School filmmakers win place in Yorkshire Film Archive. VIDEO

BRIGHT young film makers from a Rotherham school are to have their work frozen in time as a lasting record of life in Yorkshire.

Pupils at Newman School, Whiston, have been celebrating after more than a dozen of their films were selected to be preserved in the Yorkshire Film Archives.

The films will be remastered and placed in a special vault alongside 14,000 other professional and amateur films spanning three centuries of film making in Yorkshire.

“The archive features films dating back to the 1880s and the films created by Newman School are a worthy addition,” said Alex Southern, head of learning at the Yorkshire Film Archives, in York.

“When I first saw the films I thought they were fantastic. Not only that they have been produced by the pupils themselves, but they also offer a frank and honest insight into their lives and experiences.

Click on the links to see the videos.

Jamie Oliver hits Rotherham.

Kid Gloves

“They will form a great record of life as a young person in the 21st century.”

The films were created by pupils at Newman School—which caters for young people with learning difficulties and physical disabilities—under the guidance of head of English Jack Todhunter.

Among the films is Jamie Oliver Hits Rotherham, which scooped a top award at this summer’s Roscars, an award ceremony for Rotehrham youngsters’ media-related projects.

In the film, several pupils voice their opinions of the controversial Jamie’s Ministry of Food television series, which was filmed in Rotherham last summer.

One of the film’s presenters, Michael Wing (12), said: “I really like making the films. We’re all involved throughout. We create storyboards and scripts before we film. It’s really interesting.”

Another of the school’s films which proved a hit with the Yorkshire Film Archives’ staff is called Kid Gloves.

In the film, pupils talk frankly about their lives while using hand puppets to portray themselves.

Mr Todhunter said: “For many of the pupils film has become a really great way of expressing themselves where pen and paper wasn’t always an option.

“We’ve had great success with our films and when the Yorkshire Film Archive approached us and asked if they could preserve some of our films for posterity the entire school was thrilled. It means a great deal.”

Now Newman School’s future in film looks secure thanks to a grant, which will allow the school to create its very own film studio.

Mr Todhunter said: “The future looks really promising. Film making has proved a fantastic asset for learning so far and is something pupils have really embraced.

“It's exciting to consider how far we can go from here.”