Building Connections Through FTV

Hi, I’m Jess, and I’m in my second semester of MA Film and Television: Research and Production. Now that our cohort is beginning to start production on our short fiction films and dissertations, it feels more important than ever to consider the networks that we have built across the academic year so far, and how important building connections in the early stages of the MA has been.

Additionally, once connections are built, there is very much an ‘I-O-U’ culture surrounding production and working together. Having formed a group of like-minded students, It’s been really nice to have a shared agreement that if someone works on your film, you’re happy to return the favour. This benefit of the MA has made it fairly easy to crew our films, and make the most of working together with your friends on some really exciting new projects.

Stemming from the ‘I-O-U’ culture of the MA and the diverse range of students that you meet, it’s really fun to be able to offer each other different things when working together. From expertise in a previous field to maybe lending your house as a filming location, networking on the MA means you’re rarely short on help for your audio-visual assignments.

Of course, one of the biggest benefits of networking on the MA is making genuine social connections with people who you might not have met. A clear difference that I have found in contrast to my undergrad years at the University of Birmingham is the diverse age ranges and life experiences of the students on the MA. If I had not chosen to study the MA, I would not have met with so many people from different walks of life, who all share the same interests as I do. It’s been brilliant to form a strong group that I can spend time with both academically and socially.

The thing is, the FTV network stems so much farther than the confines of each cohort. I recently had my placement week back home in Manchester, at ITV’s MultiStory Studios in Media City, Salford. The week was such a brilliant and informative experience, and one of the most memorable aspects of my time at MultiStory was seeing the network of FTV alumni in motion. I was lucky enough to attend the company’s annual Town Hall, and whilst I was chatting to a few new people from MultiStory, I met an FTV graduate from 2016 who was now working as a Production Coordinator on Tonight. It was such a lovely experience meeting someone from a previous year, and chatting about her experience on and after the Masters. Meeting her was encouraging, and proved that the FTV network is far bigger than your individual year once we’re out in the ‘real world’.

Jessica Parker

One Minute Movie Results 2023

Students, staff and alumni gathered in The Carroll last night to celebrate the Department of Film & Creative Writing’s first in-person One Minute Movie Competition results since 2019.

Entries on the theme of ‘transition’ had been received from across the University and prizes were awarded by Dr Richard Langley, following an anonymous judging process.

The winners were:

• Alumni category: ‘Berocca’ by Kavisha Mandalia (MBChB Medicine & Surgery, 2021)
• Runner up: ‘Foe’ by Claire Wallace (MA Film & Television)
• Technician’s choice: ‘Jump Cut’ by Ally Asante and James Gordon (BA English & Film)
• Overall winner: ‘La Tête Parlante’ by Klaudia Kirkpatrick (MA Film & Television)

Congratulations to everyone involved, and all the entries can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/10240689

You Make the BBC

On 1^st March, several representatives working in different areas of the BBC came to the University of Birmingham to emphasise why they want and need fresh, diverse voices to be part of the organisation, and to share information about the various opportunities students and graduates can apply for.

A sneak peak of what ‘The Tea Factory’ in Digbeth will look like
(image courtesy of the BBC)

The day was split into two sections, with the morning focusing on apprenticeships and paid schemes for new entrants into the industry. It also featured an interview with Stuart Thomas, the Head of BBC Midlands, who spoke about the exciting developments taking place in the region and the new Tea Factory building that the BBC teams currently based in the Mailbox will move into in 2026. Students were encouraged to ask questions openly, sharing their thoughts about what the BBC is and taking the opportunity to hear first-hand about how they can stand out in an application and interview.

Ellen Bate, a student on the MA in Film & Television, provides this round up of the morning:

“The presentation started with the very energetic and charismatic Summaya, a senior journalist, radio presenter, and podcaster at the BBC. She handled the minor UoB technical hiccoughs brilliantly and made sure to engage with the crowd, starting with a Q&A. Because of her quick thinking, we as an audience were able to hear questions from others and the BBC employees’ responses. Summaya’s bubbly attitude made for a very welcoming introduction to the morning.

