Pembrokeshire Schools Film and Animation Festival 2011

^ Gwyl Ffilm ac Animeiddio Ysgolion Sir Benfro 2011

Welcome to the sixth Pembrokeshire Schools Film and Animation Festival. The Festival is intended to be an annual showcase for films made by Pembrokeshire students, with the hope that it will raise the profile of creative media in the classroom as a tool for learning. We also hope that by watching the films today you are inspired to develop your film-making skills and to continue producing films in your schools. Croeso i Wŷl Ffilmiau ac Animeiddio Sir Benfro. Bwriad yr Wŷl yw rhoi cyfle i lwyfannu ffilmiau digyblion Sir Benfro er mwyn codi proffil cyfrwng creadigol fel arf dysgu yn yn dosbarth. Wrth edrych ar y ffilmiau heddiw gobeithiwn y cewch eich ysbrydoli i ddat-blygu eich sgiliau ffilmio ac i barhau i gynhyrchu ffilmiau yn eich ysgolion.

Every school entering the festival will receive a specially commissioned award and a review from a panel of judges. The adjudications are printed in the programme. Fe fydd pob ysgol sy’n cymryd rhan yn yr Wŷl yn derbyn gwobr arbennig wedi ei chomisiynu yn ogystal ag adolygiad oddiwrth banel o feirniaid. Mae’r beirniadaethau wedi eu hargraffu yn y rhaglen.

The Judges:

Janice Jenkins Current position - Lecturer in Film Studies and English Literature at Pem-brokeshire College. Formerly Head of English at Ysgol y Preseli. Former Board member of Media Education Wales and co-director of the European Film Festival at Theatr Mwldan, with special responsibility for educational projects and events. Degree in English and Postgraduate qualifications in Education, Media Studies and European Cinema.

Greg David After graduating from Arts Institute in Bournemouth in 1994, Greg started his animation career as Creative Director of a small software company. After that, he spent several years working as a freelance animator, working on TV shows like 'You Can Start A Business' for national TV in China that attracted audiences of 40 million viewers. In 2006 Greg set up his own studio, Planet Sunday, to create animation for TV (commercials, idents, TV shows), DVD and the internet. His clients have so far included Compassion International, a pre-school series with Red Balloon Entertainment Company and animated pop promos for several bands in the USA. Last year Greg launched the Animation Academy which runs ani-mation workshops for young people after school and in the school holidays.

Sharron Harris Sharron Harris is an award-winning community film-maker who leads Curious Ostrich Productions a collective of freelance film and video makers, artists, musicians, graphic designers and other highly creative specialists.

Pembrokeshire Schools Film and Animation Festival 2011

Messages from the world of Film and Television:

Well done guys, keep animating, sculpting and drawing! When I was at school I was always told, “You can’t get a job drawing cartoons or playing with plasticine!” But you can if you keep at it! It’s good to experiment with different types of animation and find one you are comfortable with, be it CGI, stop frame or 2D animation. All you need is a bit of paper and a lump of plasticine and a cheap camera to get started. The main thing is to do it lots and lots! At the risk of sounding like my dad “practice makes perfect!” Keep up the good work in 2011.

Rich Webber Aardman animator/director for Purple and Brown.

I wish I could be there today to see your films premier - it must be a very exciting moment for you all. I am so happy to see such creativity coming out of Pembrokeshire. I was really impressed with the work I saw in the 2010 festival and everyone here at Industrial Light and Magic have had a very difficult job choosing one winner from this year’s films for our ILM Award. As a Tenby girl myself, I dreamt of being in the film business and never really believed it was possible. I can tell you now after working at Industrial Light and Magic on films like the Transform-ers and Harry Potter series, Star Wars episodes I, II and III, Star Trek and Iron Man, that dreams really are achievable. Almost everyone I worked with here started their careers making short films while they were at school - so keep it up and who knows where it can take you. All the best to you all! Lynwen Brennan Executive in Charge of Production Industrial Light and Magic, San Francisco, California

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Ysgol Casblaidd “Newyddion a Teledu Celtaidd” (Edit) Adjudication

In Newyddion Celtaidd we liked the presenter (and his suit!) and the script. Try using a greater variety of shots next time: close-ups, cutaways and point-of-view shots. Teledu Celtaidd was very Entertaining, we liked the location shots at Castell Henllys and inclusion of a greater variety of shots, confident delivery and - best of all - this film had a freshness that showed the children were in making the decisions when planning this film.

Ysgol Casmael “Brwydr Y Bardd” Adjudication

This film was researched and planned well. It looked as though the children had been involved at every stage of the production and the performances were excellent. Clear sound, a well chosen variety of shots, good use of transitions to show passing of time and you told the story well. Highly commended.

