Call out for UN*DEPENDENCE Film Fest | Deadline 15 Jan 2015

From Nina Schildhauer, Film Curator and Programmer at PopUp!Scotland, about the UN*DEPENDENCE Film Festival 2015 in Edinburgh. The deadline to submit your film (short, feature, documentary, animation, etc.) is by 15th January 2015:

Un-dependence-FilmFest2015We are a small and independent collective of artists and filmophiles in Scotland’s capital Edinburgh and we are currently looking for submissions for the UN*DEPENDENCE Film Festival 2015.  We wish to reach out at communities outside Scotland to seek out film networks that are devoted to talking about and challenging the norms and we are particularly interested in films from countries where independence is an ongoing discourse.

We are looking for films and moving image works that tackle the topics of (in)dependencies and un-dependence on all levels. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, the idea for the festival was born out of the spirit of the Scottish Referendum. The referendum had an impact not just politically but more important, it triggered reactions in the people’s minds and caused a massive response within the arts.  Dependencies are personal themes that individuals struggle with just as nations do. We are inviting filmmakers from Scotland and around the world to submit shorts, feature films, documentaries, animation and experimental works which deal with these questions.  Continue reading

Darren Scales, Class of 2008 | The Drift by Backyard Productions

Darren-Scales_2008GradCongrats to indie filmmaker, 2008 grad and LSFM part-time lecturer, Darren Scales at Backyard Productions. After three years in the making … with a budget of £5,000 … the support of hundreds of volunteers … the premier of The Drift (2014) science-fiction feature film was on Saturday at the University of Lincoln. Reviews are coming in from Midlands Movies to ITV News.


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Student-mentee Bryony Hooper | Paid work with Industry Mentor

I was slightly late. On my first ever paid gig I was slightly late. The first Assistant Director (who also happens to be my mentor) called me to ask where I was. I arrived a couple of minutes before 8:30am when I was meant to be on set by 8:15am. I was upset at the fact I had just broken rule 1 of ‘never be late’ and slightly nervous as I hadn’t met any of the crew before apart from Jonathan Sidwell (my industry mentor) and slightly out of breath as I had basically just ran from Baker Street tube station to Marylebone. But the crew could not have been nicer. Nobody said anything about my lateness and Jonathan immediately introduced me to everyone there and got me straight to work. Making coffee.   BryonyHooper_workexperience_1

This is what I had expected the day to be. Running around fetching this, that and the other, maybe looking after a few divas, picking out all the green M&M’s. But apart from the first few jobs of make coffee, help this guy, help that guy, go find somewhere to get lunch from (where I had to ring my dad to Google maps of the area), I was stood around watching and learning most of the day. Which was amazing. I feel like I helped quite a bit and got to do an important job of audio playback and clapperboard. I also got to sit behind the director and watch his every move. I also feel like I impressed the crew quite a bit, I asked when I didn’t understand something. Then when I got asked to go on the set as a stand in, I asked if I should take my shoes off Continue reading

Daniel Escobar, Class of 2014 | Luma St. Animation Nomination

Daniel_Escobar_LumaSt_AnimationGrad2014Following on from recent screenings at film fests Luma St. has more good news. 2014 Animation graduate Daniel Escobar who created, edited and directed the short said: Luma St. has been nominated for the finalists in the International digital animation festival – Nagoya 2014 (it’s in Japan).  It’s also been accepted into the Reel Genius International Film Festival and for those of you who haven’t seen the film, it is in a public competition at the audience awards. So watch it and vote for us if you liked it: http://theaudienceawards.com/film/luma-st15951

Vote HERE for The Audience Awards. The Nagoya 2014 winner will be announced on 6th December 2014.   Continue reading

Phil Stevens, Class of 2010 | Screening ‘The Road to Rome’ 4 Nov

The-Road-to-Rome_Ian-McKellenandPhil-StevensLincoln School of Film & Media will be screening The ROAD to ROME (2014). It’s doco film directed by Phil Stevens, one of our industry mentors, and narrated by Sir Ian McKellenLSFM Senior Lecturer Chris Hainstock posted the story and invites you to the University of Lincoln: Tue 4 Nov | 6pm – 7.30pm | EMMTEC MT007 | Brayford Pool | FREE ADMISSION

The-Road-to-Rome_castandcrewIn the Summer of 2014 Filmmaker and LSFM Lecturer Philip Stevens directed a documentary which was as taxing for the filmmakers as it was for the participants. The Director of Photography was Stewart MacGregor who along with Philip is a graduate of the School of Film and Media from 2010 ( and in 2011 they won a regional RTS Award for Greasepaint). The Road To Rome, narrated by Sir Ian McKellen, is a feature-length documentary about three authors of historical fiction who walk from Naples to Rome dressed as Roman soldiers to raise money for charity. So far the walk has raised over £25,000 in donations for charities Médecins Sans Frontières and Combat Stress. You can see the trailer from Urban Apache Films.


