This week the TV studio has been host to a veritable feast of live,scripted and mostly wholesome entertainment in the form of our 1st year NET-TV project (part of the Media Production TV formats module). Four shows were written and produced by teams of students over the past 2 months and culminated in this weeks live recordings which are available for your viewing pleasure here.
The Coventry Ambassadors and Godiva Awakes projects were both mentioned as good examples of a higher education institution working with local companies to become a key part of the Cultural Olympiad. Coventry Ambassadors aimed to recruit local volunteers for the upcoming Olympic football events held at the Coventry Ricoh Arena and was supported by Media Production undergraduates who produced the regional initiatives promotional campaign video shown on BBC big screens and online. Martin Yardley,Director of City Service and Development said “The film has had a fantastic reaction whenever we’ve shown it…it really sets Coventry apart from other local authorities and has undoubtedly helped us during the recruitment phase of the programme” Ross Varney,Media Production Teaching Assistant added “The university and department have very strong ties with the city and it’s businesses,and it’s fantastic that our students can be involved in high profile professional projects like ‘Coventry Ambassadors’that means they can say they were involved in bringing the London 2012 Olympics to life.”  Between January and March this year we ( i.e. the Media dept. at Coventry School of Art and Design ) launched our Free and Open Undergraduate class exploring Creative Activism. At the same time we made the class freely available online on an open basis so that anyone could participate in the class,join in the discussions,and even rip and remix our content. The class explored the potential of creative media activism by encouraging the participants to experiment with creating ‘live’ interventions as well as become involved in a number of crucial cultural,political and social debates. Over the 10 week course we looked at how media activists,creatives and campaigners have used their media knowledge,connections and skills to ask difficult questions,provoke debate and raise awareness of important issues and problems in their local,national and international communities. We have now put most of the materials from the class up on our website at http://www.creativeactivism.net You can also download content and participate in the class’ongoing discussion through iTunes U and the Peer 2 Peer University (P2PU). Please feel free to share. To date,the class has been supported by a range of reknowned collaborators and guest speakers including:
If you would like to find out more about the class,and our plans for developing the project,please contact p.woodbridge (at) coventry.ac.uk
A group of Coventry University media production students have recently returned from filming a spaghetti western inspired short in Spain’s famous Tabernas desert. The ‘Blueridge film’ group are currently in their final year of Media Production at Coventry University and with help from the university’s International Experience and Mobility Service (IEMS),chose the legendary area in Spain as their primary filming location. The desert is steeped in movie heritage having been used in countless Hollywood movies including Sergio Leone’s spaghetti-westerns and Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones amongst many others. The film called Black Hill is set in the civil war era American West and revolves around an injured confederate solider forced to confront his racism after his preconceptions are shattered by a life changing encounter. Director Jim Peakman says “We wanted to explore contemporary social issues around racism within a different perspective and setting. We liked the idea of a realistic western,not the typical cowboy gunfighting type so the two seemed to fit well together.” Jim adds “Many westerns that have influenced me as a film maker have been shot in Tabernas so we thought it would be a great opportunity to use the same location as these films,its the only true desert in Europe and visually its a perfect match to double as the land of the American west.” The team are now back in the UK and busy working on the post-production aspects of the film,continuing their crowd-funding campaign and preparing submissions to a number of international film festivals. Producer Tim March concludes,“Filming abroad was definitely a huge challenge,particularly with the logistical aspects of production and filming with a Red Epic for the first time,but ultimately we feel it helped push us to produce our very best work” To find out more about the film,visit www.blueridgefilmgroup.com,or follow them @blueridgefilm to learn more about current and forthcoming projects.
A media production student is gearing up to travel to Italy’s Amalfi Coast to shoot her first international short film this March. Rochielle Parkes,a 3rd year media production student at Coventry University will be heading with her crew to Sorrento on the Italian Amalfi Coast to produce her self penned short film ‘Gelato’. The film follows a small boy,who upon discovering a traditional Gelateria challenges the hardened view of an old woman through a simple unselfish act. Says Rochielle,“this might sound silly,but I actually got the idea when looking at my placemat in my dining room. It’s a huge photo of different flavours and colours of ice cream and I thought,no-one has done a short film about ice cream. ” She adds,“The title of the film is Gelato so knowing that the university offers support through its IEMS office to students wanting to work internationally,it made perfect sense to film in the ice-cream capital of the world. Italy is such a beautiful country and it’s not very often you get to make films in places like this. Since this is the first film that I’ve both written and directed,it’s hugely exciting knowing that my story will be coming to life.” Rochielle is still looking for assistance with the films soundtrack composition and is hoping to submit the film to a number of international film festivals. For more information email rochielleparkes@googlemail.com or follow her @rochielleparkes.
