Category: Filmmaking

Creative Conversations: Play Therapy and Documentary Filmmaking

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Creative Conversations 

Play Therapy and Documentary Filmmaking.
Open to all Fair Access Students, RCS Staff and Students

Fair Access are running an exciting new series of Fair Access Creative Conversations focused on Community Arts in Scotland. Come along to one, or to the whole series to find out more about Community Arts in Scotland.

Play Therapy with Izzy Joss

Woman with bobbed hair and smiling
Our first Creative Conversation features from Izzi Joss who will be speaking about Play Therapy. Izzi is a freelance actor, creative collaborator and drama facilitator with over 20 years experience in this field. 

Young woman with bobbed dark hair, smiling in front of a video camera

Documentary Filmmaking with Bircan Birol

Our second Creative Conversation features filmmaker Bircan Birol. Bircan is a Glasgow-based non-fiction filmmaker/artist who will be speaking about the importance of self-representation and working ethically with diverse communities. Bircan will be talking about creative documentaries and how they go beyond usual TV and factual work. She’ll touch on finding your own way, style, and voice in the world of non-fiction filmmaking.

 Contact Us 

If you have any questions about these activities please get in touch with us at: fairaccess@rcs.ac.uk

Fair Access Fair Access Expo: Community and Applied Arts Practice

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Fair Access Expo: 

 Community and Applied Arts Practice 

Friday 7 June, 10-3:30pm at The Boardwalk, Glasgow G1 1TF

Are you aged 16 – 25 and want to use your creativity to ask questions, share stories and make change? Do you think the arts can change people’s minds, opinions and lives? Are you interested in building leadership and facilitation skills? If the answer is yes, come along to find out more about Community and Applied Arts Practice at our Fair Access Expo.

At this exciting all-day event, we’re inviting you to join practical sessions with experienced community artists to:

  • Make Theatre
  • Get Moving
  • Make Music
  • Tell a Story

They’ll share their skills and show you how they work creatively with a range of communities. Come and learn about the stories that matter.

What is Community Arts Practice? 

It’s a springboard to careers in teaching, directing, performance making, youth work, community music, arts in health and wellbeing, community education, play work, arts funding, creative learning in arts and cultural organisations and so much more.

How to register

*Booking Now Closed*

Who can attend

Fair Access prioritise places for young people aged 16 – 25 who are facing barriers in accessing the arts and who meet one or more of the following criteria:

Get in touch if you have any questions or need us to check a postcode for you.

If you are a young person living very rurally (e.g. on an island) you may also be eligible. Please get in touch with us and we will let you know if you can apply.

Note to teachers

If you are a teacher, we encourage you to attend this opportunity with your pupils. If you cannot attend, we ask that either an alternative member of staff accompanies the group, or that the students are passed on the booking link in order to book themselves a place. This will enable us to collect the details we require from the young people attending to be able to run the event effectively.

Contact WACI for More Information

You can contact the team at waci@rcs.ac.uk

Let's Talk About

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Let’s Talk About 

A new Fair Access Project working with

Care Experienced and Estranged Young People

Young person holding a camera hiding their face
📸 Graeme Roger

Let’s Talk About…our new project working with care experienced and estranged young people in the performing and production arts. 

Supported by the William Grant Foundation, we are hoping to highlight some of the best arts practice happening across Scotland. We’ve kickstarted the project in Aberdeenshire, working with one of the nine care groups overseen by Holly Robertson, Aberdeenshire’s Virtual Head Teacher. We visited the Meldrum Academy care group on a field trip to Newburgh Seal Beach with our artists in residence, Graeme Roger and Dave Martin. 8 young people got to grips with how to use film, photography, sound equipment and even drones on the beach. We can’t wait to see what work they produce at their exhibition later in the year. 

Let’s Talk About…is taking place in Aberdeenshire, Ayrshire, on Mull and beyond this autumn and winter and we will be sharing how the project is going on a brand-new website soon. In the meantime, if you want to read about some of our care experienced work we did last year, check out our Sounding Out report.

If you are care experienced or estranged and interested in studying the performing and production arts, you might be eligible for our Transitions programme. Find out more about how to apply to Transitions on our website.

Fair Access Filmmaking Taster Morning

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Fair Access 

 Filmmaking Taster Morning 

Wednesday 8 November, 9:30 – 1pm

RCS, 100 Renfrew St, Glasgow G2 3DB

A group of young people with a tutor playing with film cameras

Are your pupils interested in studying Filmmaking at a college, university or conservatoire? Sign up now for you and up to three of your pupils to attend our Filmmaking Taster Morning at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. 

