The Future Was Filmed...By Young People

Back from two inspiring days at the lovely Glasgowbury where I worked with a brilliant group of 11–15 year olds, my partners in crime Brónagh McAtasney (Northern Ireland Screen) and Emma McAleer (Rural Community Network), and talented Cinematic Arts students Ben Lundy and Ben Duffy on another Creative Archives project: The Future Was Filmed.

Project participants and facilitators

This was a 2-Day Youth Film Camp designed to introduce young people to archives through filmmaking. Set in rural Mid-Ulster, more precisely at Paddy and Stella's wonderful creative hub Glasgowbury, the camp used the combo archives + filmmaking to get young people to think about how technology has changed over time and why archives matter.

Inspired by the quirky interviewing style of Charlie Witherspoon, the young filmmakers worked in teams to create three one-minute films capturing their views on today’s technology (smartphones, VR, and laptops) for future generations.

We showed them gems such as Charlie’s attempts to ride a bicycle and his discovery of the wonders of a microwave.

Along the way, they learned interviewing techniques, basic filming skills, and how to work collaboratively. It was fascinating to hear the young participants reflect on how smartphones, laptops, and VR feel to them now and to imagine how these everyday technologies might look to people in the future!

The Future Was Filmed was funded by Northern Ireland Screen's The Creative Industries New Entrants (CINE) programme and is one of my Creative Archives projects.

Since 2024, Creative Archives has opened up archives to diverse users, including young people, in a fun and accessible way. Using filmmaking as the entry point worked beautifully here as it allowed the young filmmakers not only to explore the past, but also to actively contribute to the archive themselves. Over two days, they didn’t just learn about archives; they became part of one!

The films are currently in post-production and will soon be added to the Digital Film Archive database. Stay tuned!