Collaborating with Cardiff film students for a Wales without violence

Over the last 12 months, we’ve been working alongside the Wales Violence Prevention Unit (Wales VPU) and Media Academy Cymru (MAC) to end violence among young people in Wales. 

The campaign involved a pop-up shop in the heart of Cardiff, video production and an interactive framework providing important insights and recommendations. This culminated in a large event held at Tramshed music venue, where students, teachers and industry professionals came together to learn more about the framework, and to celebrate the collaborative efforts of all involved. 

Young people were integral to the success of this campaign. It was so important that it was informed by young people, for young people, and we loved working alongside them to bring this initiative to life.

Taking their skills outside the classroom

It was really important to get young people involved in shooting photos and footage of the launch event, too, and give them an opportunity to develop their skills in a real-world setting. 

So we enlisted the help of documentary film-making students from Media Academy Cymru, who rallied together on the day to capture the event from their own unique perspectives. (See the final showreel below!)

Creating a showreel of the big day

On the morning of the event, we met with Jay Bedwani and Liam Martin, tutors at Media Academy Cymru, alongside seven of their students. The idea was to use the day’s footage to create a showreel of the event – which would later be shaped by the students and used on websites and social channels.

It was the students’ first time documenting a high-profile event (this particular one was attended by the likes of Ministers and the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner). Their energy was infectious from the moment they arrived, and it was evident that they were keen to learn and take on new challenges.

Following up with a ‘Lunch and Learn’ session

After the event, we started putting together all of our and the students’ footage from the day. 

The first version of the showreel we shared with the students, who came to our Blue Stag headquarters, along with Jay, for a ‘lunch and learn’ session. Over some pretty yummy pizza, they gave their opinions and ideas, which informed the final edit that we presented to Wales VPU. 

We also took the students through their first Lightroom photo editing session, and some had a turn editing images they’d taken from the event. 

To experience the event together, to capture footage and stills, and to bring it to life in the form of a collaborative showreel was a fantastic experience. We hope this will be an on-going partnership, and we look forward to seeing what can be achieved alongside our young people of Cymru.