Changing Perspectives: Wester Hailes Film and Moving Image Festival Report

Image: Community Shape Squad by Morwenna Kearsley and Bernie Reid, Photography by Ollie Benton. Click on image to follow link to watch full film.

Changing Perspectives: Wester Hailes Film and Moving Image Festival, was a community-wide event celebrating Wester Hailes through film; showcasing archival, community and artists films and moving image work across a variety of locations and formats. With most events taking place over October half term there was a packed programme for all ages, including family-friendly screening events at WHALE Arts and Wester Hailes Library, film-making workshops for young people with Screen Education Edinburgh and an outdoor projection trail at Westside plaza and the surrounding areas on the Saturday night.

This programme was supported by the City of Edinburgh Council Local Events Fund and the Big Lottery.

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WORKSHOPS AND COURSES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

3 PRE-FESTIVAL SCREENING EVENTS

CHANGING PERSPECTIVES: WESTER HAILES FILM AND MOVING IMAGE FESTIVAL

1 WEEK-LONG FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

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WORKSHOPS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE Image: Access to Film workshop in February 2018. Click on photo to watch the film 'Changing Perspectives' produced by young people at WHEC on this course.

Screen Education Edinburgh, WHALE Arts and Wester Hailes Education Centre ran film making workshops across 2019 with 29 young people from Wester Hailes Education Centre, taking part at the school and the Wester Hailes Library.

These included: - 2 taster sessions in January and April 2018 (8 participants ) - 1 week-long Access to Film half term course in February half term (10 participants) - 1 week long Access to Film half term course in October half term (8 participants) - 12 week progression Introduction to Filmmaking course for S1-S4 aged learners (7 participants) from WHEC at Wester Hailes Library between April-June 2018 - 3 day programme for ages 8-14 at Wester Hailes Library (14 participants)

43 YOUNG PEOPLE

6 WORKSHOPS AND COURSES

The first film made by the group of young people, Changing Perspectives, was set in the underpass outside WHEC and can be watched here https://vimeo.com/263497054

CHANGING PERSPECTIVES: WESTER HAILES FILM AND MOVING IMAGE FESTIVAL

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Image: Access to Film workshop in October 2018. Click on photo to watch the film 'The New Girl' produced by young people at WHEC on this course.Â

Changing Perspectives was launched and screened as part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival Young and Wild hub and at the Edinburgh International Film Festival Schools Competition, both in June. The musical score was developed with Tinderbox Youth Orchestra and 4 young people visited the Orchestra at North Edinburgh Arts to feedback on the process.

The second film was made in a 12 week-long progression course at WH LIbrary and was titled Demon Hunters. The film was set in locations across Wester Hailes including the Westside Plaza and underpasses and can be viewed here https://vimeo.com/286326801 The WHEC Film Club were also commissioned by Prospect Community Housing to create a film celebrating their 30th anniversary. 3 young film makers worked with a professional film maker Aly Wright across the summer holidays to create the film, which was screened as part of the Prospect AGM on 3rd September at WHALE Arts and can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=UfRc90GehYs&feature=youtu.be (120 attendees).

Over the summer holidays WHALE Arts ran a film making workshop for younger children aged 8-14 over 3 afternoons at the WH Library producing the short film Master of Time which can be viewed at https://youtu.be/mHBLdv13ilA. (14 participants).

CHANGING PERSPECTIVES: WESTER HAILES FILM AND MOVING IMAGE FESTIVAL

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PARTICIPATIONS

"ALL OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED POSITIVE OUTCOMES AND PROGRESSION AS A RESULT OF THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN THESE COURSES." (WESTER HAILES EDUCATION CENTRE)

CHANGING PERSPECTIVES: WESTER HAILES FILM AND MOVING IMAGE FESTIVAL

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PRE-FESTIVAL EVENTS Image: Wester Hailes Archive Photo Animation by Double Take Projections, Photography by Ollie Benton. Click on image to follow link to watch full film.

Changing Perspectives was screened to the family and friends of the young people at WHALE Arts in March 2018.

