Zoom, out!

The final day of the Zoom '08 Festival was fantastic! Starting off with an Improvisation workshop at the Muni Arts Centre, Pontypridd, I watched as children threw an invisible ball about and I got hit at one point (let's just say I didn't see it coming). Then they became different characters and even dinosaurs whilst walking around the room.
A showing of Sebastien Nieman's German film, Hui Buh, an animation film about a ghost, blew away the audience who thought that the film was amazing.
There was a showing of 'Pet Idol', the end product of the puppetry workshops. The short film was hilarious featuring a farting lion and dancing rabbit.
The highlight of the day, however, was the Zoom Young Filmmaker awards Ceremony. With the entrance to the Muni lined with red carpet and lights, people came to watch the awards ceremony which showed a wide variety of talent from youngsters as young as eight.
ITV reporter and journalist, Lewis Vaughan-Jones, presented the awards which showed some real good talent from documentaries to short films. Torchwood's Ianto Jones, Gareth David Lloyd, handed out Zoom's personal award given to the short film which they think represents what Zoom is about. The winner was a film about skating and the passion and effort behind it. The aim if the film was to try and get a local skate park built to keep the kids off the street. Skate Park was educational, in a skating sense, and was a very interesting film.
The night ended off in Clwb Y Bont. There were two chocolate fountains (double the fun if you went to the opening night) and music to amuse.
Anyway, I'm off to bathe my feet and relax because keeping up with the kids was no easy task. Great festival guys!

Day Three

Day three and Merthyr Tydfil's Welsh Centre (Menter Gymraeg Merthyr Tydful) was where the fun was at as well as another puppetry workshop in the Pontypridd Muni Arts Centre (another chance for me to add to my toilet-roll puppet).
I forgot Superted and Sam Tan/Fireman Sam even existed until today! Going back to my childhood I found myself more excited than the children themselves which was pretty difficult since they were having a blast. We all sat on the edge of our seats as Superted once again foiled Texas Pete's evil plans. I was so delighted at one point that I began to clap when Superted caught Texas Pete, drawing odd looks from parents and spurring the children on to do the same. It was great!
An advanced preview of Kurt Cobain: About a Son was impressive. A wide variety of people came to watch and with a stunning montage of images playing whilst Kurt Cobain's recorded lulling voice running at the same time, the film put most of us into a trance.

Animation, films and fun!

The Blackwood Miners Institute and Abertillery Metropole were the venues and there were plenty of films and workshops to keep the kids busy and they enjoyed every minute of it.
The children of Tir-Y-Berth Primary worked extremely well during the Animation Taster workshop run by Cardiff based Moonoo Productions Limited boys Nick and Nick (must be an animator's name). The guys showed the children how to create an animation from scratch by drawing individual images onto pieces of paper and shooting them in sequence before playing it back in the form of a cartoon. I couldn't join in because my drawings would have put the two Nicks' drawings to shame, obviously. About half an hour into the workshop and the two animators were practically made redundant as the children, who were very fast learners, began to take charge and make their animations with near enough no help at all.
Showings of Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack's documentary film, A Crude Awakening, impressed teenagers and teachers alike whilst a showing of James Wan's thriller film, Dead Silence had Zoom members and teenagers hiding cautiously behind the backs of their seats. I didn't watch the film, not because I scare easily but because I was um... busy washing my hair.
There was also an Improvisation workshop in Abertillery which was great in bringing the children out of their shells and get them to act like animals (which the kids were pretty good at) and other things that would stretch their hyper-active imaginations.
Hayao Miyazaki's Anime visual-fest, Spirited Away was also screened as one of the British Film Institute's Top 50 Films to Watch Before You Are 14. The film is a stunning masterpiece full of weird characters, colour and a thoughtful plot...everything a children's film should be!
Again, another wonderful day at the Zoom '08 film festival!

Zoom, full speed ahead!

