September 2005:
Productions:
Preloader. It gets you talking!
A new cycle of the Preloader short film festival kicks off in November. Deadline for submissions is Monday 10 October. This year the aim is to build on the success of the first cycle in stimulating lively discussion, involving the audience in choosing their best films. Preloader is an initiative from mediahubbub, the Wiltshire and Swindon Moving Image Education Hub, IMC is playing an active role in developing the hub, hosting the portal and bulletin board at www.mediahubbub.co.uk
Interns at IMC
Preloader offers many opportunities for interns wanting to gain experience of setting up and running a film festival. Wiltshire College students provides technical support and front of house for the Chippenham screenings.
IMC successfully hosted a production internship through early summer 05 and currently has openings for an internship on a video production slated for October. IMC is also able to broker work experience and is currently helping fill a placement at a local radio station. If you want to know more about work experience and internship opportunities at IMC contact: info@imc24.co.uk
Fresh Five
Pedro, an animation by Wiltshire College media students was selected for the recent West Country festival of young people’s filmmaking, Fresh Five. Pedro was screened alongside work by other young filmmakers at the Watershed in Bristol. IMC will be screening highlights from Fresh Five later in the year.
Skillset
Richard White, IMC development officer, has been involved in consultations with Skillset in the South West on developing the Sector Skills Agreement for the audio visual industries. Representatives from colleges in the South West, SWRDA, LSC, South West Screen and Skillset recently came together to review progress on the Sector Skills Agreement.
As part of a growing involvement with Skillset, IMC organised a local response to the Skillset audio visual industries training day in May. Over a dozen local media practitioners and audio visual industry colleagues joined staff, students and other colleagues in a series of workshops and discussion forum along the theme of ‘Looking to the Future’.
New Productions
Patient Forums Get Your Voice Heard
Just in time for the country festivals and a full promotion in the autumn, IMC delivered a new campaign video to clients. The Health Advocacy Partnership supported by the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health commissioned IMC to produce a video promoting the new Patient and Public Involvement Forums. An intensive production period involved the IMC crew filming in hospitals, doctors surgeries and an ambulance station and collecting vox pops on what felt like the hottest day of the year. Original music supplied by composer Archer Endrich.
Wiltshire Heritage Museum
IMC recently completed a presentation for Wiltshire Heritage Museum about what goes on behind the scenes there. The film shows the work going on at the Devizes based museum to open up access and care for some of the most important historical evidence in the UK. The production contains 4 short stories on DVD, it can be viewed on the touch screen booth in the museum foyer. Julian Richards of TVs Meet The Ancestors fame presents.
A1 Assessor training video
IMC completed production on an assessor training video for the Wiltshire College/SCAT partnership, Joining Forces. The video is designed to show role model assessment activity. Production was undertaken by HND Media Production students as part of a shoot and edit assessment exercise, supervised by IMC. The final piece was assembled from the student exercises.
Mentoring
As a Centre of Vocational Excellence, IMC was chosen to participate in pilot Aim Higher mentoring programme. Aim Higher is part of a government initiative to encourage more young people to go to University. As graduate entry to the media industries increasingly becoming the norm, IMC piloted an innovative mentoring model with final year level 3 students mentored by creative industry workers.
Leapfrog
Leapfrog provides an innovative solution to IMC business clients’ web training and development needs. Following a series of free consultations IMC brings together a group of clients who are wanting to be more hands-on in the development of their web presence. Some clients want to develop skills in order to build or enhance their website, other clients aim to develop their understandings in order to be able to brief a web designer more effectively. By pooling training activities, economies of scale are achieved thus lowering the costs of what comes close to bespoke training. IMC has just launched a new Leapfrog group with core partners, Deaf Essential. If you are interested contact: info@imc24.co.uk
Curriculum Development
IMC is the flagship of the Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) in Digital and Broadcast Media at Wiltshire College. IMC development officer, Richard White has been working with HND Media Production and BTEC National Diploma Media from the start. Now, IMC web designer, Paul Higgins, is working with the Art and Design department
IMC has been supporting the development of a Foundation Degree in Digital Media Arts for Bath University, a course involving both Media and Art & Design faculties. IMC has been coordinating a consultation from employers and key industry agencies in the region.
