With less than a week left to enter the Childnet Film Completion, and the exciting prizes starting to arrive in the Childnet office, we spoke to Keith whose film ‘We have a choice to make a better internet’ won the competition in 2015. Keith told us about the affect the competition had on him, and gave his advice for those using these last few days to make an amazing online safety film.
Hi Keith. Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
I was born in Zimbabwe and moved to England at the age of 12. I’ve been living in Wellingborough ever since and attended Weavers Academy, where I heard about the Film Competition in 2015. I am an Animation student at Southampton Solent University but I’m currently taking a gap year with plans to go back in September of this year.
So, you won first place at the 2015 film competition – what was it like hearing that your film won?
When I heard that my film won first place, it was all a blur. I didn’t get the chance to take it all in but it finally hit me when I got back home and held my trophy in my hands. That’s when I realised how big of a deal it was.
What can you remember about the event itself?
The whole event was amazing and I can’t fault it. However, one moment that stood out was when a gentleman asked me if I was planning on doing Animation at University and I was perplexed since I had no clue Animation was an actual University course. From that point, my mind was set on doing Animation at University.
At Childnet, we’re firm believers that film is a powerful educational tool. Why do you think film works so well with getting important messages across to young people?
I believe that with film, it allows for a creative way of conveying information, through sound and visual stimulation. For the viewer, they are eager to see ‘what’s next’ so they can just sit back and enjoy the film.
Did the film competition inspire you to carry on making films?
Yes! The Film Competition not only inspired me to create more films; it got me interested in the entertainment industry as a whole. The Film Competition is the reason why I studied Animation in Uni. Getting 1st place gave me the confidence to explore the genre and continue being creative.
What advice would you give to young people about the importance of staying safe online?
Staying safe online helps young people to find the fun or educational side of the internet. My advice would be not to feel like you have to be keeping up to date with everything on the internet. Only focus on what you need to do rather than what your friends or everybody else is doing. We’re all unique so let’s focus on what makes us unique