The BBC’s outreach manager for early careers, Allison, then took the stage. Allison began to talk us through the different opportunities which the BBC offer and how to apply for them. These included apprenticeships which can run from anywhere between 18 months to 4 years. The main take-away which Allison continued to repeat throughout was to be yourself. It was very reassuring to know that the BBC want individuals, no matter who they identify as; their sexuality, their race, their religion etc. The PowerPoint slides, which were emailed to those in attendance, were a really useful accompaniment to Allison’s talk as it very clearly showed where to go on the website to read about and apply to the different opportunities. In addition, they outlined the four main areas that the BBC focus on in their apprenticeships. These are production, design and engineering, journalism, and business.

“Don’t rule yourself out; rule yourself in”

Following this, we heard from Jaye who is a project manager for BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, and Asian Network. Jaye focused on the opportunities within the music side of the industry. Several music schemes are held across the UK in an attempt to move the focus away from London. Again, the presentation was really useful at showing the step-by-step approach to learning about and applying to the different schemes available within BBC radio.

We then moved on to interview techniques. For me, this was the most important aspect of the talk. The top tips included doing your research before going into an interview, having a good CV full of work with local places that shows transferable skills, and to make the most of careers fairs and talks that crop up throughout our time at university. They also gave us the anagram:

• S – situation: set the scene and provide context.
• T – task: a task you were faced with and what responsibilities you had.
• A – action: what action did you take?
• R – result: conclusions and what you achieved.

Overall, the talk was a really good tool in learning more about the industry and what the BBC offer to those looking to get into the organisation.”

During the afternoon session, employees from the BBC’s RISE development scheme, which is for people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, shared stories about how their journeys at the BBC began. They also gave attendees an overview of what their different roles entail, from production management for unscripted TV, to working in HR and being the people behind what we see on the iPlayer home screen each week.

Many of the speakers emphasised how their entry to the BBC had been almost accidental, and how having an academic background or work experience in a completely different area had been beneficial. The transferable skills gained from jobs in hospitality or retail lend themselves strongly to the organisation and communication that are so integral to managing a production, for example; while having the initiative to start a blog or start to tell stories about issues that matter personally demonstrates journalistic passion.

FTV Students and Alumni join the Commonwealth Games production teams

Birmingham said farewell to the Commonwealth Games last week, after eleven days that saw the city buzzing with positivity. For staff in the Department of Film & Creative Writing, our enjoyment of these sun-soaked events didn’t stop at spectatorship, as each day brought a new social media post where we delighted in seeing both current students and alumni sharing their experiences as members of production teams, working to bring the sports action to TV screens around the world.

Five of our current MA Film & Television students received training as part of Sunset + Vine’s Host Broadcast Training Initiative, going on to work across events including the athletics. The initiative aimed to provide a unique development opportunity for local talent and it’s clear that this was a resounding success. Meanwhile, at least six alumni from various cohorts took on roles with companies including Progress Productions and DRPG, ranging from Production Coordinator and Floor Manager to Camera Assistant. We even welcomed a few familiar faces back to campus to work on the hockey and squash!

Here are a few of their personal highlights:

Ashleigh Archer (2021) – Assistant Camera Operator, Squash at University of Birmingham. 

‘Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience working at the Commonwealth Games. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I’m glad I decided to stay in Birmingham post-graduation otherwise this opportunity wouldn’t have arisen. I have learnt so much over the last couple of weeks working with such a great team. I was offered constant support and encouragement and taught many skills I will be able to take forward. I believe that this was a step in the right direction for me and my career goals; so hopefully this is just the beginning! I am forever grateful.’

Lucy Clark (2021) – Support Services Manager, Coventry Stadium and Arena

‘I work full time as a Production Coordinator on the Rugby Sevens Series for Sunset+Vine, who were the host broadcasters of the event. During the Games, my role was the Support Services Manager for Coventry Stadium and Arena, which was essentially the Production Coordinator role but on multiple sports at the same venue (sorting transport, accommodation, catering, crew welfare etc). The sports I worked on were the Rugby Sevens, and also the Judo and the Wrestling. Being able to work on sports like these, that I may well never work on again (or at least for another two to four years) was a really cool experience and it was good to learn about the different set-ups for the venue but also the broadcast itself. It was a challenging (and knackering) role, as we had to prepare for the Judo and Wrestling whilst the Sevens events were happening, but it was so rewarding to work on a large-scale event in an area of the UK I just love!’