Lamphey C.P. School “Tudor Street” (Edit) Adjudication

This film was an ambitious project and it started very well. We liked the soap opera idea of Tudor Street and perhaps you could have split the film into 2 episodes. You have put a massive amount of work into this which has resulted in several classic moments. We loved the humour, the beheading scene,(including spurting blood!) and the ‘rugby-ball’ birth of the baby. You have to be commended for the range of shots, clear sound, good choices of locations, costumes and editing.

Order of Events

Welcome speech - Duncan Whitehurst Advisory Teacher for ICT Screening of your films and animations

Presentation of the category winners’ awards Compere - Alona Jones ICT Adviser

An award will be presented to each school by Huw George (County Council Cabinet Member for children, young people, learning and the Welsh language) after their films have been shown.

St Mary’s R.C. School “The Lucky Rainbow” Adjudication

Another good set and another simple idea - finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - which worked well. Good ani-mation of the eyes. Next time you could extend things by writ-ing a short script and try recording voiceovers to tell a story.

St Mary’s R.C. School “Everybody Dance” Adjudication

A nice first animation with a good set and well-made models. It would be wise not to use copyrighted music next time (to avoid legal problems if you distribute your work). We liked the mirror ball, the movement of the eyes and the final trick at the end gave your animation a good grand finale.

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Neyland C.P. School “Mr. Fuzzywick” (Edit) Adjudication

Pre-production and the planning was very good. The film started well and had some funny scenes with some good shots. Your film could have been made shorter by cutting out some of the examples of Mr.Fuzzywic’s bad teaching and still have told the story well. With some ruthless editing you could have a great film on your hands.

Neyland C.P. School “The Lazy LSA” (Edit) Adjudication

Another well-planned film with some good scenes that were acted well. The sound was a bit quiet in places, remember to get your actors to speak confidently or get the camera in close to pick up the sound well. Good editing in places which helped tell the story at a good pace. In both films it’s clear that the children have enjoyed being involved in every part of the film making process. Well done!

Pembroke Dock CS “Healthy Eating” Adjudication

This animation looked a bit automatically ‘computer generated’, but we liked the idea. Next time you could try real fruit, or paper cut-outs, and use stop-frame animation to make it talk. The message was short and concise, well-written and the voice-over was performed very well indeed.

Pennar C.P, School “Yr Fampire” Adjudication

Once again, good pre-production, great models and scenery. The scene when the vampire comes out of his coffin has a splendid foreground/background shot. We were impressed with your attention to details - the cotton-wool smoke, the vampire’s tongue and the well-timed use of a single sound effect. Another simple story, told well, that shows how you can make the curriculum come to life.

Pennar C.P. School “Y Picnic” Adjudication

A lovely, colourful set and it was clear that you have taken time to produce well-made characters. A simple story, told well with very good lip sync (which is hard to do so well done!). We especially liked the animation of the dog barking and growling when he’s trying to wake up his owner.

Milford Comprehensive “Blackbeard’s Treasure Map” Adjudication

You told this story very well in a very short time. We could tell that you had put a great deal of work into the planning which resulted in an animation with a clear beginning, middle and end. The use of Lego was inspired - there’s no mess and you can get into animating straight away. Good use of a variety of shots - entertaining and fab! Highly commended.

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Ysgol Y Preseli “Nosferatu” (Edit) Adjudication

This movie is quite simply superb! You have clearly studied the original story and film and referenced both throughout this film. Excellent use of film language, good camera work, lighting and editing. The performances were well-studied and followed the conventions of the era - and some humour too. Highly commended.

Ysgol Y Preseli “Crush - Broken” Adjudication

Your animation matched the pace of the song well. The animation was of a very high standard, beautifully drawn with a recognisable style of your own. The set of animated sequences were hypnotic, the time flew when we watched this and you succeeded in telling the story of the song. The band must have been delighted with the high standard of you work. Lucky band! Highly commended.

Sageston C.P. School “The Black Knight…” Adjudication

Clearly you have spent time on pre-production and planning here. Well-paced, tight editing (the walking scenes could have been over-long but you edited them superbly). Confident performances. Well-placed (and funny) sound effects. Next time, it would be worth considering producing a making-of documentary to show how the children made their film. Highly commended.

Saundersfoot C.P. School “Rat Attack” (Edit) Adjudication

Great scenery in the rat and dog environments showing attention to detail. We thought the use of mixed media for the chat room was a good idea, but the chat section was quite long. Your use of shots and angles was excellent. We were particularly impressed by the crane shot on the rat.

