Paper – Cathy Derrick: Input CBBC

Cathy is a children’s television producer working in the CBBC Future TV Unit, where currently she is producing ‘Input CBBC’, a children’s user-generated content project. Prior to this she produced the CBBC Access System, an integrated phone/text/web system for the CBBC digital channel. Cathy has worked on a number of children’s programmes for the BBC and ITV, including Blue Peter (she produced over 200 episodes and directed about 50). Another claim to fame is that she is the person who thought up the name ‘Cbeebies’ for the new pre-school channel.

Cathy Derrick reflects on Input CBBC an Ultralab (1990-2006)/CBBC collaboration project to expore the future of childrens’ television. More about the project can be found on our SummerSchool website.

Extracts from the paper include:

“So we launched this research pilot last October – in collaboration with Ultralab (1990-2006), a research centre of Anglia Polytechnic University, who have a lot of experience in this sort of “loose touch” approach to film-making with children. We knew from the start our project would be a tall order – and we wanted to test our ideas harshly – to see if any child, with no special ability or ambition, could succeed at filmmaking with little guidance.

The Ultralab (1990-2006) approach is to give the very basics of technical guidance – then encourage the participants to play with the equipment – our briefing was an even smaller one than Ultralab (1990-2006) usually do. We introduced them to digital cameras and also to the editing package called iMovie and they had a chance to experiment there and then.

And I have found it fascinating to see the humour – even brilliance come through, things Ultralab (1990-2006) had predicted – its delightful to see their personalities emerge on film. Here are a few extracts from some of the others, with diverse ideas.”