New Wear Crossing inspires Sunderland schoolkids' film

(l-r) Coun Amy Wilson, Helen Peverley, Mike Kelly, Karen Wood join youngsters Luke Petrie, Leon Jacob-Wood, Riley Robinson and Aidan Cooper.

Monster Moon was edited, scripted and acted by children from across the city who took part in a summer activity organised by the charity Parker Trust.

Part of the film was inspired by the massive construction project taking place in their community, with the new Wear Crossing between Castletown and Pallion.

To pay tribute to the source of their inspiration four eight-year-old boys, who act in the film, visited the site to show their adult counterparts their film and learn more about the £117.6m project.

Capture Action Media made the short film and captured the footage of all the hard work which went into it.

That includes the script meetings where the young film-makers were asked to create a story based on what would happen if giant Alien meatballs fell to earth from space and what havoc that would create and chose the site of the new bridge as their location.

The four young boys said they wanted to play the role of superhero council and construction workers involved in building the 344 feet high bridge.

Chairman of the Parker Trust, Coun Thomas Wright, said: “What made this project so special is that the young people who play the workmen in the film originally didn’t want anything to do with it or acting, but were inspired to get involved by the new bridge being built on their doorstep.”

Film-maker Riley Robinson, who attends Valley Road Primary in Hendon, said: “I’m going to work on bridges when I grow up.”

While, co-star Leon Jacob-Wood, from St Joseph’s RC Primary in Rutland Street, added: “I want to help design bridges when I get older, I bet you earn lots of money doing that as a job.”

After their visit to the site to show their film, Luke Petrie, from Broadway Junior School, said: “I thought it was really good getting to see the new bridge.”

And, Aydan Cooper, a pupil at Barnes Junior School, said: “I like that I got to see what the bridge will be like in the future.”

Pallion Action Group funded the film-making project, which involved 36 children in writing the scripts and storyboards, and designing and making the scenery for the short-film.