YOUNG film-makers from across East Lancashire are packing a stage and screen venue to learn the latest creative cinema techniques.

The result will be given a special ‘premiere’ showing at Blackburn’s Thwaites Empire Theatre on Friday night.

The dozens of eager ‘silver screen’ fans are following in a long tradition of film-making in the town dating back to Mitchell and Kenyon, the early pioneers of commercial cinema ‘motion pictures’.

The young people on the course work with leading and award-winning professionals in the industry to complete the 20-minute films for the special Friday showing.

They can work behind the camera as a director, writer and cinematographer or in front of it as an actor, dancer and singer.

They work and develop their own unscripted or scripted films while learning vital screen-acting and filmmaking techniques.

At the end of the rehearsal period the young people to film under the supervision of a professional director and actor trainers.

It is one of three ‘Summer Academies’ at the Thwaites Empire Theatre. in Aqueduct Road, Ewood.

It’s chairman Michael Berry said: “As usual we have a lot of young people from all over East Lancashire wanting to take part in this exciting course

“It’s a packed theatre this week with the students having a great time.

“They get the chance to learn the latest creative ,cinema and digital skills for a craft that is more important than ever in the online and social media age.

“It is great to see the film-making tradition in Blackburn launched by Sagar Mitchell and James Kenyon in the 1900s being continued into the 21st Century by local young people learning the very latest techniques from professionals.

“We have all the latest digital techniques on offer.”

The three week-long courses at the Empire have different themes to appeal to as wide a range of seven to 18-year-olds children as possible.

Last week was a Musical Theatre Week and the final week, from August 14, allows a participants to take part in a fully-produced pantomime performance for parents and friends to enjoy.

The academies are for seven to 18-year-olds and run in association Pendle Productions.

This year’s third Thwaites Empire Theatre ‘Summer Pantomime’ of the classic The Pied Piper.