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Learning about film-making...
"Thomas, Andy and Freda have been running a camera club with Write to Read for the children in the W.E.C.A area. We are making and acting in a film to do with a killer pig. Up to now we have only been doing it for about five weeks and we are about half way through the film. The children get in two groups - half of them do arts, crafts and computer work in the downstairs of the building, whilst the acting is done upstairs. We have to do one scene at a time because it is very hard work. The most important word we have learnt is continuity which means you have to wear the same clothes each time you are acting, otherwise it would look very strange and look stupid."
By Neil Tyler
The Porkenstein story...
"One mad scientist tried to make a breakthrough in science, but unfortunately it went wrong, very wrong!! He forgot to remove his sausage sandwich from the cloning machine. This had dire consequences. What came from the machine was not a sandwich, nor was it a boy, but a... killer pig! Terror was to fall over the residents of Parkfield."
By Dominik Roberts
More about the Porkenstein story...
"The Mad Scientist plans to clone a dead human being. But when he gets his calculations wrong the results are drastic! The person turns out to be half human, half mammal but what mammal that is, is secret! The mammal goes to terrible measures to wipe out the party-goers in the haunted mansion, whether he does so or not you’ll have to see! Will the pig survive or will he live on to commit even more crimes?"
By Michelle Dunning
The official "Porkenstein" Press Release...
Young people in Parkfield are making a film called “Porkenstein”, supported by the Write to Read literacy project. The participants are cooperating with each other to invent the characters and storyline, and they are acting, directing and shooting the film themselves. Tom Johnson, who is helping to teach camerawork and editing skills, explains: “The story is about a pig that was created accidentally by a mad scientist one stormy night”.
The children taking part in the film-making go to ten different schools, so these sessions give them a chance to make friends and learn with new people. The sessions take place at Lightfoot Grove Church on Thursday evenings, and more and more participants are getting involved each week. Development Worker Andy Joyce explains: “The aim of Write to Read is to help local people develop creative language skills through enjoyable activities. Everyone has had great fun making the “Porkenstein” film, and we’ve all learned a lot too”.
The participants learned to create realistic special effects with the help of make-up expert Tracy Roberts, and the local Police were so impressed that two officers agreed to act in one scene. The young film-makers even got the chance to visit the University of Durham Queen’s Campus in Stockton, where they discovered that not all scientists are as mad as the one in the story.
Several of the participants are keen to make more films in the future, including a serious documentary about life in Parkfield. Andy Joyce says: “The Write to Read film-making activities are a very popular and successful way of improving people’s skills. Together we can make Stockton a centre of creative communication!”
The film “Porkenstein” will be screened locally soon. For further information please telephone Write to Read on 731985. |
