Project information

StatusFinalist
URLGo to website
CategoryEducation
Formal education
CountryUnited Kingdom
Operational areasUrban, Rural
Target groupsChildren, Youth, Women, Men, Seniors
Fixed connectionDialup, IDSN, Cable
Wireless connectionWiFi, WiMax
Access pointsBusiness, Home, School, Library, Cafe
InteractLandline Phone, Desktop Computer, Laptop, PDA
Software License TypesProprietary

Project location

Random images Challenge 2008

Film Street

  • Brief description
  • Film Street is a website designed to introduce children (under 12’s) to a wider range of film, teach them how to understand & appreciate film, & inspire them to make their own films. Aspirant young filmmakers can find fun-packed interactive activities, movie-making ideas & expert advice wrapped up in a friendly & easy to use interface.
  • Vision, Objectives and Goals
  • The site supports several lines of learning all which help with the issue of promoting media literacy. The arrival of digital technology has brought a revolution in the way we communicate and consume the media. Film Street aims to teach children how to ‘read’ or analyse film to help foster an awareness of the way media conveys messages and tells stories. We want to enable children to embrace increasingly accessible digital resources and express themselves effectively through filmmaking. Analysing film helps children develop 'higher order' skills of inference, textual exegesis and personal response. 'Certainly many children who can read only at a purely literal level with print text can and do infer at a far more sophisticated levels when presented with moving image text.' (Look Again. British Film Institute and Dept for Education & Skills). Responding to and analysing film enables children to develop comprehension skills, and understanding of story structure, and extend their vocabulary through the language of image, music and sound. Throughout its pilot stages and development the notion of a personalised experience for children using the site was built into each activity. This is perhaps best summarised in the ethos of the site where as much content as possible is open, that is to say that there are not simple yes or no answers but an emphasis on developing curiosity, interpretation and personal response. Film Street aims to introduce children to a wider range of film including film from around the world and film made by other young people to inspire children’s own filmmaking. Film Street is designed to teach children filmmaking techniques and skills. Each building in the street concept is dedicated to a particular element of filmmaking and uses a scaffolded approach to guide learners. Children can access information where filmmaking terms and technical vocabulary are glossary linked. They can watch film clips that highlight and demonstrate the use of each technique. Then using the knowledge they have acquired, children can play an interactive game where they can experiment with a filmmaking skill or technique in a safe, positive and supportive environment. When they produce their own film content Film Street provides a platform for the exhibition and celebration of their work. Since the site launch in April 2006 to date (Nov 2007) there has been a 100% increase in the numbers of unique visitors to the site. As the site establishes itself we expect a steady increase in the number of teacher users and countries that access its resources. We reached over 500 teachers, who have signed up to receive its newsletter, early this year, January 2007 and the 100 countries milestone August 2007.
  • How does ICT contribute to the organisational objectives
  • Film Street has been made possible by technological change. Young people embracing online and offline ICT, as well as shifting from passive engagement of websites to interactivity (more commonly known as Web 2.0) means that Film Street could realise its full potential. The main part of the site is a flash animated street made up of eight buildings where children watch and analyse films and then can discover how a film is made. Dedicated sections for parents and teachers provide advice and guidance for adults exploring and making films with young people. A Film Mag reports on the children’s film industry and a moderated Message Board invites user feedback. ICT objectives are met by activities in the Animation Workshop, Camera and Lights, Special Effects, Sound and Editing and Music sections of Film Street. Use of the interactive games on the site supports QCA ICT Unit 3D Exploring simulations. Using the website inspires children to apply their subject knowledge to use digital equipment to make a film, promoting the development of ICT skills. Using the website and engaging in the activities fosters analysis, debate, experimentation research and decision making. Filmmaking develops a range of transferable skills including: concentration, conceptual thinking, communication, team work and commitment, and planning.
  • Transferability
  • To replicate or transfer the Film Street model would be possible for a number of reasons. The architecture of the site is already established; there was a robust development phase and user testing was extensive. The site was initially commissioned by Culture Online, an initiative of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and therefore came about as a public intervention with significant UK government funding. Culture Online awarded First Light Movies approximately £600k to develop and manage the set up of the site and it is currently funded by the UK Film Council. Film Street as a website is universally accessible and therefore the value of replicating it would be debatable. However, it could be “re-skinned” so that the visual design and editorial appeals to over 12s ; by increasing the target age range it could be repurposed and benefit a larger community of young filmmakers. Film Street has a large bank of teaching resources that can be mapped to the teaching curricula of different regions; currently resources are linked to the primary curriculum for England and Wales and will be shortly mapped to those of Northern Ireland and Scotland. All our resources suggest activities that utilise resources that are provided by Film Street (like our online short films) so teachers can access the resources easily but can also adapt them to resources that are available in their own regions and languages.
  • Project summary
  • Flash animation has enabled us to create the magical online world of Film Street for children to immerse themselves in. Film Street delivers a learning experience that is engaging, exciting and personal to our young visitors. Children can log on and choose their own username, password and character to explore the street; they can choose to be guided through the website or can access the content in any order they choose. There is also a moderated Message Board which invites user feedback. Users can also set the display preferences or select the text-to-speech system Browse Aloud which makes the site more accessible to visually impaired or dyslexic users. The personalised learning journey and experiential learning, as well as the control/choice over when and how they access the site, means that it has consciously echoed the current UK Government’s thinking of how learning can be experienced. A child’s journey down Film Street starts in the Cinema where the internet allows us to stream a diverse range of film from around the world, which children can watch to provoke curiosity and stimulate their own creative ideas. There is an online review tool that uses a scaffolded approach to support children in meaningful analysis of film. Analysing film