Untold Stories: sharing stories across the generations

This blogpost also appears on the People’s Heritage Co-operative website.

As part of The People’s Heritage Co-operative’s HLF funded project, ‘Untold Stories: Birmingham’s Wounded Soldiers from WW1’, Year 8 pupils at Swanshurst School took part in a series of workshops with Rachel Gillies – Community Film Maker to learn how to conduct filmed oral history interviews.

The result of their hard work is 11 remarkable interviews with a range of people discussing their own experiences and the experiences of relatives in some of the major conflicts of the 20th Century.  From shelling in the trenches of The Somme to the shelling of Hartlepool, patrolling the Suez Canal to holding the line in Korea, back to the UK to the aftermath of conflict in people’s daily lives, including the reality of medical care, the interviews are eye-opening and frank.

Students took on a massive responsibility in helping interviewees share their often harrowing experiences.  Special thanks must go to staff at Swanshurst School and to former teacher, Doug Smith, who facilitated the project and who organises the school’s annual ‘Veteran’s Day’.  Thanks also to Veterans, School Staff and Lt Col. Steve Jeffery who were so forthcoming and generous in their interviews.

The quality of these interviews really does speak volumes about the maturity and sensitivity of pupils who were only born in the 21st Century.  They are ensuring the the lessons from previous generations are passed on.  And in a world that feels in a state of flux, what could be more important than that?

‘Looking After’ children in care

Life can be stressful enough for children and young people within the care system without being passed from pillar to post when it comes to healthcare.  The Looked After Children’s Nursing Service provides a ‘one-stop shop’ for health screening and support.

I worked with pupils at Firsbrook School in Quinton to produce a short animation to illustrate what happens at an annual check up.  The young people, themselves classed as ‘Looked After Children’, worked with their Art teacher, Richard Upton and myself to create the animation.  This involved discussing their own apprehensions and experiences of accessing health care and advice.  This formed the basis of the script which we developed into a stop frame animation, using characters the group developed themselves.

AnimationThe young people are given annual check ups by a specialist team of nurses, and they also have the opportunity to discuss health issues with a specialist paediatrician.  This means that their physical and mental health can be monitored and managed, and support can be offered where needed.  Files are kept in one place and the young person will usually see the same person each year.

This animation formed part of a further film, based on interviews with nurses, doctors and healthcare assistants within the Looked After Children’s Health Team.  This explains in some details what children and young people can expect.

Daisy Hale, Elliot Sturman did a sterling acting job undergoing a mock check, and Jennifer Smith did a fantastic turn as a Social Worker (maybe a new career beckons?).  Huge thanks to everyone within the team was brave enough to go in front of the camera!  Thanks also to everyone at Firsbrook for making me feel so welcome – staff and pupils alike.

Monoxide Mole investigates

Over the past year there have been a number of really sad stories in the news about people dying as a result of Carbon Monoxide poisoning.  The tragedy of all of these incidents is that they are so easily preventable through a knowledge of the possible dangers and by getting appliances checked by a qualified and registered engineer.

In a bid to educate people on the dangers of Carbon Monoxide, the Gas Safety Trust funded Moseley Community Development Trust to work with local pupils at Park Hill Primary School to help spread the message.  Phil Beardmore, an expert on home energy issues (one of the many hats he wears!) developed a training session to teach adults working on the project what Carbon Monoxide is, what can make it hazardous, the signs of poisoning and how it can be prevented.

Gas Safety Project

This was a unique project as it was pupils themselves that took the lead on creating an advertising campaign.  I worked alongside the wonderfully talented and creative Sandra Taylor (formerly of the rather marvellous Playtrain organisation) to help the group develop their ideas, find creative ways of expressing what was quite a complex subject (especially for Key Stage 2 pupils!), and then to realise their vision through drama, narration, film and animation.

The result is a fun, informative film, developed and created by the pupils themselves which is now being shown in homes across Moseley.  The pupils learned new skills over the course of the project, but more importantly really took the message of Gas Safety on board.  1,000 DVDs have been produced to make sure that the message is spread far and wide, and the information is now available online on the Moseley CDT website.

Thanks to Sandra for all of her hard work co-ordinating the project, to Phil for his excellent training and support, to all the supportive staff at Park Hill, to Tony Thapar at Moseley CDT and to Ben Lister for his excellent work on the edit. Above all, well done to the pupils who put so much effort in and made the project such a giggle!

Pool of Memories progress

35 pupils in four schools have now been part of creating a total of eight films about the history of Moseley Road Baths in Balsall Heath, all of which will eventually be added to our online archive of the building at www.poolofmemories.co.uk.

