Talking Shop 2022 (updated)
You are warmly invited to NAHEMI's Annual Talking Shop.
Taking place IN PERSON at London College of Communication on Friday 1 July 2022, this is a wonderful opportunity to connect with Film, Media and Animation lecturers from across the UK and Ireland.
Talking Shop kicks off with complimentary lunch at 12 noon, followed by a rich afternoon of presentations and discussions, focused on 'Reconnecting through Sharing Good Practice'.
We end the day with a drinks reception, and a chance to see some of the work that was submitted for the Bill Vinten Student Awards.
If you would also like to attend the AGM, don't forget to add a ticket to your order, as numbers are limited.
Please use the link below to reserve your tickets, and don't forget to let lleake@pca.ac.uk know if you have any dietary or access requirements.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nahemi-agm-and-talking-shop-2022-tickets-371136909487
We look forward to seeing you!
SCHEDULE
AGM (in W318): 10am - 12noon (All welcome, coffee available)
Lunch: 12noon - 1pm
Talking Shop: 1pm – 5.15pm
Followed by Drinks Reception.
Programme Session One
1.00-1.05 Jeremy Bubb (nahemi)
Welcome and Introduction
1.05-1.35 Cathy Greenhalgh (Independent Scholar)
Lighting Faces and Skin Tone: diversity dynamics in cinematography pedagogy
1.35-2.05 Saskia Wilson (Sheffield Hallam University)
Collaborative and Experiential Learning in Documentary
2.05-2.35- Adrianne Arendse and Faye (Falmouth University)
A Case Study of Errors in the Journey Towards Emotional Intelligence
2.35 -3.05 Phil Mathews (Bournemouth University)
Decolonisation and Collaboration Across Postgraduate Media Production Courses
3.05 – 3.15 Refreshment break
3.30 Programme | Session Two
3.15-3.45 Mark Barton (University of West of England)
Embedding Analogue Film Practises in Digital Filmmaking
3.45- 4.15 Andrew Cooper-James (Arts University Plymouth)
Teaching Film Crafts: successes, failures, and a new approach for 22-23
4.15- 4.45 Ray Kilby (London College of Communications, UAL)
Is Pudovkin a Good Brand of Vodka?
4.45-5.15 Alan Duxbury (Guild of Television Professionals)
Bill Vinten Student Awards and educational initiatives
5.15 Drinks
Proposals
(in alphabetical order)
Mark Barton, University of West of England.
Embedding Analogue Film Practises in Digital Filmmaking
My taught practice is concerned with the concept of physical film and analogue projection equipment as a pathway for film making students to understand how past pedagogies influence both present and future production styles. In the physical examination of both celluloid film stock and mechanics, students gain a tactile understanding of process. Relating this to scholarly articles allows a more robust and concise engagement with present practice. Issues of production can be based on archival materials in their most tangible state, the possibility of archival inquisitiveness, and how this impacts production modes on set. For example, the application of light through a projector lens to a screen, based on the inverse square rules, adds to the debate of cinematic lighting, direction, controlling light and intensity of illumination.
Andrew Cooper-James, Arts University Plymouth
Teaching Film Crafts: successes, failures, and a new approach for 22-23
The introduction of the Common Unit Framework (CUF) at the Arts University Plymouth (AUP) has given me the opportunity to reflect on past practices and devise a fresh approach.
This presentation reflects on approaches, developed, and applied at AUP, which addresses the changing production-based teaching environment, and the needs and aspirations of our students. The teaching strategies employed so far include:
· The use of models and miniatures, allowing for all individuals to have hands-on experience, and the freedom to test out a range of possibilities with relative ease.
· ‘Bake-off‘ style challenges where students are given puzzlingly minimal ‘ingredients’ of kit to achieve the desired image.
· Large collaborative projects with ‘pooling’ or sharing of skills via students making micro-documentaries that pass on the key creative challenges, turning points and technical solutions as well as research into their filmmaking department.
Alan Duxbury and Luke Sheehan, The Guild of Television Professionals
Bill Vinten GTC University Awards
Many of our members get involved with the Bill Vinten Guild of Television Camera Awards, this presentation includes example of student work and explains how the awards operate with dates, and how to apply.
