A group of Macmillan Academy Key Stage 3 students travelled to Loughborough at the request of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust to speak at a special conference.

A group of Macmillan Academy Key Stage 3 students travelled to Loughborough at the request of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust to speak at a special conference.  Accompanied by members of the Academy's teaching and studio staff, they took part in a presentation demonstrating how simply video can be made and edited for final presentation.

The only three pieces of hardware required were a digital telephone, a digital camera and a video camera, all able to capture an event on video, although not all of the same duration nor of the same quality.  The Macmillan team used simple puppets and a cardbox box as their 'set' to tell on video, and in verse, the stories of what four great scientists believed about gravity.  The video was then edited using software available from the Web and presented to an appreciative audience.

During their day in Loughborough, the Macmillan students stressed the importance of a bank of skills in undertaking such a project.  People have to be able to work well as members of a team.  They need to demonstrate self-confidence.  Their interpersonal skills must be of a high level.  They must be willing to experiment and take calculated chances.  They need to speak clearly too - and a ready sense of humour often comes in handy too.