I began running a film club in 2008/2009 before Into Film was born from the organisations known as First Light and FilmClub. I began running a club in a village school each week that got children excited about talking about films and eventually got them making their own films.
Filmmaking engenders a sense of responsibility and teamwork, and we've been fortunate to screen some of these in a range of places, which have led to the children's aspirations being raised - they could see themselves working at a place like Paramount Pictures which is so far removed from their daily lives.
Education Ambassador, Andrew Denton
Our films have been screened for audiences in our local community and in film festivals around the world. These events have been really special for the children and a real highlight is when audiences tell us how much they have been moved by them. As a result of these successes and the films being celebrated at the Into Film Awards, the children have been able to visit the London offices of Paramount Pictures and appear on TV and radio shows. Some of our pupils involved would never have dreamed of such things.
Filmmaking engenders a sense of responsibility and teamwork and we've been fortunate to screen some of these in a range of places, which have led to the children's aspirations being raised - they could see themselves working at a place like Paramount Pictures which is so far removed from their daily lives.
Beyond that, film enables children who have some difficulties in other areas of the curriculum to access key learning skills. Reading films as a text and comprehending them can be a way for pupils with learning difficulties to access and share evaluation skills. EAL (English as an additional language) pupils get to share a common language with their peers through the images, and screening and making silent films has really demonstrated this. Children with special needs and communication difficulties have been able to narrate films and share their passion for the projects they have completed.
The resources that describe film as 3Cs (camera, character and colour) and 3Ss (sound, story and setting) have been ones I've used almost every year to help children in their journey to read and evaluate film. I've developed this further by participating in the Teaching Literacy through Film course, which also includes resources on camera shots and angles.
Into Film's archive resources and the links they share with the BFI collection has also enabled us to access footage, which enriches learning, is relevant across the curriculum and gets the children even more engaged in their own filmmaking.
On a different scale, it's always been one of my aims to share a breadth of film with the children. When they love watching Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton, Studio Ghibli animations and documentaries such as The Eagle Huntress, it's truly a delight!
If you have a love of film and engage with Into Film, you will find a wide variety of ways you can use it in your teaching or as an enriching extra-curricular activity. If it is something you are passionate about, you'll enjoy sharing this with the children and the possibilities of what they can get from it are endless.
Education Ambassador, Andrew Denton
If you'd like to find out more about Andrew and Meadows Primary School & Nursery, head to his Into Film Club of the Month winning article on the joys of watching a diverse range of films. Meanwhile, if you're feeling inspired by this two-time Into Film Award winning school, entries are still open for our 2022 Into Film Awards until 31 March.