Putting forces life into focus

Young people learn how to make their own mini-documentary.

Forces Children Scotland has delivered a three-day creative documentary-making residential for young people in partnership with creative agency, Rebel Loop Studios.

Supported by funding from the Veterans Foundation, eight young people from armed forces families travelled from across Scotland to Glasgow to complete workshops that introduced storyboarding, scripting, mobile phone, and SLR camera recording techniques, and much more.

Once basics were grasped, the young people learned how to conduct one-to-one interviews, and then put everything they had learned into practice through fun-based group recording projects.

Having generated lots of fantastic content, the young people learned how to edit their footage into a professional final cut to create two fantastic short pieces about life in a forces family.

The experience wasn’t all about the workshops; the young people enjoyed trips to the city centre in the evenings for crazy golf, bowling, and a visit to Cosmo World Buffet.

Further fun was to be had through a creative friendship bracelet-making session, games of Telestrations, and a movie evening with plenty of hot chocolate and treats.

Izzy, a young person who attended our creative residential, said:

“I had an absolutely amazing week with Forces Children Scotland and Rebel Loop Studios. As a group, we got so much work done that will hopefully be really beneficial for other young people from forces families – everyone should be very proud of themselves.

“Overall it was an absolutely amazing week filled with lots of fun-based activities and laughter. It was so lovely meeting new people as well as catching up with old friends.”

Having completed the residential, the young people involved will work with Forces Children Scotland to co-produce a series of mini-documentaries later this year.

The mini-documentaries will shine a spotlight on their respective communities across Scotland to help peers who will move to the area through the posting of a parent.

Applying what they have learned, the young people will highlight their schools, important landmarks, community spaces, places to make friends and much more.

For many young people, living in an armed forces family can lead to making several moves across the United Kingdom and overseas, commonly known as mobility.

The initiative has responded to the voice of these young people, many of whom feel more can be done to help peers adjust to their new lives in Scottish communities.

Gary Seath, Marketing, Communications, and Development Manager for Forces Children Scotland, said:

“It’s clear from the feedback young people have provided that our creative residential has proved a resounding success – equally, it’s been great to observe young people develop new skills, build confidence and, most importantly, have fun throughout the three days.

“We live in an accelerated culture and the world of digital communication is at the heart of most of our lives, in some shape or form; therefore, it’s never been more important than right now to be able to communicate effectively through digital formats.

“Documentary-making is a very powerful, emotive mode of communication, perfect for sharing lived experience and engaging audiences like those our young people will aim to reach through their creative projects.

“Having seen the high quality of what the young people have created through this residential, it’s very exciting to consider how they will take things further to create their mini-documentaries to help peers make the move to their communities a little easier.”

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