PoMP - Park Hill School

The Heritage Lottery Fund supported project, run by the Friends of Moseley Road Baths has involved pupils in researching the history of the building, taking a tour around the Baths, learning how to make films and conduct interviews, and then finally editing their interviews together into short films to be added to our archive.  Ever since I started making films in the community, back when I worked as a Receptionist at Moseley Road Baths it’s been my aim to get this lovely building celebrated more within the surrounding area.  We certainly seem to be achieving that!

PoMP - Park Hill SchoolPupils have really loved the tours and have asked some really great (and challenging!) questions about the building and how it was built and is maintained.  On several occasions I’ve seen pupils dashing up to parents and teachers to tell them all about the things that they’ve learnt.  Apologies if you’re one of those people who has been bombarded with trivia!  However, we know that young people are exactly the kind of ambassadors we need to ensure future generations enjoy the building.

PoMP - Percy Shurmer SchoolAll of the children have picked up on the film-making really quickly.  We’ve had some real giggles mucking around with the microphones and playing around in front of the camera!  We soon managed to form film crews with a Director, Sound Recordist, Camera Operator and Interviewer.  Many of our interviewees have commented on the professionalism of the group.

IMG_4461

All of the questions for the interviewees have been written by the pupils, who have shown a great level of maturity in their questions.  These budding young historians have really grasped the concept of oral history recording and its importance for helping people to understand the past and its relevance to us today.

PoMP Clifton Junior

The quality of the interviews has been excellent, with some really interesting stories coming out as a result of the groups asking such good questions.  We’ve learnt about the diving boards and drinks for a penny in the 1950s, competitive swimming in the 1960s, school trips to the Baths in the 1970s, someone almost having a baby in the pool in the 1980s and then in stories from more recent years we’ve learnt about the technical side of rebuilding the windows, what it’s like to work there, as well as hearing about the campaign work to keep the building open.

With five more school projects budgeted for over the course of the three year project I am now looking for other local schools who may wish to participate.  The project is aimed at Year 6 pupils, but can be tailored for other year groups.  The finished films are added to our archive, and many will appear on our online archive, www.poolofmemories.co.uk.  They will then be used as part of our exhibition work and will form the basis of an extensive drama project.  If you would like your school to be involved then you can contact us at memories@friendsofmrb.co.uk.

Here is an example of one of the films, created by Year 3 pupils at Clifton Junior School.

Pool of Memories at Anderton Park School

We’re now full speed ahead with the Friends of Moseley Baths’ Heritage Lottery Fund supported Pool of Memories project after months of planning and interviewing the public.  Last month I went into Anderton Park School and worked with eight Year 6 pupils, researching the history of the building, learning how to make films and then interviewing people with memories of the building.

Pupils at Moseley Road Baths

I had a huge amount of fun with the group, and it was especially exciting to see the enthusiasm for the building that the pupils developed over the course of the week.  The aim of the project, as well as teaching research, speaking and listening skills, technical film-making skills and interview techniques, was to instill a sense of ownership of the building in the pupils.  The upshot is that they can’t wait for it to reopen so that they can go swimming with friends.  They can also reel off a whole list of facts and figures about the building, particularly the boiler room, which is astounding!

We’ve now got two short films, edited down from almost an hour of interviews, which we showed to all of Year 6 at the end of the project. The reaction we got was great, and both pupils and teachers asked lots of questions and were interested in running the project again. It really is the case that Moseley Road Baths inspires and excites people of all ages and backgrounds.

Here are a few short films we made with the Flip which is the pupils talking about the project in their own words. The first is a rehearsal of the presentation that the pupils gave to the rest of the Year group. Enjoy and feel free to add your own thoughts on the project using the comments box below!

I’m starting projects at Clifton Junior School and Park Hill School in the next month… more news to follow on that soon!

What we did this week from Rachel Gillies on Vimeo.

Ibrahim talks about the project from Rachel Gillies on Vimeo.

Umar’s thoughts on the project from Rachel Gillies on Vimeo.

Lichfield Festival – Memory Box

Tonight is the second evening in a row where I’ve come home and flopped down in front of my computer – tired, but incredibly proud of my work and enthused by the young people and creative minds I’m so lucky to be able to work alongside.  As with my post about the Radiate Training I’ll keep it brief and promise to fill in the gaps later.

Bob Morris - Memory Box

The project was commissioned by The Lichfield Festival as part of their Learning and Participation programme.  Pupils from two schools have researched aspects of World War Two and filmed interviews with veterans and people with memories of the period.  The result is 12 excellent films that were premiered at the Wedge Gallery at Lichfield College this evening – but you can go and view them there next week during the festival.  This evening many people were moved to tears, and Len Owens, an SAS veteran was keen to praise the pupils.  In my mind praise doesn’t come higher than that.

