Media Industry Talks

The Department of Media is putting on a series of talks from media professionals and academics during May 2010. The talks aim to provide staff and students with the information on the realities of working in the media industries. There will also be thought provoking lectures on new media directions and crossovers.

Most of the lectures take place in the Manchester Lecture Theatre after 4pm in the afternoon. There are also some screenings of films either on current release or about to be released (see below).

This is your opportunity to find out more about media, make contacts and ask questions.

Better yet, they are all absolutely free!

If you need more information please contact Joan Ormrod, j.ormrod@mmu.ac.uk

13th May 2010 - Journalism

4pm - 6.30pm
Geoffrey Manton L7

John Robb - Music Journalism

John Robb is vocalist in the punk rock band Goldblade. Based in Manchester, he frequently appears as a journalist/commentator on documentary/light entertainment music shows.

Will Astbury - Magazine Journalism

Will Astbury, is a Manchester-based freelance journalist and writer. He also is the editor of Manchester Mouth an online newspaper which aims to provide an impartial voice for communities in the city and Beans – a brand new national student magazine.

20th May 2010 - Film Production and Scriptwriting

4.30pm - 7.30pm
Manchester Lecture Theatre (All Saints Building first floor)

Due to other commitments Mike Knowles and Julie Rutterford cannot make the talk arranged for Thursday, 20th May. We will be arranging with them to come at a future date and present their film, 'A Boy Called Dad'.

Mike Knowles (Director) and Julie Rutterford (Scriptwriter)
A Boy Called Dad - talk with Q & A and screening

Michael Knowles programmed short films for the Commonwealth and Manchester International Film Festivals and the British Council, before establishing short film production company Northern Films, the Northern Film Network and the inaugural Salford Film Festival.

His 2004 short Talking with Angels, directed by Yousaf Ali Khan, was accepted by over 80 festivals around the world and won awards at 15, as well as a BAFTA nomination for Best Short Film.

Having completed the prestigious EAVE course to develop one of Made Up North's feature film projects, Michael won a sought-after place on Skillset's 'Guiding Lights' mentoring scheme where he was mentored by producer Andrew Eaton (24 Hour Party People, A Cock and Bull Story). He has lectured on short film production and distribution at The University of Manchester, and has a successful track record of attracting public funding through the Film Council, National Lottery, local government and European bodies.

His 2004 short film Talking with Angels, directed by Yousaf Ali Khan, was accepted by over 80 festivals around the world and won awards at 15, as well as a BAFTA nomination for Best Short Film.

As well as producing for Made Up North he has recently production-managed 'Arctic Monkeys at the Apollo' and The Mighty Boosh's forthcoming live film (with Warp Films). His latest production is CGI short The Conductor by Geoff Wolfenden.

Before working in film Michael toured with local band The Catchmen and ran an influential nightclub on Manchester 's Tib Street , hosting appearances by Massive Attack, Roni Size, 808 State and Badly Drawn Boy amongst others.

mike@madeupnorthproductions.co.uk

Julie Rutterford won a BAFTA for her short film About a Girl in 2001 and has numerous TV writing credits. These include Hustle, Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes, Teachers and Jimmy McGovern's The Lakes.

Julie's play for BBC Radio 4, In Conversation With Madonna, received a nomination for The Writer's Guild Best Radio Play.

In 1993-94, Julie was the writer-in-residence at the Library Theatre in Manchester. Her theatre play Stripped (performed at Edinburgh, the Old Red Lion in Islington and the Library Theatre, Manchester) won the Northwest Playwrights' Award.

A Boy Called Dad tells the story of Robbie, a 14 year-old boy who has just become a father. Abandoned by his own dad Joe, Robbie snatches his son and goes on the run. As Joe joins the search for Robbie, they are each forced to face up to the past and what it really means to be a father.

26th May 2010 - Film Production, Promotion and Funding

4.30pm - 7.00pm
Manchester Lecture Theatre (All Saints Building first floor)

Simeon Halligan and Cybele Rowbottom (NotaNumber Productions)
Splintered screening and talk on Funding

Simeon's primary role is to run the creative aspects of the company, focusing on content development, from script to screen – including film direction. He will also take an active roll in product marketing.

A graduate of the Royal College of Art film school, Simeon has worked in Film and Television for twenty years primarily as a production designer for companies as diverse as Granada, BBC, Yorkshire, Mersey, London Weekend and many of the indies.

Simeon has an extensive knowledge of drama production and a design background that is second to none. Simeon wrote and directed his first short 'Triple Exposure', a film noir pastiche, in 1998. The film premiered at the A.F.I. Los Angeles Film Festival. Several short films later, including the festival award winning 'Sleep my Love'; Simeon has now developed a number of feature projects. Over seven years of attending Cannes and the other major international film markets, Simeon has developed many close relations within the film industry.

Splintered - Directed by Simeon Halligan, Splintered tells the story of Sophie, a young girl with a curiosity for the unexplained that leads her into a deadly game of cat and mouse with a mysterious psychopath. As Sophie's internal conflicts battle it out with this new external terror, will she find the strength she needs to survive?

27th May 2010 - Experimental Filmmaking and Radio Documentary

4.30pm - 7.00pm
Manchester Lecture Theatre (All Saints Building first floor)

Kate Larkin (Warp Films) - Videos and filmmaking

Warp Films warp.net/films

Bob Dickinson - Radio Documentary Production

Bob Dickinson is a freelance radio producer, broadcaster and journalist. He has worked for BBC Radio 4 for over 10 years, making documentaries and features, recent examples of which include the series The Art of Pop and Zine Scene (both presented by Jarvis Cocker), The World's First Rock Band (presented by Evelyn Glennie), the series A Sense of Rhythm (presented by Mark Radcliffe), Oulipo (presented by Ben Schott), and Who Was Opal? (presented by Melanie MacFadyean).

He previously worked as a producer for Granada Television and BBC TV in Manchester, and has written for many publications including The Guardian newspaper, New Musical Express, The Observer magazine, The Manchester Evening News, City Life, and currently, Art Monthly. He is the author of two books, the graphic novel, Dog Hendrix, from 2004, and Imprinting The Sticks, his history of the alternative press in the north-west of England, published by Arena in 1996. For more information: www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/

Please note on this week the BBC iPlayer, via the Radio 4 website, features one of Bob's productions, The Wonderful Weightless World of the Flexidisc. For transmission on May 27 at 11.30am.