Students Step Behind The Camera
27 June 2012
Budding film-makers at Middlesbrough College have broken the golden rule of showbiz - never work with children or animals.
St. Peters School in South Bank commissioned Creative Media Production students at the College to make an introductory film based on the school’s ‘Little book of worries’ - a note which identifies the children’s biggest worries about starting the school, such as getting lost and too much homework and to reassure them that these things won’t happen to them at St Peter’s School.
All the ‘worries’ are presented by two children at the school and are filmed in black and white, with the ‘reality’ of the situation then shown in full colour.
Amy Glanville, the teacher at St. Peters who commissioned the film, said: “We had seen a promotional film produced by Tony Brown, Tutor in Creative Media Video Production at Middlesbrough for the College, and thought that it would be great to have something similar done for our school.
“In my experience, when you invite external organisations into school, you never really know what you are going to get in terms of quality and standards. Having students working on the project also meant an element of risk. When we embarked on this I really wasn’t sure how it would all work out.
“I have to say that the Middlesbrough College team worked tirelessly on the project, with a level of professionalism that can only be described as impressive.
“The whole experience has been fantastic, we sat down and outlined what we wanted, but the students had independently come up with very similar ideas, it was a real meeting of minds.
“Tony and the students really got the best out of our children due to their pleasant and professional approach. Happiness and well being is of paramount importance to us, and the students made them all feel comfortable, confident and inspired.
“I was really impressed with their creativity and their work ethic and would definitely recommend using the College’s film department to anyone looking to commission a film.
“I haven’t seen the finished film yet as it’s still in the editing stages but from the preview I was given it looks amazing, I’m really happy with the results and can’t wait to show it to the children and staff at St. Peters.”
The film, from initial storyboarding through to live action filming and editing, is the work of five BTEC Creative Media Production Level 3 students, Liam Emmerson, Emily Tatters, Adam Angell, Amy Fall and Dan Charlton and their tutor Tony Brown.
Dan Charlton, 19, from Guisborough, said: “I’ve really enjoyed making this film and it’s confirmed for me that this is what I want to do with my life.
“I came to Middlesbrough College to do a Health and Social Care course as I initially wanted to be a paramedic, but the course wasn’t right for me so I re-enrolled on the film course and I think I’ve found my niche.”
Tony said: “To have practical experience of creating a film from start to finish for a real client is invaluable for our students, and to be able to so in a safe environment where I can supervise and they can learn as they go is ideal.
“These students are very dedicated to their work, they’ve given up their spare time and come in to work long hours in the editing suite, even in half term, to make sure the film was finished to the highest possibly standard. I’m very proud of the work they’ve produced and the intelligence and maturity they’ve shown in the execution of the film.
“Some of our other students will be leaving us this summer and I’m confident that Middlesbrough College has given them all the tools they need to succeed in this business, I look forward to seeing what they produce next.”