Waltham Forest - Drug and Alcohol Education for Young People with LDD

In the winter of 2010 Point Blank delivered a project in Waltham Forest designed to provide a fun, stimulating and inspiring experienced for young Waltham Forest residents who have LDD. This was achieved through the production of a short film that raised awareness of the participants experiences with drugs and alcohol. On the project the young people gained a real flavour of what professional film-making involves and were fully involved in all the stages of development from storyboarding through acting and presenting to shooting and editing.

The participants were selected from two different schools and the Friends Empowered youth group. In the end each participant received a certificate of completion and their own copy of the film on DVD to provide evidence of their achievements. Five of the participants achieved a level 1 OCN qualification.

Stage 1: Project Development

The first stage involved ice-breaker activities to engage the young people and let the group get to know each-other. They were also introduced to basic acting techniques and encouraged to take part in role plays exploring the subject matter.

For inspiration the young people watched example films and took photos around the local area, leading onto discussions about how they would like to address the issues surrounding drugs and alcohol through film.

Stage 2: Pre-production

Participants learnt about some more advanced acting techniques such as where to stand and look when in front of the camera, improvisation and body language awareness. Ideas for a story that communicates the dangers of drugs and alcohol including potential characters, locations and sequences were developed and storyboards devised with the help of the tutor.

Stage 3: Production

This stage involved learning about a wide variety of techniques to bring their film to life including behind the scenes filming, investigative journalism, talking heads, and fly on the wall filming. The participants were introduced to state of the art equipment such as HD cameras, electronic clapper boards and dolly & tracks. They also learnt about more advanced acting techniques such as voice projection, movement and continuity.

Stage 4: Post-production

The group viewed the rushes and engaged in a guided discussion about the editing process to ensure that the final product accurately reflected their views. Editing techniques such as transitions, effects, graphics and credit sequences were introduced and the tutor asked the young people for their thoughts on what footage to keep and what to cut. They also sourced music for the film from Point Blank’s publishing catalogue.

Evaluation and Feedback

The participants and tutor submitted their thoughts about the project through a final group discussion and feedback forms with the overall response proving very positive:

“I have gained more confidence” – Josh

“I am more confident and have learnt new skills” – Dominique

“My favourite part was being on camera to show what talent I have” – Jasmine

“My favourite part was being cameraman, least favourite, nothing!” – Ryan

Thanks to all the participants and tutors who made this project such a success. You can check out the final film in the player at the top of this page.