The Erasmus Creativity Club in INS Vallbona d’Anoia participated in XVII Edition of the Zoom Festival in Igualada in November 2019. The Zoom Festival is an international festival about audiovisual contents on TV or internet formats which also offers Zoom classes for secondary school and university students.

Thus, we were given the opportunity to attend two of those Zoom classes which were given by experts in the field of audiovisual content. The first Zoom class was given by Joan Domenech, the producer and creator of a TV programme called Globus Sonda (UP in the Air) which is a reality show where a famous person is interviewed while flying on a balloon over the beautiful Catalan landscape.

These are the reflections of some students at INS Vallbona d’Anoia:

“Globus Sonda is a TV3 series that was aired in the summer of 2019 on primetime. The main argument has to do with balloon interviews with relevant interviewees. In his master class, Joan Domènec, a man from Igualada, has shown that not giving up over time has its reward. Joan, 8 years ago, presented a project to TV3 which was rejected, but 6 years later he succeeded thanks to his effort and improvement. He explained all the work that is there, from the very first idea and also about all the professionals that are behind the screen.” Núria Torrijos, 13 years old, 2nd ESO.

“In the first master class, I learned that not everything is what it seems. In this case I mean that the recordings which seem to have been recorded in the morning, in fact, they have been shot in the afternoon. In addition, I also think it was a very good idea for the creator, so to speak, to explain to us all the work and effort behind the cameras. I really enjoyed listening to him and learning a little more about how everything is organized in the world of cameras, lights, reporters… But above all, I was fascinated by the idea of ​​balloon interviews, since it is such an innovative idea and can also be a unique experience for anyone who has the opportunity to experience it. Since I was little I have visited the balloon festival show in Igualada and I have always wanted to fly in a balloon. When I watch the show, it looks like you're the one doing the interview and enjoying the views and the balloon ride. This means that they have also recorded it from a very good point of view. In addition, the voice is heard with a high quality even if they are more than ten meters high.” Aitana Martil, 13 years old, 2nd ESO.

In the second Zoom class, the young cast of the Betevé series “Oh, My Goig!” together with Albert Baquero, the producer, offered the first chapter of the series and started a debate about sex, freedom and gender with the attending students from different schools in the area.

These are the reactions of some of our students on “OMG!”:

“In this talk we have seen a chapter of the series “Oh My Goig”, a series broadcast by Betevé which is a young series in which they deal with many important issues such as gender stereotypes, homophobia or transphobia...

I found what they said about the Committee of Experts very interesting, because I find it a very innovative and very useful idea that allows to give more reality to the scripts, etc.

This series makes us reflect on very important issues today, such as issues of gender identity, among others, and allows us to expose situations and concerns that today's adolescents live on the screen.” Pau Fernández, 15 years old, 4 ESO.

“The actors and actresses wanted to explain the things that are happening today, because many of the series today do not show the reality or the young people today.

On the other hand, they wanted to report masculinity and sexual assault, usually against women, especially to raise awareness and make us put ourselves in the place of the victim.

Although I can't say much because I only saw one episode, I generally liked the way it was narrated, the screens that appeared, the format, etc.” Gal·la Hervàs, 12 years old, 1 ESO

“Society still needs big changes so that we don't have to hide anything that makes us happy. We are affected by what the rest of us can think about us and that is something we all need to change… The truth is that thanks to series like "Oh my Goig", we have this confidence to be able to stop hiding from the rest, because series like this, help us become braver and not be afraid to express our feelings as we feel at every moment… The truth is that this work has only shown us a part of what this series is actually based on, but only with that, we have become more conscious of the society we have and that the world has changed although it still needs more and more changes to undergo…”  Carla Ramos, 13 years old, 2 ESO.

The next XVIII Zoom Festival will take place from 24 to 29 November 2020 in Igualada and Barcelona. We hope we can participate in their illustrating Zoom Classes of this 2020 edition too, either presentially or on videoconference, if the pandemics allows us, of course…. Let’s keep our fingers crossed...