A FORMER student from South Bromsgrove High School has gone back to his roots to document an epic film about the school’s challenge to build and race its very own electric car.
The school is one of 500 global teams participating in the challenge set by the Greenpower Formula 24 Racing Series – a project designed to inspire a new generation of engineers.
George Watkins, 17, from South Bromsgrove High Sixth-Form is the director behind the new film, entitled, SBH Racing – The Inside Story.
George teamed up with producer, Daniel Ellis, also 17, to film the documentary short which runs for a total of 15 mins and 29 secs.
George said the film ‘concerns the shortage of engineers in training and how South Bromsgrove’s participation in the Greenpower Project is helping to change that.’
The film features interviews with the school’s physics teachers and with participating students, Joe Powell and Tom Lee.
Narrated by BBC Hereford and Worcester’s Mike Wyer, it includes interviews with Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid, Coun Anthony Blagg and the managing director of USN Europe.
George said he wanted to make a film about the project following his own involvement with the challenge to design and build a racing car.
He said: “I always liked making film and felt this would be an inspiring documentary to make.
“I started planning my ideas for it at the end of the summer holidays last year and then pitched it to the team leader at school.
“We started filming from October to December 2015 and it’s taken me about three and a half weeks to complete the edit.”
He added: “The film shows how the students have benefited from the project, how they feel it will help them in the future and what they aim to achieve with the new vehicle.”
George said he borrowed most of the equipment from his sixth form’s media department.
He said: “Coun Anthony Blagg helped us to get editing software like Premiere Pro.
“Other than that, we didn’t spend anything as we borrowed everything we needed from the media department.”
George, who has a GCSE in Film Studies, is now brushing up for his A-Levels.
The talented young film-maker has already built a competitive repertoire of work with productions including The Rescue and The Art of Vengeance – both of which were screened at six international film festivals.
SBH Racing – The Inside Story is due for release next Friday (January 15). An official screening of the film is planned for February.
Visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeJoezPoto0 to see a trailer of the film
