THE BRIEF

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Our School was developed by Twofour and the BBC as a fixed-rig documentary showing the journey for school children moving from primary to secondary school. It gave an insight into young students and the way

they adapt to a new environment, and the challenge of making new friends.

After the first series in Middlesbrough, The Complete Camera Company were delighted to be asked

to film the second series, re-located to Birmingham.

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THE CHALLENGES

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Following a first series can be a tricky task. The CCC needed to understand the technical requirements of the program, making decisions that ensured the first series was improved upon, whilst staying true

to the original aims and purposes of the documentary.​

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The location chosen by Twofour, Greenwood Academy, was in the heart of Birmingham with a range of pupils from diverse backgrounds and cultures. It was important to build a strong relationship with the school and its staff so that everyone was comfortable with being filmed, especially the parents of the children that would eventually be chosen more specifically as ‘lead characters’. It can be quite overwhelming when a large crew arrive with a truckload of camera equipment, so The CCC rigged the whole show during half-term to minimise disruption.

This meant that when the students returned and filming began,

the rig was very discrete and barely visible to anyone.

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There were Panasonic PYZ cameras rigged in areas throughout the school, looking to highlight the journey of the new Year 7’s. We focussed on the canteen, the playground, 3 classrooms and lots of corridors to catch

the ‘in-between’ action of the school day. The Complete Camera Company provided crew members over

the 4-week filming period and CCC Founder Ben Hoffmann also stayed as Gallery Director throughout the shoot.

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One of the major challenges was that the school itself had a large amount of asbestos in its buildings.

It was absolutely vital that all health and safety measures were taken to prevent any of it being disturbed.

The CCC had to avoid any area that was at risk, whilst ensuring that the content required

by the production team could still be captured.

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As with any show that involves young people, it is also important to be even more vigilant with equipment – the children needed to be able to move freely throughout the school as usual, so the cabling and atmospheric microphones were rigged through the ceilings to ensure they were completely out of the way.

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THE RESULTS

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The series covered a wide range of experiences, from bereavement and bad behaviour to exciting

school trips and talent shows. The in-depth coverage of the journey of moving to ‘big school’ gave

confidence and reassurance to the young viewers anxious about their own journey, and was an

informative tool for parents experiencing their children’s challenges during that time.

Our School 2 was a huge success with school children and their parents alike.

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FACTS & FIGURES

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Filmed: March 2015
Aired: January 2016
Channel: CBBC
Location: Birmingham
Viewers: 261,000
Cameras: 24