global digital creativity research & workshops

Every year our team work with Saffron Walden County High School to undertake a creative challenge which encourages students at the school and its partner primary schools to work together and engage with creative technologies. This year the challenge was as big as ever and involved all ‘groups’ taking part having to work together with each other to make ‘one big story’.

On the 11th of July Hal MacLean and myself headed down to the school to train the young people in four hours how to use the following pieces of software:

• Final Cut Pro (Video Editing)
• GarageBand (Sound Editing)
• iStopMotion (Animation)
• Comic Life (Comics)
• iMovie (for use with Reflecmedia kit to allow Chroma Key work)

This is the first year we have introduced Final Cut Pro to the 10 - 13 age range of pupils. We believe Apple’s iMovie is far too easy for young people who are now ‘tech savvy’ in comparison to the year 2000 (when we started this project). Young people now require high end tools as the desire to achieve high quality effects increases, Final Cut Pro has meant we’ve had to teach young people how to edit in the same software the BBC edit the news programme you will no doubt watch on TV this evening.

We’ve also introduced the young people to Reflecmedia kit, which allows them to ‘chroma key’ Harry Potter style! The material allows blue/green screening in any light conditions.

We look forward to returning to the school in October to review the finished products and celebrate success. When we return we’ll be training the 25 young people in Photoshop and DVD Studio Pro.

Click here to see what other projects Hal and I have been involved in with SWCHS.

Here are the first two podcasts which document the start of the project, in Day 2’s Podcast Elliott Williams talks about how Summer School projects have changed since 2001.

 Day 1 Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup
 Day 2 Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup

The Cleveratom Team (Alex, Matt and Hal) were delighted to be invited back to the Anglia Ruskin University to work with Ian Ericson to run the 2007 Anglia Ruskin Summer School.

For the past five years Hal and Matt from the Cleveratom team have been involved in the project (2002-2006 under the Ultralab flag as staff at the University). Both Hal and Matt are also part of the Anglia Ruskin Alumni, both students of the University many years back.

This year the challenge was to engage with a group of young people considering University and put them through a two day creative challenge.

Within minutes of arriving the young people were out and about using digital and video camera technology to bond in small groups and make a first attempt film.

At the end of day 1 the young people had learned how to use iMovie, GarageBand and iPhoto and we’re challenged to make a 100 second ‘Point of View’ film, they had one day to do it.

The completed work was celebrated in the Micheal Ashcroft Building Lecture Hall and a DVD was produced and distributed to every participant.

Our team also took time to talk to the young people about University life, expectations and opportunities. An enjoyable experience was had by all, and as ever, some really creative work achieved in a very short period of time.

Here are the movies:

 Phone Camera movie of Hal MacLean talking to the Summer Schoolers...: Play Now | Play in Popup
 Group 1 First Attempt (Training Day): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Group 2 First Attempt (Training Day): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Group 3 First Attempt (Training Day): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Group 4 First Attempt (Training Day): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Group 5 First Attempt (Training Day): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Birdie (Final Version): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Flats 65 - 75 (Final Version): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Handbag (Final Version): Play Now | Play in Popup
 In the Eyes of God (Final Version): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Victimz Inc (Final Version): Play Now | Play in Popup

Hal MacLean and Matthew Eaves from the team spent the day with Class 2 at Cressing Primary School to undertake some experimental research into clay animation with six year olds. Mrs Harris and her classroom assistants were a great help throughout the day as fourteen six year old pupils took part.

Click the above images to enlarge them.

The objective of the day was to find out how six year olds coped with an animation task, learning the skills of model making, story construction and then using computers and digital video camera equipment to animate their story.

The session was the pilot for a larger project which will be held in Cardiff next month, which we will post more about here at digitalcreativity.org when the time comes.

Hal and myself will be writing a paper on our findings. The learning from this experiment has already changed our plans for BBC Wales.

Everyone involved in the project will recieve their creative work on DVD, created using iDVD, here is a screenshot of the DVD in production:

(Click image to enlarge)

We would like to thank Sue Giles, Head Teacher at the school for welcoming us into the school at such short notice.

Here are the files created on the day:

 Group 1 (Animation 1): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Group 1 (Animation 2): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Group 2: Play Now | Play in Popup
 Group 3 (Animation 1): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Group 3 (Animation 2): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Group 4 (Animation 1): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Group 4 (Animation 2): Play Now | Play in Popup
 Ultralab Example : Play Now | Play in Popup
 Meanwhile Martin Hodder at Ravens Wood School in Bromley, Kent created this brilliant experimental animation:: Play Now | Play in Popup

Today the Saffron Walden County High School and Partner Primary Schools came to Ultralab to spend the day with myself and Hal MacLean to work on the DVD case designs of their Summer School project. For this challenge the young people involved in the project learned how to work with the Photo Shop application.

