Young people from Central Bedfordshire have made a film stressing the power of stories in an age of video games and smartphones, as part of project, ImagiNation, organised by Central Bedfordshrie Council. Professional artists ran workshops for 11-16 year olds.
They were held at Dunstable and Houghton Regis libraries and were funded through a successful Grants for the Arts bid.
Aside from the film, they also explored collages, including an audio mashup and visual map of their thoughts and ideas.
The workshops helped them mix images, sound, film and words to create a media mashup describing their journeys through the world of books.
The film, Story Fixers, sees technology-addicted children transformed into a cast of literary characters from works such as Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and The Wizard of Oz, and sent on various quests by a mysterious magical figure in order to discover the world of books.
One of the participants was Jacob, who played the Gruffalo in the film, he said: “I think that the best thing at Imagination was acting the amazing and creative storyline, although I think it was all fun!
“I learned a big variety of skills from drama to creating storylines, and I didn’t want the fun to end!”
Councillor Ian Dalgarno said: “The work of these young people shows that stories are alive and well even in today’s busy world of gadgets and computer screens, and can still capture the imagination as they have done generations before.
“In fact, these workshops have taught young people have to tell stories in new, interesting ways, splicing all manner of media to create exciting narratives.”