BBC Studios Outreach Week Brings Broadcasting to Life for Bristol Students
This November, Bristol WORKS partnered with BBC Studios to coordinate two outreach weeks in schools across the city. 31 volunteers from the BBC Studios natural history and factual entertainment units took part, collaborating with WORKS to design and deliver engaging careers sessions. 15 workshops were delivered across 8 schools, reaching 250 students from year 7 to 11.
Workshops were co-designed with BBC Studios volunteers to reflect their professional experiences. Each started with an introduction to volunteers’ roles, information on BBC Studios and the different careers within it. Students learned that behind every show lies a network of camera operators, sound engineers, directors, editors, runners, producers, and more. Volunteers shared exciting showreels and clips, explaining their roles in producing these, and then ran longer activities to give a hands-on taster of an aspect of television careers. Activities explored everything from camera operation and filming techniques to storyboarding and production planning. Through this, students created, collaborated, and problem-solved, gaining insight into the teamwork and creativity that drive the industry. Sessions finished with presenting back, information on early career routes and apprenticeships at the BBC, and a Q&A.
Bristol WORKS prioritises support for learners who might face barriers to the world of work, and sessions were designed and adapted to suit students with a wide range of needs and abilities.
Creative Challenges That Sparked Imagination
The activities throughout the week were designed to be fun, interactive, and thought-provoking. Some groups explored the art of filming through camera walk-arounds, learning how to frame shots, capture dynamic footage, and use cameras designed for natural history documentaries. Practicing slow-motion filming techniques gave students a taste of how professional wildlife and action shots are captured, and many were thrilled to operate equipment they had never seen before.
Storyboarding exercises offered another layer of creativity, with students reimagining classic tales like Romeo and Juliet using animals as the lead characters. This helped them understand narrative flow and how visual elements bring stories to life.
The challenges didn’t stop there. Learners were tasked with planning shoots in extreme environments, such as Antarctica, considering camera angles, environmental challenges, and how to capture animals in their natural habitat. They also stepped into professional roles—director, camera operator, sound engineer—while planning shoots for wildlife such as chimpanzees in Uganda. These role-based scenarios highlighted the importance of teamwork and logistics in real-world production. One learner commented that “Working as a team and learning about the roles was amazing.”
Finally, students pitched original TV show ideas, presenting concepts “better than The Traitors,” including creative ideas like Crash Bandicoot, Olympiads, and Sharks in Space with Gingerbread Men. The BBC Studios volunteers of the day mentioned that “Hearing the students present their pitches was the most rewarding.”
Behind the Scenes: Skills and Careers
The professionals from BBC Studios offered insights into technical and creative aspects of broadcasting. They introduced students to the wide variety of roles available in the industry—from production and editing to sound engineering and wildlife filmmaking—helping them see beyond the camera to the many career paths in media.
The volunteers said that they “loved telling them [students] about jobs they didn’t know existed.” and encouraged others to “just go for it—it’s so fun!”. They also shared that it was a “great chance to talk about the variety of roles and opportunities out there, and it was lovely to meet the students.” Another volunteer said: “We really enjoyed it, and it was brilliant to see so many engaged and excited young people – lots of budding filmmakers in their midst!”
Feedback from teachers
Teachers were enthused by the quality of the sessions as well as the positive exposure for students to different roles, and the opportunity for the learners to develop transferable skills. One teacher said: “Even just meeting professionals is brilliant for them – it’s broadening horizons!” Another shared: “Exposure to such a high-profile organisation was important for learners.” Teachers also recognised the knowledge and skills that the students gained through the sessions: “Students were able to identify qualities they had which could be useful in this industry.”; “It gave the students confidence in thinking about their future.”; “It gave the students the opportunity to build creativity and confidence in presenting back.”
Feedback from learners
The feedback from learners was great, with some highlighting how much more they understood about careers in television, and others sharing how much fun they had! Some of our favourite comments are below:
- “I realised there was more to filming than just the actors—the world is beautiful and there is so much you can see.”
- “There are so many jobs in the BBC—I had no idea!”
- “The BBC is really cool and the staff were lovely.”
- “I didn’t even know there were jobs at the BBC for young people!”
- “I felt proud that I spoke in class”
Thank yous
A big thank you to all our WORKS schools that took part and their wonderfully creative young people:
And of course, a huge thank you to our BBC Studios volunteers who took time out of their busy schedules to inspire the young people of Bristol!