Danny Roberts (2021) – Floor Manager, Hockey at University of Birmingham

‘Coming back to UOB to work as a floor manager on the hockey was a very special experience. I feel very proud to have developed a new skillset and made some incredible connections – all while spending each day looking up at Old Joe!’

Millie Brooks (current student) – Clipper, multiple events

‘During the Games I worked as a clipper, which involved clipping out the important footage and moments to then be used in later edits, on social media, sent to specific countries for requests, etc. I worked on almost all of the sports as it would change each day. My experience was extremely positive as I gained a greater love for sport and have fallen in love with live television production. If I had the opportunity to do something like this again, I would jump at the chance. Even though it was a daunting task at first, it quickly became a routine and was great to be surrounded by the action and by hundreds of people in so many different roles.’

Lanna Cowles (current student) – Floor Manager, Hockey at University of Birmingham

‘I could not have asked for a more rewarding opportunity, particularly as I was on the field of play and right by all the action of my favourite sport! Not only did I floor manage my own hockey matches but I was able to experience all aspects of the broadcast, from camera operating to producing. And what better place to have it than on the grounds of UoB!’

From Man Vs. Bee to the BFI: my first year in Film & TV

A guest post from 2021 alumna Izzy Hill, who reflects on a very busy 12 months since completing the MA.

While studying for the MA, I managed to nab my first production job as a location marshall for upcoming drama film Living. Two 12-hour night shifts in the centre of Guildford – what a way to start off in Film/TV!

Then, after many more applications and many many copies of my CV being sent over email, I was elated to secure a full-time production role on Rowan Atkinson’s Netflix comedy Man Vs. Bee – I worked as a COVID Marshall on that production for five weeks, joining the crew halfway through principal photography and staying until wrap in August (while also completing all my uni assignments and my dissertation!). This was where I learned the most about the industry – it was hugely insightful, rewarding, and a joy to work on. Can attest that Rowan is very lovely and it was amazing to watch him work! Though, if you’ve seen the show, you’ll know that I occasionally saw more of him than I was expecting…

After graduating, I managed to secure a few more runner roles here and there; a few days on a shoot for a factual show for Full Fat TV, and then an additional runner role for another Netflix show which took me up to Christmas. The latter was probably one of the most excruciating jobs I’ve ever had – see the image below:

Need I say more?

Production is no joke – the long days and fast-paced environments combine to make your workdays stressful, exhausting, and overwhelming. I decided to take some time out from working, and I started applying for more admin-based roles that were still within the Film/TV industries, but would allow for a healthier work-life balance and less physical (and emotional) drainage!

That leads me to where I am now – I work in digital and distribution marketing for the British Film Institute, an organisation I was a member of for years and have always loved and admired. I help with social media, email outreach, event coverage, and getting films out to exhibitors. I’ve worked some amazing events, the biggest one so far being the BFI & Radio Times TV Festival, where I was able to help interview the stars and provide social media content for our followers. The BFI is a wonderful company to work for, and I am excited to log in and work every day! I still have my busy days and the occasional moments of stress, but my lovely team, and the free cinema tickets and film posters, will always cushion the blow!

I am also writing some passion projects on the side of my job and hope to be creating more of my own stuff in the future, whether it’s film/tv articles, short films, or even a novel! Watch this space…

Izzy Hill

Merry Christmas everyone!

We’ve had a great autumn term with our now not-so-new cohort. Alongside classes in research skills, development and production processes and documentary filmmaking; there’s been technical training aplenty, a day at the RTS Midlands Careers Fair, a screening at Birmingham’s Electric Cinema,  guest workshops with lots of industry professionals (including a record number of our awesome alumni) and even a sustainable production workshop.

After 11 busy weeks, we ended the term with a Secret Santa gift exchange and the annual Christmas jumper competition, which was won by Lauren and Sarah. And now term is over, what better way to mark the end of another calendar year than with the latest FTV festive music video?