(44 attendees).

Edinburgh International Festival ran a prefestival event about the EIF Opening Event Five Telegrams at the WH library on 24th July, gifting tickets to the city centre projection and light display to members of the community.

(16 attendees) Shona Thomson was commissioned as a film curator to coordinate a pre-screening event to launch the festival in partnership with the Towerblock UK project. This event took place on 18th September at Wester Hailes LIbrary and was titled Changing Perspectives: Films of NewTown Utopia. It screened an excerpt of the film NewTown Utopia http://www.newtownutopia.com/ paired with shorts about Wester Hailes, and an exhibition about high rise living from TowerBlock UK. (14 participants).

CHANGING PERSPECTIVES: WESTER HAILES FILM AND MOVING IMAGE FESTIVAL

74 PARTICIPANTS

3 Â SCREENING EVENTS

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THE FESTIVAL 15-2O OCT 18 Image: Wester Hailes Archive Photo Animation by Double Take Projections, Photography by Ollie Benton. Click on image to follow link to watch full film.

Changing Perspectives: Wester Hailes Film and Moving Image festival took place between 15th-20th October with a series of outdoor projections, workshops and screening events across the community of Wester Hailes, working with a number of community partners. The title of the festival was named after the first film made by young people from Wester Hailes Education Centre and 2 young people form this group volunteered at festival events across the week.Â

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1415 AUDIENCES ENGAGED

275 PARTICIPANTS

COMMUNITY EVENTS

CHANGING PERSPECTIVES: WESTER HAILES FILM AND MOVING IMAGE FESTIVAL

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EVENTS

Events and workshops across the community included: Access to Film Making with Screen Education Edinburgh Mon 15-Fri 19 Oct, 10-3pm daily, Wester Hailes Education Centre (8 participants) A film making course for young people aged S1-S4 from Wester Hailes Education Centre.

Revolutionary Optimists with SCOREscotland Tue 15 October, 2-5pm, WHALE Arts (18 participants) SCOREscotland’s Green Futures projects screened Revolutionary Optimists provIded by Take One Action https://www.takeoneaction.org.uk/film/the-revolutionary-optimists/, followed by a workshop for young people asking what change they would want to see in their own community.

Clovenstone Family Film Night Wednesday 17 October, 6-9pm, Clovenstone Community Centre (16 participants) WHALE Arts organised a special family film themed event at Clovenstone Community Centre with a 3D drawing and printing workshop with Wee Replicators and screenings of short films that celebrate the local community of Clovenstone over the years such as ‘Happy’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q66aNFygg5s.

"SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO BRING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER AND THE WARM MEAL AT THE END! SUPERB. LOVELY EVENING WALK."

CHANGING PERSPECTIVES: WESTER HAILES FILM AND MOVING IMAGE FESTIVAL

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Image: Wester Hailes Kids on Film workshop with The Zoom Club. Click on image to follow link to watch full film.

Expecting Something: ‘This is no ordinary playgroup' Thurs 17 Oct, 10.30-12.30pm, WHALE Arts (10 participants) Starcatchers’ Expecting Something group for young parents under 25 and little ones age 0-5 worked with artist Becky Manson to create a short film to celebrate Expecting Something with the wider community, and screened it as a special showing on the WHALE Community Cinema. Here is the link to the film https://vimeo.com/295766046 and a blog article about the event http://www.starcatchers.org.uk/news/expectingsomething-part-of-local-film-festival/ Wester Hailes Kids on Film Friday 19 Oct, 2-4.30pm, WHALE Arts, for ages 8-13 (16 participants) WHALE Arts worked in partnership with Wester Hailes Youth Agency for a one off screening and workshop event celebrating our local kids through film, including a screening of a vlogging film made by Wester Hailes Youth Agency alongside an exciting introduction to animation workshop with Zoom Club. Follow this link for the animations made within this workshop https://vimeo.com/297590957 Dads Rock Sat 20th October, 10-11.30pm, WHALE Arts, For dads/male carers and kids 0-5 (31 participants) As part of their Saturday play group Dads Rock made and screened a fun film about the Dads Rock playgroup made with their dads/kids and film maker Ollie Benton. This film can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAdrljN0DLY

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WHEC Film Makers Saturday 20th October, 11am-12pm, Odeon Luxe Edinburgh West (21 participants) WHEC and WHALE held a screening event of the trio of films made by young people from Wester Hailes Education Centre at Odeon Luxe Edinburgh West to celebrate the achievements of the young film makers.