Come and meet some of the Fair Access team where we’ll be on hand to advise about what support we can offer you and your pupils. The taster session will also be a great opportunity to:

  • Find out more about the RCS BA Filmmaking course
  • Try your hand at screenwriting
  • Hear from and chat with current filmmaking students
  • Get up close with filmmaking equipment

We welcome you inside RCS to get a feel for what it could be like to study here.

* Applications now closed *

Booking Deadline: 1 November, 12 noon

Please note: Fair Access is funded to support young people who face barriers in accessing the arts. You are welcome to book up to three of your pupils on this session who meet the following criteria:

Get in touch and we can check your postcode for you. 

 Contact Us 

If you have any questions about this activity, please email: fairaccesshello@rcs.ac.uk

Get Into: Performing and Production Arts

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Get Into: Performing and Production Arts 

Musical Theatre, Filmmaking, Production, Singing or Guitar

For ages 15+ Starting Autumn 2023

Young woman making stage props and words 'Get Into Performing and Production Arts'

Would you like to Get Into: Musical Theatre, Filmmaking, Guitar, Singing or Production Arts & Technology? Not sure where to begin? Our free ‘Get Into’ courses could be the perfect answer. 

We’re running five separate programmes in these artforms starting Autumn 2023.

These free weekly sessions will be a great opportunity to:

  • Build your confidence
  • Develop your skills in your chosen artform
  • Meet others who love the same thing as you

Bring your energy, enthusiasm and commitment! 

* Applications now closed *

Please note: Fair Access will prioritise those facing barriers to accessing the arts such as those:

Get in touch and we can check your postcode for you. 

 Get In Touch 

If you have any questions or queries, email: fairaccesshello@rcs.ac.uk

Fair Access 'Behind the Scenes' Expo

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Fair Access Behind the Scenes EXPO 

Focus on Film, Production Arts and Technology

Monday 5 June, 10 – 3pm

Civic House, 26 Civic Street, Glasgow G4 9RH

Three young adults playing with lighting cans
©RCS-Robbie McFadzean

Are you aged 15+ and interested in Film and/or Production Arts or Technology as a career? Do you teach or support someone who is interested in what happens behind the scenes? Then the Fair Access EXPO is for you!

This Fair Access EXPO is an exciting all-day event designed to get you up close behind the scenes of a performance with experts on hand to help you try out a range of skills. The day ends with a performance that you will have helped put together.

During the day, you will have a chance to:

  • Make and paint a set
  • Design and operate light and sound
  • Work with filmmakers and multimedia artists
  • Choose costumes for performers
  • Meet a range of creative professionals
  • Find out about opportunities in Film and Production that might be available
  • And much, much, more including a free breakfast and lunch!

Come and have a go, meet other young people who like the same things you do, and be part of our creative team.

Places are strictly limited so sign up today!

A group of young people trying out a filming camera in a classroom A young person with headphones round his neck and wearing a traffic cone on his head Three young people trying out a filming camera in a hallway

Please note: Fair Access will prioritise those facing barriers to accessing the arts such as those living in an SIMD20 postcode (you can check this on our website), are estranged or care experienced, or identifying as Black, Indigenous or a Person of Colour (living in an SIMD20 or SIMD40 postcode).

Please let us know the eligibility criteria which best describes you or the group you are booking for when you apply. If none of these criteria apply to you, please feel free to register and a member of staff will get in touch.

 How to get in touch 

If you would like to find out more or have a query or questions, get in touch with the team at: fairaccesshello@rcs.ac.uk 

Exhibition of Photographs, Film and Sound by The Care Group

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Exhibition of Photographs, Film & Sound 

Monday 28 November, 6:30-7:30pm

John Swan Atrium at the Gordon Schools

Fair Access at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland are super proud to have supported 8 young people, known as The Care Group at the Gordon Schools in Huntley, Aberdeenshire. They worked together over a three-month period with Graeme Roger (film and visual arts), Dave Martin (music production) and Ross Carbarns (DJ, performer, writer). Together they explored a range of artforms inspired by art gallery visits, beach walks and from spending time together as a group.

Person looking out to landscape in sunset Person holding camera towards you in front of their face A group of young people with filming equipment on a beach Young person peering over castle wall

Their work will be presented in a public exhibition, taking place at the John Swan Atrium at the Gordon Schools, Monday 28 November at 6:30-7:30pm. If you are in the area, why not pop your head into the exhibition – we think you’ll love it.

‘I want people to see me as artistic and be able to help other people with problems if they have any’ 

‘I want to be seen as a person, I would hope they like me and accept me for who I am’.