Media Production students from Coventry University have set themselves the ultimate movie-making challenge of creating a crowd-funded,full-length feature film to be shot on location in the UK and in California. The students are seeking the support of fans and followers around the world to help finance the project through ‘crowd-funding’,and have already raised over £1,300 towards their £7,000 target – but they need more help. Latitude:The Movie follows the lives of two gadget fanatics,Max and Percy,whose love of ‘geocaching’ – a modern day treasure hunting game in which players use GPS to track down containers hidden across the globe – leads them into a high-tech game of cat and mouse across America in a quest to find the ultimate piece of technology. The team behind the production describe it as a ‘Lord of The Rings’ for the Google generation,and are hoping that their innovative approach to funding and distributing the movie will prove as much a hit as the film itself. Distribution is a key part of movie-making and the students have come up with some innovative ways of marketing the film via the same medium,‘geocaching’,which is featured in the picture. The students are also filming a documentary recording their experience making the film,which will be posted on the movie’s website. The movie’s premiere will take place in Coventry in June,at which point the crew is hoping it will become one of the first full length feature films to have been created by students studying on an undergraduate degree. Mick Le Mare,third year Media Production student at Coventry University and producer of the film,said: “This is the biggest challenge any of us have faced whilst in education,and we couldn’t be more excited. A feature film is an enormous undertaking and the pressure is already mounting to be producing content every day. This isn’t just about making a beautiful piece of film;it’s also about fundraising,distribution,casting,graphic design,scriptwriting,sponsorship and budgeting among many other things. We’re looking at this as a professional venture which is equipping us with the sort of skills which will give us a head start when we’re looking for our first jobs in the industry.” Pete Woodbridge,lecturer in Open Media at Coventry University and one of the project’s coordinators,said: “Making a feature film on such a low budget is a massive undertaking for all of the students involved,especially considering that we are shooting a large part of it in the USA. This involves them taking their production skills to a whole new professional level,and at the same time gives them the opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial,creative and technical abilities. In today’s competitive media job market,it is projects like this that will get them the attention they deserve.” The film project is supported by Coventry University’s International Experience and Mobility Scheme (IEMS),which enables students to gain experience of working in a foreign country. Anyone wishing to support Latitude:The Movie’s crowd-funding campaign should contact mick@latitudethemovie.com or visit www.latitudethemovie.com and click on ‘sponsor’.
A Coventry University media graduate will see his first feature-length documentary given its world premiere at a major international film festival being held in the Netherlands this month. Palestinian-born Laith Al-Juneidi left the University in 2003 after gaining a First Class Honours Degree in Communication,Culture and Media,followed by a Post Graduate Diploma in Film and Visual Cultures. Now Laith is set for international acclaim as his film,The Invisible Policeman has been selected from over 3,600 submissions as one of 327 titles to be screened at the 24th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA),16-27 November 2011. The film looks at the paradoxical life of Lieutenant Nidal,a 41 year old Palestinian police officer. While on the job he wears a uniform and has a certain level of power and status,but as soon as he returns home to the centre of Israeli-controlled Hebron,he is powerless. Nidal,his wife and nine children live in poverty and constantly under threat. We see the story unfold through the eyes of family members;learning how Nidal could do nothing to stop two of his children being arrested by the Israeli military,and seeing him cling helplessly to his wife and children in a room as Jewish settlers torch his house. Steve Dawkins,Senior Lecturer in Media Production at Coventry University,said: “Once Laith found his voice,his media production work while on the course started to have real depth and quality. During his time at Coventry University he produced a number of short films,including War vs Peace (2003),a 13-minute critique on the portrayal of war in the media,showing how censorship presents us with versions of the truth,whilst hiding the harsh realities. Laith gained greater recognition as a film-maker after this,and because of his interests,he became part of wider networks exploring the political potential of using documentary. His work at Coventry University gave him a real foundation for the political pieces he is now producing surrounding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. It’s great to see how Laith has developed over the years and we wish him luck with his latest project.” IDFA is one of the world’s leading documentary film festivals. Held annually in Amsterdam since 1988,it is unique for its international film programme,the variety of genres,its politically committed programme and the many European and world premieres featured each year. Following its world premiere in Amsterdam,The Invisible Policeman will have its Middle East Premiere at the 8th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) 7-14 December 2011;it has also been officially selected by the Docudays Documentary Film Festival in Beirut (15-20 December 2011) and has been submitted to a variety of other festivals. Film Director/Producer Laith Al-Juneidi said: “Studying at Coventry University was a really important experience which enriched my outlook on the world. The freedom to choose subject matter and availability of resources really helped my creativity,along with the knowledge and amazing support from staff. I have kept in touch with many members of the University;their open-minded attitude to political,cultural and social issues helped me to find my voice and their continued support of my work has given me the confidence to pursue my dream of becoming a film director. “Coventry University also allowed me to make connections with high profile film professionals such as Lord Puttnam,whose advice to me was short but powerful;‘It’s about belief’ he said,and since then I decided to increase my belief in what I do. These words helped me considerably during the making of The Invisible Policeman,despite facing many obstacles,I kept on believing and the film got made.”
