Filming ‘The Yielding’

Over the Easter holidays, 23 4th Year students came in to film The Yielding, a futuristic dystopian play inspired by the pupils and written by Director of Drama Mr Ben Oldfield.

The Yielding tells the bleak story of a group of teenagers kept as slaves in a mining complex – how they survive, the harsh ‘Guardians’ who rule over them, and the desperate resistance fighters who are bent on rescuing them.

The pupil-led inspiration behind the script came out of devising workshops undertaken last year in conjunction with Roseland Academy. Whilst this was originally designed to be a co-production performed in front of an audience, the drama department and technical team seized the opportunity to make the most of the current situation and create a film production instead.

Mr Ben Oldfield says:

“The pupils wanted to do something incredibly dark, where they are all kept like labs rats in a bizarre experiment! I agreed to write them something bleak, on one condition: that is ends up well!

“This project has opened up the pupils’ eyes about how to be adaptable in tricky circumstances. They have had to cope with the rigours of filming – shooting out of sequence, shooting multiple angles and thinking about continuity. And they have become adept at using a clapperboard, setting microphones and lights, and setting up shots. It has been a real learning experience, not just in the performance side of things, but also in how to adapt and how to work creatively as a team on a big project under strict time limits – all useful skills for life!”

The film will be available to view at the end of term – we can’t wait to see it!