In partnership with Fair Access at RCS

Fair Access Go North!

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Fair Access Go North! 

Spooky Castles, Amazing Photographers,

Visual Performance and Production Arts

Person wearing a horned mask sitting on a castle wall.

A few weeks ago, some of our Fair Access team travelled by train to Aberdeenshire for a spooky Halloween visit to Slains Castle, said to be the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. We met with The Care Group from the Gordon Schools in Huntley on a windswept and wild photography, film and sound adventure. We’ve been partnering with Wildbird and The Care Group on a 3-month project and we’re heading back up to see their amazing exhibition later this month. Can’t wait!

While we were up North, we paid a visit to the Creative Team at Eden Court in Inverness. We’ve got plans afoot to work with Eden Court to support Deaf learners at the theatre and beyond.  We’re heading up the road with a team from our BA Performance crew who will deliver Visual Performance sessions in British Sign Language and English at Dingwall Academy and also at Eden Court where they deliver a whole host of performing arts SQA Drama programmes.  We’ll be at Dingwall Academy on 2 December and Eden Court 3 December.

We are also working in partnership with Eden Court to develop and deliver hands-on activity for young people and their teachers interested in exploring the Production Arts. You can find out more about RCS Production Arts degree programmes on the RCS website. 

A mighty thank you to Aberdeenshire, Highland and Ross-shire for being so welcoming! Watch this space to find out more about our Northerly activity over the coming year.

 Visit the Fair Access Website 

If you would like to know more about the work Fair Access do, head over to our website at: rcs.ac.uk/fair-access

Curious About Film Club

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 CURIOUS ABOUT FILM 

Part of the Fair Access ‘Get Into’ Series

A group of people discussing film in a room.

When: 7 monthly sessions on Tuesdays from September 2022 to March 2023
Where: GMAC Cinema, 5th Floor, 103 Trongate, Glasgow G1 5HD

Curious About Film is a monthly film club for people who want to explore and engage with film. You will watch and talk about film, get some hands on practical experience of cameras, dabble with animation and sound design and learn about all the different jobs in the film industry. You will get the chance to design your own film festival and programme your own cinema screening event – so you can experience film in all it’s glory!

Workshops and activity will take place at GMAC Film in central Glasgow – with the final screening at Glasgow Film Theatre. This programme of workshops is part of the RCS’s ‘Get Into’ series and is being delivered partnership with GMAC Film and Fair Access at the RCS.

Workshop Dates:

  • 13 September
  • 11 October
  • 8 November
  • 6 December
  • 10 January 2023
  • 7 February 2023
  • 7 March 2023

* Applications now closed *

Curious About Film: A partnership with GMAC Film, RCS Fair Access and Glasgow Film.

 Get In Touch 

If you require any further information or have any questions, email: fairaccesshello@rcs.ac.uk

What It Means To Be Me | Screening and Discussion Feedback

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 What It Means To Be Me 

Screening and Discussion

“So far this project has very much been an experience of discovery and inner expression. I have loved every second and I am excited to work on what’s next” – Estranged UG Student RCS 2022

‘It’s unbelievable to be in a room full of people who get it…I didn’t know I could be somebody that made a film or wrote something’ – RCS CE&E Collective Member 2022

55 people attended our recent screening and discussion event, working across government departments such as The Promise, several local authorities, colleges, Skills Development Scotland, third sector organisations and creative organisations such as Screen Education Scotland. 20 of the attendees have expressed an interest to join a steering group that seeks to develop best practice in supporting care experienced and estranged young people to access the arts through education and career pathways.  

One of our RCS students involved in our projects throughout stated 

“It was amazing different people’s experiences coming together and knowing that you don’t feel alone…how supportive people have become” – RCS Student 2021

One audience member and regular participant acknowledged the impact our projects had had: 

“I’ve been in kinship care since I was 10, and I wasn’t able to communicate who I was until I did projects like these” – Participant 2022

Another audience member spoke for the very first time about their own care experience: 

“I’ve never knowingly met anyone who has this shared experience – and what they were expressing through the film and after, the discussion, was so relatable and familiar” – Audience Member 2022

Being able to track change and improvements through our projects helps us to influence the shape of Widening Access and Widening Participation practice, particularly when it relates to the arts. Perhaps the most significant learning that has come from this year of activity is the necessity to work together to bring about powerful change. In the words of one of our student collaborators:

‘If you help me and I help you – then that is empowerment” – RCS CE&E Collective Member 2022

Find out more about our Fair Access programmes and GMAC Film by clicking the links.