Panto Online is back for 2023 and this time Peter Duncan wants young people to have a go at making their own films too! Coinciding with the festive return of his popular online pantomime series, Peter Duncan (actor, writer, director, Blue Peter, Duncan Dares and the UK’s former Chief Scout) is reaching out to the next generation of storytelling filmmakers with the launch of Treasure Island – Make Your Own Movie. The creative package, which Peter has designed and produced with families, schools, drama groups, Scouts and Guides in mind, is available from www.pantoonline.co.uk (£55 inc. p&p).
The DIY screenplay pack, for budding Steven Spielbergs, Greta Gerwigs and anyone who just fancies dressing up and having a go, includes a green screen, a screenplay adapted by Peter Duncan, downloadable recorded music and songs (or the written score if you prefer) as well as Peter’s series of downloadable short ‘how to do it’ videos. Film your masterpiece on a smartphone with the green screen or ‘on location’, then use the green screen app and background pictures to make your very own movie magic. It doesn’t end there, as Peter Duncan is inviting young people to submit their films online. All films will be watched by Peter and a team of professional filmmakers. Shortlisted films will be entered into the Panto Online Film Festival in 2024, judged by stars of stage and screen.
Peter Duncan said: “With heroes and villains, pirates and creatures from the deep, Robert Louis Stevenson’s swashbuckling Treasure Island is a story of hidden treasure, a distant island and great adventure on the high seas. I hope young people will put their own exciting spin on this epic action-packed tale, using their ideas to tell a proper story with a narrative using whatever technology they have access to. There are no rules as to how or what they produce. Pantomime fables have always been my personal passion, passed down generations of my family, and I hope others will enjoy creating – and now filming them – as much as I do.”
Panto Online started at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, when Peter set up his own online pantomime for audiences across the world to watch on screens, big and small – a magical combination of theatre and film streamed into homes and schools (as well as on UK national cinema release during the pandemic).
Panto Online’s critically-acclaimed productions of Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Pantoland are returning for 2023 and are available now. A family ticket for all three pantomimes is just £15 (this covers friends and families watching them together and they can be viewed multiple times). There are also great packages available for schools, community groups, care homes and Scout and Guide groups. A comprehensive education pack is available for schools with themes around the primary core curricula. Book online at pantoonline.co.uk.
