Young peoples’ film workshops

Last week we hosted a special screening of short films made by local 14-16 year olds during our 2-day film workshops this summer with Kittyflicks Productions. On show was a diverse range of creative works filmed in and around the Open Market from experimental music videos to interview-portraits of market traders.

Taking place across two days in August, the workshops focused on hands-on skills and encouraged participants to run with their imaginations. Day one focused on kit, learning about camera equipment and sound, as well as experimenting and having fun with these techniques. On day two the QDT office was transformed into an editing suite as the young people were supported to edit their videos into final films.

The young people who took part described how the workshops helped them gain confidence with storytelling, editing and video equipment. These workshops complimented interests they’d had at school in animation, media and a general curiosity about the video medium. While it’s increasingly popular and possible to make a great film with nothing more than a mobile phone, the workshops offered opportunities to widen familiarity with “proper cameras” which was completely new for some. Another highlight mentioned by the young filmmakers was the chance to go and talk to new and interesting people at the Open Market, such as traders at Mimo, Vinyl Selecter and QB Unity. In return, traders seemed to find it refreshing being interviewed by these inspiring young people, who often had a fresh approach and perspective to questioning! The workshops were for 14-16 year olds who are eligible for free school meals, thanks to funding from Brighton and Hove City Council as part of the Holiday, Activities and Food programme.