Youngsters make a cut
YOUNGSTERS MAKE A CUT
Budding young filmmakers from Knowsley and south Liverpool have been honoured at a high-profile screening and awards ceremony.
Merseyside actor Michael Starke – star of Brookside and Coronation Street – and X Factor finalist
Chris Maloney
were among the VIP guests who presented awards at Neet TV’s The Producers evening at the Showcase Cinema on East Lancashire Road.
Other VIPs included Deputy Lieutenant of Merseyside Abi Pointing, Knowsley MP George Howarth, and Knowsley council deputy leader Cllr Mike Murphy.
Around 400 people attended, including 120 of the young people who made the films – most of whom have learning disabilities and difficulties – and their families.
Neet TV, which is part of Knowsley Enterprise Academy, helps children and young people to produce films and explore the potential of a career in the media industry.
The project’s Hollywood-standard equipment ensures they gain up-to-the-minute experience of the filmmaking process.
Students aged between seven and 25 from schools in Knowsley and Liverpool were involved in all aspects of making the films premiered there.
This included coming up with the original story ideas, scriptwriting, lighting, sound, camera work, editing and even designing DVD covers and promotional posters.
The films focus on a wide range of topics, from superstitions and tips for running a successful business, to movies about charity projects to raise money for causes like the Hillsborough Family Support Group and Help for Heroes.
The schools involved were Our Lady’s Primary, Knowsley Central, Kirkby High School, Bluebell Park, Alt Bridge, Meadowbrook and Palmerston School, Woolton, with a further film made by young people involved in a Neet TV employability programme.
Knowsley Enterprise Academy project manager, Sue Temple-Fielding, said: “It’s been a pleasure and a privilege to see the enthusiastic way the young people have tackled making their films, and the creativity of their various approaches.
“They have produced some excellent work which has really impressed everyone who has seen it, which is why we have organised our premiere for the fifth year in a row, to enable the films to be seen by a much wider audience.
“We’re very grateful to our VIPs and all our other guests for attending the showcase event and making it an evening to remember,” added Mrs Temple-Fielding.
Knowsley Enterprise Academy, set up by award-winning social enterprise Knowsley Development Trust, provides a wide range of business-related activities for pupils in local schools and for young people not in education, employment or training.