This trip was a great opportunity for the students to hear film industry experts talk about career progression - where they started in the film business, what they were interested in and where to go from there.
Many students say: “I’d like to do animation” or “I’m interested in 3D or computers”, but they don’t know how it’s done or how many people are involved.
I took students from Year 12 film studies, intermediate GNVQ design and Year 13 art and design. Because we’re applying for colleges now, they need to see what’s out there. They know they want to do animation; they know they want to do film, but what holds them back is the idea that it’s too glamorous. This event helped get across the message: “if you want it you can do it.”
It was good to stage the event in Disneyland as a lot of our kids haven’t been abroad before. But I would have liked to see examples from Disney of the work it does. They could also have provided sheets with key facts, tips, ideas and influences.