Young film makers head north to International Screen School
Thursday, October 5 2006
A group of 11 young film makers from the Scottish Borders is heading north during the October break to take part in a week-long International Screen School.
They will be joining young people from across the Highlands region and from Sjuharad, in Sweden, to work together on an intensive course with Arts in Motion, a film production and teaching centre in Evanton, Ross & Cromarty.
The centre offers excellent studio, equipment and editing facilities, as well as top-notch tuition. The Arts in Motion team will lead the young people through the entire process of developing ideas, writing scripts and selecting locations, props and costumes. They will also learn the nuts and bolts of camera and sound techniques, editing, adding sound tracks and finalising short films to the screening stage. The experience will be very much ‘hands on’.
The Borders film makers are all involved in VOMO (A Voice of My Own), a video project to help young people build their confidence and communication skills through creative film-making skills and other opportunities.
A key aim is to give young people a voice and ensure their films are seen as widely as possible through an annual Film Festival, which this year was held in April at the Eastgate Theatre, Peebles. VOMO films have gained awards and critical acclaim at a number of national festivals since the scheme’s inception. Locally made titles such as the frank and moving ‘Teen Mum’ and ‘Losing It’, which deals with the themes of rejection, loneliness and self-harm, have explored difficult issues through the highly accessible medium of film.
Mary Morrison, VOMO Project Manager based at Scottish Borders Council Arts Service, welcomes the opportunity that the Screen School will give young Borders film makers: “VOMO is offering our group not only a chance to develop their film-making skills in an exciting environment, but also the experience of meeting and working with young people from different backgrounds and cultures. We have developed really good partnerships with Sweden and the other areas in Scotland which we want to build on.”
VOMO is a partnership project, funded by the Scottish Borders LEADER + Programme, Scottish Borders Council, Changing Children’s Services Fund and Regeneration Outcome Agreement (Scottish Executive). The IYMP Project in the Borders was part-funded by VOMO and LEADER + and coordinated by Borders Voluntary Youth Work Forum.
For more information, please contact: Mary Morrison – VOMO Project Manager
Tel: 01750 724 901. Email: enquiries@vomo.org.uk
Website: www.vomo.org.uk
Unified Solutions.