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Qualification: 20 M-Level credits (can count towards a full MA or Postgraduate Certificate)
Delivery dates: 27th, 28th & 29th September
Location: IDI Sound Stage, Teesside University
Price: £170.00 (normally £800.00)

Develop Your Skills in Green Screen Performance and Enhance Your Career Options & Employment Credentials:
Teesside University continues to deliver a series of highly innovative courses aimed at professional actors and film directors. Back by popular demand is Acting for Green Screen – a three day course which teaches actors how to perform in the virtual environments that have become the norm in today’s Hollywood blockbuster movies.

Led by award-winning director Malachi Bogdanov (Associate Director English Shakespeare Company, Wales Theatre Company) and Visual Effects Technician Mark Buschbacher (Casino Royale, Da Vinci Code & Harry Potter), the course will prepare the delegates for working in modern film industry environments and situations.

This University accredited intensive short course offers a unique opportunity for professional actors to work in Teesside University’s industry standard High-Definition sound stage (the only one of its kind available to actors in the north of England) to develop skills in Green Screen performance, increasing their employability and enhancing their career options.

Develop essential skills & gain a postgraduate qualification:
Working with the director and technical director, the delegates will begin by preparing selected scenes where Green Screen technologies will be used. Characters and scenarios will be developed in a rehearsal setting – allowing the actors to work from their established skill set. Once these ideas have been ‘worked up’, they will be filmed in the University’s sound stage and Green Screen facility where objects, surrounding contexts and other characters are recreated and replaced. Successful participants will be awarded 20 University M-Level credits. These credits can count towards further study such as Post Graduate Certificate or MA courses.

Subsidised cost for eligible freelancers, sole traders and SME businesses:
While the course fee is normally £800.00, the University is able to offer it at a one-off highly subsidised price of just £170.00.

Book Now:
To reserve your place on this course please contact Scott Watson on 01642 738 527 or Email: s.watson@tees.ac.uk. Only 12 places are available so please book early to avoid disappointment.

Qualification:  20 M-Level credits (can count towards a full MA or Postgraduate Certificate)
Delivery dates: 4^th, 5th, 25^th and 26^th November
Location: Aurora House Media Centre, Teesside University

This postgraduate course has been specifically designed for journalists and press officers who need to develop essential video production skills and an understanding of how to work effectively when producing online video news. It is being ran by the team who have delivered programmes to over 100 journalists from regional and national newspapers.

The course is being taught in two blocks of two-day workshops – a delivery method which enables the student to employ their new skills and understanding within their normal working environment during the course. Following the first set of workshops (4^th – 5^th November) the student is required to produce video content in their own working environment. On-line and telephone support is provided throughout this period. They will return to the University for a further two days of workshops on 25^th and 26^th November.

What you study:
This course focuses on the development of the technical skills you need as well as current practices in online video journalism and the opportunities it provides. While it will expand your knowledge and skills so you can produce effective stories in moving images, it will also explore its impact upon traditional journalistic practice.

How you learn and are assessed:
The workshops are practically focused, allowing you to continually discuss your work with tutors and your fellow professional delegates. While it is an intensive course, tutors and  specialist technicians are on hand to offer support throughout.

The course helps you develop the essential skills for on-line video journalism but you will also critically examine how they can be effectively deployed within your professional practice, both for your organisation and your readership.

You are required to produce a portfolio of work accompanied by critical examination of and proposals for the effective employment of on-line video in your professional practice.

Professional accreditation:
Teesside University is one of only 19 Skillset Media Academies in the UK. This 20 credit Masters level course is part of the innovative ‘Build Your Own MA’ project developed by Skillset for media professionals.

One-off highly subsidised price for North East based businesses:
The four day On-line Video Journalism course takes place in Teesside University’s Aurora House Media Centre on 4^th, 5th, 25^th and 26^th November. It is being subsidised by ECIF (Economic Challenge Investment Fund) funding and is therefore offered at an introductory price of £160.00 (usually £760.00) to North East based SME businesses, freelancers and sole traders. Please call for eligibility information.

Entry requirements:
This course is open to journalists and press officers with an undergraduate degree and significant professional experience, and to non-graduates with significant and relevant work experience who can demonstrate an ability to both complete and benefit from the course.
If you wish to apply for this course please contact Scott Watson to request an application form on 01642 738 527 or Email: samwfd@tees.ac.uk
For more information about the course itself, contact Course Leader Warren Harrison on: 01642 342 376 or Email: w.harrison@tees.ac.uk

Throughout the Summer Teesside University’s School of Arts & Media is offering a series of highly subsidised workshops and courses to those working in the region’s creative industries.

Learn how the voice works and how to apply these techniques to your professional practices:
Understanding Vocal Technique is a one day workshop which explores how the human voice works and how an understanding of these principles can be applied to vocal performance and teaching.