With a large range of fun activities ranging from speeding up the ageing process and giving a cylinder a moving mouth, Zoom '08 is diversely fun and it's only just begun!
The day started off at the Muni Arts Centre which is cleverly disguised as a church. Welsh language short film event, Pictwrs, went down a treat with the children at Ysgol Gymraeg Evan James who dubbed the shorts "awesome". The first film featured an animated dog who gets taken to pieces bit by bit which, though bizarre, appeared to be the children's favourite film as they 'awwwed' at the dog's misery then laughed when he was put back together again (kind of like Humpty Dumpty but with less shell and more fur).
Over at the YMCA we went to a Theatrical Make-up workshop. Who would have thought that somebody would use a make-up brush to make you look older? Well, the girls at Crosskeys College assured me that this was a theatrical technique called ageing which is usually used in the theatre. Five minutes after they had started, I looked up from my notepad and thought I'd dozed off and woken up in a bingo hall. It took me a moment to realise that these vertically challenged OAPs were in fact children in make-up and wigs, it really was that convincing! One boy was even brave enough to let his friend powder his hair with talcum powder before walking off to choose which shawl he wanted to put around his shoulders (obviously opting for the red floral one as the grey one so didn't suite his eye colour).
Cardiff based animator, Nick Price, came to the Pontypridd YMCA to show us how to turn a few pieces of card and gaffer tape into a puppet with a moving mouth. It was fun colouring in our masterpieces and sticking the gaffer tape mechanism to the inside so that the mouth moved and the children managed to make some nice puppets including a rabbit and a lion. I managed to make a lumberjack but the children were convinced I'd just created a talking toilet tube with what resembled a soil stain above what I called its mouth.
It wasn't until later on that night that the party zoomed into full swing when the red carpet was unrolled, the lights switched on and the swanky black limousine pulled up to applause and photographs. Hollywood couldn't come near, and the talent was outstanding. Coed-y-lan Primary's outstanding short film, Little Monsters, was shown before Michael Ocelot's French animation film Azur et Asmar before everyone headed down to Clwb Y Bont to dive into two chocolate fountains, sweets and large amounts of J2O. The children danced to a tracklist which they themselves had chosen and I stood in the corner pretending that I didn't like any of the songs.
Overall it was a great night and very memorable. Roll on, day 2!

Introducing...

Hi, I'm Jake. I'm going to be reporting on the film festival.

Charlotte

Hey, Im going to be one of the bloggers for zoom 2008 - film festival for young people.

See you at the end of the week

Charlotte

TVYP Edinburgh, 'the future of television'

After being pointed towards the TVYP application by Zoom I decided to give it a shot and completely forgot about it. That was that. Until that is I got an e-mail from the TVYP group 3 months later. I was overjoyed at the prospect of being in Edinburgh for an extended weekend but didn't realise at the time what a fantastic experience it would become. I kept on getting e-mails letting me know what was going to happen. They pointed me towards the facebook group set up, that was when I started to realise. The phrase being passed around by the previous attendees was 'you don't how great this is going to be'. They weren't wrong.

The flight would cost me near the £100 mark and had to arrive in Cardiff airport at about 6.30. Doesn't sound too great but I was fully in the spirit being excited and nervous at the same time. What was it going to be like that it would be 'so great'. It was a gorgeous summers day (about the only week of sun we had!) and I arrived in Edinburgh with 4 hours to spare. I could have spent the weekend looking around the city itself and I wouldn't have been bored for a minute. The sights made me get off the bus and walk the last stretch, even lumbered with all my luggage! Anyway a McMuffin and a latte later, it was time to check in at the student halls. Nice student halls!

What followed was an afternoon of meeting and greeting the other 119 delegates and finding out what was in store for us. Two days of workshop talks with the people at the top! Director of Entertainment ITV, Director of Television ITV, Producer TigerAspect, Controller SkyOne, Controller ITV2, Director of CBBC and that was just the first morning planned for us!!! presenting opportunities from MTV, networking sessions for drama, news, comedy, channel 4, BBC. All these people were there to talk to us. And boy did they talk! passing out names and numbers left, right and centre. All you had to do was go over and talk to them and they'd spill the beans on how they'd hire you and all that you wanted to know. These events went on. I ended up getting to four networking sessions and returned with a wallet full of business cards. You then had a choice of masterclass sessions. I chose the Directing. I got to direct a short drama under the guidance of Pip Short, regular director on corrie and hollyoaks, along with Vicky Binns and Katherine Kelly, two of corrie's leading ladies. What an experience! oh, and of course Pip gave us all his personal e-mail address and mobile number. Then just as we would all be trading who we spoke to and who got a job at MTV, who got Tim Hincks number (chief creative officer of Endemol, big brother, and a very, very funny man) it was time for the evening events that were planned.

