Hartlepool firm develops 3D gameshow to help engage young minds

Tim Dear, director of Whizzbang3D Productions Ltd with councillor Chris Simmons and Ollie Harness, Senior Schools Improvement Adivsior for Hartlepool.
Picture by Jane Coltman — Tim Dear, director of Whizzbang3D Productions Ltd with councillor Chris Simmons and Ollie Harness, Senior Schools Improvement Adivsior for Hartlepool. Picture by Jane Coltman

Whizzbang 3D is working with town education chiefs and primary schools to develop a pilot for its new Ignite cinema project.

It is an interactive 3D gameshow that is due to be shown to school kids up and down the country.

Tim Dear, director of Whizzbang 3D, based in Brougham Enterprise Centre, said: “It is totally designed to engage the kids’ thinking into what makes them special and individual.

“Using the gameshow format, there is going to be lots of questions that fly out the screen and it is going to feel to the kids like they are really coming out to them individually.

“It is going to be tremendous fun and when they come out they are going to be empowered, excited and having had a great time.”

Tim is in talks with a national cinema chain, which has 85 sites across the UK, to reach as many children aged between nine and 11 as possible.

“There is a huge potential audience,” he added.

At the end of the 90-minute show, all the information provided by the youngsters will be used to come up with potential career choices that they can download and explore back in the classroom.

Tim is working with local schools and Hartlepool Borough Council to develop the pilot project before being launched nationwide.

He added: “We would like to invite all primary schools in Hartlepool to get involved so we can make sure the content is really relevant.”

Councillor Chris Simmons, chairman of Hartlepool council’s Children’s Services Policy Committee, said: “I welcome any project that aims to encourage primary school pupils in Hartlepool to think about their future lives and the type of career that may suit them.

“We are delighted to have forged links with the Hartlepool company Whizzbang 3D to begin to create an interactive and animated package to help stimulate our young people into considering what their future may hold.

“Primary school pupils do need to begin thinking about their future – even at such an early age – and to do this in such an exciting way will be a fantastic start.”

Whizzbang 3D has previously produced amazing 3D effects for numerous pantomimes and stage shows of the hit kids’ TV programme Horrible Histories.

“It is an incredibly engaging technology,” said Tim.