Scripts, scenery and soundtracks

What went well? What could have been improved?

The teacher's view

Our media arts project was a huge success. It challenged children of all abilities and gave them opportunities to take part in something new, exciting and really rewarding.

To make the project work we had to be quite adventurous in the way we used time and resources. The pupils needed blocks of time to work on the film, not just the odd afternoon.

It's so easy to feel tied to schemes of work, but this project showed us that we can cover many aspects of the programmes of study in a different way. It has definitely given us the confidence to try similar things in the future. The cross-curricular approach was really effective -- we actually had pupils enthusing about literacy! It has also broadened parents' perception of what we do in school, breaking down the misconception that it's all about literacy and numeracy.

Taking such a radical approach required the support and commitment of senior management, governors, staff and parents. We also built up excellent relationships with the local secondary school, university and film-making professionals. We all learned from each other -- staff and pupils found out about film-making from the director, while he discovered that you can't just go round creating explosions in a classroom!

The main constraint we faced was lack of space. However, everybody was happy to be flexible and we managed.

We are definitely going to make another film -- possibly later this year. Next time, we'd like to get pupils involved in actually directing the action themselves. We have been thrilled by the project's far-reaching effects on the school as a whole and individuals within it.