Opportunity knocks for young people to get big break on small screen
DO you see yourself on TV one day? Well, if you’re aged between 4-18 years, one day may be today as the British Film Institute has launched a new scheme to get young people across Ireland and Britain to produce and star in their own TV programme which they can film at home during lockdown.
TG4 are leading the project in Ireland and the Irish language TV station is hoping that children and teenagers from Gaeltacht areas in Cork and attending Irish medium schools in the county will avail of this exciting opportunity to break into the TV industry. The project is led by the BFI and also involves UK broadcasters Channel 5, S4C and CITV.
The 30 second submissions will be judged by a panel of industry experts from each of the partner organisations, who will shortlist entries in three different age categories; age 4-7; age 8-13 and age 14-18. Judges from the broadcaster partners will then each pick three winning entries from the age category best suited to their target audience, and these entrants will be offered digital masterclasses with an experienced figure from the television industry, who will help each finalist turn their idea into reality. The resulting two-minute mini-TV show will then be aired by one of the partner Public Service Broadcasters later this year.
Entries for the See Yourself on Screen Challenge should be submitted via www.bfi.org.uk/ seeyourselfonscreen. The closing date for entries is 12 noon on May 25 2020 and successful shortlisted entrants will be notified by Friday June 12.
Among the TV personalities spearheading the campaign is Ranjit Singh, better known as Dr Ranj, a British doctor, television presenter, author, columnist and a celebrity dancer on the BBC One dance series Strictly Come Dancing.
According to Dr Ranj, screen time used creatively and considerately can be a huge asset in helping children and young people explore and learn about the world around them.
“Not only can it be an invaluable educational asset, it can give them an outlet to express themselves in new and exciting ways, and also support one another.
“This is hugely important during current times when much of the media is focused on alarming topics and things outside their control. Harnessing the media and reminding them that it can also be a great force for good can do wonders for their mental wellbeing too. I’m so excited to host this challenge and I cannot wait to see what ideas are sent in.”
A TG4 spokesperson said the initiative was aimed at getting young audiences to come up with programme ideas for lockdown life, “not just as a creative challenge to entertain, but to help describe and document these very unusual times”.
The project is also being supported by the UK Government. British media minister John Whittingdale described it as a ‘fantastic opportunity for young people to use the extra time they are spending at home to get creative and potentially see their ideas brought to life on the small screen’.
Meanwhile, recent research shows that only half of children in the UK and Ireland aged 8-15 feel that there were enough TV programmes showing people who looked like them, and that there were not enough people like them on television.
Increasingly, young people are turning to unregulated content, such as online influencers, who share similar interests and experiences but often provide less of a safe space for young audiences.