Faye, Falmouth University
A Case Study of Errors in the Journey Towards Emotional Intelligence (for staff and students alike)
Through supervising 3rd year practice projects (namely short films) it became apparent that the biggest challenge the students were facing was not technical competence, or even artistic vision, it was issues of collaboration. The challenges of collaboration were not set etiquette, hierarchy, roles, or responsibilities, but more simply, how to play nice with one another. The students had little sense of a group at an interpersonal level and even less idea how to troubleshoot the invariable issues that arose. In the endeavour to address other issues of bias, exclusion, ignorance, and fear became increasingly evident. What our students really needed was to develop their emotional intelligence, their sense of self, their awareness of peers and to foster greater inclusivity. In this session we will share our experiences of teaching ‘Dare’ and ‘Showcase’ modules with 3rd year BA Television students, outlining pitfalls, review opportunities and how to create a more inclusive crew recruitment process.
Cathy Greenhalgh, Independent Scholar
Lighting Faces and Skin Tone: diversity dynamics in cinematography pedagogy
This presentation draws on ethnographic research with feature film cinematographers and
encapsulates my experience as a cinematographer and teacher of cinematography students of diverse cultural heritage in London. It pays attention to cinematography pedagogy and a praxis which actively incorporates gender, diversity, and inclusivity dynamics. Cinematography is a practice of enchantment and making material which requires skilled vision and expertise in visualization in storytelling. Light effects can be used to direct attention, reveal shape and form, establish relationships, orient space, and time, create rhythm values and embellish textures of objects and faces. The human facial presence “as light” gives agency to the character being played and highlights the actors’ performance, gestures and choreography. I consider contemporary cinematography concerns with a faithful portrayal in lighting “people of colour” as a way of questioning technical, aesthetic, and cultural attitudes apparent in theory and practice of teaching cinematography.
Ray Kilby, University of London College of Communications
Is Pudovkin a Good Brand of Vodka?
Practice based MAs are largely schizophrenic in that they serve three distinct students: the first are those who have already achieved a certain amount of success in their chosen field, then those who have had a Damascus conversion and realise that it is not Philosophy they wish to pursue but Production Design, and finally, the Cineaste.
Added to this, there will always be students who did their dissertation on Pudovkin, there are some who might think Pudovkin is a brand of vodka and those who are bored with hearing about leitmotif and juxtaposition once again. But offering Pudovkin, and Soviet Film theory as a tool for ‘making’ brings benefits. I start with a lecture introducing Pudovkin and ask how is this useful to practice, which engages the cohort holistically. Students are then sent away to shoot, cut and produce a two-minute exercise that uses all the theories that have been presented. These short, fast, turnaround films are screened the following day to the whole class, where we discuss, compare, and critique.
Phil Mathews, Bournemouth University
Decolonisation and Collaboration Across Postgraduate Media Production Courses
I lead a postgraduate framework of six interconnected postgraduate taught courses at Bournemouth University with over one hundred students comprising, MA Producing, MA Scriptwriting, MA Sound Design, MA Directing, MA Postproduction Editing and MA Cinematography. My role as framework leader this year was to ensure that community, cohesion, and collaboration was developed and maintained through the year. To address decolonisation of the curriculum, we refreshed our teaching materials, references, and resources, we also ensured that everything we offered and presented as practice exemplars were international in scope. This presentation reflects on these activities.
Saskia Wilson, Sheffield Hallam University
Collaborative and Experimental learning in Documentary
This talk will outline the learning experience of students in collaboration with the Diaspora Multimedia Hub (DMH)and include film clips, as well extracts from the project evaluation.
The DMH is a creative collaboration between ISRAAC Somali Community Association, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield DocFest and Eryal TV. The DMH supports Sheffield's diaspora to create documentaries representing our region from new angles, our current slate of films explores themes of belonging, migration, community, and healing, as well as contemporary issues such as displacement, racism and human rights.
The project provides Sheffield Hallam University students with opportunities to engage with our community, collaborate creatively on projects, develop filmmaking skills, become global citizens, engage in human rights issues such as migration and modern slavery, and develop confidence and professionalism.