Members of a school film club were given a taste of the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle as they were whisked off to the West End to put questions to top actress Helena Bonham Carter.

Pupils at North Bridge House Senior School in Rosslyn Hill, Hampstead, asked the star of films including the Harry Potter series about her career.

The teenagers were also treated to a preview screening of the Belsize Park actress’s latest film, The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet, at the Courthouse Hotel in Soho last week.

The visit was organised by national film education charity Into Film, which sets up film clubs in state schools free of charge.

Head of IT and computing Mark Kerrigan, who leads the independent school’s film club, said: “Part of every GCSE is about critical analysis and a lot of them struggle with writing ‘this was good because’, or ‘that was bad because’.

“When you see a film, it brings out responses and as a teacher you get a whole talking forum about anything from the technology used in the film right down to why you would recommend this film to me.”

The charity, which works mostly in the state sector, provides schoolchildren from all backgrounds with the chance to make and study films.

It also puts on question-and-answer sessions with people in the industry to raise career aspirations.

Ms Bonham Carter, the partner of film director Tim Burton, is an avid supporter of the charity.

The 48-year-old said: “I loved their interest and enthusiasm. I hope they did genuinely enjoy it and I hope they’ll spread the word.

“So many people watch films in their own home and it’s not a communal thing, so for me to sit here and hear the laughter, the appreciation, the jokes, you can tell when a story is being well told and what point you got across from watching it through the eyes of the audience, so it was hugely helpful.”

Mr Kerrigan said: “It was great for them to get to sit down with Helena Bonham-Carter and have a one-to-one chat rather than asking questions as part of a large audience.”

n To start an Into Film club visit intofilm.org/schools-film-clubs or call 020 7288 4520.