Leeds Lens!

Leeds Lens: Celebrating Young Filmmakers and the Stories of Leeds

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been a week since we wrapped on Leeds Lens – a fantastic project that saw a group of young people from Leeds get hands-on experience of planning, shooting and editing their own films about the city.

Delivered by Sticks & Glass Skills Hub, Leeds Lens was all about giving young people the opportunity to develop practical filmmaking skills, build confidence and explore what a career in the film and television industry could look like.

From an idea to a finished film

Throughout the project, the young people were involved in every stage of the filmmaking process.

They developed their ideas, planned their productions, learned about camera and sound, filmed on location and then brought everything together in post production. It was a chance to experience what it's really like to take a creative idea and turn it into a finished piece of content.

Most importantly, the films gave the participants the opportunity to tell stories about Leeds, its people and the places that make the city special – through their own eyes.

Seeing their confidence grow throughout the project was one of the real highlights. From those first conversations about ideas through to picking up cameras, working as a production team and sitting down in the edit, the group embraced the challenges and opportunities that came their way.

Real industry insight

A key part of Leeds Lens was making sure the young people didn't just learn about filmmaking in a classroom environment, but experienced the industry first-hand.

We're incredibly grateful to Nicki and Nicola from ITN Productions, who shared their knowledge and experience with the group and gave them valuable insight into what it's like to work professionally in television and production.

We'd also like to thank Building Professionals in Sports Broadcasting (BPSB) and Dominic Mills for their support throughout the project.

At Sticks & Glass, we believe that giving young people access to industry professionals, professional equipment and real production environments can make a huge difference to their understanding of the creative industries – and hopefully inspire the next generation to see themselves working in film and television.

A huge thank you to our partners

Projects like Leeds Lens simply wouldn't be possible without the support of brilliant partners.

A huge thank you to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority for supporting the project and helping us create opportunities for young people to develop practical, real-world production skills.

We're also hugely grateful to Mark at Leeds Trinity University for supporting the project and supplying the kit that enabled our young filmmakers to get hands-on with professional production equipment.

A special thank you also goes to everyone at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance for welcoming us so warmly and giving the young people access to such a fantastic location during the school's 40th anniversary celebrations. The team took such great care of us throughout the shoot and helped make the experience even more memorable.

And, of course, a massive thank you to the wider Sticks & Glass team for all of their hard work, expertise and encouragement throughout the project.

Celebrating Leeds' next generation of filmmakers

For us, Leeds Lens has been about much more than making films.

It's been about giving young people the opportunity to be creative, work as part of a team, develop new skills and experience what it feels like to be part of the film and television industry.

Leeds has an incredible creative community, and we want to play our part in ensuring that young people across the city can access the skills, experiences and opportunities they need to become part of it.

We're incredibly proud of what the group achieved and can't wait to share their finished films – and the official behind-the-scenes footage – with you soon.

Watch this space! 🎬

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