Bubbling Under back to top of page
IMC is currently taking part in a feasibility study for a Wiltshire wide Young People Radio and Information Portal. This will involve a major design and build on the website and possibly coordinating the development of an online radio station.
January 2005New Shorts back to top of page
2 new productions are underway as part of Preloader; New Shorts. A group of young people pitched their film ideas to the audience at the Preloader1 screening at Chippenham in November, two ideas were chosen. The films are due for completion in March and will be shown as part of Preloader 2. IMC is supporting the productions, SWScreen funded professional input and the local branch of Dixons is helping with £100 worth of goods.
Preloader
IMC hosted the local screening for Preloader1 and will be playing host to Preloader2 in March showing the best short films from Wiltshire and Swindon. Preloader offers many opportunities for interns wanting to gain experience of setting up and running a film festival. Preloader is an initiative from mediahubbub the Wiltshire and Swindon Moving Image Hub IMC is playing an active role in developing the hub, hosting the portal and bulletin board. http://www.mediahubbub.co.uk/
Culture Things
Two films made at IMC as part of the mediahubbub summer It’s a Culture Thing initiative were selected for a major European festival of young people’s cinema in Greece. Three members of the production crew were able to go to the festival in December.
Art for Darfur
IMC has continued to support this project, the website has now been handed over to artist, Paul Lewis.
Interns at IMC
IMC is currently hosting internships in video production. Places continue to be available as productions are developed. Intern web design Mike Owen successfully developed his portfolio and has now moved from freelance work to a fulltime web development job in Swindon. Wiltshire Heritage Museum back to top of page
IMC is collaborating with Wiltshire Heritage Museum on a presentation about what goes on behind the scenes there. The finished films will show the work going on at the Devizes based museum to open up and care for some of the most important historical evidence in the UK. The films will be on display in the foyer at the museum later in the year.
Leapfrog
Leapfrog provides an innovative solution to IMC business clients’ web training and development needs. Following a series of free consultations IMC brings together a group of clients who are wanting to be more hands-on in the development of their web presence. Some clients want to develop skill in order to build or enhance their website, other clients aim to develop their understandings in order to be able to brief a web designer more effectively. By pooling training activities, economies of scale are achieved thus lowering the costs of what comes close to bespoke training. IMC is currently actively developing a new leapfrog team, if you are interested contact IMC now! info@imc24.co.uk
Recent client sites:
HonestArt
LBS Consultancy
Malcolm Macintosh
Curriculum Development
IMC is the flagship of the Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) in Digital and Broadcast Media at Wiltshire College. IMC development officer, Richard White has been involved with HND Media production and BTEC National Diploma media from the start. Now, IMC web designer, Paul Higgins, is working with the art and design department at Chippenham.
IMC has been supporting the development of a Foundation Degree in Digital Media Arts for Bath University, a course which will span the Media and Art & Design faculties. IMC has been coordinating a consultation from employers and key industry agencies in the region.
IMC has successfully represented media courses at Wiltshire College to the University of the West of England: both HND Media Production and ND Media are now recognised within the UWE Progression Partnership.
Bubbling under
IMC is developing a proposal for an artist-led residency in Summer 2005, the proposal will bring together 3 performance and digital artists leading a week long workshop culminating in a public event. The residency will be open to young people with some experience in performing arts or media as well as colleagues working in formal or informal education.
A production partnership supporting Patient Forums in the South West is currently in negotiation, this will create more opportunities for interns, for further information contact IMC
November 2004Walcot Nation Day 4 Minute Film Challenge
IMC provided facility support for two short films in the Walcot Nation Day 4 minute Film Challenge. These productions were all shot at Walcot Nation Day in Bath, a street festival that takes place at the end of the Bath Festival Fringe in June each year. This was the first such film challenge and culminated in an evening screening of the finished pieces at Invention Arts in Bath in July.
