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Burnage Student's Spellbinding Cinematic Debut
Making its spellbinding cinema debut alongside the latest Harry Potter blockbuster will be a 30 second epic written, filmed, directed by and starring 14 and 15 year old students from Burnage Media Arts College.
The dynamic half-minute commercial is being used to promote the College, he only boys' media arts school in the northwest. It will premiere this Friday just seconds before the opening credits of ‘Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince’ and will play throughout the film’s opening week.
Burnage's own Dumbledore, headteacher Ian Fenn, developed the project as part of the College's commitment to 'real life learning' and had no hesitation entrusting his precious marketing budget to his students.
He says, "Our students are our best ambassadors. They understand what aspects of our facility will appeal to their peers and how best to communicate with them, they are the perfect marketeers for this project.
"It's important to give our students this 'real life' experience; they've learned how to develop a professional film from a brief and can see it on a cinema screen when they’re out with their friends. That’s not something many get to do."
Ninety students were briefed on the project and mentored by specialist education marketing company, Perfect Circle. In groups, they developed conceptual storyboards and reviewed print, broadcast and online media vehicles to find the best method of communicating with their target audience.
The popularity and aspirational theme of the forthcoming Potter film prompted the students to opt for cinema advertising and after selecting a final storyline they held castings to find the adverts 'stars', including their very own 'Harry'.
Says 15 year old Student Seif Nassir-Ali, "Harry Potter is really popular with my friends, we all love it. We know that loads of potential students will go and see it so we'll have a captive audience."
15 year old Callum Rackham agrees, "I loved doing this project and can't wait to see it on Friday at the cinema. I think it represents our college really well and shows that there are loads of different media courses you can do as well as all the other subjects."
Says Fenn, "It's very fitting that our film will be shown alongside Harry Potter. Harry's time at Hogwarts gives him the opportunity to grow his knowledge, skills and friendships so that he emerges as a talented and confident young man. We want the same experience for our students at Burnage."
The cinema ads will be screened for one week from Friday 17th July and will be supported by a 48-sheet poster campaign around the school's catchment area from the 27th July.
Those seeing the advertisements will be invited to log in to www.enjoymedia.co.uk where further information and links can be accessed.