Year 3 pupils at Much Birch Church of England Primary School recently produced a short film about the Second World War, and they premiered their creation to their family on Thursday, July 14th.

In addition to starring in the short film, the pupils also wrote the storyboard and the script. They also wrote newspaper articles, depicting Hitler’s rise to power and invasion of Europe. Some children also wrote letters as evacuees, writing home to their parents in the city, describing life in the countryside for the first time. In the film, the children read their work, as a voice over to add to the story.

The pupils also acted in front of a green screen. This allowed them to act in scenes from the battlefield on the front line, as a family huddled in their air-raid shelter during the blitz, and as evacuees, arriving at a strange train station for the first time.

The children all enjoyed working on the project. During their premiere, they dressed up in their costumes, and stood proudly in front of their large audience, eager to share their experiences and talk about what they had achieved.

The project had been set up by Mark Sanderson, who works with Herefordshire schools on various media projects. At the premiere, the children invited Mr Sanderson to come forward and say a few words. He praised the children for their creativity and said he hoped it had enhanced their experience in the classroom.

Speaking at the premiere, Headteacher, Mrs Davies said that the money raised during the premiere would be spent on filmmaking equipment for the children to be able to make more films in future. She added that the children had all worked very hard, as had their teacher, Mrs Davidson, and teaching assistant, Mrs Stewart.

The children raised £245.06. Sasha Davidson, the children’s teacher told the Ross Gazette: “We’ve raised more than enough for our film making kit!”

Before the premiere, on Friday, July 8th, the pupils got the chance to see their film shown in the Odeon cinema in Hereford. The children came wearing their smartest clothes, and were given a cup of squash and some popcorn to enjoy as they watched their work appear on the big screen. Mrs Davidson told the Gazette that the children had a lovely time, and they are very grateful to the Odeon.