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Get Sorted Academy of Music

Get Sorted Academy of Music ran a pilot film-making course for staff and disaffected young people. The aim of the course was to train staff in film-making techniques and to produce a short film based on an idea from the young people and to produce a video of their work.

Genya Johnson, Executive Director

We began by talking to our staff to identify who would benefit from taking part in the work. Two members of staff had very basic film-making knowledge and one member had very little knowledge in film-making so it was decided that they should play a major role in this work under the supervision of KGB Productions who were the team we had engaged to do the work and the training.

Finding a group of young people to work with proved more difficult due to the nature of the young people we work with. Just as we would get some interesting work done the group would change and so we had to start all over again. Early in the summer holidays we worked with various young people providing them with basic acting skills. KGB came to work with us later in the school holidays and spent some time with the group, delivering some basic acting skills and also showing them some basic film making skills. Unfortunately at the end of the summer holidays the group changed again and we had to start again from scratch.

By the middle of September a new group formed and it was this group that finally took the project forward. Working with staff and KGB, the young people worked out a story line for a short film. Over a period of 6 sessions the group began to learn film-making skills and techniques and using their acting skills, they began to produce a short film. The young people took ownership of the project, deciding between themselves who would play what role and the exciting twist at the end of the film!

Get Sorted Academy of Music staff were involved throughout with the training of the young people and we often got together to see how things were going and to decide then next steps.

At the end of the project the young people had produced an excellent film which showed their newly developed acting and film-making skills. The film is really impressive and the young people are proud to show off their film to others. The hardest part of the project was keeping the same group together as they came from a range of agencies (behavioural units, schools for young people with behavioural issues). Some of our own students were involved in the project but again due to their disaffections it was also a challenge getting them to turn up. KGB were excellent teachers and trainers and the young people got a great deal from this project. Our own staff received the training they needed in order to set up other film-making workshops which includes the young people producing a video about Get Sorted so we can raise our profile. This work is currently ongoing.

(Link to DVD)

The local shop where some of the filming took place were really helpful and had lots of patience with the group as we had to have lots and lots of takes to get it right and had to work around customers coming in and out which stopped filming on numerous occasions. What was interesting was that the young people took this in their stride and just did the takes again. What is marvellous about the project is that all of the young people were given the same opportunities and the film helped them overcome barriers from other aspects of their lives. I am really proud of the young girl that took the main lead, who comes from a behavioural unit and has been expelled from mainstream education, as she now attends Get Sorted on a weekly basis and is making remarkable progress in other areas. Another of the young lads that was involved in the project, who also comes from a behavioural unit, has had major issues in the past, but now I am pleased to say is doing work experience with us and is an asset to the project and has really proved himself.