Eamon De Buitleir, Ireland's foremost natural history film-maker, observes that "Making a video is a very constructive activity for students at that age. They really have to work at it: the creative side, the visual side; it needs a lot of imagination. This will stand to them in later life, even if they never become film-makers. "I would have loved an opportunity like this when I was at school.

Remembering that the students were only starting off, I thought the standard was good and in some cases excellent. I'm sure they learned many different things. For example, you can learn more from interviewing county council officials on camera than you are likely to find out in a classroom. "Making a video makes students look in a fresh way, not only at films, but at the whole world around them."