Dan Lewis

Creative Arts Award

Age:

22

JHMT's Support

Dan Lewis is 15 years old from Lutterworth in Leicestershire. He has been studying and practising sound acquisition for film for the last two years.

In that time he has worked on several film productions organised and produced by young people looking at issues affecting children. 'Unicorn' was a youth led film looking at bullying and the psychological damage it can do, 'Blue Dusk Sky' looked at the issue of homophobia and 'Pages' was a fictional film about a young girl bringing characters in her book to life. On each of the films Dan was the head of sound on set.

Dan also became involved with the Safen3t film productions. The project spanning a year has seen four films produced that deal with various issues surrounding young people's use of technology. Dan was the head of sound acquisition on two of the productions, 'Stripped' addresses the social and legal consequences of 'sexting' between young people and 'My Friend Frank' looks at the problem of online grooming through gaming. Dan's work on these films will be used to help and protect vulnerable young people across the UK.

During this time Dan has relied on other professionals to use their equipment. His Inspire Award will allow him to purchase his own sound recording equipment and to develop his skills further in order to pursue a career in sound recording.

Dan said of his Inspire Award: "The award will give me greater independence to explore the world of sound recording more and to learn quicker. It will give me the opportunity to learn the equipment and develop a deeper understanding to get the best sound possible in a variety of production situations."