Media Magazine Conference - Notes

How to be Creative - 7 Tips From the Front Line: Tim Clague

• About Tim: BAFTA-nominated writer and film maker, written for TV and the big screen including the Jerwood Film Prize-winning short film Eight, directed by Stephen Daldry. 

Tip 1

• If somebody wants help, put your hand up 
• Volunteer yourself 

Tip 2

• Work with others 

Tip 3

• Always have a logical approach 

Tip 4

• No one comes from nowhere 
• Got to be working hard all of the time getting better and better 

Tip 5

• Put everything into everything
• But life is not meritocracy
• Put your all in, otherwise who will trust you with a project 
• Never be short cutting anything 
• Don't be fooled into thinking you got to be great at what you do/produce. Finishing a project to the best of your ability always has an element of luck.

Tip 6 (Doppler Effect)

• Don't wait to be invited into something, just get on with it
• Though, do not get over excited, think what is better  

Tip 7

• "The day after you finish what do you do?"
• Think about what to do
• Where to look for opportunities 
• Do it! Even though not asked 

An Interview With Chucklefish Games - Rosie Ball

About Rosie: Game Producer and artist aims to make games that are approachable, enjoyable and educational. 

Rosie Ball Career

• Created 'Tick Tock Toys' which won BAFTA (One to watch award)

-- After initial creation, multiple different themes were created from around the world, for instance, a Japan theme in addition to a safari, Christmas and Halloween theme among others. 

• Rosie felt she has got where she is today through a lot of luck of meeting the right people 

Sports Journalism - Leon Mann

About Leon: Interviewer for BBC & ITV sport, consultant: worked with athletes and authorities, filmmaker films on Usain Bolt and others.

• "Welcome to the future" - Leon Motto: It is a motto he lives by, as he strives to bring new ideas and dynamism to the sports and media industries.
• First film -- The Fastest man who ever lived: Usain Bolt shown on BBC1,2 and 3
• Reporter for Football Focus & MOTD
• Most recently: Feature reporter for London 2012

Advice

• Seek new information - Don't tell us what we already know 
• Look for at least 3 new pieces of information 
• Be prepared
• Believe in yourself 
• Be yourself

Diversity

• Felt that sports media had a lack of diversity 
• Positionality & Perspective similar - Limits perspective for storytelling 

 Be the change

• Value diversity
• Challenge respectfully
• Stay true to your values 

 BCOMS

• Black Collective of Media in Sport - Leon set this up 
• BCOMS believes that African, Caribbean and mixed race people are significantly under-represented in the sports media 
• Does a lot off: Networking, Lobbying, Mentoring, Support Network
• D-Word Conferences: The aim of D-Word Conferences are to put diversity firmly on the agenda for the industry’s key decision makers. 

 PFA TV

• Leon established this, it is the Professional Footballers Association to showcase good work undertaken by the PFA and its members  

 Route In

• Obsessed with sport 
• Spent time in Kenya - Teaching 
• Graduated with Geography (University of Portsmouth) 
• Volunteered with Kick it Out then got job there
• Went on to become a security guard at Lords Cricket Ground
• Spokesperson for Kick it Out at age of 22 
• Broadcast Assistant: BBC Sports News
• Sports writer for The Voice Newspaper (Volunteer) 
• Assistant Producer: BBC Sports News

Broadcast Assistant to Assistant Producer = 6 months

Young Filmmakers' Panel

• Hana Kesedzic - Went to Uni after NFTS created a selection of adverts and short films since 
• Florence Winter Hill - Went straight into working world: Is now a production assistant working on a Star Wars project
• Rebecca Gosnell - Went to Uni: Did a placement at the BBC worked alongside the likes of Claudia Winkleman
• Nathan Wilkes - Uni of Hertfordshire then went on to being an Intern at Disney 
• Ben Squires - Went into work - Composed music for multiple short films 

Their advice

• Shut Up and make it
• If you don't know how you can learn
• Don't just accept OK, constantly push yourself

Young People, Media and Democracy - Dr Shakuntala Banaji

About Shakuntala: Programme Director for the Master’s in Media, Communication and Development. She lectures about International Media and the Global South, Film theory and World Cinema, and Critical Approaches to Media, Communication and Development in the Department of Media and Communications at the LSE.

• 15- 20 year olds disengaged from democracy
• Lack of trust in mainstream democracy 
• Skeptical of information

British & EU sociopolitical context

• Increasing control
• Economic crisis: Vicious spending cuts
• Social, cultural, economic & institutional racism

 

Sites of socialism

• Family
• Media
• School
• Collage

Youth political socialization

• Encouraged media consumption = More democratic citizens

Are all young people equally included as citizens? -- Youth voice -- common chat about youth inclusion

• What are the UK media doing for democracy?
• Media representations of young people are almost uniformly negative 
• 20 - 30% of people - didn't go online once upon a time
• Most adults believe they are in favor of democracy - but don't help young people to get democratically involved 

An Audience with Tony Garnett

• Never be deterred -- Creative freedom 
• Politics is how we choose or are forced to live together 
• Political propaganda -- stop from producing -- 9 o clock news told true -- Russian man died from poisoning -- Man dead -- What are we more likely to pay attention to?

We will pay more attention to the "Russian man died from poisoning" headline because it has already began a narrative. Knowing its a Russain man we want to find out more about the individual and what resulted in the poisoning.

• Digital tech democratized media
• What actually is news?
• What is news to one person may not be news to another
• We need to skeptical of information in digital world (Al Jezzera, Google news etc) all somebody idea of the news 
• People try to make fiction to tell the true
• News is not fact -- made up -- can't do anything else   
• The BBC has been marketized 
• Films are a commodity 
• Digital revolution -- Overturning what we mean by news 
• Everyone is creative -- But creativity and craft are being separated
• Acknowledge your creativity -- nurture it -- We all have a unique sensibility -- Use it to experience life in your own way 
• Above all: DONT BE AFRAID 
• Create a creative environment for ourselves on the inside and thrive.