“This recognition means so much to us as a small studio supporting the underrepresented voices and careers of women and marginalised genders in the games industry. The game emerged from my research into how to use game mechanics for storytelling and we’ve been delighted with the positive responses from players of all ages and genders.” – Dr Hannah Wood
“For the University of Plymouth to premiere my new film over 10 years after I graduated was a humbling experience, the reception and turnout was amazing! Looking back at their hospitality and interest in where I am today reminded me why I chose to take the course in the first place. The friendly lecturers and staff moulded my hobby as a casual artist and gave me all the tools needed to pursue a professional career as a filmmaker.”
In stage two of the course, as part of the ‘social context’ module, students get the opportunity to work with a socially engaged partner organisation, charity or social enterprise – to make a real difference to communities. In 2021 creative media students have been involved the ‘Lonely Not Alone’ project where they worked with specialist co-production agency Effervescent and a group of vulnerable young people, to look at ways to beat the stigma of youth loneliness. The resulting national campaign ‘Lonely Not Alone’ reached almost seven million people, with 4,000,000 video views.
The Lonely Not Alone project is a great example of how you can use your media skills, to make a positive difference to society. The fact that two students gained paid employment from the project was a real bonus.
“Learning media arts at the University of Plymouth has given me a different view of computer technology itself. I started to reconsider how new media changed people's life.”
See this year's exhibition dates below:
BUFFL – 8 May 2019
Stage two Media Arts, in collaboration with Effervescent, present their new app in an immersive exhibition at Radiant Gallery.
Full details
Label – 10 May 2019
Stage two Media Arts, in collaboration with Fotonow, present Label - a celebration of gender and sexual identity. This exhibition opens on 10 May at St Saviours.
Full details
BYOB vol. 1 – 15 May 2019
Stage one Media Arts are at the Old Morgue hosting Plymouth's first 'Bring Your Own Beamer' event. Come along to view or take part, it’s a public participatory event.
Full details
James Cox won the Craft Skill Award for Graphic Design with his film, How to be Funny. James graduated last year from Media Arts and is now enjoying employment with TwoFour.
Simon Cohen won the Short Form award for his film 'Becoming the Medium', which he created in his second year. With dissertation complete, Simon is currently working on his latest work which will premier at this years Graduation Show.
Read about ourFine Art students' work displayed at the festival.
“Right now, an estimated 12.7 million tonnes of plastic – everything fromplastic bottles and bags to microbeads – end up in our oceans each year.” (Greenpeace, 2018)
Media Arts student turned award-winning director, returned to Plymouth to host a preview screening of his first major feature film.
Dom Lenoir graduated from BA (Hons) Media Arts in 2008. Ten years later he came back to present Winter Ridge, a dark psychological thriller filmed in north Devon, in a special screening and Q&A at the University.
The film, Dom’s first big feature-length work, has already been a hit on the festival circuit on both sides of the Atlantic, with 12 awards and counting.
Two graduate awards were sponsored by The Moment again this year.
The Moment is a Creative Engagement Agency: Creating and delivering video, digital and VR (Virtual Reality) from their offices in Plymouth, London and Philadelphia.
They are one on Media Arts partners and supporters from the media industry.
Jake Giddy won The Moment Digital Media Award for his final year project, Through The Looking Glass, a multi-sensory, digital installation.
In 2017, Maker Memories collaborated with 2nd year BA (Hons) Media Arts students and Fotonow CIC to develop a number of responses to Maker. The students produced a series of short documentaries, films and still photography which were shown on Plymouth's Big Screen.
Our students gained an insight into the history and creativity of our local communities and engaged with people from a range of different backgrounds.
Dmitri’s experimental stop-motion film-making has already achieved international success and was featured in the Animation Marathon Festival in Athens, Greece last year.
The winners were announced by film and TV director Nigel Cole (Made In Dagenham, Last Tango In Halifax). Nigel was so impressed, he has agreed to come back to Plymouth to give a guest lecture to Media Arts students next year.
RTS judges notes on Metamorphose:
The panel found Metamorphose curiously mesmerising. The visuals and sound held their own weight, in a challenging and jarring film that kept its edge throughout which lent a powerful sense of story to inanimate objects.
Legendary camera rig master, Tony Hill, has been making innovative camera rigs since the 1970’s. A total of five camera rigs were used to create this rag and bone film – three of Tony’s originals and two custom designed in partnership with Tony by Aaron Duffy, Bob Partington and Gamma Fabrication. All rigs held multiple cameras and iconic cinematographer, Darius Khondji, brought the film to life through incredible composition and dramatic lighting.
