News and Events:
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BBC School report 2011.
On Thursday 24th March 17 we joined up with around 800 schools across the UK making the news. The pupils took part in BBC News School Report, a BBC project to engage 11-14-year-olds in the news. Click the link below to see more:
BBC News School Report click for more
BOOM! Film club
We are still running our successful film making club for 9-13 yr olds. At Boom children learn how to use video cameras, how to write, shoot and edit films and then make films that matter to them. This is one of several projects we have been involved with that supports the local community where young children get a chance to participate in a range of media projects. We are very pleased to have to opportunity to liaise with local children. Our media technician, Mr Hayter, says the work the children have produced is really wonderful and often very mature.
Boom takes place on every Wednesday during term time from 4 -5pm. If you know of anyone who may be interested in making films with Boom, then please contact Miss Simpson at St Catherine’s
Media@St Caths
St Catherine’s is a media arts specialist college and we like to share our expertise with others. During the month of March we ran an after school media training programme which gave school workers from the surrounding area the chance to learn different media techniques. No prior knowledge was needed and school staff learnt new media technology in the classroom. The course covered the following:
Integrating PowerPoint with video and sound – tips and tricks.
Making moviemaker videos from PowerPoint presentations
Making videos with Moviemaker and getting the best out of handicams.
Digital sound editing and simple multitrack sound mixing using Audacity with MP3 recorders.
We shall be running another series of training events next year owing to the success of this one.
BBC School report 2011.
On Thursday 24th March 17 we joined up with around 800 schools across the UK making the news. The pupils took part in BBC News School Report, a BBC project to engage 11-14-year-olds in the news.
During February and March, a selection of Year 8 students were working hard, training to be top journalists, carrying out interviews and producing reports. The students attended weekly workshops where they learnt about finding and gathering news using resources available on the BBC website. They also had a practice day where Joanne Episcopo (Managing Editor of Persian TV for the BBC) came along to mentor the students and give them her top tips for creating interesting news stories.
On the day, the students were divided into three groups, each working towards a TV, radio or online article. A feature film inspired by the royal nuptials was also created and this involved interviewing the general public on the Broadway in Bexleyheath about their opinions on marriage.
Stories covered ranged from local to national to international. Articles were written about Libya, the national shortage of daffodils, the death of Elizabeth Taylor, Comic Relief and more locally on the subject of the Erith festival and a Sidcup man who won a year’s supply of petrol. The students interviewed local council representatives, festival organisers, industry experts, school staff and pupils in order to get reactions to all their featured stories. One of our reporters was even interviewed live on BBC Radio 5 live!
INTERGENERATIONAL PROJECT
Year 10 Media BTEC students had the opportunity to take part in an Intergenerational Project, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Police.
The aim of this project was to create a piece of work that promoted exchange and learning across generations. The girls created a selection of films with the help from residents at Baker Beall Court in Bexleyheath that challenged taboos, stereotypes and prejudices. They worked with people aged between 60-90 and discussed different age related activities in order to identify common ground and promote a lively intergenerational debate.
This was a borough wide project with many schools getting involved. There was a presentation evening at Townley Grammar School on 18th March which brought together the students and older people involved to celebrate all the creative work produced.
BFI project 2011
Mr Hayter and Chiara Walters (our support Media student) showcased the Year 11 Media BTEC BFI project work in Paris at the Cinematheque Francaise‘ Cent Ans de Jeunesse’ festival. The work was part of the students’ final assessment piece and has already received high accolade from our French colleagues over at Cine.
This year’s theme was montrer cacher (show/hide). Most of the BFI partnership schools produce work from KS5 students, so the girls’ work was not only showcased against older students, but many of the colleges we competed against hire in professional equipment to construct their project work. We are very proud of the efforts the students have made in representing our school internationally. Natalie Bourgeois (head of youth cinema at Cinematheque Fracaise) said the film was “just perfect.”
