FÍS Film Project
FÍS is a highly successful film project for primary schools that explores film and animation as a medium of expression in relation to the arts, and introduces children to aspects of the film making process.
The FÍS Film Project was originally set up as a pilot project in 28 schools by the Institute of Art Design and Technology in Dun Laoghaire. It was subsequently rolled out to all schools nationwide in 2000 with the support of the Department of Education and with the then NCTE (now Oide Technology in Education) as a key partner.
The project has been successful in helping children to develop essential skills in moving-image literacy, communication and teamwork. Teachers have reported that the children develop additional skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, investigation and analysis. Both teachers and children find the experience enriching and rewarding.
Examples of FÍS Videos
Here are two examples of FÍS videos created by schools:
FÍS resources for teachers
Check out the teacher resources on the FÍS Film Project website. They include:
Film making videos on everything from pre-production, sound lighting to final editing.
Film making lessons which will help you to use film making as a methodology in your classroom, providing inspiration for activities that support the curriculum.
Tutorial videos on digital storytelling tools – use the filter ‘digital storytelling’ to find short video tutorials created by teachers on a range of apps and software.
Good practice videos from schools who have won FÍS Film Project awards:
- Engaging with the FÍS storyboard and film project. Teacher, Madonna Byrnes, from Bullaun National School describes why her class decided to enter the FÍS project and the benefits it brought to her class.
- How we created our FÍS film. In this video Madonna Byrnes provides a step by step guide to filmmaking in the primary classroom, including the research phase, storyboarding and planning stages. Madonna used the resources and guidance on the FÍS Film Project website, and describes the devices and the software they used in the project.
- FÍS Film Project in a Primary School. In this video, teacher, Stephanie Herwood, a 6th class teacher in Cregmore National School, describes how her class created a film for the FÍS Film Project competition. Each project incorporates a wide variety of tasks including storyboarding, scripting and producing.
How to get involved
Visit our FÍS Film Project website to find out how to get involved.
The entry deadline is the end of June each year, so there’s plenty of time to get started with your class.