Over the Hedge with ELF Library Film Club Saturday 20th October, 2-4pm, Wester Hailes Library (5 participants) WH Library put on a special edition of the ELF Library Film Club which included a preview screening of ‘Master of Time’, a short film made by young people from the library this summer in partnership with WHALE Arts, and animated film Over the Hedge.

Changing Perspectives Local Screen Take Over 15-20 October, Healthy Living Centre and Wester Hailes Library (approx 825 viewers at Healthy Living Centre, 315 at Wester Hailes Library) Across the week we looped films in the waiting room of the Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre and at Wester Hailes LIbrary. In the children’s library at WH library we screened ‘Master of Time’ and ‘This is no Ordinary PlayGroup’, and at the Healthy Living Centre we screened films such as ‘A Day in the Life of Wester Hailes’, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhcd2JbnR_o&t=2s, Wester Hailes poem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LvDQdp3k8s&t=43s, and ‘Let’s Meet at The Underpass’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqLOQp88VzU&t=14s.

CHANGING PERSPECTIVES: WESTER HAILES FILM AND MOVING IMAGE FESTIVAL

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PARTICIPATIONS

"EVERYTHING IS FAB...JOLLITY, CHAT, LAUGHS, MEMORIES"

CHANGING PERSPECTIVES: WESTER HAILES FILM AND MOVING IMAGE FESTIVAL

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PROJECTION TRAIL Image: Let's Meet at the Underpass Animation by Double Take Projections, Photography by Ollie Benton. Click on image to follow link to watch full film.

Changing Perspectives Projection Trail Saturday 20th October, 6-10pm, Westside Plaza and surrounding areas (150 participants) The festival climax took place on the Saturday night with an outdoor projection mapping trail at Westside Plaza with Double Take Projections. Local spaces appeared like never before, as we illuminated the Wester Hailes Library, Odeon cinema and underpasses with short films and moving images. Projected on the building surface of the Wester Hailes Library was footage from the WHALE VHS Archive and photographs from The Sentinel archive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV22Os1Z-8U; whilst a new animation inspired by the Sentinel newspaper called Community Shape Squad, https://youtu.be/FQdgtU0Qwos, created by artists Morwenna Kearsely and Bernie Reid, was projected onto the Odeon cinema. Lastly a musical and text installation of community song ‘Let’s Meet at the Underpass’ was projected onto the railway underpass near the Healthy Living Centre https://youtu.be/qDiDVz9PyJg. We created 6 paid opportunities for Film Festival stewards, a team of which was made up of local people and film students. In addition 2 young people from the WHEC film club volunteered at the projection trail across the evening.

Changing Perspectives Festival Hub During the Projection Trail WHALE Arts and Tasting Change acted as a festival hub, providing tasty autumn soup, screened an experimental film piece showcasing the highlights of WHALE and Tasting Change by film maker Ollie Benton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEc_qxg-ql0 and put on a family friendly disco.

CHANGING PERSPECTIVES: WESTER HAILES FILM AND MOVING IMAGE FESTIVAL

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PARTICIPATIONS

"A REALLY GOOD, INTERESTING EVENT MAKING AN INTERESTING USE OF WALL SPACE, USING THE PROJECTORS AND MUSIC. INNOVATIVE AND EYE CATCHING. GOOD IMAGES AND MUSIC. AN ENGAGING EVENT!"

CHANGING PERSPECTIVES: WESTER HAILES FILM AND MOVING IMAGE FESTIVAL

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PARTICIPATIONS

With thanks to