In addition to producing film content for YSP Media, filmmaker Chris Bevan works as a freelance workshop leader and artist across a range of community, participatory and education projects for organisations working with participants in the city of Derby, Derbyshire and beyond. Take a look below at just some of the courses and projects that we currently work on or have previously been involved with. Chris has an Enhanced DBS and full Public Liability Insurance for all educational and workshop delivery projects. If you’d like to discuss freelance education and workshop based work opportunities, please get in touch via our contact form.

BFI Film Academy Derby

Silver Arts Award

Chris is a fully trained Silver Arts Award assessor as part of his role as Course Leader for the BFI Film Academy at QUAD in Derby. This award enables learners to develop their own arts practice and arts leadership skills, underpinned by knowledge of their own art form. Through the development of a written portfolio, filmmaking participants can demonstrate learning, practical work and analysis of their skills as leaders.

Residential Reflections - Nottinghamshire County Council

Working in collaboration with Nottinghamshire County Council and YSP Media, care experienced young people took part in a series of creative workshops to help them share their opinions of residential settings. NCC is responsible for making sure that young people have a safe, healthy and happy place to live, and with a 10-year contract for Childrens Homes due to end in 2025, the council were preparing to recommission their residential services. In line with the Nottinghamshire Approach to Participation, commissioning staff at the council created the Residential Reflections Project as part of this process. Workshop leader and filmmaking facilitator Christopher Bevan from YSP Media was brought onboard to support creative activities including filmmaking, stop-motion animation, spoken word, crafting and photography which allowed the participants the freedom to explore their thoughts and feelings through art.

Filmmaking Workshop Delivery

Working with schools, colleges and arts organisations, Chris has a range of experience delivering workshop sessions including filmmaking and stop motion animation utilising a range of creative resources. These sessions are an enjoyable opportunity to learn and create imaginative work in groups. The delivery of freelance sessions can be booked directly or through our delivery partners. We encourage educators to get in touch with their specific filmmaking workshop needs via our contact form.

QUAD Movie Makers

Since 2018 Chris has been the lead workshop facilitator for QUAD Movie Makers, formerly known as the KidsQUAD Film Club. Participants aged 7-11 spend several days working together to create, write and film a short film on a given theme or genre. This is always a highlight of the year and gives young people the chance to act, film, write and build props/costumes to help tell a wildly imaginative story which culminates in a cinema screening for friends and family. The club continues to be a hit with participants and families, with excellent feedback and engagement.

D-Youth Hub

We have been working closely with Action Deafness to support their aim of creating an exciting place for young people between the ages of 12 and 18 years. who are D/deaf, Hard of Hearing or children of Deaf adults (CODAs) Derby and Derbyshire. In partnership with Action Deafness, QUAD and The Royal School for the Deaf Derby, a series of sessions providing filmmaking opportunities have taken place at QUAD in Derby which has allowed participants the chance to learn how to storyboard, use cameras and edit their own films. In addition to these skills, the workshops provide an important place socialise and gain confidence.

Schools in Residence Filmmaking

The Schools in Residence Programme at Derby QUAD is funded by the Paul Hamyln Foundation and provides the opportunity for schools in Derby to work with artists and facilitators to co-create projects. Chris was commissioned to work with Year 4 students at Pear Tree Community Junior School to develop a short silent film adaption of Hugo. Participants attended a series of workshops within the school setting and took part in activities such as directing, camerawork, prop design and more. The completed film was screened in the cinema at QUAD for the entire year group and staff, and is also available to view online via QUAD Participation here.

Reimagine Derby

A month-long festival of creativity, community and culture led by young people of Derby, Reimagine has been a beacon of success for the arts in the city for many years. Chris was commissioned by Derby Theatre to work as lead artist on a filmmaking and mixed-media project with SEND students at Bemrose School in Derby. Over several months, participants co-created a colourful reflection on their experiences and highlights of being a young person in their city with art forms including film, drama, digital animation, stop-start animation and photography. The final film ‘Colouring the City - An A-Z of our Derby Lives’ premiered at the 2022 Reimagine Festival.

QUAD Young Advocates

Chris has acted as a filmmaking mentor for the Young Advocates group at QUAD in Derby, supporting participants aged 16-25 with opportunities for practical ‘hands on’ experience in filming and editing. Most recently they have recently undertaken a series of documentary projects focused on artists exhibiting within the QUAD and editing promotional videos for a city-wide arts initiative, creating opportunities for professional practice which can help participants build their own portfolios and careers.

Children First Derby

Working with Abbie Canning at QUAD and the charity Children First Derby, Chris led filmmaking sessions with vulnerable young people to co-create and bring to life their script about experience of how schools deal with mental health. Originally intended as a theatre production, the story took on new life as participants attended workshops and filming days to bring their project from script to screen. The completed film was screened to teachers, funders, supporters and local councillors as part of a cinema event in Derby. A second project with Children First Derby was also created, this time working with younger participants who filmed ‘Behind the Mask’ as a response to the global pandemic from the perspective of children in Derby. Chris supported the filming and assisted with the editing on this project at QUAD.

Q-Club 

Q-Club was run by QUAD in Derby and part funded by Children In Need, aimed at children on the autistic spectrum, children with additional support needs or who are socially excluded, have disabilities, or who are young carers. Chris delivered filmmaking workshops with Abbie Canning for the group to help them create a series of music videos and green screen based work, with each participant getting the opportunity to learn camera skills and have time to perform onscreen. The final videos were edited to music created by participants with Baby People in Derby and were screened at an outdoor event in the city.

Junction Arts

Chris has worked as an artist and workshop leader with Chesterfield-based participatory arts charity Junction Arts for many years. In addition to working alongside young residents in New Bolsover to create a documentary film about their newly-renovated housing estate, Chris was lead filmmaker on the Our Place project. One of the seven films that formed this East Midlands wide project included the creation of a music video by young people at People Express in Swadlincote. Through a series of workshops, Chris worked with the group on idea generation, prop building and filming to accompany the music track they had produced. More recently as part of the Next Gen project, he has created a series of web-based learning resources for participants which Junction Arts then distributed to partner organisations in the local area.

If you’d like to learn more about any of the above projects or contact Chris for educational and community based filmmaking work, please head over to our contact page and send a message.