Village Green Recordings released the e.p 'Pretoria Remixed' by John Matthias and Jay Auborn on March 2, which is taken from their 2017 album, 'Race to Zero'. The e.p features remixes from John Cummings (Mogwai), Moongangs (Beak>) and CUTS.
For more information please visit the Village Green Recordings website.
This article from Self Titled reviews the Moongangs remix and premieres a short documentary about the some of the processes used to make 'Race to Zero'.
Media Arts, Associate Professor, John Matthias and Jay Auborn have written the score to the feature film 'In The Cloud' starring Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects) and Laura Fraser (Breaking Bad) which premieres on 8 February 2018 on the US Sony Crackle online TV channel. The film explores some of the darker consequences of Virtual Reality and the score features the Vitosha Philharmonic Orchestra (Sofia, Bulgaria) and the Exultate Singers (Bristol, UK) together with extensive use of the Neurogranular Sampler, an instrument incorporating a tiny artificial cerebral cortex designed at the University by John Matthias and Jane Grant. Research Processes involved the creation of a sound world for a 'digital requiem' and the development of sonic/ musical representations for moving between virtual worlds.
BA (Hons) Media Arts graduate Sean Valentine has been nominated for a national award at the National RTS Student Television Awards Ceremony on Friday 16 June 2017. Sean’s is one of only three videos from across the country to be shortlisted for the factual award. He has also been nominated for the Craft Skills Camerawork and Craft Skills Sound categories. It is a huge achievement to be shortlisted and we wish him all the best on the night.
Sean has settled in Plymouth and has been working with Fotonow as a filmmaker since graduating. Wild Swimmers was produced by Sean in the Independent Practice module in his final year of Media Arts.
It showed me how important it is to put effort into every work. It means a lot to me that the animation I produced during my university course went to the animation festival. It has encouraged me to take every opportunity that is being offered, always stay truthful and passionate to art and work hard for it.”
Estonia-born Dmitri says it was always his ambition to study in the UK:
“My dream was to study in England, which has given me not only the opportunity to practice languages but also an invaluable experience. Although I miss my friends and family, I know that it is better for me and my future career, and I will never regret my choice of studying at the University of Plymouth, because the people I meet and projects I make here help to evolve my skills and expand my area of interest.”
Animation tutor Dr Kayla Parker, said:
“I am so proud of Terry and Dmitri. They have both worked incredibly hard to develop a distinctive and professional style as animators. It requires such a lot of commitment and perseverance to achieve the very best results in stop-motion film-making, which is a difficult technique to master – a high level of professionalism is very hard to accomplish when frame-by-frame methods. It is really rewarding that their achievement is being recognized at an international level, and I hope their success will inspire others - we have some amazingly talented animation students working with us on media arts.”
BA (Hons) Media Arts students are introduced to a range of animation techniques by tutor Kayla Parker at the beginning of their second year of study, and all are encouraged to develop their own, individual style. Stop-motion techniques are popular, with students using professional Dragonframe capture software in the studio, along with other computer programs, to make animations in modelling clay, plasticine, or found objects, pixillation films with human performers, or creating time-lapse on location. Another recent graduate from Media Arts, Anna Louise Day, has now completed a masters degree in Experimental Film at Kingston University, London, and continues to make a name for herself as an artist, creating distinctive animation films using macro-photography. Anna’s latest film was selected for the It’s LIQUID Contemporary Venice exhibition held at Palazzo Flangini in Venice during December 2016 and January 2017.
3-D animated films created by two BA (Hons) Media Arts students have featured in the recent Animation Marathon Festival last month in Athens, Greece. The festival took place in Ρομάντσο, the former printing plant of the once famous Romantso magazine, situated in the historical center of Athens which now functions both as hub for start-up companies within the creative industry and as a cultural centre, organizing and hosting a variety of events accessible to the wider public.
Terry Burrows, who graduated in 2016, presented his final year film The Spider, a model animation about fear, exploring the irrational thoughts that pop into your head when faced with something that might cause you embarrassment or for other people to have a lesser opinion of you.
As Terry explained: “The thought of what we might be facing is often more scary than what we actually encounter... it’s the idea of the spider that scares you - so in this film, the spider is a metaphor for any situation we might find ourselves in, no matter how big or small.”
