EMC is offering one school a unique opportunity to create its own animated video, using the ideas, words, voices, drawings, music and creativity of their students, planned and taught by professionals.
This is a cross-curricular project that could unite a combination of English, Music, Drama, ICT, Media Studies, Art and Citizenship to create a professional animation in collaboration with a BAFTA award winning animator and a poet who has performed on the BBC.
‘I Come From’ – an animation created at Lammas School, London, by the team – shows what can be created when students have access to artistic professionals and the right equipment. You can watch it on the Poetry Station.
The project will result in a video that the whole school can be proud of. In a time-pressured world, this is an opportunity for your students to make a high-quality creative product that can be shared globally. The video will also be featured on EMC’s Poetry Station website.
Students will work with spoken word educator, Cat Brogan, in their school to write a multi-voice poem. (To involve the maximum number of students, Cat can perform to an assembly and ‘crowd source’ a group poem by asking students to write on post-it notes that are collected at the end.)
She will then work with a selected group of between 10 and 20 students, to create a group poem. These could be pupil premium, EAL, SEN, gifted and talented, at risk or a mix of students. They could be from one year group or several. This project could be an opportunity to showcase great writers, performers and artists at your school, to reward students and/or to engage hard to reach students.
The topic could be of the school’s choosing. It could address an issue that the students feel strongly about, provide a creative response to the school’s vision statement, take a look at their local area or explore what poetry, school or community means to students.
Cat will work with the school to ensure the topic is one that students, staff and parents can engage with.
Students will work at Mosaic Films studios in Dalston to record the poem with Jack Morgan, a trained music therapist and counsellor. They will also work with Eleanora Tozzi and BAFTA award-winning animator Salvador Maldonado to create backgrounds and characters to animate their words. They will have both access to equipment such as green screen, mounted cameras for stop motion and the opportunity to use industry standard techniques. Links could be made with the Art, ICT and Media Studies departments in your school.
At this point a ‘picture lock’ version of the film will be made available, providing a possible opportunity for the music department of the school to get involved, working with students to compose the musical score for the film.
Music would be recorded and post produced by Jack Morgan.
The team will provide the finishing touches and the final animation will be delivered approximately 4 weeks after Cat’s visit to the school.
The total cost of the project is £4000 but the participating school will only be expected to pay £1500 of this. EMC will subsidise the project and pay the remaining costs.
EMC will select one school to work with, on the basis of a short application letter. Our criteria will be as follows:
Here’s a timeline for applying to EMC to be the chosen school:
Email Barbara Bleiman if you have any questions or want to discuss a possible application.