Last week, 100 CTEC Digital Media students took part in a practical workshop with documentary specialists, Chocolate Films.  The session was hosted by two documentary filmmakers, who have created a range of short documentaries including the recent 1000 Londoners, as well as promotional videos for the likes of The Big Issue magazine and The Science Museum.

Students were shown how to deliver a successful documentary production and how to capture the interests of their audience.  The purpose of the workshop was to help them develop ideas for making their own short documentaries and they had the opportunity to receive feedback from the industry professionals on these.  The students also took part in a practical exercise, where they had to film and edit a short documentary sequence.

This workshop is the third time this academic year where CTEC Media students have had the chance to work with experts and discover what makes a successful media text.  Curriculum Manager of the CTEC Digital Media course, Rachel Beasley, praised the Chocolate Film representatives for, “their ability to engage and inspire our students.”  Rachel further commented on how much the students enjoyed the workshop, and that she was, “very impressed with how the students responded to the various activities of the day.”

Over the next few weeks, students will be producing their own documentaries about employability skills as part of an assignment set by the Community Matters Partnership Project (CMPP), who provided funding for the workshop. The documentaries will be used to educate and inspire students in local schools.