Indie-Lincs 2017 | International Film Fest 16th-18th March, LPAC

Indie-Lincs is an International film festival that champions low and micro budget films and their filmmakers. The event’s organiser, lecturer at the University of Lincoln School of Film & Media (LSFM) and award winning filmmaker is Dr Mikey Murray: Our festival programme is brought to Lincoln through the hard work of student co-ordinators, who’re on the Film and TV course at LSFM: Becca Booty, Tom Durrans, Lucy Hansard, Ali Mendzil, Ben Reynolds & Tom Woodcock. Indie-Lincs aim is to help the best independent filmmakers from around the world showcase their original work and network successfully with their audience, other filmmakers and the indie filmmaking community. Screening of over 40 shorts and features at University of Lincoln Performing Arts Centre (LPAC).

Deputy Head of the College of Arts Dr Sarah Barrow: We very much hope that you can make it along to some of the Festival. There will be several filmmakers visiting Lincoln for the event and some wonderful international film content over the two days Friday 17th and Saturday 18th March in LPAC. On Thursday 16th March there’ll be a Special Opening event – with film, guests and live music – in the Stephen Langton Building Cinema, 7pm-9pm. If you would like to attend the Opening event, please email Mikey: mmurray@lincoln.ac.uk  Continue reading

BAFTA TV Awards 2016 | LSFM Alumni on Wolf Hall and Big Blue Live

BAFTA-TV-Award2016_BigBlueLive_JackJohnstonBritish Academy TV Awards, last night, was celebrated by LSFM alumni who worked in the production teams of BBC shows. Well done to BBC One’s Big Blue Live, winner for Live Event. Part of the team were our 2002 graduate, producer/director of wildlife TV shows Joanne Ashman said it was “the hardest, and the best job I’ve ever done. So proud to be part of the team” and our 2009 Media Production alumnus who is a freelance editor, specialising in wildlife documentary, Jack Johnston (pictured with Dan Wardle) said: “such an amazing team and such an amazing production!” Jack is one of LSFM’s Industry Mentors. You can read his archive post on this blog when the BBC Springwatch team won an inhouse Production Award in 2015.

WolfHall_BAFTA-TVawards2016

Congrats to BBC Two’s Wolf Hall – it picked up two awards: Mark Rylance for leading actor and also won in the category for Best Drama Series. Our 2013 Film and Television graduate Ashley Turner was “thrilled” to work as a floor runner on the BBC’s six part historical drama series and shared from experience how to get work as a runner – from the BBC’s Production Talent Pool to the adaptation of Dame Hilary Mantel’s best-selling period drama Wolf Hall. Read 2014 blog post

Louise Davies, Film & TV Student | Work Experience at Big Talk

Louise-Davies_pic1Last summer (2014) I emailed a variety of production companies with my most up to date CV asking if they offered any work experience opportunities. Luckily enough Big Talk Productions got back to me offering work experience for two weeks at their offices in London.  I was so pleased and excited as Big Talk was a company which produced some of my favorite films such as Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and the World’s End and TV series such as Friday Night Dinner, Him and Her and Spaced, specialising in comedy and drama, which are my favorite genres. Having done some background research on the company, it was motivating to know that Nira Park the founder of the company began as an office runner and had worked her way up through her talent of producing.

The two weeks involved myself taking the role of a office runner working in Big Talk Pictures (Film) office the first week and then Big Talk Productions (TV) office the second week.  Continue reading

Ashley Turner, Class of 2013 | BBC TWO Floor Runner ‘Wolf Hall’

Congrats to all Lincoln School of Media third year graduating students who will be Class of 2014! The School hope you’ll keep us posted on your job-hunting, experiences, tips and advice, like last year’s alumnus Ashley Turner.

Super setting, a day to remember

I graduated from the University of Lincoln last year as part of the first group of students to take the Film & Television course. Just before I left Lincoln, I was accepted onto the BBC’s Production Talent Pool, which I took to be a guarantee of a kickstart as a TV runner. I moved to Bristol, where I began to pick up occasional runner jobs, working on the odd day here and there on programmes like Flog It, The One Show, Rip Off Britain and others. However, the desired long contract proved elusive. Thanks to uploading my CV to a number of websites, I worked as a runner on the open auditions for the upcoming Star Wars films, which was a very exciting opportunity, and things began to build up from there. Eventually I semi-moved to London, working on The One Show as a studio runner, as well as on a BBC Three comedy pilot, a BBC Two panel show and the recent Our Gay Wedding: The Musical.

BBCTWOHaving built up this solid range of runner experience, I was asked to come in to interview for a long-term runner job on a high profile BBC Two drama, and succeeded! So since April, I have been a Floor Runner on the BBC’s adaptation of Dame Hilary Mantel’s best-selling period drama Wolf Hall, which I’m thrilled to be a part of.  

My main piece of advice to fellow graduates of Lincoln School of Media who’re looking to get into TV? Never work for free. Continue reading