Great news has just come in from the Humanities and Media, Arts and Communication departments – our students’ films have been shortlisted for six out of twelve prestigious Royal Television Society Yorkshire Student Awards up for grabs this year.
Winners will be announced on Wednesday 8 March. In the meantime, we caught up with Senior Lecturers, Chris Hall and Melvyn Ternan to find out more about some of the final-year students’ work and why being shortlisted is a significant achievement in itself.
It was a great example of cross-department work, too, with two films written by our Screenwriting students, and starring our Acting and Performance students.
Read on to find out more and get a glimpse of their fantastic films…
This is amazing news. When did you find out that the films had been shortlisted, and how did you both feel?
Chris: I received the email the other week, during a Zoom call about something entirely unrelated! I was delighted, and a big smile crept across my face. I immediately wanted to get in touch with the students and tell them the good news, but I had to sit on my hands until the end of the Zoom.
Melvyn: I was over the moon to get the email that three of our animated pieces had been nominated! I spun around in my chair and told the animation course team. I had to take a wee walk to calm myself down before emailing the students the good news.
Why are these awards significant?
Chris:Yorkshire universities’ film and television courses are among the best in the country. Yorkshire is the Royal Television Society’s largest region, so it’s a big deal for the course and for the students. Being shortlisted for an RTS Award recognises that the students’ work is of a professional standard. It reflects the standard of learning and teaching on the course, too. As students move into a professional career, having ‘RTS Shortlisted’ on a CV or LinkedIn profile will set them apart from everyone else.
Melvyn:To be nominated alone is an indicator of development, and those that go on to win achieve recognition for their work, which inspires other students. The awards are a very healthy and relevant aspect of time-based media education that’s recognised across many industries.
Can you tell us a little more about the shortlisted films?
470 – Peter’s Story, shortlisted for the Factual Award, is a bitter-sweet 13min documentary about Peter Corbett and his family. The film reflects on his near-fatal banger racing accident at Buxton Raceway in 2009, and its effect on his family and his life since. It was produced in association with the Air Ambulance Service.
Fish & Chips, shortlisted for the Drama Award, is a short and poignant film. It’s about one woman continuing a tradition that she and her father began, even after he passed away. Beautifully shot in Scarborough with mature writing and sensitive performances, Fish & Chips was produced in association with Screen Yorkshire. This film was written by a level 6 student from our Screenwriting and Film degree course.
Pie Village, shortlisted for Entertainment and Comedy Drama, follows the travails of a tourist through the highlights of Yorkshire, only to have their phone run out of juice. A visit to the nearest pub changes everything. Produced in association with Screen Yorkshire, this film was also written by a student from the Screenwriting and Film degree course.
The Night Terror is a 3D animated piece about a small teddy bear coming to life, only to discover he isn’t alone wandering the room in the dark.
V. Pyre is a 2D (hand drawn on paper) animated short set in a futuristic city, where human hunters search for the secret to biological immortality.
Be My Player 2 is a 2D digitally drawn animated piece about a protagonist, Teddy, dealing with the deep, unrequited love for her best friend.
Each film has a unique, individual aesthetic and has been well-received by various audiences since they were completed.
How do your courses help the students develop these skills?
Chris: Our Film and Media Production course has received a lot of praise from external examiners, industry partners and alumni. They comment on our tutors, the opportunities that we provide, and the blend of theory and practice. As well as emphasising the importance of developing technical skills, we also develop storytelling skills, and collaborative skills. I’m proud to say that we were one of the first courses in the country to teach industry-standard, sustainable filmmaking. These factors, along with our students just being great to start off with, all help to make great films.
Melvyn: Animation students study, practice and develop in 2D, Stop Motion, and 3D animation as well as theoretical study – an important aspect. This helps students ‘truly’ understand animation (rather than only practicing one of the disciplines) and enables them to find the aspect of animation that truly resonates with them.
In their third year, students choose which discipline they will create their graduation piece in, and a specialism they want to show off. So, a student might choose 2D animation, with a specialism of character design; 3D with a specialism of direction; or stop motion with a specialism of set fabrication, for example. It’s the practice and theoretical research mix, covering all three disciplines, that gives our students the best chance to move forward and be part of the creative industry.
Pie Village and Fish & Chips involved the work of Scriptwriting and Film degree students from the Humanities department. They wrote them in response to a creative brief set by Welcome To Yorkshire – 90-second short films celebrating Yorkshire food and drink. Once they’d written the scripts, the writers collaborated with the actors and filmmakers in order to further develop and then produce the films. The teams were mentored by professional directors who were brought in by Screen Yorkshire to support the students.
“Coming to university late in life was a bit daunting but everyone at Hallam has made me feel welcome. Being on the course here has allowed me time to experiment with ideas and learn my craft.”
Timm Cleasby, student and maker of the shortlisted film, Pie Village
What has impressed you most about your students’ talents?
Chris: Our students are great. It’s always a joy to see what they come up with and to guide them through the creative process, which isn’t always easy for either us or them. They are brilliant at developing the demanding technical aspects of filmmaking with the more nuanced collaborative and interpersonal skills required. Many of our students also have to seek employment to see them through their course. Their diligence, tenacity and time management are often exceptional.
Melvyn: For me, it’s their fearlessness in bringing their own individuality to their work. On the face of it, that might seem very simple and surely what everyone obviously does. But bringing a truthful individuality to the work being created is not easy, with so many successful influences of industry-based work that exist and are around today. Looking at these nominations, we have three very different visual styles, movement styles, directional styles and so on. But we also have three unique animation methods that were used, including 2D digital hand-drawn animation in Be my Player 2, 3D-CGI with fantasy and realist creatures in The Night Terror, and 2D hand-drawn animation that was done physically on paper in V. Pyre. These pieces are creative markers of the people who created them. Each piece is genuinely owned and directly influenced by the creator.
Many thanks to Chris and Melvyn for speaking to us – and good luck to all the students. We’ll keep you posted once the winners are announced on 8 March 2023!