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Meet the Graduates | Snapshots

Meet_the_Graduates_150wMeet the Graduates lived up to its name as our former and current students got together for the Graduate Question Time and Networking on-campus. Thanks to everyone for making it a memorable alumni event. There are more posts to come and clips from a student crew via New Media Lincs. These images are from LSFM mentee and third year media production student Rory McCarney. #MtGLincoln

Michael Henry, Class of 2009 | Screening ‘Time and Place’ 1st Nov

Michael-Henry_TimeandPlace_releaseOne of our creative media mentors is 2009 alumnus Michael Henry at Quandary Productions who’ll be at ‘Meet the Graduates’ network event this Wednesday to share advice about indie filmmaking and opportunities. Timely because he’s just completed the final cut on his latest film ‘Time and Place‘ (2014). There will be a free public screening on 1st November in Lincoln (UK) and the film will be released with ‘Pay-What-You-Want’ On Demand. The production team said ‘it’s the best thing we’ve ever made’. Mike said he’s excited in his latest posting:

Finally, the time has come! After months of hard work ‘TIME AND PLACE’ is finalised, exported, and sent off for DVD batch production. We premiere the film in one week, crowdfunders can expect their DVDs a day or two earlier next week, and we’re very excited about the ‘Pay-What-You-Want’ release on November 1st – same date as the free screening at The Collection in Lincoln. TIME AND PLACE‘ took a good nine months to write, three to shoot, seven months of editing and will no doubt be months before I consider it entirely over, once all the promotion is done and festival fates are sealed. We’re trying something a little different this time – audience members will have the choice of how much they pay to see the film. So what’s different about our On Demand release?  Continue reading

Meet the Graduates | Wed 29 Oct

Meet_the_Graduates_150w Meet the Graduates is the School’s alumni event to bring together our graduates and students to share experiences, passions and make face-to-face contacts. It’s free, in-house on the 1st floor Minerva Building29 October 2014 from 2-5pm

MtG_POSTER_29Oct2014Between 20-30 alumni are coming along from the media and creative industries (work permitting!): acting … screenwriting … designing … music video directing … photography … TV production … local radio … presenting … promotions … working with effects … video production … indie filmmaking … managing media companies …  

2pm: Ask what you’d like to know at the Graduate Question Time, so come prepared for the Q&A. 3pm: Mingle! You can make personal contact at the informal networking with any alumni you choose. See some alumni who’re attending here!

The countdown is on! Students please let us know you’re coming to MtG, see our Facebook page for the event and share. What’s not to like?! Graduates don’t forget to email you’re attending alumni@lincoln.ac.uk & follow LSFM graduates on Twitter. For the event use #MtGLincoln.  Thanks.

Jonathan Sidwell, Class of 2007 | 1st Assistant Director

Jonathan-Sidwell_2007GraduateSince leaving Lincoln I have worked my way up the Assistant Director ladder and I am now working as a 1st Assistant Director predominately in Commercials and Music Videos.  I’m now in Chiapas, Mexico in the jungle shooting a show for discovery channel for a month… I’ll try and send an epic picture while I’m out here too!

Top Commercial Credits include: Sony, Racing Post, Diet Coke, BBC iplayer, The Ashes Cricket and Oreo.  I have also worked on music videos for many chart topping acts including One Direction, The Kaiser Chiefs, Rudimental, Twin Atlantic and The Wombats.  Recently I combined my passion for Rugby and my profession to work as a Rugby Consultant and 1st Assistant Director for the worlds 1st 3D Oculus Rift Experience for 02 & The RFU with the England Rugby Team  – ‘Wear the Rose’ which was available to experience at Twickenham stadium.

I would love to help out as a media mentor at LSFM.  For now, my advice to students: Try and learn as much as you can about the basics and keep up-to-date with technical advances and how they affect the digital workflow. Work experience is key – try and get as much as possible in your holidays!


If you are a media professional and would like to be a Lincoln School of Film & Media mentor, for one of our students, please do get in touch. Email: rawright@lincoln.ac.uk. Our alumni can send us a tweet – thanks.  

Rachel Hagreen, Class of 2014 | I got the job (at VideoJug)!

Rachel Hagreen_cuI got the job! I am officially an office and production assistant at VideoJug. Meaning I’ll be leaving Lincoln and Halifax and moving to London in approximately 2 weeks time to start work on the 18th of August.

Thankfully it was my extensive CV that appealed to them and they were impressed with the amount of work I’d done alongside my degree (thank God it was worth it). I’m extremely excited to join the company, they’re getting around 50 million views on their website per month and this is constantly increasing, as is their list of clients. It seems like a really exciting place to work and I can’t wait to actually use the skills I’ve learnt whilst at university to contribute to such an established company.

The past 2/3 months have been an absolute nightmare. I have become the flakiest, most irritating person there ever was, trying to decide whether to go into employment or self-employment. Continue reading