Free bars, BBC3 comedy night especially for us, Mactaggert lecture with Jeremy Paxman, University Challenge (the TV execs version!), Television Channel of the Year Awards, etc, etc, etc. It was fairly surreal having a (free) drink with Dara O'brien in The George hotel (very, very top hotel). With the delegates mostly being made up of second year university students, with us staying in student halls, it meant nights with very little sleep. On our way back to Baird house on campus we couldn't help but advertise 'Party at Baird!' to everyone that passed. The whole weekend felt like we were the stars and everything was thought of for us. And it hasn’t stopped there. I'm still getting emails from the TVYP giving me different execs direct e-mail addresses and within two weeks of the weekend they let you apply to a six month, fully paid, work experience placement that they set up with some of the top production companies in Britain. I had no idea the application that I had sent would lead to this. I made a large group of friends that I’m still in contact with. After only four days and I felt like I did saying goodbye to people when I left uni after three years. Being a graduate for just over a year, things were moving so slowly, now thanks to the group at TVYP I feel like it's possible again. I will always remember in the Television of the Year awards, our group was referred to as the 'TVYPers in the corner, the future of television'. That will always be the day that it changed from a lifelong dream into a reality. We weren't all avid viewers anymore. We were a part of it.

Jack Phillips
Zoom 07 Volunteer

YEFF!! ing Fantastic

When I was asked if I would like to attend YEFF (Young European FilmmakerForum) this year, I had little idea of what to expect. I assumed that it would involve plenty of film veiwings and disscusions on various topics in the media and film with a few workshops on the usual basics of filmmaking.

On top of this there was the idea of cultural diversity and how this event should be about bringing young Europeans together in an ever shrinking Europe.

In truth I could never have imagined what an amazing experience the event would turn out to be.I left for France with my two bags of luggage and an open mind along with the three other members of team GB, Sian, Jack and Damian.

The Event started in the small town of Dole in the south of France, where we were to stay with the team from Sweeden and the local French group from Dole itself. Despite some language barriers and big cultural differences within two days we were the best of friends, but little did we know how much work was ahead of us.

Our task was to write and create a news programme or tv magazine and then split into three groups and make a third of the film each in just three days. We were then to take our film to Paris where it would be shown alongside the films of another 6 reigions. Within the first hour and with a little bit of twisted humour we had decided to make a mocumentary news programme. To add a little taste of accademia we also turned it into a postmodern commentary on current news broadcasts, comparing the public broadcast news to the privately owned.

Although the forming of amazing friendships across a range of cultures was an important feature it was the blending of various film styles in making this programme that was the most amazing aspect of the whole event. After three days of frantic work including staying up untill 4:30am to finish the editing on the last night, our final project was something to be proud of.

Although we were all happy with our final project, it was still a nerve racking time before our film was shown. Would people find the jokes funny?

would they understand what we were trying to say about the news? How would it stand up against the other films?

The film had an excellent ovation, in fact to my un-biased ear the best of the night

The rest of the time in Paris was spent watching everyone elses films, in guest talks where proffesional filmmakers showcased some of their early shorts, debates and a workshop day where Sian and myself teamed up with two of our French team-mates to make a short rom-com shot entirly on and for mobile phones.

The event was one I will never forget, where young filmmakers were given the chance to come together to share in the one thing they love most, to create films.

I will be forever greatfull to Zoom for giving me the oportunity to go.

Thomas Huw Alcott

and finally .... Elis blogs on the last day of Zoom 2007

Sunday March 23rd

Sunday, a day of rest. Unless you're the staff of Zoom Cymru that is and you have a day of workshops and films to fit in, before an awards ceremony and aftershow party to rival anything the Oscars or Golden Globes could muster. Cannes. Ha!

Workshops were held at the Odeon, and gave young people the chance to work with puppets and attend an acting masterclass held by Pip Broughton, director of Young Dracula. Film of the day was Toy Story, a kids classic and obviously worth a revisit at the cinema, if just to see loads of adults thinking to themselves 'so that's where my keys have gone - they can walk and have feelings and everything.'

The end of the day was something special however. McArthur Glen had obviously never witnessed such splendour as the cream of young Welsh film making talent arrived - suited and booted and ready to party. On witnessing the tuxuedos, straightened hair (boys and girls), and lavish jewellery on display, the staff at Pasty Presto were apparently eager to change their rather drab uniform into a more glamerous affair, but this suggestion was quickly vetoed by head office in Gloucester.

