What is the SFP?

A group of English teachers who want to make educational films for Japanese students.

Do you feel it is filling a gap in the English education system?

I hope that when the DVD is completed it will prompt Japanese teachers to look at alternative ways of teaching kids. I think there are many obvious gaps in the English education system here that can't be solved by a DVD, but a little goes a long way I suppose.

What sort or educational materials do you find students respond to?

Can't really answer that one until we have finished it, sorry. But if I was going to answer then I would say that anything that can take their mind away from the drudgery of exam preparation is bound to stimulate a good response, i.e. materials from home, videos, magazines etc.

Have you ever thought about making a film before?

Have you ever thought about making a film before? From my point of view, no, I had always thought of people with video cameras as slightly voyeuristic. I had always enjoyed watching movies, but since I have had access to a DV camcorder I am now positively hooked on making films.

Do you have any film making or film related experience?

No. I did work in the cinema for a year though. I feel that what the group lacks in that area it makes up for in other areas, such as organisation, ideas and communication.

How did you start?

I gathered a group of senior high school ALTs (assistant language teachers) who had expressed an interest in helping with the project after I had sent an email to them. In the following months we established various roles for us to cover - script writing, fundraising, educational materials, communications - and then set about with the production of the film.

Did you have a script or materials you wanted to cover?

The DVD will take the following format. There will be two main episodes of about 15 minutes length. These will be preceded by a short section of self-introductions from the 6 characters. Within the footage we will cover a number of useful grammar points, including giving directions, talking about likes and dislikes and language associated with going out. The language will be aimed at Japanese (senior) high school students who have a basic knowledge of English.

Do you find you are recreating and coming up with new ideas along the way?

There are always new ideas coming up. Even though the first script has been written, during filming we have been finding ways of changing things a little bit. From what I have read, when it comes to filming,there never really is a final script. They are always being tinkered with. Fortunately, ALTs are quite creative people so there are no problems as far as ideas are concerned.

Has it been a steep learning curve?

It certainly has been with regards to organising and trying to coordinate the various strands of the project into a coherent end product. The main difficulty we will face in the coming months will be finding somebody to edit it properly. That is our main knowledge gap at the moment.

How many people have been involved in the various parts?

I think there is a core group of between 10-12 people who have contributed greatly to the project, whether it has been with regards to writing the script, preparing the education materials or fundraising activities.

Is it what you expected it to be?

All that and more. Every week there seems to be a new problem or challenge to meet and this is great because it means that we are putting our brains to use and keeping active, things that I think are important to do when living in a foreign country.

Are you having fun?

Hell yeah! It has been awesome to finally get the filming started and messing around with the cameras etc. It has been good fun meeting with other ALTs and bouncing ideas off each other as well, a useful learning process.

Do you wish you had access to more professional actors/writers/cameramen/equipment?

Yes. There is no doubt that better cameras, lighting and sound equipment would help. Qualified users of such equipment would be nice to have on board but then that would distract from the fun we are learning new techniques and facing problems etc..

How have you gone about raising funds?

This has been a big source of discussion over the last six months. We have decided to fundraise for the group ourselves. We have already hosted a successful pool night and will be holding a dance lesson day on April 22nd to raise more funds for things such as lighting equipment, props, DVD production and room bookings. However, we are pursuing various public and private funding opportunities that may be open to us.

Do you see this as being a continuing project? Perhaps carried on　by future Assistant language teachers in Shimane?

I would be very disappointed if it didn't continue in future years. I feel that there is a healthy core of ALTs who are staying next year who will carry on the flame. Obviously the high turnover of ALTs will be a problem but I think it is an exciting enough initiative to garner the interest of new ALTs coming to Shimane.

If you would like any further information or would like to help then please do not hesitate to contact group co-ordinator Nigel Perfect at our email address