Curriculum for Creative Learning in Community
A how to blog that shares our process
“Foleshill on Film” was an experiential learning programme of practical filmmaking, funded by an Arts Project Grant from Coventry City Council and match funded by Feeding Coventry and The Film Liberation Project.
This page documents our collective experience, and the knowledge gained, during the delivery of the project.
We have reported the process as generically as possible - to make replication and development possible for other communities and organisations — and it is presented in 7 Parts as follows:
- Practical Context
- Introduction
- Story
- Structure
- Tools
- Creating Together
- Presentation
- Continuation
Practical Context
Recruitment
The project took place in the community of Foleshill, part of Coventry, in the United Kingdom. While rich in culture and historical contributions to the wider development of Coventry, the community is categorised as one of the more materially deprived in City, the region and also the UK as a whole.
10 participants were recruited to the programme from an existing project Feeding Coventry’s Social Supermarket and it ran for 6 weeks. As many members of the supermarket and the community centre face digital exclusion, we did advertise the course on Facebook for those who “follow” us, but we also produced a simple flyer which was available at the Social Supermarket’s reception.
Support workers were briefed on the project to allow 1–2–1 introductions to the course and the facilitators an early understanding of any support requirements needed to maximise inclusion.
Format and timeline
Each session was 4 hours with a break for lunch. They were conducted on site, with the opportunity to eat and talk together: we found this social embedding to be very important in creating a strong foundation of sharing and community. Indeed, integrating knowledge management in authentic social process is a key aspect of all CATALN’s work.
PART 2: Introduction
The goal of the introduction can be simplified into 4 aspects
1. Connection
Everyone approaches creativity differently. In our experience, there may be people who are resistant, people who say ‘I’m not a creative person’, some people who are embarrassed to show their creative side. Other people feel they are creative but remain unsure how to begin or how to express this.
Over the years, we have learned that people are more likely to deconstruct emotional and intellectual resistance, navigate embarrassment, doubt or shyness, if they feel connected to the people they are working with. People who feel they are safe to express themselves, are more likely to talk openly and to convey honest opinion. Every creative person knows it is always better to have a community around you to support you, to listen to you and to challenge you.
Everyone will do this at their own pace, but you have to start somewhere. Cook together, eat together, walk together, raise questions about one another, share jokes and small talk. These are the places to build but these interactions will often need to be facilitated.
2. Clarity
In order to be clear about your process, tell everyone how it will start and how it will continue. Be clear about what the final output might be. Ask people what they hope to gain from doing this together.
Of course part of the joy of creativity is discovering as you go, but a clear framework in which to be creative allows focus and reassurance to effectively express yourself
3. Emotion
How much better is the outcome of a task when you care about it: when it excites or amazes you? If people care about what they’re doing, it is always going to be better, as they’ll always be willing to go that little bit further; if it amazes them, it’ll never get boring.
4. The Space
Think about the space and place! Start from your own point of view — does it make you feel comfortable? If not why not? If it does, why does it? Think about if you were attending, what might make you feel more comfortable? How would you like to sit? What about the space and your position in it might make you feel more heard, able to speak or more comfortable?
Now think about this all again from the position of the people who are attending. Imagine what might make it better for them and their needs. Everyone is different, but we will always have more in common than we have differences. But it’s always ok to ask them. Ask them are they comfortable? What would they change to make it a better learning environment?
Doing the above achieves two essential things. Firstly it helps you make the best environment for everyone and secondly it sets your stall out early, that everyone will be listened to and heard if they want to be and from the very beginning that you are not the boss.
Action 1: Get everyone to bring something they categorise as creative and that means something to them to the first session. It could be a work of art…a book or a record, but it could be a letter or a piece of clothing or a family photo, anything they can tell the other participants about and why it means so much to them. Everyone is a storyteller, whether they know it or not, and it’s easier to tell stories about things we deeply care about
PART 2: Story
Art, especially narrative art, is nothing without story. It is the basis on which we build our creation. We can tell stories with words and images, but also with paint, dance, light, jokes or music. A poorly told or developed story inevitably means everything else will fail, no matter how good it is. So before everything else we need to know what we’re going to say and how we’re going to say it
The participants have already shared a story about an object that means something to them (whether they know it or not). To develop the storyteller in them and to create an environment of comfort, communication and understanding between your participants, together create a story. It doesn’t have to make sense, make it as ridiculous, or as strange as you want, make people laugh, confuse them
Action 2a: A box of objects was placed in the middle of the circle and, starting with a volunteer, each member took one item either as a prop or a prompt to tell a short section of a story, in just a couple of sentences. The next person in the circle continued where the last person left off with their own prop until a story is created by the whole group
The ability to express ourselves with no boundaries or judgement, for no reason but simply to express, is essential and freeing (especially if it’s fun) We need to realise we have a voice and our voice is as valid as anyone else’s and how we choose to express our voice is as valid as any other way.
Action 2b: Go round the circle again but this time instead of using props to prompt story ideas get the participants to use their own experiences. Get the first person in the circle to share something that happened in their day or week, and, same as before, the next person continues the story.
Make notes of any characters that are created and how they express their character. Note any settings, conflicts, resolutions….anything you would find in classic story structure
Action 2c: Get the participants to keep an ideas diary. Any story ideas, characters, endings, beginnings, even if it’s just one line. These ideas can come out anywhere, their day-to-day life, their memory, dreams, a story someone has told them, a book they’re reading, or a painting they’ve seen. Nothing is off limits
Action 2d: John Yorke’s 10 fundamentals of storytelling is shared and, with each element, participants are asked to consider where their collective story sits in this framework. What works and what needs more attention? What would need to happen to the plot or the characters to fulfil the characteristics of the 10 fundamentals?
