Young people have their own worries and last Saturday (December 6) they were able to express them vividly when, as part of the town’s Christmas festivities, they took over the upstairs room at Café Zara in the High Street and turned it into a studio cinema. Rye Studio School students moved in with a series of short social action films devised and directed by the students themselves under the intriguing title What do you believe? All addressed concerns experienced by young people, such as cyber-bullying, racism, drug-taking, depression and family relationships. The teenage perspective came across as emotionally powerful, sometimes raw, sometimes risqué.
Nick Pilton, their film and TV learning coach, explained how he structured his courses: “We are using film medium to highlight social issues that are important to the students, to encourage them to form their own responses.
“In the creative and social action suite each student makes eight films in two years. They have to write and direct their own films, choosing the topic, recruiting the actors and crew. This entails collaborating with students on different courses, such as fashion, drama and design. They research a particular interest area and approach an organisation that might wish to use their work, such as the NSPCC, Cancer Research or Think u Know (a child exploitation charity), for example. Some students have had their work acknowledged and used in this way, and also posted it on YouTube.”
Though the event had not been widely advertised, there was standing room only at times. It was a good opportunity for students to exhibit in public and to submit their work to peer review. Pilton said they will gain similar experience from making a variety of films in different genres throughout the course, such as music video, documentary, drama and animation.