Culture Things: Super Dave and Moose
IMC hosted the production of the two 90 second shorts made under the auspices of the Wiltshire and Swindon Moving Image Education Hub. The films will be shown at the Little Theatre, Bath on November 3, at the Culture South West site www.culturething.com and at the Watershed site www.dShed.net Further screening will take place across the region.
Art For Darfur
IMC is contributing to a project to raise awareness of the humanitarian disaster currently taking place in Sudan. The project arose out of the chance discovery of shared experience of working in Sudan by IMC Development Officer, Richard White and a client, Paul Lewis, undertaking professional development through IMC. Paul Lewis is coordinating Art For Sudan he has curated the London exhibition, future exhibitions planned in Stroud and at Wiltshire College. IMC is curating, designing and temporarily hosting the Art For Sudan site and working with Paul Lewis to develop his own site www.honestart.co.uk
Malcolm MacIntosh at www.malcolmmcintosh.org
Malcolm McIntosh is an independent writer, broadcaster and teacher on corporate citizenship, sustainability and accountability. IMC is currently developing his website aimed both at the academic speaker circuit and at those interested and working on issues of sustainability. The first update of the new website is being very well received.
Hubbub
IMC continues to play an active part in the Wiltshire and Swindon MIE Hub, maintaining the portal at www.mediahubbub.co.uk and working on a number of initiatives including:
Culture Thing
The hub successfully attracted funding to make 2 of the 14 short It’s a Culture Thing Byte Size films. The project, funded by Culture South West and administered by South West Screen, was designed to give young filmmakers the opportunity to come together and make short films under the guidance of experienced film makers. A group of 7 young filmmakers were recruited on a referral basis with a further 5 young actors joining the project. They worked with a professional director and script developer before the intensive production fortnight in August. The production project was led by Bath filmmakers Suited and Booted and hosted by IMC. The films are now in distribution. More information at www.mediahubbub.co.uk
Preloader
Recognising the need for more exhibition opportunities for locally made short films IMC has been active in the development of Preloader a rolling programme of screening and learning opportunities. Some funding has already been awarded, a grant application has been made to SW Screen. Preloader is planned to begin with a round of workshops in early November and the first screenings taking place toward the end of the month. More information at www.mediahubbub.co.uk
Courses/Curriculum development
Leapfrog: bespoke web production-led training
Leapfrog is a new approach to bespoke training and is now underway. IMC brings together a diverse group of clients to develop web design skills as part of a production led programme. Following a one to one consultation clients have agreed that other clients on the programme may see their website in development and use it as part of their training. Each client completes the programme with a final one to one training session and, where appropriate a revised website goes live. 3 enterprises are currently in the programme now booked through until the end of October, Art For Sudan is the first project.
Internship
Following a successful internship through the summer for HND Media Production student Helen Hayward, IMC is now providing an internship for an outside client, Mike Owen.
Foundation Degree
IMC is currently assisting in curriculum development for the Bath University Foundation Degree in Digital Media Arts. This will involve building on existing links with media employers and IMC clients, engaging them in the process of creating a robust vocationally relevant qualification.
P2M
Passport to Media continues to feature in IMC development plans. The programme is now in development in partnership with Suited and Booted as a social inclusion agenda programme with support from SW Screen and Skillset
Short courses
The Autumn Programme has now been launched focussing on Creative Imaging and looking to develop niche market areas for professional development working with artists, designers and opening up the Mac resourced training offer.
Coming soon
Culture Things: Bath Screening Wednesday 3 November
Brief Encounters: IMC represented via Wiltshire and Swindon MIE hub Wednesday 17 November
Preloader: Chippenham Screening Thursday 25 November
June 2004
The Move
IMC has now moved from Corsham Media Park to Wiltshire College:Chippenham. IMC is located in a purpose built media centre adjoining a refurbished theatre space and music studios.
