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A tracking vehicle with a crane arm in front of an LED wall at the Pinewood Futures Festival.

Every year

At Pinewood · Pinewood Futures Festival

A working unit at Pinewood's own festival.

Pinewood runs the festival. We build and run the production unit: a real set, crewed to a call sheet, that visitors get their hands on.

Dates and tickets (Pinewood)

A-cam on a tracking vehicle and crane in front of the LED wall · Pinewood Futures Festival 2026

Whose event
Pinewood Studios' own free careers festival
Our part
We build and run the production unit
Who can go
Age 14 and up; under-18s with an adult (Pinewood's rules)
Next festival
Dates from Pinewood
Crew and visitors on the festival floor.

A unit, not a stand

Most stands hand you a leaflet. Ours hands you a camera.

Visitors light, film and present short set-ups with crew beside them. New kit gets tested the same day, in front of thousands.

4,500+visitors in 2026 (Pinewood's figure)

~4,500visitors in 2025 (Pinewood's figure)

14+minimum age (Pinewood's rule)

Freeto visit

Year by year

  1. Visitors watch a tracking vehicle with a crane arm in front of an LED wall at the Pinewood Futures Festival.

    2026

    Richard Attenborough Stage: an LED volume, three cameras, cranes and remote heads

  2. Trainees work a camera on a tracking vehicle at the Panavision tent during the Pinewood Futures Festival.

    2025

    Q Stage: visitors film, present and light short videos

  3. A cinema camera mounted on a stabilisation system on a workshop bench, a technician behind.

    2023

    Our first festival: a stand showing stabilised camera support

2026 · Richard Attenborough Stage

30 and 31 January. An LED volume with A, B and C cameras, cranes and remote heads, crewed to a call sheet with HoDs in charge.

  • Prototype Sony OCELLUS tracking ran on the Helix gimbal, in sync with the wall.
  • Ten Buckinghamshire New University students crewed it as a 40-hour placement.
  • Pinewood lists the session as a Mr Helix and Futures in Film workshop. Pinewood's report, February 2026

Build day and the show, 2026

2025 · Q Stage

28 February and 1 March. Visitors filmed, presented and lit short videos on kit prepped like a shooting day. Pinewood names MBS Equipment Co, Panavision, Mr Helix and Futures in Film on it. Pinewood's report, March 2025

On the stage, 2025

Pinewood Futures Festival 2023 1:03Our film

2023 · The first one

A stand showing the Helix gimbal and exoskeleton. Three festivals later, it's a full production unit on a stage.

More from the festival floor

  • A crew member in hi-vis points towards an LED wall beside a crane-mounted camera.

    Pointing out the LED wall beside a crane-mounted camera

  • A participant studies a camera rig under purple stage lighting.

    Studying a camera rig under stage light

  • A technician works the wheels of a remote head at a control desk under coloured stage light.

    Working a remote head at the control desk

  • An operator works beside a large rig under purple light.

    An operator beside a large rig

  • A lighting supplier's stand under magenta light.

    A lighting supplier's stand on the festival floor

What do visitors do?

  • Walk onto a working set. Cameras, cranes, remote heads and an LED wall, all live.
  • Take a seat at the kit. Work the wheels, pull focus, frame a shot, light a face.
  • Talk to the crew. Trainees, operators and HoDs: how they got in, and what the job is really like.
  • Then the rest of the festival. Pinewood's stands, workshops and talks in the John Barry Theatre.

Pinewood runs timed slots of about two and a half hours, one per ticket. Check Pinewood's page for current rules.

Bringing a school or a group?

Group bookings are Pinewood's. Up to 30 tickets per school; visitors go round in groups of 30. Under-18s must come with a responsible adult.

When is the next one?

Dates from Pinewood. 2027 dates aren't out yet; Pinewood runs a waitlist. Recent festivals: late January (2026), late February (2025).

Dates, ages, ticket rules and visitor numbers are Pinewood's, from pinewoodgroup.com. Checked 13 Nov 2026.

Watch

At Pinewood

Coming to the next one?

Tickets and group bookings are Pinewood's. If you are 18 or over, register with us to hear when a course opens.

Join Pinewood's 2027 waitlistRegister with us

Last reviewed 13 November 2026