P7 pupils in St. Matthew's PS, Drumsurn
ST. MATTHEW’S GO “ONE WAY OR ANOTHER”
Tuesday the 21st June ’05 saw the ‘premier’ of “One Way or Another”, a short film starring P7 pupils from St. Matthew’s Primary School in Drumsurn. The film was the group’s main project as part of their participation in the Verbal Arts Centre’s BUZZ Programme.
Making the film
Speaking at the showcase, Cynthia Browne, BUZZ Programme Co-ordinator, explained how the film transpired; “The programme for this class lasted nine weeks and they managed to pack a lot into such a short space of time. They began the programme with a trip to the Verbal Arts Centre for, amongst other things, a presentation on drugs, their classifications, the legislation, etc., by Constable Paul Robinson of the Limavady PSNI and they then began to work in school through arts-based activities such as drawing and drama and eventually, after studying the dangers of solvent abuse, they decided to make their own film on the subject. They had the clever idea of doing a “Sliding Doors”-type film where the viewer watches how one person’s life can be affected massively by making a decision either way, hence the title of “One Way or Another”.
Peer Pressure
The film shows a young girl who undergoes some peer pressure
to try solvent abuse, otherwise known as “sniffing”. First,
in the “One Way” section of the film, her friend
manages to pull the girl to one side and dissuade her from sniffing
by providing her with as much information as possible about how
someone can die during a sniffing session. This information
includes how the heart is incredibly sensitive to adrenaline
and that something as simple as a friend suddenly shouting their
name, or running or suddenly becoming frightened can actually
cause the heart to stop working! The young girl goes on
to explain that, whilst sniffing, people can also die from choking,
suffocation and accidents. Unfortunately every one of
these fatal scenarios has occurred many times over in Ireland
and Britain and it is vital that young people realise just how
dangerous sniffing is. The film then takes a twist in the “or
Another” section where the girl goes ahead without knowing
the dangers with disastrous consequences as she collapses.
Even though the subject of the film is incredibly serious, making it was hilarious at times! The young people in St. Matthew’s P7 should feel exceptionally proud that they have produced such a valuable film which will go on to form an essential part of the BUZZ Programme as drama stimulus.”
