A number of famous faces have encouraged children to explore their creativity while at home during the coronavirus lockdown.

In a series of videos produced by composers Dan and Laura Curtis, from Caerphilly, names including Andrew Lloyd Webber and television chef Heston Blumenthal share words of encouragement and suggest ways to stay entertained.

Laura said: “Dan is a governor at Ystrad Mynach Primary School and the headteacher asked him if he would be able to make a video for the children in isolation.

“We reached out to a number of people we had worked with before. We’re pleasantly surprised by the response we had.

“We’ve done three videos in the series so far but may make some more in the future.”

Laura also explained that it was “surprisingly easy” to find the management behind the famous faces, with the couple having already made contacts with a host of celebrities through previous projects.

Some of the celebrities Dan and Laura have worked with in the past include actor David Suchet, known for roles including Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie’s Poirot, and American film producer Chris Meledandri, best known for producing of the Despicable Me films.

In a separate video produced by the couple, Meledandri introduces animator Brad Ableson, who teaches how to draw and animate a ‘minion’.

Ableson is co-director of Minions 2: Rise of Gru, which was due to be released this year but has been pushed back to 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Laura said the video has inspired children to send in their drawings, with Ystrad Mynach Primary School “really going to town on it”.

Some of Dan and Laura’s other projects include an anti-bullying music video starring pupils at St Martin’s Comprehensive School, alongside Hollywood A-listers including Friends actress Courtney Cox, television personality Jerry Springer, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul actor Bob Odenkirk and Transformers actress Megan Fox, as well as famous British actors including Doctor Who’s Jodie Whittaker and Monty Python‘s Sir Michael Palin.

The couple have also produced videos for Ty Hafan and Help for Heroes.

To see more of Dan and Laura’s videos, visit https://vimeo.com/user64339644