After Hours Arts Academy is back this Autumn at Pontardawe Arts Centre. In the After Hours Movie Project, young people will make an original film about Pontardawe’s unique heritage which will be screened in the Arts Centre’s brand new cinema. Young people can take part in creative sessions including filmmaking, design, acting, music, research and writing, and put those skills to work making their very own Pontardawe movie.
After Hours Arts Academy is a project that began in Autumn 2023, which focused on being creative while learning new skills through a wide range of workshops such as fashion up-cycling, photography, visual arts and so much more. With the success of the programme, it’s back!
To give a flavour of what the project is all about, taster workshops were held at the Arts Centre towards the end of August. Each daytime workshop was led by industry professionals, and included:
- Acting for Screen
- Film Production
- Design
- Writing
Here is an introduction to each of the facilitators we have for each discipline and what they focused on:
Callum Bruce-Phillips – Film tutor! The filmmaking taster day took participants on a whistle-stop tour of the basics of film language and making. It gave an idea of what to expect from the rest of the project, culminating in the 30-second Film Challenge!
Peri Thomas – Acting For Screen Tutor! Participants in our screen acting masterclass experienced a range of topics including technical aspects of acting for camera, scene analysis and character development. There were practical exercises, feedback and direction on performances, and filming scenes for analysis. The class delved into the differences between stage and screen acting, and explored the nuances of acting for different media like film, TV, self-tapes and social media while also developing confidence as a performer.
Cerian Hedd – Writing tutor! This creative writing taster session invited participants to explore heritage not as something fixed or distant, but as something living, personal and full of untold stories. From memories, local histories and myths and legends, it was explored if the past could be reimagined to shape new narratives for the future.
Clare Johnson – Design Tutor!
Dan Lawrence – Music Tutor!
This project is fully funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus)
