Actors David Proud and Julie Fernandez led the way as Screen South celebrated the launch of uScreen at BFI Southbank on Wednesday 14th September 2011. uScreen is a cutting edge, fully accessible website which aims to provide deaf and disabled young people aged 14-25 years (alongside non-disabled young people), the opportunities to make, show and share on film-making.

The launch involved young people from both Valence School located in Westerham, Kent and Resource Productions, based in Slough who showcased their creative film making skills. One of the young people from Resource Productions, Stephanie Howell, wrote and directed the Talking Heads film, Don’t Judge Me, which came from her experiences after her accident which resulted in her being in a wheelchair. Stephanie Howell said: "When the poem came to life, when I saw it on the big screen, it changed me and changed my outlook....I was lost until I managed to do this and it made me feel I was found and that I now have a voice." Other young people from Resource Productions have also been part of other exciting projects including Shelter, enabling young people to make short films on the universal theme of Shelter and Slough’s uScreen Youth Film Festival.

The young people from Valence School worked in collaboration with Freedom Productions, a production company owned by David Proud and Julie Fernandez, to produce a film called ‘Wheels of Fortune’. Many of you may know David Proud as his BBC EastEnders character, Adam Best; he has also appeared in the CBBC series Desperados and in the second series of ITV's Secret Diary of a Call Girl in 2008. The film revolves around two disabled actors waiting to attend an audition.  One of the actors seems to be really moving up in the industry, gaining all the top disabled roles – is he really too good to be true? Six young people had the opportunity over two days of filming to work in some of the different roles required on a film set including Production Assistant and Stills Photographer.  In addition, a number of other students and a few staff were background artists and extras appearing in a few of the scenes. A couple of young people from Valence School talked about their experience:

"uScreen hasn't just helped me with film, it has helped me with my English, too.  I've now decided to make a film trailer for a project which I will upload to uScreen.  uScreen has inspired me to use film in other ways."  

"For Media Studies I am now making a film trailer.  uScreen has really helped me to select my camera shots from the experience I gained on the project.  I have gained in confidence."

David Proud has been involved in the development of uScreen for some time and has taken on the role of interviewer in a short five minute film commissioned by Screen South for the uScreen website on ‘How To Do Audio Description’, one of the many features available on the website. David is also a mentor for young people through the uScreen site. David said: “I am passionate about opening up the industry to more disabled people.  Opportunities that encourage disabled filmmakers, actors and directors should be supported and I am really excited to see how the ground breaking uScreen site will develop. It is essential that we get more disabled people visible and on the screen.  I am excited by what Accentuate is trying to achieve – a cultural shift across the board and I think part of this has to be about engaging the media and film industries.”

Screen South’s uScreen project is part of Accentuate, a transformational programme of 15 projects, inspired by the Paralympic Movement, which seeks to change perceptions and offer opportunities to showcase the talents of deaf and disabled people.  Accentuate is funded by Legacy Trust UK, creating a lasting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games across the UK, SEEDA and the regional cultural agencies. Screen South not only leads on uScreen but has a unique and in depth understanding of the programme as it is the home of Accentuate. Screen South is a creative development agency delivering and supporting innovative projects across screen based media and the wider cultural and creative industries.

uScreen offers young people the opportunity to make films collectively online like never before, by using a range of specially created, accessible film-making tools. uScreen is supported by online and live events, expert mentoring, workshops and film festivals, so young people can meet new friends and make contacts with film-makers and specialists from the UK and beyond. uScreen will also encourage young filmmakers to develop international partnerships through the online projects and exchanges. The site, which has taken over 18 months to develop, has been showcased this summer across the South East region at a series of workshops, film festivals and via an online link with the international disability festival, The Other Film Festival, which is based in Melbourne, Australia.

The uScreen website has been designed with user-friendliness in mind. It features a unique range of accessibility functions, designed to assist users throughout the creative process. From downloadable forms to help with the pre-production process, to a unique online editing and storyboarding tools into which users can insert their own images, whilst also having access to uScreen’s extensive stock library. In addition users have access to the British Sign Language tool, as well as options to add subtitles and voiceovers whilst the uploaded film plays online. Each tool is accompanied with its own ‘how-to’ guide, and up to eight users can collaborate online at the same time to work on their films. All films are submitted for approval so the content of the films are managed appropriately to safeguard all young people.

Jo Nolan, Screen South Chief Executive said: “Screen South is very excited and proud to launch this ground breaking project, which really raises the bar in terms of inclusivity. uScreen offers unrivalled accessible web tools to support online learning as well as a programme of live events and festivals."