All Systems Go

In addition to yesterday’s filmmaking special, we’d like to share some more highlights from our busiest week at Passport yet.

As well as developing her filmmaking skills on Monday, Year 10 employee Shanay took her Maths lesson by the reins on Wednesday. 



She was also awarded her Level 2 Food Hygiene for Catering certificate, along with Dylan, Samantha, and Muhamet.

Shanay wasn’t the only person working behind the camera this week. Year 11 employees began working through Unit 1 of their Creative Digital Media Production BTEC course and getting to grips with our filmmaking kit. We can’t wait to see them develop their skills in the coming weeks.

#AllSystemsGo at Passport today. #English, #Maths, #Art and #Design, and #Creative and Digital #Media. pic.twitter.com/AufagghFQ4

— Passport Programme (@Pp2eProgramme) November 13, 2015

Friday was the busiest day of the week. Throughout the day, classes in English, Maths, Art and Design, and Creative and Digital Media were running smoothly and simultaneously; a testament to the competency of our teachers and the diligence of our young employees.

Le Cinéma... Part 2

Last week, our Year 10 employees began following a curriculum set by the international film education programme ‘Le Cinéma, cent ans de jeunesse’. The theme behind this year’s curriculum is ‘climate’. You can view the work they produced for Exercises 1 and 2 here.

This week, Year 10 employee Shanay reflects on Exercises 1 and 2, and practices her analytical skills.

'Our first exercise was to record a minute of footage. There were no unexpected things that happened in mine but in Dylan’s a few unexpected things happened. In one shot, a woman walked past, three cars went past, and later on a bird flew past.

My second exercise was to make shots that were 10 seconds each but we had to make several of them. I think I enjoyed it because I haven’t done something like this before and it’s always nice to try something new. I thought it would have been boring but it wasn’t. I learned how to use the camera properly. I also learned how to use a tripod which I haven’t ever used before. I learned a bit of French as well.'

Year 10s also practiced some film analysis. They studied clips from two separate films, both featuring snowy landscapes, and observed the different ways in which weather is used in them. Here are Shanay's observations...

The Empire Strikes Back

'The weather was very snowy. It created a tense atmosphere because I didn’t know if they were going to survive. It affected their behaviour because they had to find shelter because of the weather. Also, if it were a nice sunny day, they wouldn’t have had to cut open the animal.'

Citizen Kane

'The weather in this clip was also very snowy. The little boy was happy at first. He was playing with snowballs and the sledge. It made me feel like I wanted to be there.'

Ahead of Exercise 3, our employees watched scenes from a selection of films and recreated their storyboards. This helped our employees to understand the purpose of different shot types, and how to plan their own films effectively. They even began mapping ideas for Exercise 3, which requires our employees to film the same short narrative in different weather conditions.

Check back soon for further updates, and follow us @Pp2eProgramme.

Passport, je t’aime

After Year 11 employees performed brilliantly in last week’s Media skills workshop, Year 10 employees were invited to participate in the same workshop this week. 

Take a look at Dylan’s video below to see how he was able to enhance some of his photos in Paint.NET.

Dylan and Shanay also began following a curriculum set by the international film education programme ‘Le Cinéma, cent ans de jeunesse’. This project, driven by La Cinémathèque Française in Paris and coordinated in the UK by the British Film Institute, is a great opportunity for our young learners to exercise their creativity while developing new vocational skills and theoretical understanding. 

Check out yesterday’s blog post for a closer look at some of the work they've already produced.

Year 11 employees were getting us in the festive mood this week with their print designs for Unit 1 of BTEC Art and Design (First Certificate).

 

Things are already getting #festive here at Passport. #christmasiscoming #BTEC #artseducation pic.twitter.com/qf34bBP9zY

— Passport Programme (@Pp2eProgramme) November 3, 2015

Congratulations to Luis, who was our employee of the month for the second month running.

Year 10 employees Shanay, Dylan, Samantha and Muhamet also deserve congratulations for earning their Level 2 Certificates in Food Hygiene for Catering. They're now qualified to begin their Hospitality and Catering taster course at Myatt’s Corner Café after Christmas.

Le Cinéma... Part 1

This week, we’re bringing you a special blog post in addition to our Friday bulletin. We're excited to announce that our Year 10 employees have begun to follow the curriculum for this year's cycle of the international film education programme ‘Le Cinéma, cent ans de jeunesse’. 

This project, driven by La Cinémathèque Française in Paris and coordinated in the UK by the British Film Institute, is a great opportunity for our young learners to exercise their creativity while developing new vocational skills and theoretical understanding.

The theme behind this year’s curriculum is ‘climate’, and the first exercise required our employees to capture a minute of footage depicting the weather, similar to the films of the Lumière Brothers (the founding fathers of filmmaking). 

After studying some of the original ‘Lumière Minutes’, our employees headed out to capture some of their own. Take a look at the video below to see their ‘Météo Minutes’. Both of them capture a foggy morning in Camberwell but feature very different structures and incidents.



The second exercise required them to create a montage of shots, giving a sense of a particular weather type. As you can see in the video below, our employees chose to make the most of the foggy Autumnal conditions.

 

 

For their extension task, Dylan and Shanay also captured some still images of their local scenery, experimenting with shot types and depth of field.

 

 

Next week, we'll hear from the employees themselves as they reflect on the project thus far. We look forward to charting their progress on this prestigious programme.

Movie Magic

Back from the half-term break, our employees wasted no time in returning to their studies. On Tuesday, they were treated to another ‘Progression Day’, during which they polished their CVs and familiarised themselves with the college application process.

On Wednesday, our Year 11 employees participated in a Media skills workshop. Their brief was to create a short promotional video, advertising the Canon 1200D DSLR camera. First, they took portrait photographs of each other, and captured scenic shots of local plant life. 

They then edited these photographs in the application Paint.NET. After this, they created a short promotional video in Windows Movie Maker, demonstrating their new skills and showcasing the image quality that the Canon 1200D affords. Take a look at Lilly’s exemplary first attempt below.

On Thursday, our Year 10 employees met with the staff at Myatt’s Corner Café in preparation for their Hospitality and Catering course in January. Staff explained the importance of rigorous hygiene practices and outlined the basic duties that our employees will be undertaking. We look forward to seeing them in action after Christmas!

Looking the Part

During the half-term break, we wasted no time in readying ourselves for the future. Our premises are now immediately recognisable thanks to our new signage.

We love a #timelapse video here at Passport. Thanks to @sign2000uk for your hard work yesterday. #LookingThePart pic.twitter.com/SMRxPKS1iF

— Passport Programme (@Pp2eProgramme) October 20, 2015

We also welcomed some new PCs, further preparing us for the delivery of core and creative subjects from next week onward... And upward!

The Big Picture

The final week of this half-term began with a big addition to our IT facilities. Computer literacy is a priority here at Passport and we look forward to our employees using the new hardware.

Our employees ‘celebrated’ World Maths Day by sitting their pre-public Functional Skills Mathematics Exams on Wednesday and Thursday, as well as their English Functional Skills Exams.

These exercises are an important step in preparing our employees for their final GCSE assessments. 

To mark Twitter’s Education Day on Thursday, we published a video retrospective, highlighting the progress our employees have made since the beginning of September. You can view the video below.

As you can see, our employees are starting to take a look at the big picture; researching college courses and apprenticeships, and understanding the entry requirements.

At Passport to Employability, we don’t stop moving, and the half-term break will be no different. Check back next week to see how we keep ourselves busy while our employees take a well-earned rest.