Facilities include:
air-conditioned Multimedia Suite:
Networked high end PCs offering a range of interactive, multimedia design software including 3DSMax, Director, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, After Effects.
With scanners, wacom tablets and printers
Mac video editing stations
Post-production Suite
5 edit ‘booths’ Mac environment running Final Cut Pro
With dv decks, tv monitors and speakers
2 edit ‘booths’ PC environment running Premiere
‘Smart’ Seminar room
Animation studio
TV studio and control room
There is still much to do to bring each area into operation but the potential is now clear and IMC look forward to developing this exciting new media facility.
The centre is almost opposite Chippenham railway station and about 10 minutes from M4, J17. The town centre is a short walk away through the riverside park. The Olympiad, offering swimming pool, gym and sauna, is alongside.
New and improved facilities and ease of access are having considerable benefits for IMC and open up the prospect of providing a downtime hire service.
Production:
Level 3 and Level 4 students at Wiltshire College are given the opportunity to take part in these productions, either as course work or as work experience/shadowing.
Websites
Oscar Stringer’s South Street Studios. www.southstreetstudios.co.uk
Oscar is a filmmaker who we have got to know through the Wiltshire and Swindon Moving Image Hub. We have produced the website in exchange for some badging and some of Oscar’s time. He has already provided some consultancy on the development of the Post Production Suite and will be providing some expert input on our FCP skill development.
Animate Communicate. www.animatecommunicate.co.uk
Animate Communicate is a group with which we have a long-standing engagement; as a group of animators who happen to have learning disabilities they are doing some really exciting, ambitious innovative work. The website developed out of a course we devised specifically for the group to provide guidance support and training, developing their skills from traditional paper based drawing to using Photoshop. The website uses artwork generated by the group both traditionally and digitally and showcases some of their animation work.
The following productions involve a partnership between Wiltshire College and a range of clients. IMC has brokered an agreement where in exchange for a longer production cycle and carrying some risk, the client gets a cheaper product and a real engagement with the training of a small student production team. As a client-led production this is an assessed assignment for the students; with a real client, a real budget and hard deadlines, the benefits of this safety netted exercise are considerable. IMC provides quality control and expert input, bringing in industry professionals as appropriate. The productions below have been made with students from University of Bath HND Media Production taking the lead
Partnership Productions
CMS
Client: Joining Forces, training providers to the Military
Product: DVD
Purpose: The moving image part of a blended learning course, BTEC Certificate in Management Studies, tailored specifically for the Army. Introduction/promotion and three short training sections on getting started on the course.
Adapting to Change
Client: ESF/EQUAL funded consortium of Colleges in the South West
Product: DVD
Purpose: Support for a conference presentation in Bilbao and subsequent dissemination. A series of case studies. Conference brings together all the ESF/Equal funded partners in Europe for a review of progress and achievements.
Animate Communicate
Client: Animate Communicate
Product: Video
Purpose: To provide a vehicle for explaining and promoting what AC do to funders and prospective hosts. The tape uses animation produced by the group and follows the group running animation workshops in schools…. “tackling issues of inclusion by stealth”
Millennium
Client: an adhoc group of people with learning difficulties in receipt of a Millennium award
Product: Video
Purpose: A documentary style training video for people working in the front line service sector promoting good communication. Shows people with learning difficulties playing an active part in the community and offers advice on effective communication.
Courses
Content Rich Website Design
Taught by an award winning web designer, this popular course is now running an additional production-led top up in our Multimedia Suite
Photoshop Techniques
Led by a professional photographer this course is a crossover from a traditional darkroom course for photographers new to digital technology.
Photoshop Mac cross platform
As our Mac facility grows we can respond to demand for training on this industry standard graphics and media platform. Email us for latest start dates
Networking
IMC continues to be active with the Wiltshire and Swindon Moving Image Hub, and hosted the May meeting. The portal/bulletin board at www.mediahubbub.co.uk is maintained by IMC and provides a forum for practitioners, trainers and teachers working with the moving image. Through the hub IMC has brokered a residency for practitioner in a school in Bath and sourced an appropriately experienced animator for Animate Communicate. The hub recently received funding through South West Screen for the production of 2x90 sec shorts under the CultureThing scheme. Ultimately this will feed into a series of snap shots of youth culture in the South West.
