Digital Documenters

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For any queries about any content on this site, please email: info@olivia-heath.com

Thank you for all the support during the start-up of this project right through to the end. The 2012 Olympics are approaching soon and we hope that you all get actively involved in volunteering up and down the country and help to create a positive legacy!

First Light Awards 2011

The 2011 First Light Awards was a star-studded event to celebrate the talents of young people across the UK. Hosted by Radio 1′s Nick Grimshaw at the Odeon in Leicester Square, the awards kicked off with a great energy and saw a  host of film industry faces including Miranda Hart, Hugh Dennis, Noel Clarke and Michelle Ryan to name just a few.

Team Exeter won the award Digital Documenters award for their film Disability Swimming. It was a well deserved win too!

The other awards won by young people were inspiring to say the least, there really is some great talent out there. One of my favourite nominees that stood out was for Best Animation! Although they didn’t win, I thought School of Lego produced by Sawston Village College was great and had many of us in fits of laughter!

Anyway, check out all the fun and backstage action from all the Digital Documenters team in a selection of pictures below:

Enjoy!

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Until next time….

Watch all of our 60 second films!

So guys, all 60 second films are now complete and ready to view on our YouTube page…

As I’m sure you know, Centrepoint & Me was nominated for a First Light Award… Unfortunately we lost, but to worthy competitors, so well done Team Exeter and to their mentor, Peter Snelling! Their film, Disability Swimming is great, check it out below:

Please remember to check out all of our films. Each of them highlights a particular Olympic value and we hope that they inspire you to volunteer as well.

Please leave feedback too, as we would love to hear what you think of it!

And last but not least, a massive thank you to everyone who voted!

 

THE RACE IS ON… It’s time to VOTE!

DON’T MISS OUT ON VOTING FOR TEAM LONDON’S FILM, CENTREPOINT & ME, WHICH HAS BEEN NOMINATED FOR A FIRST LIGHT AWARD!

WHY SHOULD YOU VOTE?

• This film was made by passionate volunteers and equally young-budding filmmakers!
• Centrepoint gives homeless young people a future and we’re trying to raise awareness for them too!
• We think every young person should volunteer, it’s so rewarding and beneficial in many ways!
• This film highlights several key Olympic values: Respect (acceptance, appreciation, judgement) & Equality (fairness, stereotypes, respect, inclusion)

Jaleesa says:

“Producing Centrepoint & Me was a great experience for us, we got to learn about the work Centrepoint do in a fun and creative way! We enjoyed attending and filming their events, meeting their volunteers and even became Centrepoint volunteers ourselves – helping out at their SleepOut event, we had a really good time at SleepOut and met some great people.”

SO PLEASE VOTE… LET’S MAKE THIS HAPPEN AND HELP US TO COMPLETE OUR DIGITAL DOCUMENTERS EXPERIENCE IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE!

Digital Documenters at the BFI Future Film Festival



Last week, four members of the London team headed down to the BAFTA & First Light Be Inspired event. Ayan, Alicia, Anna & Joe attended the event as part of the BFI Future Film Festival and got the opportunity to meet and interview the BAFTA nominated directors who explore the art of short films!

The event provided the opportunity for us to view some short films that had been nominated for a BAFTA and hear from the filmmakers who discussed their films and careers in a  post screening and answer session. Luckily, we got to interview them for camera tips, (it will be on the First Light website soon!) One of the filmmakers, Michael Please, who Alicia interviewed, went on to win a BAFTA for his animation THE EAGLEMAN STAG.

(Click on each image below to enlarge)

The BFI Future Film Festival which returned for its fourth year, is the best destination for aspiring filmmakers to see the hottest new films from the next generation of UK talent. The festival also offers young people a unique opportunity to learn essential skills from experts and to meet like-minded film enthusiasts.

