With the New Perspectives project, IWM London challenged young people to take a new perspective on the First World War, inspired by our collections. Young people could research our archives; pitch ideas to museum curators and work with filmmakers to storyboard ideas and make animated films. Some of the lesser known First World War topics we covered with New Perspectives included: Africa; Indian Army; Turkey and Gallipoli; Psychological Impact and Physical Impact.

About New Perspectives

Anna Lotinga: "New Perspectives is a project that challenges young people between the ages of 14 to 19 to take a new perspective on some of IWM London's collections, and then produce a creative output about what they've discovered."

Eleanor Hilton: "New Perspectives looked at all sorts of different lesser-known aspects of the First World War, including Africa, Indian Army, Turkey and Gallipoli, and the physical and psychological impact of the First World War."

Anna: "We did four of those as school projects and we worked with the year nine groups and year eight groups." 

Eleanor: "And we were really keen for the young people to explore areas that perhaps they might not look at through their studies at school."

Anna: "Because of the learning experts that we've spoken to we decided the physical and psychological impact these slightly higher level ones so we'd better serve doing summer schools." 

Eleanor: "Each project started with students coming to the museum for an archive research day."

Anna: "So the students are finding out about the Indian Army or war in Africa by actually digging in our collections and looking at what objects, what artworks, sound recordings, what films we have to relate to that topic."

Student 1: "When we were researching such amazing things came up, things that you would have never imagined, you'd never have thought of, and it was really amazing because it completely, like, opened your eyes so much."

Eleanor: "After exploring the collection and really getting to grips with the material that we had the students would then narrow down their selections to two different ideas which we've been pitched to IWM historians who would help them to choose which idea to take forward. 

Anna: "The pitch to the curators is definitely the highlight. The young people take it very seriously because they know that they've got ten minutes to pitch two ideas." 

Eleanor: "Once they've selected their idea, Chocolate Films then worked with each group helping them to develop their ideas further, storyboarding it, developing the story, doing some contextual research to make sure that their ideas were historically accurate."

Anna: "Then they actually go on to make their films and groups of young people work as a film crew."

Student 2: "I think the best bits have definitely been the animating."

Student 1: "The surprises are how definitely how creative we can be because I didn't think I was creative at all."

Eleanor: "The highlights of every project have been watching the students and seeing what they've been getting out of it."

Anna: "You go through this process, you do all this work that the end of it you have a screening with popcorn and you see these amazing films that have been produced by young people. 

Student 3: "I was really proud of my film when it was shown to my friends and family."

Student 4: "It was like quite a bit of an accomplishment because it took us quite long to make the films."

Student 5: "Seeing my film on the big screen was really breathtaking, because we got to see all that hard work paying the outcome of it was really great."

Anna: "Just that sense of achievement that they feel, and that we feel on their behalf is fantastic."

Eleanor: "We've had such a positive response from other IWM staff across the museum."

Anna: "Because they are working with young people who are so excited about the ideas they're putting forward I think our curators have responded so well and have thought more about that audience, what they respond to, what kinds of questions they ask."

Eleanor: "New Perspectives has a number of legacies that are quite exciting for the museum."

Anna: "So all of the films are going to feature in our 2014 IWM London short film festival. A large selection of them also going to go on digital labels in the new First World War galleries, and all of them will feature on the website." 

Eleanor: "A number of the activity ideas and resources that were used to put this project together are being reused and put into a formal learning session that's going to be on offer for schools to book. What's been really interesting is seeing the impact on the schools that we've worked with as well. One of the partner teachers we told us that the curriculum that they're doing for Key Stage three for the First World War is also changing as a result of some of the work they did on New Perspectives, which I'm really pleased with."

We worked with four London schools: Notre Dame, Broomfield, Southfield and Cumberland.  We also delivered two summer schools. In total we produced 22 wonderful and informative silent films about interesting collections the students discovered in our archive. These New Perspectives films now feature in our new First World War Galleries.

What's been going on behind the scenes?