digital:works was commissioned by St. Hilda's East Community Centre to make a film to celebrate their 120th anniversary. Volunteers had conducted interviews of local residents to record an oral history of St. Hilda's that were being used along with old photographs to create a community archive. A beautiful BBC film had been made about the work of St. Hilda's in 1952 and was donated to the archive.
digital:works recruited members of the boys group at St. Hilda's to capture contemporary footage of St. Hilda's and the surrounding community to compliment the other sources. The boys were trained to use digital video equipment and were then given free reign to go out into their community and film what they thought was important. In one session, the boys followed local resident Patsy around their community to hear about her childhood experiences after the war and how much the area had changed. They discovered that they all attended the same primary school and even lived in some of the same buildings.
The film was shown at the Rich Mix Cinema and had two back to back screenings to a packed house of residents, staff and users of St. Hilda's. John Hall, the filmmaker who made the 1952 film travelled up from the Southwest of England to attend and shared filmmaking tips with the boys. Local press interviewed the boys and some of the local residents who were featured in the film.
digital:works developed this documentary film project with an intergenerational group of residents living on the Alexandra and Ainsworth Estate in NW London. The incredible Grade II* listed building features frequently in TV dramas and architecture journals and the intention of the film was to give residents themselves the opportunity to explore the ideas behind the design of the estate and to examine people's actual experience living on the estate. Through a series of workshops the group decided on the direction of the film and then went on to interview architect Neave Brown who designed the estate as well as the chief engineer and landscape architect. They then interviewed dozens of their neighbours to explore how the original ideas worked in practise, from the perspective of those who live there.
digital:works is an arts and educational charity that works with communities, providing training and creative assistance to produce arts and media projects.
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