 

The nominated films were:

Short Film

CONNECT – Samuel Abrahams, Beau Gordon

RITE – Michael Pearce, Ross McKenzie, Paul Welsh

TURNING – Karni Arieli, Saul Freed, Alison Sterling, Kat Armour-Brown

 

Short Animation

THE EAGLEMAN STAG – Michael Please (WINNER!) Watch the winners interview below

MATTER FISHER – David Prosser

THURSDAY – Matthias Hoegg

British Gymnastics Volunteer Leadership Academy Gala

At the end of January Jaleesa, Gabbie and Joe went along to film the British Gymnastics Volunteer Leadership Academy Festival, which was an opportunity for the performers to showcase their talents and have fun. They saw a range of different gymnastic styles such as trampette, rhythmic and artistic and enjoyed all the flips, throws and glides which made them question their own sporting ability and whether they were  just as flexible – highly unlikely!

The event, which took place on January 30th at Edmonton leisure centre in the London Borough of Enfield, was the fist ever gala from the British Gymnastics Volunteer Leadership Academy.

It was a fun day out and a huge success for all those that attended; including the volunteers who put on the event and the many teams that walked away with medals. British Gymnast and Commonwealth Silver Medalist Danny Lawrence made a guest appearance to show the aspiring young gymnasts what can be achieved with his outstanding gymnastic performance.

Check out some photos of the event below:

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Since the event Jaleesa, Gabbie and Joe have been busy editing their 60-second film ‘British Gymnastics’, which is 99% finished, so watch this space!

Are you 18-25? New to volunteering? Passionate about film & fancy joining a high profile media team?

Image via Wikipedia

Since September the Digital Documenters have been busy producing short documentary films to tell the world how the Olympic ideals affect young people.

 The plan? To create a buzz about the London 2012 Olympics, show the massive variety & impact of volunteering and encourage more people to volunteer!

As part of this campaign will include a special Digital Documenters category at the amazing First Light Awards 2011 in Leicester Square, London. This star studded event is an amazing chance to show everyone how important volunteering is and celebrate the achievements of young filmmakers.

Want to be part of this once in a life-time opportunity? Click here to find out how to take part!

Q&A with Beat

A couple of weeks ago, Joe and Rio headed down to Beat‘s My Personal Best training day and caught up with project coordinators Beccie Smith and Frances Burrows for a Q&A!

My Personal Best is a mygames (powered by v) project. The creation of this virtual project is intended to appeal to  the wider population and not just the usual groups of people who associate Beat with an eating disorder charity. Overall, the project is about self esteem, so it’s a good chance for people who wouldn’t usually get in touch, to engage with them.

How do you feel about the Olympics and the impact it can have on young people?

The premise of what we are trying to achieve in the website reflects all the Olympic and Paralympics values. Young people think with the Olympics it is purely about being an athlete. These projects will get people that aren’t necessarily interested in sport engaged with the Olympics and the whole Olympic message. The Paralympics ideals with the inclusion and equality, fits in with our ethos of making sure that people can play a part in what we do and actually help them achieve their best.

How will the website work and how much interaction will the volunteers have with it?

Up until now the volunteers have produced most of the content which will be going into the website. They have also done a lot of the initial management, evaluation and monitoring of the site. When the website is launched it will be the volunteer’s responsibility to make sure that the site is updated and moderated and all the things that are included in running a website.

They will do this in their own time. If they are moderating live chat sessions they will have to volunteer for those specific times. But most of it can be done in their own time, so it is quite a flexible project purely because it is online. Even though they are volunteering they can use the website themselves to get help or motivation. The more the volunteers put into the project, the more they will get out of it. There will be more content, features and support that they can provide each other with.

What roles will the volunteers have?

There are three groups: A Steering group oversee the management and the delivery of the project, so if they don’t think I’m doing a great job or missing something, it’s up to them to tell me that. They are also in charge of monitoring and evaluation of the volunteers. All of the steering group have had past experiences with eating disorders. On the website they have a section called My Personal Best challenge plan, so young people can set themselves goals and challenges and achieve them. Within that there is a journal so they can track their progress based on what they have done.

The Action Group is responsible in producing a lot of the content and the production of the site. They have been involved with forum topics, pictures, films and podcasts for the site.

The rest of the volunteers are able to dip in and out of different things on the project and able to focus on different areas such as web moderation and research. Other volunteers have had eating disorders, other mental health issues and disabilities. There are two full time volunteers who both had eating disorders and were both very ill and are better now. Working on the project will provide support and how they recovered.

What would you like to be included within the film?

The important issue is the volunteers providing support for each other and the positive aspect of it and how it is created.

Check out the My Personal Best website here