Saundersfoot C.P. “Little Bo Peep & The Peanut” Adjudication

Animating to a short poem or nursery rhyme is always a good idea and Little Bo Peep worked well. In The Peanut we were very impressed with the way you used different film conven-tions. We liked the moving camera effect which is usually very difficult to achieve. Creative and entertaining. Highly com-mended.

Portfield, Milford and Fisguard High School Animations Adjudication

We liked the idea of taking a theme - space - and producing a set of short animations which showcase a range of techniques. Some highlights included the scene where the models sank into the pond and the space race which showed very good technical skills. Good editing, use of different shots/angles and some finely detailed model-making. Highly commended.

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St Aidan’s V.C. School “Garlunk and Poppy” Adjudication

We enjoyed this animation which was very accomplished first animation. Good pre-production and planning. We liked the use of intertitles to help tell the story and the scene in which the character rolled down the hill was animated very well. Everyone needs a trusty mirror! Good work.

Templeton C.P. School “Mr. Dolittle’s Adventure” (Edit) Adjudication

Good models and backdrop on this animation with some different shots and angles which help to engage the viewer. The lighting was very good as was the lip-sync (especially when the bull was woken up). The idea of linking animation with maths problems was inspired. Highly commended.

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St Teilo’s R.C. School “Beauty or Beast?” (Edit) Adjudication

It was a great idea to take a local issue and exploring both sides of the debate. Some interviews with the public would have been a nice addition, but the children expressed their opinions well and the interview with the site manager was a bit of a scoop! You are to be commended for taking something that’s happening and getting the children’s view on the subject.

Tavernspite C.P. School “Our Film of Fears” Adjudication

A well-planned and produced set of short silent movies based on a story book and involving the whole class. We liked the use of your own music which helped to create a scary atmosphere, as did the aged black and white effect. We particularly liked the lost girl film, but all were acted well and filmed with a variety of shots. Highly commended.

Ysgol Dewi Sant “The Emperor Penguins” Adjudication

A well-written script which was narrated effectively. It would have been a bonus if you had added some moving image: e.g. filmed the narrator introducing the film, or with the images behind them (using green screen). This was a job well done though and the images were well-chosen.

Ysgol Dewi Sant “Fishing” Adjudication

This Flash animation showed a good level of skills and a sense of humour too. Sometimes, it is the simplest ideas that work well with animation. You might be interested in trying out other animation software (like Animation-ish and Toon Boom) which give you more options to get creative.

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Templeton C.P. School “Mr Gupta’s European Food” Adjudication

Good pre-production and planning again linking your animation to maths (and European food!). Very good models and good humour. Part of an inclusive class project for which the school is to be commended. Two films have been entered and re-viewed here, but we will show a short clip from each of the 8 group’s animations at the festival.

Tenby Junior School “Green Screen Writing Project” Adjudication

A fine technical piece of film-making using green screen special effects. We liked the inclusion of a clip to show that the children were involved - and taking charge - during the filming. Your idea of using special effects to encourage and challenge the children to produce detailed creative writing is inspired and the quality of the script was excellent. Highly commended.

19 Community Focused Schools Films and Animations A showcase of clips from recent film and animation projects funded by Community Focused Schools. Groups of students, and in some cases parents and the wider community, have worked with professional film-makers to produce this work. Students are involved in the film-making process but the final project is often edited by the project leaders, so we have put these films on a category of their own. This category includes work from Sir Thomas Picton School, Neyland Community School, Animation Academy and The Hawthorn Project. For more information about CFS projects and Film Club contact Alastair Birch (alastair.birch@pembrokeshire.gov.uk).

Presentation of Awards

Best Film or Animation in Key Stage 1 Best Film in Key Stage 2

Best Animation in Key Stage 2 Best Film or Animation in Key Stage 3

Best Film or Animation in Key Stages 4 and 5

2 extra awards will be presented at the evening screening for parents

The Western Telegraph Audience Award The Industrial Light and Magic Best Film Award

The winners from each category will receive the exclusive Pembrokeshire Oscar sculpted from recycled aluminium by Sonja Dawn Flewitt and will go forward to represent Pembrokeshire in the National Schools Film and Animation Awards. If your film is shortlisted for this prestigious event, you will be invited to the final of the national competition in London at the BFI Southbank Centre in late November 2011.

Thank you to: The Torch Theatre, Pembrokeshire County Council, the Western Telegraph and Milford Haven Port Authority for sponsoring the awards. Planet Sunday for the Razorbill animation and the award certificates(www.planetsunday.com) Adjudicators: Greg David, Janice Jenkins and Sharron Harris. Awards Sculptor: Sonja Dawn Flewitt. Schools Curriculum Advisory Team. Maxine Parsons and everyone at the Torch Theatre. Staff and pupils of all participating schools.

Watch the films again! Read the reviews!

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www.pembrokeshirefilm.org