<p>Trafalgar Origins - Channel 4 from Preloaded on Vimeo.</p><p>For more info, visit www.trafalgarorigins.com</p>
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It is two years since Channel 4 overhauled its education output, abandoning the long-running, low-budget morning TV programming for a portfolio of ambitious, web-orientated projects.
After years of producing worthy weekday morning TV shows for an audience that wasn't even at home to watch them, the hope of Channel 4's head of education Janey Walker was that the new projects would fulfil the channel's public service remit while allowing more experimentation with content, promote talent in the UK's digital production sector and, most importantly, reach a far larger audience.
Two years on, has that been achieved? Reviewing the latest slate of projects it's hard to disagree. The real delight is in the ideas themselves, which bring a freshness and imagination to a wide range of issues, both intellectual and personal, for young people.
The recently passed Digital Economy Act formalised Channel 4's obligation to make "relevant media content that appeals to the tastes and interests of older children and young adults". Walker also said that new C4 chief executive David Abrahams had emphasised 'risk and innovation' as a core part of the organisation's strategy.
"Last year was extremely tough, but there is now a rosier economic outlook and advertisers don't seem to be put off by the political situation," she said, launching the latest projects yesterday.
"Three years ago there was poorly funded morning TV coming from the education fund. It is fantastic to know that new projects are reaching new audiences and growing new talent."
Roughly half the £4.5m to £5m education budget is spent on games. Introducing the latest slate, commissioning editor for education Alice Taylor described C4's projects in four camps: games; games and TV; pure TV; and TV and tools.
Whether a project succeeds or not is determined by a combination of audience figures, feedback and overall cost. The magic triangle for a successful project consists of games, celebrity and Channel 4. "Games work brilliantly for attention," said Taylor. "It's like bees to honey. They've been self-spreading with barely any publicity." She described Facebook and the iPhone as 'gold rush' technologies, but fields where projects now struggled to get attention, though TV is still the best platform for telling human stories.
Channel 4's summer education slate
Trafalgar Origins
Battle game themed around the battle of Trafalgar, focused on 'cultural history' through the stories of the crews who represented 20 races and cultures - and included one woman. Recorded 3.26m plays since launch two weeks ago. Made by Preloaded with advice from Brain Lavery of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Part of the Bloody Foreigners TV series to be broadcast in June which explores the contribution made by non-UK nationals to historic British events.
Second in the Bloody Foreigners series, Battle of Britain: Squadron 303 explains how daring Polish pilots helped defeat the Germans. Created by Fish in a Bottle and due to launch at the end of May.
Privates
Cheeky sex education game for teen boys aged 13 and up. Players explore the nether regions of a teen using a gang of condom-hatted soldiers who battle STDs and pregnancy. Downloads for PC and Xbox. Developed by Zombie Cow and launching in July.
Alien Ink
Launched yesterday, this is Channel 4's first graphic novel for teens and in 30 weekly episodes will cover issues including sexual health, relationships and drugs through a group of teenagers in Camden. Developed by Pulp Theatre.
Curfew
In the City of London and thousands of UK city centres, police can send home anyone under 16 after 9pm. This game explores a futuristic military state where teenagers are second-class citizens who plot to overthrow the government. Produced by Littleloud and due to launch in July.
Battlefront 2
Building on the previous project, Battlefront follows the campaigns of 15 teenagers as they use social networking tools and a new community platform to raise support and awareness for social, environmental and political issues. The number of campaigns covered was reduced from 22 in Battlefront 1 to 15 in this version because of funding needed for the new social networking tools system. Joint financed by Nominet through the web safety and digital inclusion remit of the Nominet Trust and live from July. Produced by Raw Television.
Super Me
Games and videos designed to build life skills, including videos from celebrities who overcame problems - such as Richard Bacon on his drug taking episode. Launches in July. Produced by Somethin' Else.
Covergirl
This media literacy game explores image manipulation by asking the player to take the role of a Photoshopper on a women's magazine. Players have to 'uglify or prettify' the celebrity according to be agenda.
Plus...
Another, under the working title 'Afterlife', tackles bereavement, belief and philosophy from a scientific perspective, informed by research that found most teenagers claim to be atheist and that they may not have emotional and spiritual support structures that their parents' generation had. Ada focuses on science, trying to encourage girls to stick with science at Al-level; only 18% of those that achieve A* at GCSE and go on to A-level physics are female.
Also in production is a Film Four literature project based on a classic as well as a few 'storyworld' projects with established authors, which would involve characters and stories across TV, books and games platforms.
Plans for 2011
Increasingly, the education space is throwing up more and more exciting work, as testified by the awards Channel 4 Education and its cluster of digital production firms are beginning to stack up on the virtual mantelpiece. A combination of a decent budget, imaginative commissioners, talented production firms and a hungry audience makes this a rich space for experimentation.
In 2011, C4 Education will attempt to tackle weightier issues still. Alongside the perennial sex, drugs and relationships projects will be financial literacy and entrepreneurship, science and history and 'life skills' such as emotional resilience that will help young people navigate the next five years, from finding work and dealing with money to coping with relationships. Taylor said this stemmed from research that included the finding that one in five graduates ends up on the dole.
"Teens will need quite a set of resources - intellectual, emotional, practical and plenty of grit to help them cope with the broken world they are inheriting. We don't want to be down - we want to be positive and we want to help."
http://whatgetsmehot.posterous.com/first-polish-graphic-noveltrickery Trafalgar Origins - Channel 4 from Preloaded on Vimeo.For more info, visit www.trafalgarorigins.com Channel 4's 2 hero first Polish graphic noveltrickery It is two years since Channel 4 overhauled its education output, abandoning the long-running, low-budget morning TV programm ... Dogmeat