A short film, written by students at Liverpool John Moores University will feature in a campaign launched by the Environment Agency to highlight the issues of climate change
A short film, written by students at Liverpool John Moores University will feature in a campaign launched by the Environment Agency to highlight the issues of climate change. The students were chosen as winners of the Environment Agency’s first ever short film competition – Tomorrow’s World.
Emily Webber, Samantha Pickles, Jen Robinson, Karen Turley and Sarah Butler fought off close competition from students at universities across the region, as they produced a winning short film around water efficiency titled ‘Human After All’.
The film is designed to get across important messages on climate change to the business leaders of tomorrow. The competition also provided an opportunity for students from the region to showcase their talent.
The winning entry has now been professionally produced as a short film, and makes use of performance capture technology, the first time it has been used in the UK. It also includes voice overs from recent Celebrity Big Brother contestants Terry Christian and Coolio, following their heated debate over climate change during their time in the house.
The Environment Agency asked students to capture some of the major environmental issues facing us today with two briefs: Saving the valuable resource of water, at home and work; and what we can do to manage flooding.
Paul Harrison, Luke Evans, Terry Trytz, Victor Gould and Jamie Hertherington also from John Moores, were shortlisted from 70 entries for their interpretation ‘Don’t Wash Our World Away’.
The film will premier on 28 April 2009 at an awards evening at the Circle Club in Manchester. The film will now be used as part of the Environment Agency’s viral campaign to raise awareness about environmental issues and help change behaviours.
The judging panel was made up of experts from the film and TV industry including Liverpool’s own, Phil Redmond and environment ambassadors who praised all the entries for their imaginative approach to the serious messages in the briefs.
Suzanne Hughes, Regional Communications Manager at the Environment Agency said, “Climate change is happening, and the students of today are going to be the business leaders of tomorrow. They are the ones who are going to have to live with, and adapt to climate change. It is important that they understand the very real issues which they will face.
“The aim of this competition was to engage with students and young adults in an innovative and exciting way. We wanted to get them involved, spread the word amongst their peers, and ultimately get people to think twice about some of their behaviours and issues.”
Pete Postlethwaite who is backing the campaign said: “It’s great to see students getting involved with a project as vital as this. Obviously it’s imperative that people realise, first and foremost, that climate change is actually happening, and secondly that we need to act now. The younger generation of today will no doubt be the leaders of tomorrow. This inspired competition has given some of them the chance to get really involved with these vital issues and speak, through film making, directly with their peers. We have the Environment Agency to thank for this.”
Terry Christian commented: “It is good to see the Environment Agency engaging with students in this way, encouraging them to take ownership of climate change. It’s important that we all acknowledge the role we can play in preparing for and adapting to climate change.”
The winning short films can be viewed at www.tomorrowsworldcompetition.com 29 April 2009.
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More details contact Ric Coggins on 0161 238 9408 or email ric@slampr.com or Chris Dolan 0161 238 9424 or email chris@slampr.com
Notes to editors:
Images, audio and video clip from the films are available on request.
The films were produced and directed by Manchester agencies Vivid and Gate Films, on behalf of the Environment Agency.
The briefs, rules and other information on the competition can be found on www.tomorrowsworldcompetition.com
The judging panel was made up from:
Phil Redmond, Suzanne Hughes, Communications Manager and Tony Dean, Regional Director both from the Environment Agency, Julie Lau & Tara Cook from North West Vision and Media, Martin Dixon from post production company 422, Simon Lewis, Director from the Gate Films, Karl Sanderson from advertising agency Vivid, ,Jessica Smith, the North West’s Young Climate Change Champion.
Climate change, flooding and water resources.
Climate change is the biggest threat to our future. Already the first years of this century, floods, storms and droughts have shown how vulnerable we are to the weather, and the devastation it can cause.
We have to manage the use of water maintain supplies and protect the environment, while encouraging sustainable development. Reducing water wastage means more than just saving water, it protects the environment and saves energy too, reducing carbon emissions and helping to fight climate change.
Flood risk is often overlooked by those who are at risk of flooding. Just 15cm of fast flowing water can knock an adult of their feet, 60cm will float a car, and 90cm in an average house can cause up to GBP 30,000 of damage. It is time to prepare.
Visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk or call Floodline on 0845 988 1188, to check if you home is at risk, and get information about how to protect yourself and your property from flooding.