Thirty young people spent the day at the lab, showcasing the work they had achieved over the summer period. The work will go on display to an evening audience at a cinema in Cambridge later this year.

Some of the young people were tasked with making a DVD containing all of the work, this process was done using Apple’s iDVD.

Click here to read about the first time the group of young people were at Ultralab for their training session and challenge setting exercise.

Click here to read about the First Day of the Summer School on August 3rd.

Here is the DVD art created by the groups, while at Ultralab, to reflect the content of their completed films:

Click to expand the images.

Some of the groups also completed a DVD Disc image:

The Summer Challenge, which is set by Ultralab was called “Outside the Box”.

We invite the young people on the project to add comments below to introduce their work before we actually post their completed projects here on the site.

Well done everyone, exceptional work.

Matthew Eaves from the team was really pleased to be invited onto the Etholle and John Breakfast Show this morning at 7.30am to talk about the World Wide Web’s 15th birthday. The show focused on the history on the Internet and Matthew explained how the Internet was changing as people needed it to allow them to be more creative.

Have a listen to the show:

 Matthew Eaves on BBC Essex: Play Now | Play in Popup

The Saffron Walden County High School and its partner feeder Primary Schools have begun their Summer School challenge and will be working for one week on their Ultralab set task.

The young people involved in the project all have ‘project blogs’ and have started to document their progress. One of the groups has decided to record activities as a podcast, rather than using text, good on them.

Here is the excellent day 1 podcast:

 Day 1 Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup

The Anglia Ruskin Summer School 2006 completed today. The objective of the project was to show University life to young people who are considering a University education but their parents have not attended University themselves.

Throughout the week the young people have worked with various people across the University, on Wednesday the young people spent the day with the Ultralab team on the BBC Blast Truck in White City London.

Here are the completed projects generated over the five day period:

 Black Clouds: Play Now | Play in Popup
 Difference isnt Different: Play Now | Play in Popup
 Internet Kidnap: Play Now | Play in Popup
 The Norms: Play Now | Play in Popup
 Under Age Smoking: Play Now | Play in Popup

For the past four years (excluding last year) Ultralab has been running the Anglia Ruskin University Summer School. Young people from around the Essex region will be attending Ultralab for an entire week working on their film, music and animation skills. On Wednesday the young people will head to the BBC Blast Truck in White City to join myself and Hal MacLean for their Animation session. Hamish Scott-Brown, Neil Boughen and Colin Elsey will be working with the young people for the rest of the time they are with us.

Lecturers and other visitors from around the University will arrive at Ultralab to give talks to the young people who’s parents never actually attended university themselves.

Over the next five days the young people will be invited to participate in much ‘tougher’ creative challenges.

In the first hour from arriving Hamish set the young people the challenge to make a ‘12 photograph story’ as a team building and ice breaking exercise, here is the completed work from that one hour session:

 Black Cloud Group: Play Now | Play in Popup
 Cheese on Toast Possy: Play Now | Play in Popup
 iAttack Group: Play Now | Play in Popup
 JMTLV Group: Play Now | Play in Popup
 Turnips Group: Play Now | Play in Popup

The past two days have been a huge success for the young people from King Harold School who have been working with their partner feeder Primary School’s to engage some of the younger pupils in a fun filled Animation fest. The Summer School was run entirely by year 9, 10 and 11 pupils. All equipment was loaned by Ultralab.

Ultralab are proud to work with King Harold School who continue to pioneer in the field of Digital Creativity, investing heavily in the power of creative technology to engage and enhance the learning journeys of its pupils.

Click to see the pictures taken during the Summer School.

Here is the completed work:

 Alien Invasion: Play Now | Play in Popup
 Crush: Play Now | Play in Popup
 Dory: Play Now | Play in Popup
 Simpsons: Play Now | Play in Popup
 Squashed Bee: Play Now | Play in Popup

Ultralab has a long working history with the pupils and staff at King Harold School of Waltham Abbey, Essex. For the past four years pupils of King Harold School have been involved in Ultralab’s Summer School programme. However, this summer the pupils will instead run a Summer School of their own Summer School for pupils of the Primary Partners Schools who feed King Harold each year with new students. King Harold’s pupils will run the entire event themselves.

A team of students from King Harold arrived at Ultralab to spend the afternoon with Ultralab’s Hal MacLean to plan and discuss the activities which would be running on the Primary Summer School. Hal is a former Primary Head Teacher and assisted the young people with experience working with the younger age groups. Malcolm Burnett from King Harold School is overseeing the project, pictures and completed animation work will be posted on this site soon.