Terry joined the University of Plymouth in 2013. After his first year on the BA (Hons) Media Arts course, Terry began to study animation and went on to produce several short films including The Jungle and The Use of Sound. During his time at the University, Terry founded his own animation company, Walnut Productions, which provided an outlet for his films and a professional identity. Terry is currently developing several projects with Walnut Productions, which specialises in humorous, quirky, original short films made from the recycled objects and materials you would find in your home. On the experience of screening his film alongside professional from around the world, Terry said: “To be involved in a festival makes me feel I'm part of an industry.”
Student Ambassador Dmitri Domoskanov, currently a second year BA (Hons) Media Arts student, is delighted that his film Rock Matrix, a virtuoso claymation inspired by the Eastern European Surrealist tradition of experimental stop-motion film-making, is achieving international success. He said:
“University is the place where students are given a possibility to take as much as they can while they are still students. To me it was extremely important to constantly ask tutors for help, collaborate with course mates and make the best use of the University’s facilities and equipment. Thanks to that, I managed to produce an animation piece that was screened in Athens alongside professional animated films from across the world.
Associate Lecturer in Media Arts, Amanda Bluglass was honoured last week at the 2016 Parity Awards in New York city for her commitment to social justice in elevating LGBTQ people of faith through documentary film.
Parity is a faith-based advocacy organisation which works to create a world where gender and sexual identities are not barriers to lives of observance, faith and religious affiliation.
Executive Director of Parity, Rev. Marian Edmonds-Allen said:
"Amanda's tremendous film, Out of Order, captures what Parity stands for: LGBTQ people reconciling their sexual and gender identities with their faith. The film shows the struggle of emerging pastors as they face discrimination and uncertainty within their faith communities. It also shows the fellowship that is built into the affirming space of Parity’s pastoral retreat, allowing these young leaders to develop their gifts, and to serve their congregations and the larger society. Throughout her career as a BBC news reporter, TV producer, radio journalist, university lecturer and award-winning filmmaker, she has created compelling portraits of other hidden individuals, including a punk octogenarian and a pioneering deep-sea diver. For these achievements, and all her work to highlight social justice issues through her art, she has our gratitude and profound respect."
It has been recognised with two Official Selections: Atlanta's LGBT Film Festival 'Out on Film, 2016; and Palm Springs 2016 'Cinema Diverse' Film Festival.
It is due for release in 2017.
"We are incredibly grateful to you for giving up your time to be a part of the event, which attracted nearly 50,000 people over the weekend and a further 700,000 people online, not to mention media circulation upwards of two million, including a report on CCTV’s national news channel. This would not have been possible without your attendance and your inspiring master class, which was very well received by all the students and members of the public who joined."
Our students spent time on set of long-running BBC political debate programme ahead of filming in The House at the University of Plymouth.
Danny Cooke, Media Arts Associate Lecturer and graduate filmed the haunting video 'Postcards from Pripyat, Chernobyl', while working on a '60 Minutes' segment for CBS News about the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
Graduate Lexi Gilbert is now the only UK contender left in the running for a place at one of the world's top cinema make up schools in California. She entered the competition after working as a trainee special effects artist on the cult series Game of Thrones. BBC Spotlight interview.
Rob produced the short drama, Bitter Natives, as a final year Media Arts student. The film has since won online awards and been screened at international festivals.
BA (Hons) Media Arts students took part in their first panel for media professionals on 22 April 2015. This was a joint initiative with the Media Innovation Network made possible through the School of Art and Media, creative partners scheme.
The session was designed to help students understand the wide range of career opportunities within the media sector and to get advice on their own career ambitions. Panel members offered this wonderful opportunity on a voluntary basis.
Each of the panel members gave a short presentation on their educational background, how they got into the industry and their career progression. This was followed by one to one meetings with individual students. During these sessions the students were be able to ask questions and discuss their career aspirations allowing the panellists to offer specific advice and inspiration.
Feedback from the panellists has been very positive with a number offering to keep in touch with the students in the build up to their graduation. This is an offer that the students are more than keen to take up.
The Media Innovation Network includes a wide range of professionals who value the opportunity to share their expertise and experience with those who are about to embark on their careers. The Creative Partners agreement provides a framework for the Network to make this happen. The agreement also helps facilitate a large annual careers event called Breaking into Media for media students across the South West. Both of these events offer invaluable advice and support to students trying to find their way into a complex and competitive field of work.
