It’s been another exciting year in the Media and Film department. We’ve been on lots of trips, visited lots of events and exciting places, and we’ve even won a competition or two. Here’s our round up of everything we’ve not managed to tell you about already.
London
In February, Media and Film students returned from a very enjoyable trip to London. We had a wander around Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, and the National Portrait Gallery. Later on we enjoyed a trip on the London Eye, dinner on the Southbank, and then the visual feast that is Star Wars: The Force Awakens, at Europe’s biggest IMAX screen at the BFI.
The following day we took a tour of locations in central London used in blockbuster films like the Bond franchise, and the T.V. series, 24. We managed to see Horse Guards Parade, Downing Street, and the Houses of Parliament as part of the tour and had a great walk around London.
After a bit of free time amongst the delights of Covent Garden, we all travelled home and had a well-earned snooze.
Into Film Festival
November saw the annual Into Film Festival. Media and Film students were invited to a special screening of The Good Lie, followed by an after-screening talk from a refugee charity. An enjoyable and thought provoking event.
The Loreto Oscars
The final event of the year is the long awaited and extremely prestigious Loreto Oscars. This year saw our groups fighting it out for best picture, best production design, and best cinematography (amongst others). Winners to be announced!
Sharp Project
In early March, an impressive group of young women from the Media and Film department went along to the Sharp Project for a brilliant event celebrating International Women’s Day. At the event, a series of guest speakers – women who run businesses and initiatives in the media field – spoke about inspirational women from the past. Our young women were then invited to a mentoring session. The final aspect of the event was a competition to win some coveted work experience at the Sharp Project, for which entrants had to submit a vlog on the topic of women who changed Manchester. The winner was our very own Becky Dickinson! Well done Becky!
The Loreto Music Video Awards
The end of May marks the annual Loreto music video awards, run in tandem with an A2 leavers’ party. The winner of best music video was Jump Man, made by Dalu Moyo, Louison Tshibangu, Maurice Jarvis, and the late Jason Sheri; a great celebration of two years of hard work and a fitting way to say goodbye to our A2 students.
The Jason Sheri Award
The Jason Sheri award is a new prize in our department in memory of Jason Sheri. The award recognises one student who has shown outstanding positivity and resilience. This year’s recipient was Younis Mohammed, who has shown amazing quantities of both positivity and resilience throughout his time here. He has helped at numerous open days and has produced some amazing coursework all the while maintaining his cheery disposition. The award was presented at the Loreto Music Video Awards attended by Mr and Mrs Sheri, along with other members of their family.
The Juice Academy
The Juice Academy offer apprenticeships in Social Media Marketing for post-college level students. They have visited us a few times before at career events but this time they had a more in-depth chat about the course with Media and Film students. This was a great opportunity for our students to start thinking about life after college in the digital sector.
BBC Media City
March saw our students taking a tour of the BBC at Media City. We were shown around the complex, the highlight of which was the Blue Peter studio. We were also taken to the radio sound stage, including the eerily quiet anechoic chamber, and the Radio 6 studios. Amongst the celebs we spotted, we saw a selection of Doctor Who props (the Tardis and a Dalek), and the infamous countdown clock.