Tag Archives: Media School

BU TV Production graduate receives BAFTA nomination

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An MA TV Production graduate from Bournemouth University has had his short film nominated for a BAFTA.

Ben Mallaby, who completed the Master’s course at BU in 2006, directed Island Queen, which has been shortlisted in the Short Film category for the 2014 BAFTAs.

The film, written by and starring Nat Luurtsema, follows a young woman on a small island who decides to have a baby using a sperm bank – only to find out it came from her brother.

“It’s such a huge honour to have been nominated for the BAFTA, I still can’t believe it happened,” said Ben, 30, who lives in London.

“The film was shortlisted, I’m sure, down to Nat Luurtsema’s great script and performance.”

He added: “Island Queen came about after I read an article about how some countries have to import donations for their sperm banks because, due to having such a small population, they couldn’t guarantee that you weren’t getting a relative’s donation.

“So our story is about Nat’s character Mim deciding she wants a baby and to her horror discovering it was her brother’s sperm.”

Ben, who is now a lecturer in Digital Film Production at Ravensbourne College as well as a freelance film-maker, said his time at BU helped kickstart his career.

“The MA gave me the time and resources to make films for a year – you don’t get much chance when you’re starting out as a freelancer to work on your own passion projects,” he said.

He and Nat are now working on a new project, called Annie Has Body Issues, which goes into production in May.

“The BAFTA nomination has already helped open doors for us, said Ben. “It’s helped validate the project and I’m really hoping we can take the film further now.”

Ben also plans to attend the 2014 BAFTA awards ceremony, which takes place at London’s Royal Opera House on Sunday 16th February.

He said: “It’s very exciting to have been invited to the awards ceremony next month.

“It’s going to be weird to be surrounded by so many high profile filmmakers and actually have a film in competition.”

Watch the trailer for Island Queen

Find out more about Television Production at Bournemouth University

Media School runs citizen journalism workshops for disability charity

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Staff and students from Bournemouth University’s Media School have been helping people with disabilities develop the skills needed to become citizen journalists.

Journalism academics and students have run a number of workshops with volunteers from charity Access Dorset, which is establishing a citizen journalism project.

The charity – which supports older people, people with learning disabilities and their carers – wants to enable volunteers to create films for their website and share the stories of their members through their Access Dorset TV project.

Dave Thompson, Development Manager for Access Dorset, said: “In order to have it very much led by disabled people and carers themselves, we wanted to be able to skill up people to do it themselves. So not only are they sharing the stories and issues affecting disabled people, but they are also telling the stories themselves.

“We are on a huge learning curve at the moment and we are really grateful for the support that we are getting from the Media School to help us to develop that skill base, enabling us to move forward quickly.”

Dr Ann Luce, Lecturer in Journalism and Communication, has been running weekly workshops in the Media School with the volunteer citizen journalists – covering everything from how to use the cameras, to interview techniques and how to create sequences of different shots.

She said: “The purpose of this project is to empower disabled people to use their voices and become a part of the media and tell their stories, but also, more importantly, give them the skills to go on and empower other disabled people.

“My hope is that we can stop marginalisation, stigmatisation and sensationalism of disabled voices and stories in the media – this is just the first step.”

Third year BA (Hons) Multimedia Journalism student Nicolas Williams has been assisting in the workshops.

He said: “I’m helping out with the technical skills, like how to use the camera and editing equipment. I’ve also been showing them some of my work as well as going through it with them.

“It’s not easy, but it’s nice to see them going through it and trying their hardest, learning and doing really well.”

The workshops have been funded by BU’s Fusion Investment Fund and the BU team will continue to work with the citizen journalists throughout the first year of the project, before helping to produce a report of its progress.

Kelvin Trevett, of Poole, was one of the volunteer citizen journalists taking part in the workshop.

He said: “I was looking for some voluntary work and this looked really interesting and exciting.

“It’s been really good and very informative, and I think I will be more confident to actually go out there and do it now.

“I’m looking forward to putting everything we’ve learnt so far into practice.”

NCTJ conference hosted at Bournemouth University

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Bournemouth University Media School academics were joined by a host of journalists, guests and peers for this year’s National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) Conference.

The conference, hosted at BU, brought about thought provoking discussion around the culture of journalism in a Post-Leveson climate and the sorts of skills that journalism graduates need in a multimedia, digital newsroom.

Stephen Jukes, Dean of BU’s Media School, said, “We are hugely proud of our NCTJ connections and the performance of our students in those exams every year.

