Creative Writing Workshop, Film School and RE Today Workshop
Our creative writing workshops and Film School aim to inspire and develop the talents of aspiring writers and filmmakers through hands-on experience and expert mentorship. We provide participants with the skills and opportunities needed to excel in their creative pursuits.
The creative writing workshop session is delivered by Mike Carter who has written over 25 plays, which have been staged in prestigious venues across the world. He worked with Roald Dahl on a musical adaption of ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’, which premiered at The Gardner Arts Centre in 1986 and which has enjoyed numerous productions since (including the BBC’s highly acclaimed ‘Listen’ Series starring Gary Wilmot and Maria Friedman). He also collaborated with Raymond Briggs on the only stage adaptation of the cult comic book, ‘Fungus the Bogeyman’ which opened at the Leicester Haymarket under the direction of the late Ken Campbell in 1995. Mike also wrote the film script of ‘Connected’ starring Natasha Staples and Luke Healy, which has enjoyed screenings in the UK, New Zealand and across Europe. His film, ‘Brothers of War’, which he wrote and directed, was launched by Koch Media and was also released in the USA in November 2015.
In the RE Today Workshop, pupils explore the following concepts through RE activities. Questions include: Is it possible to respect ideas you disagree with? Is respect always a good thing? Pupils discuss what respect means in society, and learn lots of RE at the same time. The workshops also enable them to take part in a creative task and share their thoughts and conclusions at the end of the session. There are up to 20 places available per school.
Aims
Our film production day is an exciting opportunity for primary school pupils to experience the art of film making and visual media creation. We work alongside filmmaker Ed Boase of the Young Film Academy with pupils creating their own Ten-Shot films. Pupils also learn about the skills and techniques of film production. The workshop includes an exciting fight choreography session, discussions on film history, screen writing and camera work. There is even a ‘Mini Film Festival’ and awards ceremony at the end of the session.
Impact
Some feedback from schools:
“This session will help our pupils improve their time management and their ability to plan as a group”
“The workshop will help improve how our pupils listen to each other’s points of view and increase their ability to coordinate a sequence of events.”
" This event allows children to develop inferencing and deduction skills. It is a fantastic way to create a film without having to carry out lots of editing."
Frequency
Our workshop takes place each year in the Spring term. We have been working with Mike Carter for over five years and this is one of our most popular outreach sessions. This year's workshop is on 11th March 2020.