Working with the hub, IMC is developing opportunities for new filmmakers to network, develop skills and contacts and get their work screened. Preloader (working title) brings this together starting in the autumn.
IMC is taking part in the South West Media Employers Forum and links up with media related Centres Of Vocational Excellence all round the country.
IMC was represented at the Wiltshire Youth Arts Partnership conference.
April 2004
IMC on the move!
On Monday April 26 IMC will be located at a purpose built media centre in Chippenham. Funded through CoVE and NTI the centre offers extensive media production and post production facilities complementing IMC’s existing multimedia development resources. From this new base IMC will shortly be offering training and production in a Mac based environment as well as on a PC/Windows platform. The new facilities include two studios, a post production suite offering 5 x G4/FCP4 ‘booths’ and 4 x PC/Premiere edits work stations. The existing multimedia development facility will be housed in an ergonomically designed fully air conditioned lab.
IMC continues to offer the full range of existing services and now welcomes enquiries for training conference facilities and resources hire. Contact us for the latest on this service!
February 2004
eLearning conference CDROM
IMC successfully completed production on the eLearning conference CDROM, this is now in distribution by our clients: LSDA, City & Guilds and NIACE. The clients were so impressed with the work of our staff/student team that they set up duplication for both versions that were completed. One offers a solid but straightforward interpretation of the brief, the other provides a more intuitive interface to the materials gathered on conference day.
If you would like a copy please contact info@imc24.co.uk
Creative Voice for Chippenham website
IMC is developing production-led training in website production, in the autumn our webdesigner started working with a group of young people in Chippenham on a website for Creative Voice for Chippenham. Content production is still underway. (work in progress)
Animate Communicate website
IMC has been commissioned to work with Animate Communicate to develop a website. Animate Communicate has developed an innovative approach to exploring issues of disability and inclusion using stop frame animation. The website will be produced in collaboration with members of the group through a series of content development workshops.
Mediahubbub
IMC supports Moving Image Educators! Mediahubbub is a portal and bulletin board supported by SWScreen for practitioners and teachers working with moving images. The site is designed, produced and maintained by IMC.
Shaftesbury and District Tourism Association member websites
IMC goes to Dorset! IMC is currently developing a production-led training programme for members of Shaftesbury and District Tourism Association. Participants in the programme will develop their web presence over a 5-week course.
Partnership Productions:
IMC is currently developing 4 partnership productions for late spring delivery all these production involve media students working on real productions with budgets supported and guided by IMC producer, teaching staff and with support from media professionals.
Adapting to Change
A presentation for the Bilbao conference of a group of organisations in Spain, Portugal, Italy and England all working with rural industries supporting change and adaptation. Six colleges in the South West of England are being funded by the EU programme EQUAL to explore ways of using information and communication technology with a range of groups from dairy farmers to artists. IMC is producing their conference presentation
We are part of the community
A short video produced with a group of people with learning difficulties based in Wiltshire. The group successfully gained a Millennium award for a project proposal about communication. Part of the proposal was for a video aimed at frontline workers in the service industries designed to remind them of good communication practice that can enable people with learning difficulties to play a full part in the life of the community.
Animate Communicate video
Animate Communicate use stop action animation as a strategy for exploring issues of inclusion and disability with young people. Members of Animate Communicate have disabilities. This video will provide a further layer of development to the learning experience provided by their workshops and will be used in promoting future workshops.