Singing teacher, performer and workshop leader Rebecca Pedlow will demonstrate the different capabilities of the voice, exploring such subjects as it’s physiology, different voices and what happens when a voice breaks. These theories will be applied through a series of practical sessions throughout the day.

Rebecca will focus on essential breathing and posture exercises and demonstrate how vocal warm ups relate to vocal technique. Variances in different styles of singing will be investigated as she demonstrates the different approaches to the likes of folk, pop, opera and musical theatre.

Find out about further training opportunities and how you can earn money from your skills:
The workshop will culminate in a careers and personal development session where delegates will be signposted to further training and potential job opportunities. Understanding Vocal Technique delegates will leave with an awareness of the skills they need to develop to become a better performer or teacher. The workshop is ideal for performers, singing teachers, instrumentalists, community musicians, school teachers/assistants or anyone wishing to be introduced to, or have more understanding of, how the voice works.

One-off Highly subsidised cost – Book your place now:
The Understanding Vocal Technique workshop takes place in Teesside University’s Phoenix Building on Saturday 21^st August from 9.30am – 4.30pm. It is being subsidised by ECIF and Talent Solutions funding and is therefore offered at an introductory price of £49.99 (usually £170.00) to North East based SME businesses, freelancers and sole traders. Please call for eligibility information.

To book your place please contact James McDermott on 01642 738 089 or Email: j.mcdermott@tees.ac.uk

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Following the hugely successful ‘Good Causes’ short training courses delivered last year as part of One North East’s Sustain training initiative, Endemol and Teesside University are delighted to announce another innovative, week-long, no cost short course, commencing July 5th at Teesside University.

This new course is designed for media practitioners and those working in the museums and galleries sector in the north east. Interdisciplinary production teams will produce digital content for a live project set by Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd. The aim is for delegates from these two sectors to share knowledge and practice that are beneficial to each other in the context of a professional production environment led by Endemol staff.

Day one is made up of a set of intensive workshops encompassing content development, digital skills, pitching and production management, led by speakers and mentors from Endemol, Teesside University and the client company.

Over the rest of the week, production teams will produce content to a brief agreed with the client company. They will leave with professional credits for CVs and showreels.

Please note: these will be very intensive production days.

Applicants should send a short statement, outlining their professional experience/technical skills in no more than 200 words to James McDermott (j.mcdermott@tees.ac.uk), by 23rd June in order to be considered for a place on the course. Places are strictly limited.

All content will be shot on Sony V1 cameras and edited on Final Cut Pro. Not all applicants will require knowledge of these formats but those applying with production experience must be conversant with this hardware/software as no technical training will be given.

Please note: People who have previously benefited from participation in Sustain courses may apply for this course.

Learn how to act in modern studio environments for less than £50.00:
Teesside University is the only centre in the north of England that delivers green screen training to actors. Our state of the art facilities are comparable to those that you would see on a Hollywood film set and hot on the heels of the recent Acting for Green Screen postgraduate course, comes this one day workshop which is being delivered by the team behind it.

An Introduction to Acting for Green Screen is led by award-winning director Malachi Bogdanov (Associate Director English Shakespeare Company, Wales Theatre Company) and Visual Effects Technician Mark Buschbacher (Casino Royale, Da Vinci Code
& Harry Potter) and prepares the actor for working in modern film industry environments and situations.

Develop a range of skills that could enhance your employability and career options:
This workshop has been designed to offer actors the opportunity to experience firsthand, the challenges and demands of the genre, and to enable them to develop the skills required to achieve convincing and accomplished performance in an environment where nothing is as it seems.

Subsidised price for North East based SME businesses, freelancers and sole traders:
The ECIF* subsidised An Introduction to Acting for Green Screen is priced at just £49.99 (usually £170.00) per person and takes place in Teesside University’s Phoenix Building from 9.30am – 4.30pm on Wednesday 30th June.

 To book your place now please call James McDermott on 01642 738 089 or Email: samwfd@tees.ac.uk

‘Thinking Digitally’ is a short postgraduate course designed for those working in TV, film and video wishing to explore new and emerging approaches to online content creation for the first time. The course is a 20 credit Masters level module that is part of the innovative ‘Build Your Own MA’ project developed by Skillset for media professionals.

The course involves two full days of workshops and discussion, plus guest speakers, and is supported via on-line resources and tutor support. The course runs over two days, 18^th June and 9^th July (delegates must be able to commit to both dates).

The course is delivered in the Institute of Digital innovation, Teesside University.

Course outline:
Day one (18^th June)
Through an in-depth exploration of a variety of case studies, delegates are expected to examine their current approaches to content creation. Here the aim is to enable delegates to develop advanced understanding of possible production as well as economic models that could be employed in future projects, such as business models, brand partnerships and audience engagement.

Confirmed guest speakers (via Skype) are Peter Cowley (former MD of Endemol Digital) and Clay Nichols (Dadlabs).

