage craft meets the lens. This workshop bridges the gap, helping you keep everything you do that works on stage while refining it for the intimacy of screen.

If you are a theatre actor and would like to take part do let us know in advance please as it would be nice (but not essential) to know how many actors we can work with.

Guests welcome. First two sessions free for visitors.

Writers Room, Live Script Workshop
2025-12-02 19:45 - 22:15 | Sutton FilmMakers Club – Parochial Rooms, 42 The Broadway, Cheam, Surrey, SM3 8BL, United Kingdom
Session led by Adrian Dean

Welcome back to the writers room.

We are turning the evening into a live script workshop. If you have a script, or even just a few scenes, that you think could be stronger, this is a chance to put it in front of your fellow filmmakers and get some honest, constructive help.

Most of us write because we want to see our stories made into real films. The hard part is getting the script to the level it needs to be before anyone points a camera at it. It is very easy to work in a bubble, not get notes, and only discover the weak spots when it is too late, on set, with a crew waiting.

On this writers room night we will sit together, read sections of your script, and break them down in a supportive way. We will talk about structure, character, dialogue and pacing, and look at how clearly the film appears in the reader’s mind. The aim is not to tear work apart, but to find the strongest version of your idea and help you move towards it.

Your script does not have to be finished. You can bring a first draft, a problem scene, or even a rough outline if you are stuck and need to know whether to push on or start again. Sometimes a ten minute conversation saves you months of circling the same issue.

How will Live Script Workshop work

Send us your script, or an extract, in advance, preferably as a PDF, use the script submission page (its one we use for lots of submissions so some of the fields wont be appropriate but ignore them) , with “Writers Room” in the subject line.

On the night we will work through as many scripts as we reasonably can, scene by scene, with the writer in the hot seat to answer questions and hear suggestions.

If you are not ready to share your own work yet you are still very welcome to come along, listen in, and join the discussion. Watching other people’s scripts being pulled apart, gently, is one of the quickest ways to improve your own writing.

Come ready to give and receive feedback, ask questions, and bounce ideas around. With a bit of courage, and a room full of peers behind you, you might find that the script you have been wrestling with is closer to production ready than you thought.

Guests welcome. First two sessions free for visitors.

Christmas Social
2025-12-16 19:45 - 22:15 | Sutton FilmMakers Club – Parochial Rooms, 42 The Broadway, Cheam, Surrey, SM3 8BL, United Kingdom
Join us at The Parochial Halls in Cheam on Tuesday 16 December 2025 at 7.30pm for our Christmas social, with drinks, nibbles and member made films from this year.

Our final meet up of the year is a relaxed Christmas social at The Parochial Halls, Cheam, Sutton, starting at 7.45pm on Tuesday 16 December 2025. This is a chance to unwind, catch up with other members and look back at what we have created together over the past twelve months.

We will have a few beers and wines available, along with soft drinks and some nibbles. Nothing formal, just an easy going evening where you can chat, share ideas for next year and enjoy some of the work that has come out of the club recently.

During the evening, we will screen three Sutton FilmMakers projects that many members will not have seen yet.

• From Hong Kong To Sutton, Directed by Tom McDanialA thoughtful documentary about the Hong Kong community who have made Sutton their home, sharing how they are settling in and their hopes for the future.

• Best Day Worst Day, Directed by Julie ChildsA sharp short comedy about a new driver, old grudges and some very bad decisions.

• Women In Film, Directed by Peter LeverickA behind the scenes documentary celebrating the women who crewed Best Day Worst Day, highlighting their roles, their paths into film and how Sutton FilmMakers helps people step up, learn and lead on set.

The Christmas social is free for current members. Visitors are very welcome too at the usual £8 visitor rate, so if you know someone who is curious about the club, this is a gentle way to introduce them.

Come along if you can and help us round off the year in good company, with good films and a bit of festive cheer. If any details like timing or access are a concern, just get in touch and we will do our best to help.

Guests welcome see below.

Sutton Filmmakers Spooktacular - Part 2
2026-01-06 19:45 - 22:15 | Sutton FilmMakers Club – Parochial Rooms, 42 The Broadway, Cheam, Surrey, SM3 8BL, United Kingdom
Session led by Owain Dain

Lets Dive Back In

Tonight, we’re diving back into the world of horror for a follow-up, and trust me, it’s not just about jump scares.

Horror is full of surprises: genre-bending stories with symbolism and hidden themes, monsters that represent real fears, and subtle tricks that make you question what’s real.

The Horror Rules Change

It’s clever. It’s creative. And it’s constantly evolving.

Over the course of the evening, we’ll travel through the decades, from the raw rebellion of the ’70s, to the blood-soaked excess of the ’80s, the self-aware ’90s, and the chilling influence of Japanese horror and “torture porn” in the 2000s.

With each era, the rules change: who survives, who falls, and what we’re really afraid of.

We’ll also explore why horror works so well in short films, and why those ideas don’t always translate to feature-length films.

Short horror thrives on the event itself: the shock, the tension, the atmosphere, while features often focus on the people experiencing the event.

We’ll also look at how horror shares a lot in common with comedy: it’s all about the build-up, the suspense, and the punchline, or in horror’s case, the reveal that makes your heart skip a beat. By the end of the night, you’ll understand not just why horror works, but how to craft it yourselves.

Guests welcome. First two sessions free for visitors.

January Club Social Meal
2026-01-20 19:45 - 22:15 | ECO, 23 The Broadway, Cheam, Sutton SM3 8BH, 23 The Broadway, Sutton, SM3 8BH, United Kingdom
Rather than trying to squeeze a Christmas meal into a hectic month, we’re having a more relaxed club social meal in January, when it’s usually easier to book and nicer to chat.

On Tuesday 20 January we will not be holding our usual meeting. Instead, we’ll meet at 7:45pm at ECO, 23 The Broadway, Cheam, Sutton SM3 8BH (just opposite the club).

I’ve booked a table for 20 people to start with, and the restaurant can expand the booking if we have more members who want to join.

Club members will receive a £5 subsidy towards their meal (members only).

If you’d like to come along, please reply to the club email by end of day 13 January so we can confirm numbers with the restaurant.

Eco Menu
