We have a rich history of working with young people to research and understand the power of digital media. Our extensive track record is available online here on this site (www.digitalcreativity.org) where we continue to document our work as it happens.
Working first hand under the ‘Ultralab’ brand, and now under ‘Cleveratom’ we’ve run workshops wordwide, advised schools, governments, broadcasters, charities and companies on how to work with digital media to get the best out of young people. We could (and love to) talk for hours about the things we’ve done. It includes creativity celebrations in school halls, public spaces, cinemas, the Millennium Dome and V&A museum year after year.
We speak, demonstrate and showcase at conferences on creativity worldwide. We’ve worked on creativity assessment for Creative Partnerships and are now helping to formulate qualifications in digital creativity with the British Computer Society.
We built and run the ‘Digital Teacher Network’ for creative teachers to have a free space to work with young people online. We’ve worked in dangerous places to bring creative understanding and relief; we promote understanding through doing.
We’ve helped conflicting communities to work together and focus on film rather than religious beliefs and personal differences. We’ve built DVD’s containing childrens work from around the globe and then distributed them worldwide.
We have steered the creativity stand at the BETT education technology show for the past six years. ‘Create at BETT is the only stand to be fully staffed by children being creative. BETT has 27,000 visitors and 2000 stands, we support the children to make films, animation, podcasts and music which helps visitors understand the potential of creative technology.
We’ve worked with schools to make films to help refugees and immigrants integrate with the UK education system, we’ve helped build areas online for rural based pupils to be a community after school hours, focused around film. Gifted and talented, disruptive and unincluded, six or sixty we’ll be able to encourage something creative from anybody.
We have a global alliance of friends in the same field who we work with, not against to increase inclusion for all. Here is a tiny flavour of some of our best bits:
Input CBBC 2002:
Our first experience working on digital creativity projects with the BBC dates back to early 2002 where we worked as ‘Ultralab’ with ‘Future TV’ within CBBC to research and define the potential of user generated content, for the user, by the user. ‘Input CBBC’ a major research project for our team at its time helped us find out just how creative young people could be when given the know-how, technology and performance space to be creative. We learned a lot from the project and were hired by other organisations all over the world to build on our growing experience and unique and adaptable action research way of working. Watch two of the young people talking about their experiences on the xChange programme here on March 17th 2003.
We helped write the final ‘Input CBBC’ report.
Cathy Derrick from the BBC reflected on Ultralab’s work on Input CBBC in a paper presented by Futurelab in 2003:
“So we launched this research pilot last October - in collaboration with Ultralab, a research centre of Anglia Polytechnic University, who have a lot of experience in this sort of “loose touch” approach to film-making with children. We knew from the start our project would be a tall order - and we wanted to test our ideas harshly - to see if any child, with no special ability or ambition, could succeed at filmmaking with little guidance. The Ultralab approach is to give the very basics of technical guidance - then encourage the participants to play with the equipment - our briefing was an even smaller one than Ultralab usually do. We introduced them to digital cameras and also to the editing package called iMovie and they had a chance to experiment there and then. And I have found it fascinating to see the humour - even brilliance come through, things Ultralab had predicted - its delightful to see their personalities emerge on film.”
The image below shows the young people involved in the film making project in the BBC Blue Peter Studio:
TVNZ 2003:
After completion of the user generated content ‘Input CBBC’ project TVNZ heard about our work and commissioned a pilot with us. ‘Input cTVNZ’ was run in New Zealand by our team with New Zealand colleagues.
TVNZ went on to commission a series of programmes containing user generated content on their national TV2 channel.
Explore the news item here, including the pictures.
BELFAST COMMUNITY PROJECT 2003:
We were challenged with a group of Catholic young people and a group of Pr
otestant young people who had never met, did not understand each others opinions and had no creative opportunity in school, or within their community.
We were asked to get something really creative from them, oh, and by the way, some of the group could not read and write.
“As youth leaders from across the community divide we knew each other but we had never worked together. Ultralab’s summer school gave us that opportunity.”
Stuart (Youth Leader)
“The kids were together, focused on making films rather on what divides them”
Kelly (Youth Leader).
One of our proudest moments in Ultralab was seeing the young people mixing together focusing on film rather than conflict.
Watch the films and view the process here.
BBC Blast 2004
In 2004 BBC Blast followed one of our animation workshops, which was televised on BBC 2 on 4 November of the same year. The film demonstrates how fast we are able to achieve from young people in a relatively short period of time.
To watch the broadcast showing our workshop in action, click this link.
The programme demonstrates what was achieved in a three hour session, plus some examples of the quality of film created by the young people back at their own schools over a four day period.
Tsunami Film Project 2005:
In 2005 we flew to Thailand to support communities effected by the tsunami. Our task set by the British Council was to engage with the distanced Muslim community to make films, animations and music to promote Thailand’s beaches as a place to holiday, from the eyes of the children.
Rus reflected in her ‘video diary’:
“Hello my name is Rakiyah Sama, you can call me Rus. It is my honour to be a part of this project, I have received so much knowledge including: computer skills, making movie skills, how to edit a film; I learn technique which can be applied. I used to wonder how things were made on TV, now I have learned and that is an advantage! The trainers from the UK are very friendly and we have practised speaking english with them but sometimes we do not understand some of the things that they say, but if we try harder, one day we will! Thank you very much!”
Click to see what we did, includes reflections by the young people involved and TV coverage.
BBC Blast 2006:
Once again under the Ultralab flag for the 2006 season our team worked for BBC Blast on the national truck tour.
We supported the London Blast central team and Event Producers from around the country to define and deliver workshops in film and animation for each truck stop. Our role included us looking after local artists and specialists to help define and deliver the BBC Blast expectations at each location.
Each place we visited had a different and unique audience of young people for us to meet expectations.
The team moved after the closure of employer Ultralab to form Cleveratom Ltd.
2006 BBC Wales Ident Project:
Imagine what what could happen if six year olds were given the challenge to made the idents for BBC 2 Wales at Christmas. Another exciting project for us as we worked with BBC Wales to help young people create film animations for the festive season.
Eight of the 37 animations produced over the three day programme made it to air for the Christmas period, one of the most memorable creations being ‘Santa in the Bath’.Read about and watch the animations here.
Create at BETT 2007:
Cleveratom team members worked for the sixth year running on the ‘Create at BETT’ show stand at the BETT education show in London. Our team engage and facilitate a group of young people (the only young people allowed in the show) to promote and demonstrate their creativity using technology.
In 2007 the young people will demonstrate podcasting, animation and blue screen technology to visitors every half hour.
Read more about the 2007 Create at BETT project here.
And there’s more!
This website is full of other projects we have run and is constantantly updated with what Cleveratom are up to in the field of Digital Creativity. Explore the site!
Working with us
Do you have an idea for a digital creativity workshop you would like to run? Click here to find out some background information on how we can help you.