CMS video
This video will form a key part of a distance-learning course leading to the award of Certificate in Management Studies. The course is delivered as blended learning:
a paper based workbook, recording evidence and gathering documentation;
a Virtual Learning Environment providing online support, networking, links and documentation
an audio/visual element..CDROM/DVD providing lively visual interest, motivation and support
November 2003
HNC MultiMedia
IMC is collaborating on the development of a MultiMedia HNC for online delivery. Going live this month, HNCMM uses Wiltshire College’s new learning environment, eStudy. In its first year of development this will only be released to a targeted client group but interactive learning materials will be placed on this website for wider testing.
Flash Lighting Tutorial
Flash Button Tutorial
Adding ‘e’ to learning
IMC/Wiltshire College Centre of Vocational Excellence has been commissioned to produce the conference report for Adding e to learning, the South West Conference on elearning. The conference took place in Bristol in October and post production work is well underway. The report is being produced by Media Production and MultiMedia students in CDROM format, working alongside industry professionals. The CD is set for delivery to delegates in December.
Knowledge Nugget and WebPitStops
...the pit stop on the information highway… IMC is now offering intensive small group training sessions with a bite to eat. Each WebPitStop offers the chance to get a fast skill update at the beginning or end of the working week. The 3 hour sessions are primarily aimed at businesses wanting to develop dynamic database driven websites. Aware that for many training takes place on the run, IMC has enlisted the support of the Hartham House kitchens to provide a tasty late breakfast or early lunch.
Creative Voice for Chippenham
IMC is working with local young people to produce a portal-style website for the Creative Voice for Chippenham project. This production-led training initiative is designed to provide training both for youth workers and their clients in order that they can maintain and develop the site themselves. The website idea has evolved from a series of digital content workshops, 3 Day Wonders run by IMC in the summer.
June 2003
Media Education Hub
IMC is supporting the development of a Media Education Hub for the region. The hub brings together teachers, media practitioners and arts workers networking on media education. The hub enables collaboration on the development of media education materials and projects. IMC is developing a proposal for a Passport to Media..a programme of production-led training projects for young people linked to real industrial experience. The pilot programme will be delivered by member organisations of the hub.
Summer at IMC
July the IMC staff team contribute to the Corsham Media Park open day….
Fun with Flash
Fun with Photoshop
3 Day Wonders
A series of short courses specifically aimed at young people between school and college.
Computer Games
Special Effects
Sound & Vision
Autumn Seminars
Weds Oct 1
Jacquie Bennett an expert in elearning and information architecture leads a seminar on Website usability.
Missed the seminar? click to view Jacquie's power point presentation
April 2003 imc launches specialist short course programme
April 2003 imc collaborates with mousepower productions on broadband portal Axis:
ALKEMI Group invites you to register early for complimentary AXis Membership to take advantage of professional services soon to be available at Corsham Media Park and Hartham Park, including:
Broadband connectivity with a suite of online business applications and resources
A business setting with workstations, café, administrative tools, and publications
A community of media and technology companies, freelancers and sole traders
Networking events and other social occasions
Meeting room and catering hire tailored to your specific needs
Strategic business services for hire through ALKEMI partnerships
Leisure facilities for working out or winding down
Enrolment is now open for membership to AXis. Through AXis, individuals and companies working in Wiltshire will be able to take advantage of support and workspace without having to lease offices at ALKEMI Group venues, Corsham Media Park and Hartham Park. Additionally, Business Link, Smart South West and SWRDA have supported ALKEMI by underwriting first year memberships to AXis.
Tired of commuting day after day? Had enough of working from home when remote from the office? Take advantage of this exciting and pioneering offer (for free!) by emailing rachel@mpowerassociates.com.
March 2003 imc launched by Government Minister
The interactive media centre was opened in March 2003 by Margaret Hodge MP, Minister of State for Further and Higher Education. The imc is supported by Wiltshire College as part of its recently awarded Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) status in Digital and Broadcast Media. The CoVE award is a recognition of the leading role being played by Wiltshire College in responding to the Government’s Workforce Development initiative in the Creative Industries. imc builds on existing industry/education partnerships, has
attracted expertise and funding to enhance those relationships and has a roster of expert, industrially experienced tutors and course leaders to call on.
