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Teign Estuary Partnership
Teign Estuary Partnership - Water Warriors – an animated film about water quality
The Teign Estuary Partnership worked with two primary schools along the River Teign in South Devon, to produce an animated film highlighting the impacts small human actions can have on water quality and the aquatic environment.
The aims of the project were:
• to engage schools and a wide public audience in better understanding aquatic environments and the pressures on them
• to demonstrate that small actions can collectively make larger impacts
• to create an common understanding between communities which are geographically separated but linked by a river
• to use the River Teign to involve students in the production of an animated film
• to create a product which could be used in other river areas to highlight common concerns.
The partnership chose two schools to represent different stages of the water cycle along the River Teign, South Devon. Ilsington Primary School, which is close to one of the sources of the Teign on Dartmoor, worked with Shaldon Primary School which is close to the mouth of the Teign Estuary. The project involved combined site visits with both schools to the moor and estuary so that the participants could get a feel for where water comes from and goes to. The schools were also united in a simple drama exercise encouraging the children to think about the connections the river makes, the wildlife that relies on it, and why it is important to a wide range of human activities. The schools collaborated in the creation of the film characters and sets, filming and production of the sound track.
The schools converted spare classrooms into temporary film sets and completed model making and filming over three days at each school. A local independent film maker facilitated the animation which used plasticine models, painted backgrounds and a simple stop-frame process, and assisted in editing.
The project resulted in the creation of a slick and entertaining 10 minute DVD film ‘Water Warriors’ which was premiered at a local public cinema and subsequently screened at the UK's largest animated film festival, Animated Exeter. It is a film which still packs a punch and is so good that it has been nominated for awards at festivals in UK, France and Ireland. It has raised local awareness and concern in the effects of pollution across river catchments. The message is easily transferable to many rivers across the UK and Europe.
Teign Estuary Partnership believes the project succeeded in engaging the schools because:
Scenes from “Water Warriors”
• as a partnership they were able to use the contacts they already had in the local education authority
• the subject fitted well with the curriculum
• it was a novel and exciting idea
• although the execution may sound difficult, in practice it took few resources beyond what the schools already had and was relatively simple to run
• the local film maker was an enthusiastic, committed and effective partner and provided the additional specialist equipment required.
For more information contact GSSmith@teignbridge.gov.uk. The film is due to be placed on the BBC website.