Production Event: BCUltural
Thursday 5th May 2011 at The Rainbow in Digbeth
Preparation: |
| Preparing the event: Setting up for the press conference |
In May 2011 media students at Birmingham City University set up an event based on the theme ‘multiculturalism’ for a first year module called Production Event. We named our event ‘BCUltural’ because we felt it encompassed the university element yet also highlighted the multicultural theme.
The event enabled students to work within their chosen specialist area. As a journalist, I worked in a small group with three other journalists, a photographer and a web production specialist. I contributed to the main website which had been set up for the event. For the music page I submitted an article on a band, but also contributed to the multiculturalism page. For this, we selected 8 people from different cultures on the media course, and got them to discuss their culture and their role in the Production Event.
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| The press conference kicks off! Filmed by media students |
The event:
The day kicked off with a press conference centred on the question ‘Has multiculturalism failed?’ Amongst the panel included Production Event module leader Matt Grimes, PR lecturer Pete Wilby, a Media student and a speaker from Amnesty International. Matt Grimes said he would ask David Cameron- ‘what experiences have you had of multiculturalism?’ stating he would have had limited experiences as a middle class white man who went to a public school. The press conference involved participation from the audience, stirring up a debate about the topic of multiculturalism to really get people thinking about the theme, which was a great way to set off the event.
Goody bags and magazines were distributed at the entrance, and there were workers from Amnesty International set up at tables to provide more information. There was a room dedicated to the photography exhibition, displaying photos defining multiculturalism and really emphasising the positivity of the theme.
The music workshops got everyone involved- the Capoeira workshop introduced everyone to the Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, sports and music. The quick yet complex moves included power leg kicks, punches, head-butts and some forms of acrobatics. The drum workshop which followed allowed everyone to get involved.
The cinema room played pieces the television specialists created on a loop; this included the Mockumentary, which featured media students tackling the subject of multiculturalism in a humorous manner, a music video to Michael Jackson’s ‘Black and White’ and studio style interviews with a guest appearance from Aaron Chawro, performing one of his own songs.
The positive and relaxed mood of the event was reinforced through the BBQ outside whilst the sun was shining.
Whilst at the event, I interviewed photography specialist Chloe Jones about the set of images she had taken for the event.
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| The Capoeira workshop got everyone involved, myself included! |
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| The room devoted to the photography exhibition |
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| Works of the photography specialists |
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| Chloe Jones' photography set |
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| Getting hands-on in the drum workshop |
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| Drum demonstrations in full swing |
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| The event took place at The Rainbow in Digbeth |
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| More drumming |
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| The event ended with a BBQ in the sunshine! Photo credits: Chloe Jones |
For more information regarding BCUltural, please visit the blog I created specifically to document the event and its progression here:
www.bculturalproductionevent.blogspot.com
Talent 2011 Graduates Networking Evening
Thursday 26th January 2012 at The Rainbow in Digbeth
This event was set up for last year’s Talent contestants to reunite and also engage in a panellist discussion where key speakers from the industry spoke about relevant issues and topics.
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| Ammo and Baby J speaking at the discussion |
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| The panellist at the event PHOTO CREDITS: Liam McMahon |
Members of the crowd got involved with the discussion and last year’s contestants were able to ask the panellist members burning questions about their particular talent fields and received tips on how to increase their chances of breaking into such a tough industry.
Whilst there, I recorded parts of this discussion and interviewed several individuals in order to get content for articles to go on the company’s blog. I later transcribed these and from this I was able to construct articles about the event.
I found the panellist discussion extremely interesting as the industry experts gave their view on a variety of subjects, including the use of talent competitions such as the X Factor compared to local contests such as the Talent Project.
I was also able to meet two of the panellist members, Tanya Anderson (dance choreographer who runs Fierce Productionz) and Baby J (a music producer) after previously writing an article about them which advertised the event and introduced the speakers who would be present. Tanya had read my article about her on the blog (‘Meet the Panellist: Tanya Anderson’) and gave me positive feedback regarding this, which was lovely to hear!
Events such as this are great for networking and make me feel even more involved with the company I write blog posts and news stories for! It also allows me to get interviews in person, which is always good experience!
Talent 2012 auditions
Thursday 15th March 2012 at Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College, Balsall Heath
I attended two of the three auditions for this year’s Talent competition.
I assisted with the event and after watching each contestant perform, interviewed several of them. I aimed to talk to a singer, a dancer and a model auditionee at the very least, which I did. Afterwards, I wrote up a summary of the event, how it went and included some of the interviews I conducted in the finished article.
It was great to be present at these auditions as I found it really insightful as to what the first stages of the Talent competition involve. It is exciting to think I will be following some of the successful contestants throughout their journey with Talent, and I look forward to attending the upcoming workshops which take place for those who get through the audition stages!