Thank you to all our lovely students, alumni and industry friends, and we wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Bring on 2020!

FTV CHRISTMAS MUSIC VIDEO 2019 from Film at University of Birmingham on Vimeo.

 

How green is your heart?

To celebrate the new Green Heart of campus, this year’s One Minute Movie Competition invited submissions inspired by the question ‘how green is your heart?’. There were 12 entries from across the University, which were screened on Wednesday evening alongside a showcase of work by students in the Department of Film & Creative Writing.

After a welcome from Dr Richard Langley, the event commenced with two MA Guided Editing projects in the form of an emotive visual poem and a short documentary about how and why international students sometimes choose an English name. These were followed by Polymers, a dissertation comprised entirely of archive footage that, in keeping with our green heart theme, looks at the development and impact of plastics on our planet.

The second half of the evening comprised two more Guided Editing projects – comedy film The Guests and the more abstract My Platonic Odyssey – and an undergraduate video essay about the juxtaposition of veganism and masculinity in the media. Finally, the One Minute Movie entries were screened and the winning entries announced.

Five judges, including academics from the Department and industry professionals, had independently reviewed all entries. The winners were:

• 1st place: Synchronicity (Ruby Hartley, BA Sociology)
• 2nd place: The Duel (Rory Applin, BA English and Film)
• 3rd place: How Green Is Your Heart? (Jun Zhang, MA Film and Television)

There was an impressive range of responses to the theme, and many that emphasised what was a tangible thread throughout the evening of the need for more sustainable lifestyles and the urgency to protect our environment. All the entries can be watched on the Department of Film & Creative Writing Vimeo channel.

A big thank you to everyone who entered the competition, our panel of judges, and to all who attended the event.

Jemma Penny, Placement Coordinator

Jun Zhang, Ruby Hartley, Dr Richard Langley and Rory Applin

Breakfast brings in the crowds

The summer term is upon us, bringing long hours in the edit suite, ongoing placements and the occasional ray of sunshine. As the current FTV cohort embarks upon this next phase of the MA, we wanted to take a moment to congratulate them on a fantastic achievement: an immersive screening of 80s classic movie The Breakfast Club, held in mid-March, which had the highest attendance ever for any FTV event. 

Since the University’s Arts & Science Festival began in 2013, we have always run a screening, which in recent years has also incorporated the One Minute Movie Competition. This year, instead of showcasing former student work, we handed the reigns to the FTVers to design and deliver their own event, based on the festival theme of Stop/Start and supported by the ever fabulous Flatpack. Zoe Turner took the lead, and in January plans began to bring The Breakfast Club – and breakfast – to campus. [image credit – Greg Milner Photography]

Over the next two months, a team of FTV students worked together to cast actors, design posters, organise rehearsals and run a social media campaign – all alongside their ongoing placements and coursework. We knew the event was proving popular on the festival booking system, but it was still quite astounding when over 100 people arrived on the evening of 14th March. Who knew 40 croissants, 50 mini boxes of cereal and an array of fruit and muffins could vanish so quickly?

With breakfast served, the evening continued with the Stop/Start One Minute Movie Competition entries. Prizes were awarded, with first place going to ‘The Third Law‘, by Lorhren-Rose Joseph and Denyce Blackman. On to the main event, and the audience sipped tea and coffee as five undergraduate students took their seats for detention and acted out iconic scenes as the brain, the athlete, the basket case, the princess and the criminal. It was fantastic seeing the characters come to life in the lecture theatre as their 1980s counterparts appeared on the big screen, and wonderful to share the experience with so many film-loving students and members of the community.

A huge congratulations to Zoe and the FTV team for creating such a memorable evening, and thank you to Flatpack for all their support. Bring on 2019!

Sincerely yours…

Jemma Penny, Placement Coordinator

 

An Afternoon with Tony Garnett

On Wednesday 31^st January, we welcomed legendary producer Tony Garnett to campus. An honorary graduate of the University, Tony was born in Birmingham in the 1930s and made his name working on films such as Kes and Cathy Come Home, with later work including This Life and Beautiful Thing. FTV student Sofía Podetti reflects on his talk and how it has made her consider her own ambitions for a life behind the lens.