Lewis Vaughan Jones moved the evening along in typically professional manner, although his suit (combined with everybody else's) made this journalist feel rather shabby in his parka and hypercolour t-shirt. It's not like no-one had told me of the dress code for God's sake, I can be so pathetic sometimes. Ruth from Belonging (Donna Edwards) gave out awards in the 14-18 category, but in a departure for her the winning entry wasn't a gritty insight into the life of an ex-mining town, but the kids from Cardiff who'd made Wales' answer to 8 Mile. The standard of entry was high, the ceremony ran without a hitch, but everybody's mind was on celebrating.

After initially thinking the DJ had gone temporarily insane, it was later explained to me that all the songs played at the disco had been in famous film soundtracks, which is why I struggled to apply my usual moves to Johnny Cash followed by Blondie follwed by Fats Domino. Being a rubbish dancer anyway I was more interested in the buffet, which is how I'd eat every day of the year if only I had enough tureens and bowls available to me. However... as the younger children started to go home and the teenage film makers texted their mates, the Zoom board, staff, assorted hangers on and me raised a glass to a job well done.

To next year...

Saturday 24th March 2007

Saturday, usually a day when posh men go hunting, normal men got to the football, and all girls buy accessories. However, this was to be different. Today was a day when Merthyr met Maori and children were taught how to fight.

The first workshop of the day was on designing film, CD and DVD covers, and being a fan of this artform I was particularly excited about it. We were given an introduction to the software that designs the posters you see in cinemas everywhere, but unfortunately for me my incredible lack of creativity became apparent for all to laugh at - my attempt (an alternative version of the poster for A Clockwork Orange) was just the words 'A Clockwork Orange' in the Times New Roman font on a white background. And to think that all this time I thought I'd not got into art college because I had a Welsh accent.

Having a Welsh accent certainly didn't preclude you from the next workshop however, as lots of children were taught what they thought they knew before - how to make fighting appear realistic. Having got the wrong end of the stick somewhat I turned up at 1pm with half a breeze block and a stanley knife, but was warned that the workshop was on how fight scenes in films are made to look real, rather than it being a class in street based self-defence. After half an hour of fake headbutts, kicks to the groin and elbows to the kipper, I left the Dowlais Engine House feeling refreshed, and itching for somebody to fictionally mug me or throw me through a shop window. Thankfully none of this happened, so I went for a well deserved tin of pop and a Twix before settling down to watch some films .

Saturday's finale was Whale Rider, a film from New Zealand which centres around a young Maori girl fighting the prejudice her old fashioned grandfather shows her. The film is beautifully shot but more interestingly for me, led to arguments as to (a) whether Dowlais is more picturesque than the coast of New Zealand, and (b) how many Free Willy jokes I could make in an hour and a half. The answers by the way if you're interested, are (a) that really is a matter of taste, and (b) 40.

So as Saturday came to a close, people dear to me observed that I'd cried ( Whale Rider, Fighting for film), laughed, (Fighting for film), been headbutted (deservedly so during Whale Rider for some of my Free Willy jokes) and had a breeze block confiscated. God I love film festivals.

Elis

More from Elis ....

Thursday 22nd March

There are certain things you expect when you attend a children's film festival - watching 75 kids sit enthralled as a six year old boy dances like Fred Astaire at the end of a short film about foster care certainly isn't one of them though. It wasn't however to be the first surprise of the day and if Zoom Cymru can't challenge a man's expectations who can?

Everybody has an opinion on film classification, but have you ever wondered why certain films are classified the way they are? The first workshop of the day I attended explained this in some detaiI. Guidelines to the different film classifications were given, problematic scenes for the BBFC censors were shown and discussed, and unfortunately my arguments to reclassify Flubber as an 18 fell on deaf ears. Oh well. At least the session provided me with some excellent ammo for my next pub quiz. Do you think Spiderman was the first film to be classed as 12A? Wrong I'm afraid. Think that Bob the Builder escapes censorship? Wrong again - hang your head in shame. The first 12A film was apparently The Bourne Identity, and amazingly eagle eyed censors at the BBFC spotted Bob muttering a swearword when some wallpaper fell on him during one episode. Leaving a workshop with a new found respect for the staff at the BBFC is one thing, but I never thought I'd be stunned at the foul mouth of Neil Morrissey.

A workshop on film make up (specialising in the type of gore that makes Casualty a reason to go out on a Saturday night) was always going to be popular with children, and as I walked into the YMCA in Pontypridd, I was met by a child brandishing wounds on his face and arm that could have killed hardier men than me. 'The teacher did it' he said. 'It'll take about a month to heal, probably.' The teacher (who refused to be named), explained that 'the workshop was a wonderful experience for the children, and showed them a different side of film making that they might not have previously considered.' She also wholeheartedly refuted the claim that she 'had attacked class 6B with a machete.' On leaving the workshop, I smiled at the prospect of 50 children walking back to school, past Thursday morning shoppers who must have assumed they were going to a Somerfield in late 60s Vietnam.

