BBC Young Film-Makers? Project

Learning outside the classroom is vital to the study of the media and our students have been busy with all kinds of external projects this year already.

The first is the BBC Young Film-makers’ project, which gave six students the opportunity to visit the BBC Studios and receive three days of training in film-making from professional screenwriters, camera operators, editors, engineers, producers and directors. They visited the set for “Life on Mars” and spoke to the director of this hit TV series and also met veteran north-west News anchorman Gordon Burns. They were able to watch news being broadcast live from inside the studio and operate the equipment, including the autocue system.

During the training sessions the students teamed up with students from a specialist media school in Bolton. The students developed skills in cooperation and team-work – skills vital throughout life and especially in the cooperative venture that is media production.  It also provided an opportunity for staff and students to interact in a less formal environment, which strengthens the educational relationship. Over the three days the growing confidence in the students was tangible. Crucially they were finding the experience fun.

Back at school the students were able to feed their newly acquired knowledge to other media students. In turn students who were not studying media became involved as actors in the film. Visited by a BBC mentor, the students developed skills in time management and how to make difficult decisions diplomatically, whilst a further dimension was added as the students developed a new register in dealing with a professional outside of education.

The project culminated in a tour of the BBC Studios and Media City in London, where students rubbed shoulders with Jeremy Paxman and Jonathon Ross and were greeted by the Director General and notable faces from Blue Peter and Radio One. In a packed auditorium and on a giant screen their film was exhibited to an enthusiastic reception. This “once in a lifetime opportunity” was an experience to make any adult envious. Not only did the project afford the students an opportunity to create a medium, it gave them the practical experience of the thousands of specialist jobs that this industry has to offer. In less than a year’s time Salford will have its own Media City and over half of the sixteen students, who worked on the project from its inception have already gone on to study media in further education.