Co-Operative Young Film-Makers Festival 2009

Young people – everywhere! The Co-Operative Young Film-Makers Festival has come to the Museum, and we're overrun with people under 19, here for the packed schedule of workshops, special guests, filming, screenings, and everything else you need to encourage young people to express themselves in film. Even dancing. (You can download the full two-day diary as a PDF.)

I'll be updating this post through the day with updates. If you're reading this at the Festival itself and you see me scampering about taking photos -- say hi!

Thursday 10:49am: Matthew Lewis -- aka Neville Longbottom from the Harry Potter films -- has formally opened the Festival, amid a hail of bubbles from the Co-Operative stand outside. As I write, he's giving a talk in our Pictureville cinema. He's also hobbling a bit after twisting his ankle while playing badminton -- "the most violent sport", as Matthew is now wincingly referring to it.





Thurday 1:39pm: It's a bit of a shock when you walk into the foyer and find a table of young people apparently tending to major injuries. Learning about film isn't that dangerous, surely? Then you realise it's just the Special Effects Make-Up workshop, where gaping wounds and horrific scars are only a pot of red paint and a paintbrush away.





I also caught two groups studiously putting together their own videos in the Make A Film Trailer workshop, hosted by John McCormack. The students here were getting hands-on with every aspect of trailer creation, from storyboarding to filming -- and they also get to take home a DVD of their final work.



Friday 12.12pm: Breakdancing! Lloyd Thomspon from Tranquil Productions led this lesson in the art of the side step, the top rock and much more -- and it was incredible how fast his young pupils learnt helicopter their legs around in a camera-threatening fashion. This workshop took place in Level 5, our new activity and learning area for families: more on that soon.





Friday 3:24pm: The Create A Movie Soundtrack workshop, run in our Edit Suite by film composer and occasional National Media Museum employee Vanessa James, looked excellent. Vanessa has created TV ad music for companies such as Sony and Kinder, and scored movies that have been in contention at festivals like Cannes and Rotterdam. She gave her attendees a real-life film trailer to soundtrack -- and after half an hour's concentrated pointing and clicking in Apple's GarageBand, they'd all created something that'd make John Williams proud.





That's it from my coverage of the Co-Operative Young Film-Makers Festival -- it's been a hectic but fantastic couple of days. Thanks to everyone who came along. I've only scratched the surface of the many screenings, workshops, talks and events that took place: you can find out more at the Festival's homepage.

What's a Creative Writing course like?

Every Tuesday morning is Creative Writing morning at the Museum. If you're thinking of coming along: do come along. They're friendly, stimulating -- and run by a man who's written for the BBC.

On Monday, Ben Haller -- he's written for the BBC, ITV, NBC and HBO -- and Learning Interpreter Beth Hughes head downstairs to Insight and burrow into boxes full of old photographs from our archive. They're looking for pictures on a selected theme: last week it was 'magic realism' (for which they chose from the superb Hammer Horror collection of on-set and in-film photos); this week it was 'dialogue'.



Cut to Tuesday, and the Creative Writing course day itself. The pictures were popped in display cases, and the writing circle -- which numbered twelve or so this week -- got to gaze at them, chat about them, make notes, and use them as inspiration for a piece of creative writing.





There was plenty of discussion and friendly chat during the ten minutes I sat in on the circle, and it's obvious that Ben -- who's won't tell me which programmes he's written for, for fear he'll have to kill me due to "contractual obligations" -- has a brain brimming with knowledge and tips.

It's a cosy, supportive environment. And it's going so well that the group have created their own website to share and discuss stories and ideas.