For one eventful year,Documentary film-maker Emily James was allowed unprecedented access to film the secretive world of environmental direct action. Two years later, Just Do It – a tale of modern-day outlaws hit the big screen. Emily comes to Coventry University on Nov 3rd to talk about film activism and the making of ‘Just Do It’.
James’ film follows activists as they blockade factories,attack coal power stations and glue themselves to the trading floors of international banks despite the very real threat of arrest. The film is a story of people standing up for what they believe in and making themselves heard. But it was a story that needed to be told without the creative constraints of traditional production models or the editorial control of big investors. And so it was that Just Do It – the totally independent project – was born. ‘Just Do It’will be screened at 10:30-12:00pm in ETG34 on Thursday 3rd Nov,followed by a special Q&A session with director Emily James whose previous work includes documentary commissions for C4 (Don’t Worry,What would Jesus Drive?) and whom the Guardian asserted “is a genius…and will in time be revered as a television innovator”. This is a fantastic opportunity to hear from a truly inspirational filmmaker,and attendance is highly recommended given the times that we are living in! Presented by Ken Fero as part of the BA in Media Production. All are welcome.
Coventry University Media Production student Brindusa Nastasa recently had her first feature length documentary about the aftermath of Chile’s military dictatorship screened at an international film festival . Brindusa ,in her third year of media production,interviewed three generations of a Chilean family who escaped Pinochet’s regime 30 years ago and began a new life in Coventry. The documentary ‘Dinner with Pinochet‘,which had its world premiere at a film festival in Serbia in May and more recently was screened at the Marbella International Film Festival,shows how the family are still struggling to cope with the aftermath of Pinochet’s 17-year rule. Speaking about the film,she said:“It was very emotional interviewing my friend’s family. I was in tears while I filmed them and they were crying. “I interviewed my friend’s aunt –when she was eight years old she remembers playing with her friends when she found bodies on the street. “She talks about the impact it had on her as a child. She would play with her friends in a garbage pit – that was their playground but she would come across several body parts there. “My friend’s dad suffers from schizophrenia after he was tortured in prison during the rule. He was left for days without food or water in a small dark room. “I never knew just how badly they had suffered – I heard them talking generally about the dictatorship and thought it would be an interesting subject.” Brindusa was awarded with a grant from Coventry University to buy professional camera and sound equipment for the documentary and to set up her own business Grapefruit Productions. She was also awarded a grant from the Peter Kirk Memorial fund to film her next documentary on the life of nuns and monks in Romania’s monasteries. She added:“It’s been great to have my films out there. That’s why I’m making them.” “I moved to Coventry in 2008 and I was very nervous moving so far away from home but it’s been an amazing experience.” She has also made an educational film about underage teenage pregnancy which is being shown to pupils at six schools in the city.  Defeat of the Champion Ken Fero,senior lecturer on the Media Production course has been commissioned to make a critical film about the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). The 25-minute-long documentary called ‘Who Polices The Police’has already gone into production. Initial filming started over the summer and he has already enlisted the help of Coventry University students to help on the documentary. The media production students have worked as production assistants gaining valuable experience and there will be further opportunities for student involvement as the film progress. Ken Fero said: “The recent death of Mark Duggan after he was shot by police officers in Tottenham,and the subsequent uprising that spread across Britain,has put the issue of investigating police actions on the international agenda. There have been a number of unexplained deaths in recent months,the Independent Police Complaints Commission has been tasked by the government to investigate and say they will be vigorous in the quest for the facts. The film will ask who polices the police and how effective is the IPCC in bringing corrupt officers to justice?” Fero has made several films about this subject previously,including the highly controversial cinema documentary ‘Injustice’ 2001/98minutes. That film was heaped with international awards but is still banned by UK broadcasters as the film accuses serving police officers of manslaughter and murder. Fero goes on to say: “I have always taken a robust attiude when investigating the alleged wrong doings of police officers. Documentary,in its radical form,can be a force for change and many students respond well to this form of media production.” His most recent film ‘Defeat of the Champion’was selected as a highlight of the West Midlands Human Rights Film Festival and received extensive media coverage across the region (BBC news, ITV news). ”Who Polices The Police ‘was commissioned by PressTV and will be broadcast on Sky later this year. |    | ||||||||
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