Fifteen Jesmond Dene volunteers attended a free film-making course at the end of 2012 and produced two video shorts that were loaded to YouTube in March. The course, held over eight Sundays, was led by Andrew Coats and Michelle Fox of Duffel Films of Heaton. The budding film-makers had to pitch their ideas to each other before a secret ballot whittled down the concepts to the films that would be produced. The volunteers split into two groups to make the films. Dene Dog’s Day is an excursion into the Dene seen through the eyes of an excited dog. This Dene is a more arty production, using interviews with members of the public and featuring specially-commissioned music.
As well as being available on YouTube, the films can also be seen in the Millfield House visitor centre. The volunteers will be producing more films about Jesmond Dene thanks to the purchase of a video camera and a Mac laptop for editing. The equipment was purchased thanks to a contribution from the Friends of Jesmond Dene.
