'Home Grown Talent' To Highlight Young People's Issues On Big Screen

Canterbury Anifest's 'Home Grown Talent' - Canterbury pupils' animation film will highlight young peoples' issues on big screen.
As part of Canterbury Anifest's satellite project, 'Home Grown Talent', pupils from Canterbury made a short film at Canterbury Christ Church University's animation studio for three days in June, which will be screened at Kent's first animation festival in November.
Pupils from Chaucer Technology School were tasked to produce a short film about issues that affect young people. The pupils wrote scripts and designed characters about High School shootings in the USA. They then learnt how use stop-motion techniques, record sound and film the scenes under guidance from independent animator, Dan Richards.
The completed films will be shown at the University of Kent's Gulbenkian Theatre on Saturday 3 November as part of Canterbury Anifest 2007.
Gareth Belsey, 16, who is a pupil at Chaucer Technology School, said: "The film highlights issues surrounding gun crime in the USA which have started to infiltrate the UK. Gun crime is rising and in schools as well."
Callum Syers, 16, also a student at the school, said: "In the workshop I have learnt basic stop-motion techniques and just how delicate and hard the work is."
Dan Richards said: "I was proud of the group tackling a very strong and serious issue and they approached it with sensitivity but keeping the passion to tell a story.
The group isn't basing the film on a particular event but using research to come up with a tale which highlights the problems in the state of Michigan. One scene in the film focuses on the fact that in a certain bank in Michigan they offer a free gun when you start a bank account."
(DS)