Safer Internet Day 2024
Inspiring a positive change online
Access is everything when it comes to your audience. For younger viewers, making content as accessible as possible is critical, particularly when the themes may be complex or nuanced. Our plan for our film for 4-7 year olds was to tell a story about how young people might feel if they come across something online that they do not feel comfortable with. We went about finding a performer and storyteller for the role, who was also proficient in key word signing. Key word signing is a visible sign language (VSL) like British Sign Language used to interpret English for Deaf people. Key word signing also referred to as Makaton is a VSL taught in special educational needs settings. The beauty of the language is it is very expressive, thereby enhancing the performance of the storyteller. We struck gold finding Rebecca Hulbert, not only a talented actor, but also a fluent key word signer. Our approach meant that it would not be necessary to make “special” content for children with additional needs as the VSL added to the story, while normalising the use of the language for children who may not have experienced it before.
The story is based on two characters Mo and Jazz. It was important to keep their illustrations simple. Their names , shapes and colour palette were chosen to keep them gender neutral. Mo and Jazz are upset when they find something online they are not comfortable with, they tell their dad who reassures them that they did the right thing and makes them feel happy again. The deliberate simplicity of the animation and script meant that Rebecca’s performance needed to carry the narrative. I think you’ll agree that the combination of her excellent on screen presence, with the key word signing makes for a compelling, while easy to follow story.
We learnt loads from taking this approach to our film-making. We’ll certainly be looking to use techniques like visible sigh language in future projects. If you have a project that you think could be enhanced by visible sign language, then please get in touch.
Check out previous years’ Safer Internet Day films and behind the scenes.
