Supporting the local community, particularly young people, has long been an important part of Octink’s corporate and social responsibility activity. So when we needed a short film to advertise our business, it seemed a great opportunity to give local students real-life business experience by asking them to produce it.
We approached Heston Community School, a specialist visual arts school, through Hounslow’s Education Business Partnership, which brings together education, business and community organisations to help prepare young people for working life,
As a result, our film project was incorporated into the syllabus of the two-year Creative Media Diploma course. Working in groups, 18 and 19 year old students mirrored the work of a professional production company, by taking a brief and managing every aspect of the work, from presenting initial proposals through to final production.
The students not only honed their creative skills, but learned first-hand about planning, budgeting and teamwork. They were supported by Hanif Kahn, founder and director of Video Shoot Productions in Heston, who provided guidance, advice and access to the latest video equipment. Hanif says: “Projects like this are invaluable in giving young people real life business experience that helps them make an informed decision about whether they want to pursue a career in the industry and, for those who do, it looks great on their CV for future employers.”
Steve Hook, art teacher at Heston Community School, adds “our students really enjoyed the work and learned a huge amount along the way. Opportunities like this provide excellent vocational experience and are so much better than making up fictitious companies! We’re enormously grateful to Octink and Hanif for their support and look forward to continuing the relationship in future.”
The students’ finished films are impressive and compare well with a professionally produced film. They can be seen on YouTube if you’re having difficulty viewing them here. Visit http://bit.ly/8ZWkOI and http://bit.ly/9dSHVG
Octink is a BITC CommunityMark company and is committed to an on-going program of engagements with local schools and community groups.
