Into the Darkness

1977, realization: Tony Dowmunt, 19 mins, ½ inch, black-and-white, 7 mins (excerpts), original in the London Community Video Archive (LCVA).

Scripted and made by and with a group of young teenagers in a community room on the Aylesbury Estate: their version of a Star-Trek-style drama.

Group discussion between Tony Dowmunt (T) and the teenagers (A, B, C) after Into the Darkness was finished
T   What did you get out of using video over the last two years?
A   We learned how to use a camera and all the equipment.
T   What has video got that woodworking or metalworking have not got?
B   Everyone does woodworking, but not everyone does video filming. It is interesting, and you can tell your friends.
T   So it is interesting because it is different. Are there particular things about video that you can’t do with anything else?
B   When I for the first time walked in and saw myself on TV it was overwhelming.
C   The first time I felt really silly.
T   What did you learn about it?
B   Don’t get too excited about video!