We have been experimenting with using a Blog for the project, to enable pupils to communicate with each other and share their work, so you can read more about the film making process on the Lichfield Festival Learning and Participation Blog under the category ‘Memory Box’.

everybody

There’s so much to be said about the wonderful Radiate training scheme that I (shockingly) last mentioned on here last November.  I’ve just come back from the final exhibition and evaluation session and my head is buzzing with ideas! I’ve met so many inspiring creative minds and I really hope that this scheme will form the basis of some great collaborative educational projects.

Anyhow, in place of a proper update I wanted to share the final film that I created with pupils at Frankley Community High School.  Let me know your thoughts!

everybody from Rachel Gillies on Vimeo.

Reel Health Stories

I’ve recently found out about a film competition taking place over the next couple of months which I have been asked to promote.  There are now huge amounts of festivals and competitions, locally, nationally, internationally, and often online.  What I think it particularly nice about this one is its focus on health from a slightly different perspective.  I’ve made a number of films that have focused on patients’ experiences and I find it fascinating – it’s so personal, fundamental and touches us all in some way.  The fact that this is being judged by a bit of a hero of mine, the Director Ken Loach, is even more fantastic!  So, onto the details!  Let me know if you apply!

Want to make films? Industry professionals to judge YOUR short film on illness, wellness, madness, or anything else about bodies and minds

*Now open for submissions*

Judges include Ken Loach and David Morrissey.  Deadline 28 May 2010.

Who can enter?
Open to all.  £100 first prizes in the under-18 and the over-18 categories + 2 x £50 runner up prizes + £100 special educational prize.

What kinds of films?
We want films that show just what sickness, healthiness, madness and addiction mean to you and the people you love. Show us what you feel strongly about. Eating disorders, chronic pain, embarrassing illnesses, scary diagnoses, staying fit, caring for others – all of these, and more, are possible subjects.  We definitely don’t need films on policy-related health issues, e.g. the NHS.

Submissions will be used to help student doctors understand how their patients really feel about health, sickness and treatment – the film that does this best wins the £100 special educational prize.

Films should be between 20 seconds and 5 minutes long.

All genres accepted: fiction, documentary, experimental, animated, musical… Films do not have to be documentaries about real individuals, doctors, nurses, hospitals, GP surgeries etc (although they can be if people get permission).

All mediums accepted e.g. mobile phone, super-8, iFlip, digital camera, 35mm, 70mm(!). But entries need to be on DVD or submitted digitally via our website (see http://www.reelhealthstories.com/How_to.html).

See http://www.reelhealthstories.com/advice3.html for example films, but we bet you can do better!

Who are the judges?
Director Ken Loach, actor/director David Morrissey, movie producer Camille Gatin, and UCL Director of Medical Education Professor Jane Dacre.

When will the films be screened?
Screening is at the Rowan Arts Project’s ‘The Big Day Out’ in Whittington Park on Sunday 4th July 2010, and at UCL’s Bloomsbury Campus in October 2010.

How can I find out more?
Visit the Reel Health Stories website; Facebook: Facebook; twitter: @reelhealthstory.
Project lead Dr Katherine Woolf 020 7288 3546 or filmfestival@ucl.ac.uk.

Playing with a Flip

Now, I’ve never claimed to be at the cutting edge of technology, and in fact it was quite a relief when recently chatting with local photographer and all round lovely lass Jane Baker (you may know her as Greensnapper, purveyor of fine photography for the Jubilee Debt Campaign, Friends of the Earth, The Terrence Higgins Trust and other great pics coming soon to a good cause near you), to learn that I’m not the only local media maker who shies away from talking techie and comparing the size of our lenses with anyone who’ll get theirs out.

Fortunately, I have a husband who can happily while away the hours looking at the finer details of any given gadget, reading reviews, posting on forums and generally boring me rigid. Happily his nerdishness and my impatience to just DO go together quite nicely!

So, with that in mind, we’ve got our hands on a Flip Ultra HD. James did the reading around, I pointed a camera in his face. The result: just some initial thoughts on Flips, their compatibility with various computers and their use when traveling. It’s not a definitive guide, it’s not meant to be. But it does give you an idea of what’s out there and how it can be used… enjoy.

Health Projects

The more observant amongst you may notice a few changes to my website.  More colour, more information, a couple more pages.  I’ve realised that whilst I’ve been tweeting away (@RachelGillies in case you were wondering) and blogging regularly on the Friends of Moseley Road Baths website, I have left my own website criminally neglected.

So, I’ve now added a photo here and there, plus some of the broken links are gradually getting fixed.  There are a few more films appearing (once I can get them uploaded to my Vimeo account).

Most importantly I’ve added a new page for all of my films relating to health and fitness.  A huge amount of my work is based on health and wellbeing but so far it’s barely got a mention on here.  So, hopefully the Health and Fitness Page will give you a flavour of some of my work to date… and there will be more to come as I have a few things in the pipeline.  Keep checking back for updates!