helps children develop 'higher order' skills of inference, textual exegesis and personal response. The cinema also provides a platform for the exhibition and celebration of children’s own work as they can submit their films to appear on the website. It is essential that children and young people have these abilities, or media literacy skills, the ability to access, understand and create communications in a variety of contexts (Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, definition) in this electronic media age. Making a wide range of films available from around the world for children to watch also fosters appreciation, understanding and knowledge about other cultures and communities which otherwise might be unknown. With the internet being so ubiquitous, geography, time and space are no longer barriers. The rest of the buildings on Film Street have been designed to teach children filmmaking techniques and skills. The interactive elements of the site enable children and young people to experience and practise filmmaking techniques before they try filmmaking for real, in a safe, moderated environment. Animation can encourage them to interpret stories which are not only narrative driven and linear in their forms, but also introduces the concept of the moving image as being abstract and experimental, whilst continuing to be creative and fun. Each building is dedicated to a particular element of filmmaking and uses a scaffolded approach to guide learners. Children can access information where filmmaking terms and technical vocabulary are glossary linked. They can watch film clips that highlight and demonstrate the use of each technique. Finally using the knowledge they have acquired children can then play an interactive game where they can experiment with a filmmaking skill or technique in a safe, positive and supportive environment. Children receive automated feedback on their efforts and can save their work online in the Scrapbook. Users can have their own password protected personal space. Here, they can save, reflect upon and improve their work, as well as share it with their peers, parents and teachers. This space offers an opportunity for children and young people to safely experiment plus gain further confidence and understanding of digital interactivity and engage with creative play whilst simultaneously learning. Progress can be tracked on the Scrapbook page where the badges are lit up once a task has been completed. Online or paper reviews also offer a great tool for both baseline and summative assessment of the development of children’s cineliteracy skills and understanding. The website can be updated on a daily basis and so children can return to access, view, create, mash (i.e. repurpose) moving image work in the home environment in sophisticated ways. Universal access via the internet means that a large bank of free activity sheets are available as PDF documents for children to use providing them with a range of activities they can complete offline, illustrating the control they can have over how and when they engage with their learning. The site is fully accessible to all children and young people so that no one is disenfranchised from the learning that can be experienced. There are therefore opportunities for dyslexic and motor impaired users: http://www.filmstreet.co.uk/access.aspa?PageID=324&NodeID=1 http://www.filmstreet.co.uk/accessibility.aspa?PageID=211&NodeID=1 Filmmaking is a collaborative experience and Film Street allows us to provide information for the adults who may be supporting children with their filmmaking endeavours, alongside the resources and materials targeted at the children, all in one place. Film Street is noted for its free resources, access to films and advice for teachers who want to embed film education (cineliteracy and filmmaking) into their teaching as advised in the new Primary Framework for Literacy. Many schools now have interactive whiteboards, and a website such as Film Street is a valuable resource to use on this type of technology by classes or groups of children together. There are currently over 500 teachers signed to the Film Street mailing list to receive the regular e-newsletter with useful information about national curriculum related topics. We have a case study, from a teaching assistant based in Norwich, which describes succinctly how Film Street has helped her, in her work with a group of children to create an award winning film: http://www.filmstreet.co.uk/articleview.aspa?PageId=655&nodeid=233 ICT objectives are met by activities in the Animation Workshop, Camera and Lights, Special Effects, Sound and Editing and Music sections of Film Street. Use of the interactive games on the site supports the UK’s Qualifications and Curriculum Authority’s ICT Unit 3D Exploring simulations. Using the website inspires children to apply their subject knowledge to use digital equipment to make a film, promoting the development of ICT skills. Depending on the age and ability of the children, Film Street can be explored on an interactive whiteboard with the whole class, in small groups or in pairs or by individuals at separate computer terminals, with or without support from a teacher or teaching assistant. The range of tasks available means that most learning styles are accommodated for and the downloadable activities relevant to each area of filmmaking in the Scrapbook and Library provide valuable reinforcement and extension tasks which include templates for children’s own creative work. Children can use the message board and email to contact the Film Street team. By registering, they can interact with the site by saving their work online, writing reviews and reports for publication (Your News), contributing to the message board, entering competitions and submitting film content. There is a search box at the top of every page that children can use to access an archive of articles and a FAQs article in the Film Mag which offers support on how to use the website. The Film Mag is designed to engage children with contemporary film culture through profiles and reviews of the latest film releases, interviews with the filmmakers and details of filmmaking events such as children’s film festivals and filmmaking workshops. Film Street gives children a voice in a safe environment. It is moderated by CRB checked moderators and so the site provides a safe forum for children to express themselves. Children are not able to chat directly with another person on the Message Board and no images or films with children in them will be uploaded onto the site unless a signed permission form has been received from a parent or guardian. Alongside any contributions submitted by children, only their first names and general geographical location (e.g. Wales) are listed. All content is checked to ensure it contains no offensive language, email addresses, telephone numbers, or web addresses. Navigation of Film Street does not require any scripts. Alt tags are used in the HTML content throughout the site. The site provides a logical tabbing order and all Flash activities are made accessible through tabbing. The site has been built using XHTML and CSS that allows the user to change the font settings via their preferred browser settings and override the CSS presentation of fonts. Film Street conforms to the technical standards and specifications identified in the Becta (the UK Government's key partner in the strategic development and delivery of its information and communications technology (ICT) and e-learning in schools) publication ‘Making accessible software, a guide for developers and providers’ and supporting materials (please refer to attachment Appendix I)