Glass Eye Productions produce film with US school children

The film in the making

Glass Eye Productions, a company that started in Rochdale, has helped school children in the USA produce an eight minute short film about anti bullying.

The film, which was made by pupils at Wabash Middle School Indiana, follows the story of Chip, a high school student who befriends a studious girl named Carly. The film focuses on an unlikely friendship as well as overcoming peer pressure and bullying at school.

Glass Eye Productions was approached by the Honeywell Foundation approximately a year ago with the idea of producing films.

Founder and Creative Producer at Glass Eye Production, Danny Lomax said: “The Honeywell Foundation is very involved with the arts and the theatre and wanted to do something with film. They got in touch with us to do this pilot project and that is what we have just finished.”

The Honeywell Foundation is a charity dedicated to the enhancement of artistic, social, cultural, and recreational opportunities for all.

For the film, pupils were asked to follow their schools motto, “The Apache Way, the right way every day”. Glass Eye Productions then worked with the children to find out what that meant to them and what they associate with anti bullying. This was done in a number of ways including workshops.

The production company worked with the pupils from writing the script, to casting the roles and to making the final film, something which took approximately seven days.

Danny added: “We were there to give more of an advisory role. The pupils did everything and we just guided them and acted as mentors really.”

Once the film was finished and ready to be shown, a film premiere was held for the staff and pupils involved with the stars of the film being given Hollywood treatment for the event.

“They put on a screening of the film and held a big event for over 400 people. The kids even go to sit at table and sign autographs for whoever wanted them. They were certainly given the Hollywood treatment for the day,” said Danny.

Danny, who recently got back from his trip to Indiana, descried the experience as fantastic. He said: “It has been a fantastic experience. It is completely different to anything I have done before. The community was really involved as well and were really pleased that we were there doing the work so that was nice to see as well.”

It is now hoped that Glass Eye Productions will be working with the Honeywell Foundation on future projects. Danny added: “They have asked us to go away and come up with a year plan for things that we can do and costings of things so hopefully something else will be done in the future.”

The film can be viewed at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLmkJsSq-G8&feature=youtu.be