“The most important thing I can tell you today is there is no formula to making a film”. This was the opening line to what would soon be one of the most interesting talks I have ever attended. The guest speaker was Tony Garnett, one of Britain’s most distinguished film and television producers – and a truly interesting person to listen to. To say this is probably a hyperbole since Mr Garnett worked in the industry for over 50 years, retiring a decade ago.

Dr Richard Langley introducing Tony Garnett

Overall, everything he said was fascinating to the small audience that was present last Wednesday. But probably the thing that impacted on me the most was the following phrase: “film is a social activity.” The fact is that the people who make films and television shows have always had a responsibility to society, since the product of their work is consumed by the masses as some sort of truth of the world we live in. Chilean scholar Valerio Fuenzalida argues that one of television’s core functions is the educational one because the audience tends to connect with the different characters and situations and take them as part of their social education. Unfortunately though, I don’t think this belief is shared by everyone in the industry; in my opinion, some are more centred in the economic aspect of the job rather than the social one. This results in products that sell very well but show no real values, which is a shame, really.

Realizing this has made me think about the kind of professional I want to be upon entering this incredibly competitive world: do I want to make money at any cost, or would I rather struggle a little bit more and produce inspiring shows and films? I would undoubtedly go for the second option, for I find it much more rewarding in the long term. I would love to produce content that raises awareness of different topics, empowering my viewers and helping them out through my films; I believe this is what the industry should really be about.

I know I am not alone in this. In the past years I have noticed a change of paradigm in the cinematographic industry, especially regarding the portrayal of women and children. This is just the beginning of a road that will bring sensible, valuable representations of society to our screens. I hope that ten years from now, when I have a family of my own, this will be a reality rather than a dream. Tony Garnett is one of the people who started this change; I hope that I can be a part of it too.

Sofía Podetti

Term One: A Story by Nina Jones

As we re-open the edit suite doors for 2018, our technician Nina tells us the story of her first Autumn term at the University, and how it was working with the new cohort of FTV students… 

It started like any other day.  I tackled the morning rush hour and secured my parking spot.  As I sprinted up the four flights of stairs (this is a lie, I took the lift) to the edit suite I contemplated what this term would bring.  The next Spielberg?  Fincher? Hitchcock? Would I be spoiled with technical wizards? As I flung the double doors open and keyed in the code I felt hopeful this term would be filled with excitement, merriment, creative genius and movie magic!

I have not been disappointed (well not too disappointed).  Aside from the litter, tardiness, noise and missing batteries everything has run pretty smoothly…

Lou managed to cover the whole of the fourth floor with glitter, Christos had butter fingers,  Frida gave us all diabetes, Zoe made an unplugged hard drive seem like the end of the world, Cheryl was ‘stupid’ (or maybe she’s just kidding us to hide her editing prowess), Claire managed to exist about 20 minutes behind the rest of the universe, Sofia enchanted us with her colourful language, Jenny made putting up a tripod in record time look like a matter of life or death, Jack was LOUD, Sam lost all his hair, Hermione got beautifully lit selfies, Black Market Beth managed to run her own DVD business on the side, our wonderful international students joined in with our terrible British banter and discovered the joy of Christmas crackers, Rayna gave birth to a whole other human and still made classes, Techy Tash impressed with her audio skills, Lorhren started off looking terrified but showed us her creativity producing an amazing visualisation film with Hatty (starring Christos as Salvador Dali – nice wink), I finally worked out who was Heather and who was Helena after 11 weeks, Shereen’s fashion sense put us all to shame (seriously though, how did you get so cool?) and we all survived the terrible Scandinavian sweet challenge.

(Note from Jemma: barely survived – everyone is getting Marmite in the spring term)

To the others I haven’t mentioned, thank you for being so wonderful! It really was an amazing first 11 weeks teaching you the ins and outs of filmmaking.  You have all blossomed into confident and capable filmmakers.  I am so proud of you all and can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store.

Nina Jones, Film Technician

Staff and Students celebrating the festive season with our annual Christmas Jumper Competition