Following this workshop, each delegate will develop a short presentation outlining their professional response to the issues covered for discussion on the second day.

Day two (9^th July)
Each delegate will present their responses to on-line content creation for discussion with fellow delegates in order to further professional debate.

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Final Cut Pro is the industry standard software for film and video editors

Teesside University has recently became an Apple Authorised Training Centre for Final Cut Pro. The School of Arts & Media is delivering five courses in the latest version of the industry standard video editing software between February and July 2010. Subsidies are available for eligible North East-based SME and freelance businesses.

Final Cut Pro is the first choice software package for professional TV and film editors. Version 7 provides better integration with Apple’s other Pro applications than ever before with improved codec support for editing HD, DV and SD video formats. It also boasts new presets for devices such as iPod, Apple TV, and Blu-ray discs. Over four intensive days, this course aims to develop a professional competence in both post production craft and an understanding and operation of Final Cut Pro 7 software.

All delegates attending the Teesside course will be given the opportunity to obtain an Apple accredited certificate for the latest version of the package, while also obtaining 20 University credits in ‘Post Production with Final Cut Pro’. The cost of the Apple exam and Final Cut Pro 7 handbook is included in the fee.
Cost per person: £830.00
Subsidised cost per person: Up to 90% discount (based on successful Teesside University and Business Link application)

For further information regarding eligibility and course dates contact James McDermott on: 01642 738 089 or Email: samwfd@tees.ac.uk

Teesside University is set to deliver a series of innovative courses aimed at professional actors and film directors. The first of these is Acting for Green Screen – a course which will teach actors how to perform in the virtual environments that have become the norm in today’s Hollywood blockbuster movies.

Led by award-winning director Malachi Bogdanov ( Assoc Director English Shakespeare Company, Wales Theatre Company, directed over 70 professional theatre productions) and Special Effects Technician Mark Buschbacher (Casino Royale, Da Vinci Code & Harry Potter), the course will prepare the delegates for working in modern film industry environments and situations.

Ewan Mcgregor found acting in virtual environments daunting. North East-based actors can learn how it's done at Teesside University in March.

This University accredited three day intensive short course offers a unique opportunity for professional actors to work in Teesside University’s industry standard High-Definition sound stage – the only one of its kind available to actors in the north of England, to develop skills in Green Screen Performance, increasing their employability and enhancing their career options.

Acting with an imaginary character in an imaginary location is a daunting prospect for any actor and a technical discipline is required that is not usually supported by conventional actor training. High profile actors like Ewan McGregor and Gwyneth Paltrow have admitted to finding it ‘very, very hard’ and ‘daunting’ when working with this media. Acting for Green Screen has been designed to offer actors the opportunity to experience firsthand, the challenges and demands of this genre, and to enable them to develop the skills required to achieve convincing and accomplished performance in an environment where nothing is as it seems.

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Ronak Singh's 'Bride & Gloom'

Ronak Singh is screening three of his films at the Arc, Stockton early next month.

The Thornaby-based filmmaker is screening the Barnardo’s funded Innocence and the BME Network funded No Honour No Choice, alongside his self-funded film  Bride & Gloom.

While Ronak’s significantly developed his writer/director skills in the last couple of years he continues to film in the region where he matches local talent with professional actors. In Bride & Gloom east meets west as a young Indian bride finds herself in the room of a nervous, asthmatic white groom. It stars Coronation Street’s Poppy Jhakra and Mark Stobbart (55 Degrees North & Auf Wiedershen Pet) and features Middlesbrough born actor Bill Fellows.

A trailer can be seen here

The film showcase is free to attend  and takes place on Monday 1st March from 7pm. To book your place contact Wendy Shepherd of Barnardos SECOS project on: 01642 819743 or Email: wendy.shepherd@barnardos.org.uk

Teesside University has announced details of its Spring University programme and as usual there are a whole host of creative courses on offer:

Design
Introduction to Digital Photography
Introduction to Graphic Design
Introduction to Interior Design
Introduction to Product Design
Introduction to Web Design

English
Introduction to Creative Writing
Regional Writing

Fine Art
Exploring Galleries
Introduction to Drawing
Introduction to Painting
Looking at Modern Art

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Reader’s of the last instalment of Blogzene will no doubt have seen the Remember my Face video.

Director Tom Marshall made it for a national competition and is asking for support from readers of this blog. It’s been shortlisted from over 250 entries into the final 12 in reed.co.uk’s Short Film Competition. The brief was to make a short film of no more than three minutes long, under the heading ‘workplace’.

A bit like the X-Factor, Remember my Face needs as many votes as possible to get through to the final round of the competition which offers the winner a ten grand prize.

To place your vote, click here

…And good luck to Tom who is the subject of our regular ‘Creative Perspective’ feature next time on Blogzene.