“This is a really exciting time to be studying journalism, a really pivotal time where we have either seen the end of 300 years of free press or we are seeing the start of a re-evaluation of the practices of journalism and purge of some of the darker styles of the tabloid trade.”

John Ryley, Head of Sky News, gave the opening address to the conference and said, “All  the technology in the world counts for nothing without that essential element – good journalism.

“I believe that journalism can, and indeed should be, a force for good by shining a light on those things that perhaps people would prefer to remain hidden.

“Training is what separates professional journalists from so-called citizen journalists. It should also instil a value of doing the right thing, and the rights and wrongs of good practice.”

A number of industry professionals also took to the stage to give their thoughts on the current UK media climate, including two Bournemouth University BA Multimedia Journalism graduates; Ollie Joy, who now works for CNN, and Rachel Bartlett, editor of journalism.co.uk.

Study Multimedia Journalism at BU!

Paid internship for student winner of New Media Writing Prize

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Students who enter the New Media Writing Prize could win a three month paid internship at a top e-company, worth £3,000.

The international competition showcases story-telling specifically created to be accessed through new media devices, such as computers, hand-held tablets and mobile phones.

Entries could be anything from a short story, novel, documentary or poem using words, images, film or animation with audience interaction.

The competition is run by BU’s Media School and has a specific student category, with a prize of a 3 month paid internship at Bournemouth-based e-company Unicorn Training – worth £3,000.

Competition organiser, James Pope, said: “This competition attracts the best innovative writing from around the world, and is truly breaking new ground.

“Each year we see terrific work that showcases new-media as the future of storytelling.”

There will also be an overall winner, who will receive a £1,000 prize donated by if:book UK and a People’s Choice winner, chosen by readers through an online vote, who will receive £250.

Winning entries will be published on new media web-hub, The Literary Platform, the Bournemouth University website and will be showcased at the Awards Ceremony, which takes place on January 22.

Winners will be chosen by a panel of judges including Joanna Ellis, Associate Director at The Literary Platform, Chris Meade, writer and founder of if:book UK and Dan Franklin, Digital Publisher at the Random House Group in the UK.

Dan said: “I’m delighted to be involved with the judging of the New Media Writing Prize again this year: it respects the fact that media is converging, authors are adopting new skills, and writing is changing.”

The competition also aims to provoke discussion and raise awareness of new media writing, the future of the written word and storytelling.

The awards ceremony, which is free to attend and open to all, takes place at BU’s Talbot Campus from 6.30pm on 22 January and will feature talks from leading new media authors.

The closing date for student entries to the New Media Writing Prize is Friday December 13 at 12 noon GMT. Each entry should be submitted by email to submissions@newmediawritingprize.co.uk.

To see previous winners and for more information about the awards visit the New Media Writing Prize website.

Book a free place at the New Media Writing Prize awards ceremony.

Sociologist and 7/7 survivor receives Honorary Doctorate from BU

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An eminent sociologist who survived and became a symbol of the 7/7 terror attacks in London has received an Honorary Doctorate from Bournemouth University.

Professor John Tulloch became a Doctor of Letters during the Media School graduation ceremony.

John, who grew up in Bournemouth, has held academic positions at universities in both the UK and Australia and has published more than 20 books, looking at everything from film history and theory, to Doctor Who and risk in the media.

He received worldwide media attention when his bandaged face following the Edgware Road bombing became one of the iconic images of the terrorist attacks, which took place on the London Underground in 2005.

John, who has previously worked with BU’s Media School on preparing for the Research Excellence Framework (REF), said his close connections with both the area and the university made receiving his Honorary Doctorate extra special.

He said: “It’s terrific, I’ve got two reasons to be pleased – one is that I come from Bournemouth, I spent all my primary and secondary education here, and secondly I’ve got a close knowledge of the staff in the Media School, having been an adviser to them last year.

“I admire the research, it’s very good research. It goes from comics to media ethics to globalisation. It’s very broad but it’s all very robust and it’s interdisciplinary and I like that.”

He added that the Media School students were graduating at a critical time for the creative industries.

“I think my central words of advice are that students are going into the media industries and creative industry at a very critical time, given that we’ve got worries about security state and surveillance, worries about phone hacking, and the Royal Charter on press regulation has just been signed.

“Therefore, they are going to be the people – in whatever creative industry they are in – to continue the struggle for democracy.”

More than 5,000 graduates from across Bournemouth University were handed their degree certificates in six different ceremonies at the Bournemouth International Centre.