-Elis

Elis James blogs for zoom ....

Wednesday 21st March

I was welcomed into the inner sanctum of Zoom Cymru a day before the festival began, and it was exactly how I'd imagined - akin to Winston Churchill's bunker in the run up to D-Day. Strategy talks on the telephone, maps being coloured in, girls folding t-shirts. Tea was going cold as members of staff took enquiries for tickets, I annoyed everyone by knocking over a pile of festival programmes as big as a healthy Labrador.

The first day of the festival will be held at the Muni Arts Centre Pontypridd, and despite the frenzy I witnessed there are still some tickets left, so call now and be part of something special - the first young people's film and media development programme taking place in the South Wales Valleys ever!

- Elis

Lights, Camera and Paper Cuts!!

Im new here at Zoom and only helping out for 2 weeks! Well so far it has proven to be the most interesting 2 weeks i have had in a long time!

The girls in the office are very friendly and helpful and make fantastic tea and coffee!

We have been extremeley busy in the office since i arrived stuffing envelopes and sticking labels on until our fingers are raw! Never seen so many paper cuts on one hand!

The festival timetable is very exciting and the brochures look very glossy and glamourous i carry one around in my handbag!

The opening night looks set to be an exciting event with lights,camera and action for everyone to enjoy with a little bit of glitz and red carpet thrown in for extra measure! How cool! and that's not all we also get to see the new disney movie "Meet the robinsons", Use it or lose guys you'll be sorry if you miss out!

See you there all glammed up.XX

Mandy - Guest Liaison

Where are my glad rags?

There are only eight days left until the Festival and the Zoom team are starting to get really excited now…There’s so much going on, I don’t know how you lot are going to choose…from Fighting for Film, a workshop that promises to make you look like you’re a fighting machine without actually hurting anyone – how cool is that? There’s also the screening of Disney’s Meet the Robinsons, the Doctor Who Interactive workshop, the incredibly scary ‘Expiry Date’ (most of which I watched from behind my hands) and loads more....It’s a good thing the Zoom brochures are now out to help you pick and choose… …

I also can’t wait to hear who the winners of the Zoom Young Filmmaker of the Year Award 2007 are. The Zoom team were so amazed at how good the films you all sent in were and it was so hard to whittle them down to the final 10. These will all be shown at the Awards Ceremony in the Bridgend Odeon on Sunday 25^th and don’t forget you can also have your say and vote for your favourite films as part of the Zoom Audience Award competition.

Right, I’d best get back to the others who are making sure everything’s in place for the big Festival Opening at the Muni Arts Centre, Pontypridd. We’re having a big red carpet style bash with an exclusive After Party so I’m off to find my glad rags…see you there!

Sian Harries
Marketing and Development Coordinator

The Zoom Office Angels are no Charlies!!,

All the Zoom staff are super excited about the film festival. It will be worth all the hard work to finally see the venues packed out and young people having fun! The office is a right mess at the moment though, filled with boxes and festival stuff! It’s a realisation when all the things arrive and we can see the product of months of headaches, negotiations and good old fashioned nagging.

The Zoom Office Angels are no Charlie’s!!, we are prepared for absolutely everything, from T-Shirts to Car Stickers and an outstanding festival brochure to tempt all film goers to get in on the action. We are talking full on glamour, glitz and a cheap day out to have loads of fun (and maybe you can learn a thing or two).

After the festival we can all breathe a sigh of relief that everyone had a good time and…………………start preparing for next year!

Rebecca Lee
Administration Manager

The First Zoom Blog

Its all go in the zoom office! 24 days until the start of the Festival and we can’t wait … the banners for the venues arrived today and they look great, we’re just finishing amending the brochure so that should be with you all soon and the website it looking fab too.

Psst – wanna know a secret? I’ve seen the rough edit of our World Premiere ‘Its gd 2 tlk …’ and its looking really good …. Don’t miss out on seeing this film first at the Festival on 22^nd March 2007!

Right better get back to work – the zoom team will keep you posted on any developments so don’t forget to check back.

Lisa – Director, Zoom

PS we’ve got a myspace page add us as a friend … Http://www.myspace.com/zoomcymru