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The Big Apple

April 2008

Hi from Kafayat, Ashton, Cartell, Dionne, Robert, Patricia, Mellisa, Inas, Rachel, Corrine, Eunice, Saurin, Stephy, Bansi, Charmaine, Credo, Elisha, Fabian, Cyril and Casely.

In February, we had a fantastic experience finding out about the media sector in New York. An actress gave us a guided tour of Central Park and the many TV and movie locations in the city, such as Grand Central Station. We discovered what it was like to shoot on location and learned about all the practical issues such as finance and how to get traffic permits – all the essential issues that make a film production happen but that you don’t always think about. We produced three short films which involved planning, directing, editing and, of course, starring! We got real hands-on practical experience of the intricacies of film production in a short space of time and the experience will spur us on to do more now we are back home. We met young people at the Film Academy and found out about their courses and the different careers they hope to progress into. This gave us a feel for the differences between the US and UK higher education systems.

We also got to talk to professionals in the magazine and marketing industries. This really brought our classroom work to life – listening to people who are actually doing what we’re learning to do. Our studies don’t feel so theoretical now. We packed a lot of study into our five days but, as well as the places we saw on the movie and TV tour, we still had time to visit some of the other tourist attractions such as the Rockefeller Centre where we went up to the 70th floor to get panoramic views across the city. A visit to Ground Zero was poignant as we remembered those who were killed.

A great big thank you to the Jack Petchey Foundation, the Greig Trust the Hornsey Parochial Charities, the SSAT and the Tottenham Grammar School Foundation who made this trip possible by matching our contributions.

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