Professor John Vinney, vice-chancellor of Bournemouth University, said: “Bournemouth University takes great pride in our Honorary Graduates.

“We recognise people who have excelled in their chosen field who will act as inspirational role models, both for our graduates and their families at the awards ceremonies and for our whole student body in the coming years.”

Tobias Ellwood MP talks politics with BU students

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Tobias Ellwood MP visited Bournemouth University today to talk to a group of Media School students about the current political situation in Syria and the UK Government’s response.

The Conservative representative and Member of Parliament for Bournemouth East spoke to MA Multimedia Journalism and BA Politics and Media students offering his knowledge on the situation in Syria and the UK Government’s responsibility to be good ‘global citizens’, offering support to those who need it.

Students also offered their thoughts during a lively question and answer session, with topics such as chemical warfare and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars also discussed.

On students taking responsibility and engaging with politics, Tobias Ellwood MP said, “I think it is very important [that students engage in politics].” Mr Ellwood then went on to talk about Britain’s important place in global politics and the need for the next generation to grasp the importance of it and continue Britain’s legacy.

Dr Bronwen Thomas posts on The Conversation UK website

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By Dean Eastmond

Bournemouth University’s Senior Lecturer in Linguistics and Literature, Dr Bronwen Thomas, has recently had her article featured on news website The Conversation.

Dr Thomas expressed her views giving the facts and figures about e-reader charts. The Bookseller has, for the first time, created and published a sales chart for eBooks costing over £2, revealing the top fifty books for June this year.

The report, authored by Dr Thomas, continued by explaining how erotic books (following after the “fifty shades hype”) topped the charts with “Entwined with you” coming out number one “by miles”.

“The release of the digital ranking is significant because it allows us to compare print and e-book sales directly for the first time,” Dr Bronwen Thomas explained. “It also confirms that e-books are here to stay and are likely to have a huge impact on publishing, writing and reading.”

However Dr Thomas explained how it may not show what the nation reads the most, with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece “The Great Gatsby” not being seen in the charts.

“This is probably because the Bookseller chart only looks at sales of £2 and over, and Gatsby can be yours in digital form for as little as 77p.”

The article then carries on and Bronwen continues; “E-readers do undoubtedly afford more privacy, because no one can see that you are reading 50 shades of Grey on your commute”

The report is finished, explaining the importance of this chart for future reader trends.

“Publishing houses and marketing teams can obviously still influence these charts, so it will be interesting to see how this changes as self- published titles and books published cheaply via amazon become more popular”

The Conversation is a new, non-profit, independent source of information and news from the Higher Education sector. The website is new to the UK after starting in Australia. By getting academics and experts to give their opinions, knowledge and research, the website is an extremely unique way of delivering news and information to the public.

Dean is a student at Budmouth College in Weymouth, who is working at Bournemouth University in the Press and PR Department. He joined BU on a Sir Samuel Mico Scholarship, which provides 10 students from his college with essential work experience for four weeks over the summer.

Dr Kate Murphy talks about suffragette on BBC Radio Solent

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On the centenary of suffragette Emily Wilding Davison being knocked down by the King’s horse at the Epsom Derby, BU’s Dr Kate Murphy spoke about the impact of the event on BBC Radio Solent.

Kate lectures in Radio Production and curated an exhibition in women’s history at the Women’s Library which included some of Emily Wilding Davison possessions, such as her prison diaries.

She told Drivetime presenter Steve Harris that the act had a profound effect on getting women the right to vote.

“I think the suffragettes were so iconic and important and they really did progress and start that whole movement going.

“Emily Wilding Davison was force fed 49 times and she was an incredibly brave and heroic woman I think and she died for the cause of the vote, which is quite extraordinary to think about.”

She added, however, that she did not believe that Emily intended to throw herself under the King’s horse – ultimately dying of her injuries – but that she meant to attach a protest scarf to it.

“There was a thought that she might be pinning something on the King’s Horse or the bridle, and they think now that it was a Votes for Women scarf she was going to attach, so when the horse went over the finish line it would have the sash on it, which would have been a very profound statement to have made.”

She added that there were not many more higher profile events than the Epsom at that time.

“To petition the King in that way would have been a very profound act on her behalf,” Kate said.

“But she’d done some very brave acts already – she’d been arrested many, many times, been to prison many times.”

Kate also explained that at the time of the incident 100 years ago opinion was divided on women getting the vote, and that she still didn’t think women had true equality in Parliament.

“It was a very, very contentious issue but it was the right thing – although it did take until 1928 for women to get the full vote, and even now there’s great inequality in the Houses of Parliament with MPs, so there’s still a long way to go before there’s that full political equality.”