With this process in mind, Action 1 is then repeated but with the participants asked to focus on experiences that are closer to their own experience and based in the everyday.
This second story is captured by the facilitators.
Homework: Participants are given the 10 fundamentals as a handout, and a notebook and asked to think about how these component parts show up in the next programme or film they watch.
PART 3: Structure
Creating a common vision for the piece
- Breaking down story
- Story wall (images as well as texts)
- Explore story
- Introduce participants to structure and ideas of storytelling/character etc
Film Structure
Outside of the session, the facilitators take away the notes of the story that was created in the first session and break it down into its component parts without embellishment.
Note to facilitators: Some participants found this activity easier than others, and there was natural breakage of a continuous story to become 3 interweaving stories. We included all elements but sectioned them into three parts to make it easy to understand.
These notes were printed out large-scale and placed on the wall. Starting at the beginning, we asked the group to consider a variety of questions loosely based on the 10 fundamentals such as:
- How do you picture this character? How old are they? What is their background?
- What do you want to know about them?
- Why are they in this situation?
- Where is this interaction happening? What does the environment look like?
Everyone was encouraged to take part in this activity. We provided large post-it notes and pens so that everyone could note down their input and add it to the story.
The concept of ‘Show, don’t tell’ was discussed to get members to think about how aspects of the character or story could be portrayed without being expositional.
As each scene became more detailed there were conflicting ideas which were aired, discussed and resolved.
This activity took place over the whole session.
Research and review
Outside of the session, the facilitators took all the notes attached to the story and created an outline script. This was brought to session 3 and a read-through took place with group members.
Members were first helped to understand the layout of a script and how to read one effectively. This was then followed with a read through. We then discussed whether this version, which had been created, matched their visualisation and their intentions for the story, which was again noted for future development.
Homework: Each member was asked to take the script away and make some notes and suggestions as to how it could be improved and what the dialogue might consist of.
PART 4: The tools and how they help tell the story
Paint, paper and brushes are the tools of the painter, instruments and recording equipment are the tools of the musician, pen, paper and language are the tools of the writers and cameras, lights, and performers are the tools of a filmmaker. These tools are used to tell their stories. Once we have the base for a story it is necessary to learn how to use and apply these tools.
1. Shoot 1
For this session, a camera and tripod were set up in the space and a scene was picked by members of the group to start to work on. Following the feedback from session 3, dialogue had been added to the script. The group was split into two — group A looked at the scene set up, the dialogue and how it could be portrayed. Group B were given a basic overview of the workings of the camera, the effect that different angles and lenses have on the feel of a scene. Members worked together with a facilitator for approximately 20 minutes, then a short group discussion was had to share both groups perspective, agree on how this would work and then a scene was shot with Group A acting and Group B filming. This process was established along with an understanding of how to get to the point of ‘Camera, Action’. Scenes were played ‘big’ and ‘small’ to give actors a feel for how different styles can impact on the outcome of the scene.
Several takes were filmed, then Groups A and B switched roles.
During this process each person had an opportunity to act different roles, give their individual take on the dialogue, composition and framing. People naturally leaned towards roles which suited them.
2. Shoot 2
Between sessions, the films were edited together and showed to the group at the outset of the next session.
PART 5: Creating together
Being able to discuss and critique, openly and honestly is essential to effective collaboration and creation. The relationships formed by the participants over the previous sessions will hopefully have created an environment where this is not only possible, but creates even more understanding and communication within the group, as well as most importantly creative growth. The ability to understand what works and what doesn’t work and why it works or doesn’t work is essential to any artistic development.
Action 3a: After viewing the work done the previous session, open a discussion with the group about how they felt about them. Ask questions like — what worked for you? Why did it work? How do you feel watching your work back? Is it what you expected? What was different? What could have you done better? How could you have done it better?
Action 3b: Get the participants to write what you think are the most effective conclusions to these questions down on a sheet of paper and put it on the wall. Now repeat the structure of the previous session — one group directs and works with the cameras and another acts and develops the scene, then swap.
It doesn’t have to be exactly the same scene or same location, but the process remains the same. Get the participants to focus on the discussion at the start of the session while doing it. Encourage people to be verbal with suggestions, advice and adaptations. If there are any disagreements, allow people to air them and reply them
In addition you can give each group a time limit to shoot their scene. This makes effective communication even more essential and apparent
PART 6 : Presentation
Think of the presentation of work in 2 ways. Firstly showing work to whoever might be interested, friends and family, peers, the community or the wider public. The aim of this is to foster a sense of pride in the participants work. Done individually or collaboratively within a supportive creative community the benefits of pride in achievements is even more beneficial, it inspires participants to achieve more, communicate even more effectively and build upon each other’s strengths. Overall it demonstrates a value for oneself and ones work
Secondly presentation of the creative process itself, to encourage and support people who will follow the participants or are thinking of exploring their creative side. It is important to actively encourage conversation and debate about participants creative processes, what they’re currently working on, whether they need advice or support. Talking about ideas and projects with a community that cares is the best way of creating encouragement and excitement about being creative.
There is creative life after this curriculum and that needs to be highlighted and embraced
PART 7: Continuation
Aspirations for future learning and mapping how these might be achieved. How best we and the community of learners around them can facilitate and support this. One of the great benefits of fostering a supportive and communicative environment is that people feel comfortable in asking for help and support.
Activity 1: Ask them what ideas for projects come to mind. Ask them if they’d like help developing any idea
A goal for the project overall is not just to develop creative skills and foster a creative community, but also lay the foundation for people doing the curriculum to support the next people coming through, to share their experience and knowledge and to invite them into the community.
