A talented young filmmaker’s new production stars a hedgehog, butterfly, house martins and a spinning pigeon.
And this creature feature has won its creator, Ted Elwell, a national award.
Nine-year-old Ted from York won out over hundreds of short film entries the Nature in Your Neighbourhood filmmaking competition for 5-19 year olds.
Film education charity Into Film launched the filmmaking competition at the beginning of May as a response to the Covid-19 school closures.
Hundreds of short films from children as young as seven – made on phones, tablets and cameras – were sent in.
Ted was inspired to enter the competition by his teacher Miss Bates at Poppleton Ousebank Primary School, who had been setting a weekly filmmaking assignment to inspire the class’s creativity during these challenging times.
His film, Ted’s Lessons from Nature, draws comparisons between the fortitude and ingenuity of animals, birds and insects, and our own desire to rebuild after Covid-19.
“The lockdown made me stop hurrying about and made me appreciate the nature around me and I started to realise that it is something we can learn from,” Ted says in the narration.
“It just gets on with things without complaining and it teaches us how we should get on too.”
‘Totally amazing’
Commenting on his win, Ted said: “This feels unbelievable and difficult to describe because I’ve not won anything like this before.
“I’ve loved making films over lockdown and entertaining and educating my classmates so to be able to do a project like this, and to win something, when it’s all about a topic that’s so important to my family and friends…well it’s totally amazing!”
He’s won £300-worth of filmmaking kit so he can continue his work emulating Sir David Attenborough.
Into Film is an education charity that puts film at the centre of children and young people’s learning and is supported by the BFI through National Lottery funding.
You can find out more about the Nature in Your Neighbourhood competition and view all the winning and runners up films here.