Kate also appeared on BBC Radio Solent on Sunday morning – 100 years to the day that Emily Wilding Davison died.

Listen to the full interview

BU TV Production student mingles with stars after winning ‘mini-Oscar’

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A Television Production student from Bournemouth University has received a prestigious First Light Award for a film he created.

The First Light Awards – known as the ‘mini-Oscars’ – celebrate the success of young filmmakers from across the UK.

Final year BA (Hons) Television Production student Gulliver Moore won in the YouTube Digital Innovation category for his short film, The Perfect Dream.

The film mixes real-life footage and digital effects to show a bed appearing in places ranging from the beach to space, and won through a public online vote.

Gulliver, 23, got to attend a star-studded awards ceremony in London alongside the likes of actors Rafe Spall, Simon Pegg and Joely Richardson.

“The Perfect Dream follows a man roaming through fantasies at the click of a bedside lamp, searching for his perfect dream,” said Gulliver, who lives in Winton.

“It was a great feeling to win at the ceremony – I had to give a completely impromptu speech to hundreds of people.”

He added: “I was expecting a small screening with a few people. It turned out to be a huge ceremony with a red carpet, a huge cinema, paparazzi and lots of British celebrities.

“I met some very interesting people at the after party and had to do lots of interviews. It was quite a surreal day.”

Gulliver received a trophy and £1,000 for winning the award, which he will put towards his next filming project.

The 2013 First Light Awards took place at Odeon, in Leicester Square on March 19.

To find out more about the First Light awards, and to see Gulliver’s winning entry, visit the website

BU graduates celebrate Oscar and BAFTA success

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A number of Bournemouth University (BU) graduates celebrated nominations and wins at high-profile award ceremonies this year.

Graduates of the National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA) in BU’s Media School worked on the visual effects for blockbusters nominated at both the 2013 Oscars and BAFTAs.

Steve Twist, who completed a BA in Computer Visualisation and Animation and an MSc in Computer Animation and Visual Effects at BU, worked on the visual effects for Life of Pi – which won both the Oscar and BAFTA in the Visual Effects category.

Steve worked for California-based Rhythm & Hues Studios as a Character Rigger – and helped create the skeletal structure, muscles and body, and face controls for the computer-generated animals on the lifeboat during the film.

“It was an amazing experience to work on Life of Pi,” said Steve, who graduated in 2010.

“The artists at Rhythm & Hues are an incredible group of people, and it was quite a journey to see the film develop.

“When I saw the movie in the movie theatre, I was very proud to have played my small part to bringing the characters of the movie to life.”

Unfortunately, the company recently filed for bankruptcy protection, so Steve said winning the awards was a “bittersweet moment”.

“It’s amazing that our work was so well received, both by audiences and by critics,” he said. “But, needless to say, I probably felt every emotion possible during those few days.”

Meanwhile, visual effects supervisor Paul Franklin, who co-founded VFX company Double Negative and received an Honorary Doctorate from BU in 2012, and graduate Andy Lockley, who completed an MA in Digital Effects in 2000, were BAFTA-nominated for their visual effects work in Batman film The Dark Knight Rises.

Emma Clifton, who completed a BA (Hons) Computer Visualisation and Animation degree in 2005 was among BU graduates and ex-lecturers who worked on the Oscar and BAFTA-nominated visual effects for The Hobbit.

And two 2010 graduates of the BA (Hons) Computer Visualisation and Animation degree course at BU worked on the Oscar-nominated visual effects for Snow White and the Huntsman.

Dante Harbridge-Robinson was part of a team at BlueBolt Ltd. who helped design and create the castle in the film, while Daniel Georgiou worked on it as a matchmove artist for Double Negative.

Daniel, who now works as a lighting technical director, also worked on visual effects for Les Miserables and Skyfall, which were both nominated for numerous high-profile awards.

It wasn’t just visual effects that BU graduates received recognition for. BA (Hons) Television Production graduate Teddy Leifer was part of the team nominated for Best Documentary for a feature he produced called The Invisible War.

Teddy, who graduated in 2005, was executive producer on the film, which explores the topic of sexual assault in the US military.

Stephen Jukes, Dean of the Media School, said: “We live and breathe the industry in the Media School and we are extremely proud of our graduates who go on – which increasing success – to carry off some of the most prestigious awards.

“I believe we offer a unique combination of academic learning and professional practice which sets students up extremely well to flourish in the rapidly changing and highly competitive media world.”