Geographical Association

Last year, the Geographical Association worked with the BBC to offer a chance for school students to submit films that had been made on the theme of 'My World'.

A selection of films would then be shown on the BBC big screens in city centres around the country, including Manchester, Leeds and Plymouth.

We received a small number of submissions, and having reviewed all the films, it became apparent that we were short of enough films to produce a show reel which could be used on the screens.

For that reason, we are now extending the submission date and re-opening the chance for you to submit student films.

The new deadline for sending us your film is the 31 March 2010.

Many thanks to those people who submitted entries last year - we will announce the films that have made it onto the show reel to coincide with the GA Annual Conference.

If you have submitted a film and would like a certificate to use with students, please get in touch with Alan Parkinson at the GA.

My World in 60 Seconds is a film project to create an alternative guide to our world, a guide that is created by you. We want to re-present the world as people know it, so we're looking for young people to make short films that are thought provoking, insightful and engaging.

60 seconds is just long enough to guide someone through part of your world, to show what it is really like for you. We want films that show people your lived geographies...

We have teamed up with the BBC so that the best films can appear on BBC Big Screens across the country. A panel of judges will watch all the films and the ones that in their opinion best reflect what we are looking for could be shown. These films will also appear online as part of a guide to our world.

• are about something that the creator (you) finds fascinating
• use geographical thinking to help the audience understand your world
• encourage people to see the world in a new way
• are original, creative and thoughtful
• are well made, are sixty seconds and submitted on MiniDV, High Quality DVD or as a High Quality Quicktime Movie before 1 October 2009

Here is an example of a film which will definitely be on the show reel when it is produced.

The film is made by Lewis (14) from Greenford in Middlesex.

'My submission took me around two weeks to make and I used Adobe Flash to make it. It is based on the idea of the world’s natural balance and how mankind could be disturbing it. I believe that it is important for young people to share the same views on the future because if we don’t, how can we make any united decisions about the future? After all we will soon be the next generation and before long it will be our responsibility to make the right choices.'

All films must:

• be made by students aged 11, 12, 13 or 14
• be no longer than 60 seconds including titles and credits
• only contain music if you have composed and played it yourself
• have permission from all people that feature in the film
• be friendly and not contain any rude or obscene material
• arrive on a MiniDV tape, High Quality DVD or as a High Quality Quicktime Movie along with an entry form no later than 31 March 2010
• be posted to My World Films, Geographical Association, 160 Solly Street, Sheffield, S1 4BF

Visit the BBC website for tips on how to make a good film.

If you have any questions, please contact Alan Parkinson at GA HQ.


(Updated 08.01.10)