The short film shown in Paris was a collective effort by 14 Media students at St Catherine’s. It is a strange little film about a girl who is struggling for identity in an environment where everyone wears the same clothes and where there is peer pressure to conform to tight rules. Eventually this girl starts to rebel against this conformity.
Victoria and Albert digital Arts Festival
The Media department had the opportunity to take 6 students from Year 10 to the Victoria and Albert Museum on 12th November 2010 to be part of their series of ‘Take Over’ days. The aim of this day was to give students the opportunity to plan a Digital Festival. They had the chance to:
Inform and shape the content of workshops and events
Give their perspective on what young people their age want in digital media
Gain experience in developing a real project for young people
Go behind the scenes at the V & A
Here’s what Amy Orford and Hayley Emin thought about the day
‘Last Friday five students from the year 10 media BTEC class were specially selected to attend the Victoria and Albert museum take over day, which was basically a day where they let us take control of generating ideas for their digital festival which would entice teenagers of our age to come and visit the festival. They gave the brief and let us have full control of their design studio through research and inventive thinking we came up with the following ideas:
1. A Pacman style game set as a virtual tour of the museum
2. A giant filmed mosaic workshop
3. A mobile interactive exhibits
4. A interactive holographic historical fashion mirror
5. Fashion Photoshop experience
Finally we pitched our ideas to industry professionals and discussed marketing and publicising their events to the greater London area.It was an amazing experience that benefitted all of us.’
Follow the link below to see more about the day:
http://tinyurl.com/5u2d4jx
CHANNEL 4 TASTER DAY
Year 10 Media students were lucky enough to have the opportunity to do a work experience taster day at the Channel 4 studios in London.
They had to apply for the experience online and a few students were successful. They had the opportunity to work with T.V presenters and industry professionals.
Hopefully they will now have the chance to do their work experience placement there and maybe even get a contract working for Channel 4! Watch this space!!
MEDIA/DRAMA TV NEWS
The new Lauren in ‘EastEnders’ is a former student of St Catherine’s. Jacqueline Jossa left us in the Summer of 2009. She has done extremely well to get this role – we wish her good fortune.
Eliza Newman 9H has won the gold Award for ‘Best Performance by an Actress’ at the British Television Awards. She was nominated for her performance in the recent Hovis commercial. She is the girl who is very naughty and jumps around a lot. Congratulations Eliza!
YEAR 6 TRANSITION DAY
Our new year 7 intake (September ’11) visited the school for transition days on the 4 and 5th July. During their Media taster lesson, each student all took part in filming a documentary called Coming to St. Catherine’s as well as creating their own promotional still image advert for their new school!
JUNIOR APPRENTICE
Casey Osuntuyi, year 11 Media BTEC student successfully reached the final stages of the selection process for BBC1’s Junior Apprentice. Casey said ‘All the work I’ve done in BTEC Media has definitely helped me get this far on the Apprentice, I just hope I make the final cut!’
MEDIA ARTS FESTIVAL
Children aged between 8-16 from the Bexley Borough had their Media Arts Projects displayed in October 2010 in an exhibition held at St Catherine’s.
The Media Arts Exhibition celebrated the outcomes of at least 11 innovate cross-curricular education projects set up by the Media staff at St Catherine’s. These projects enabled teachers and students from across the Bexley Borough to explore the potential of using Media Arts techniques to inspire pupils’ thinking both inside and outside the classroom. There were animations, soundscapes, live poetry, short films, storytelling and digital artwork on show.
REPORTERS FOR PAPAL VISIT
Several students met with the ‘Radio 5 Live’ presenter, Shelagh Fogarty to talk about the Papal visit. They had prepared for this interview with Ms Tomlinson so had some good responses to her questions! The Rt Rev Malcolm McMahon, Bishop of Nottingham was also being interviewed with the students and they got to speak to him too. The girls said it was very exciting but that they were nervous because they knew it was very high profile! The students also did an online article about the visit. You can access it here:
http://tinyurl.com/6zpdwjo |
