A SHORT animation film about the life of James Watt has proved to be a popular part of an arts festival celebrating Greenock's most famous son.

RIG Arts used a combination of research and creativity to interpret, record and share the history of the inventor and his importance locally and and across the world.

Participants and volunteers worked alongside professional researchers to learn skills in research and they staged workshops featuring drama.

There was also an interactive museum display, large scale engine artwork booklet and augmented reality walking trail.

Kevin Cameron, a film-maker and artist, was commissioned by RIG to create the animated educational film and he worked with pupils from St Patrick's Primary in Greenock to bring it to life.

Kevin's best known work is a feature length film about the late writer and artist Alasdair Gray, which was screened on the BBC.

He has also made films that have been screened on STV and Canal Plus in France as well producing pieces for Education Scotland, Holocaust Memorial Day and the Scottish Refugee Council.

But he says he thoroughly enjoyed the experiene of working with local schoolchildren.

Kevin said: "The fun bit was working with the primary five/six class who developed their own animation.

"There were two parts to the project - the work in the school and then the commission I did myself.

"The young people were great and it was useful for me to see what bits of the story they latched onto.

"They were intrigued by Watt's mother dying and other dramatic episodes of his life."

Karen Orr, artist/manager of RIG Arts said the animation was a good way to get a piece of Inverclyde's heritage out to a wider audience.

The link to the kids' film is https://vimeo.com/380693341 with the password 'watt' and Kevin's final film is online at https://vimeo.com/397300563 with the same password.

Pictures by Willie Kay and Murdoch Fergusson

==