Film & TV students get an insight into the industry at Nottingham Media Festival

Four undergraduate students gained placements at the festival, which is supported by Nottingham Screen Partnership

L-R: Amy Morley and Laura Savage, two of the students on placement at the festival

Four students studying Joint Honours BA (Hons) Film & TV have recently completed placements with Nottingham Media Festival, a three-day event that covers a range of creative activities throughout the city. The students were able to gain placements in varied roles, which have allowed them to explore their potential future career interests and network with those in industry.

This year, the festival was organised by event management team Cloud 9, which allowed the students to gain hands-on experience in events management within their desired industry of film and television. The key event in the festival is Nottingham International Microfilm Festival, which is supported by Nottingham Trent University as a member of the Nottingham Screen Partnership. The students took over the social media marketing for this event, posting content across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. On the day, they supported with the running of the event and operated the registration desk at Nottingham Contemporary, the event venue.

The festival also saw the Short Film Show awards held at the Mercure Hotel in Nottingham. The Short Film Show airs works on television to help artists share their films with larger audiences. The screenings range from unknown filmmakers producing art with no budget to award winning, high budget offerings. The awards evening is a celebration of these films and is screened on Sky as well as through Amazon Prime. The students were able to take part in this event by production running on the night, giving them a taste of the fast-paced world of the film industry.

Second year student Laura Savage also worked with the VR Expo and Awards, an event that took place as part of the second day of Nottingham Media Festival. Laura gained the opportunity to edit together footage that would represent each nominee’s work during the evening, something that she took great pride in whilst watching the ceremony unfold. She also assisted in writing the script for the event, which has allowed her to gain confidence in her academic life.

The students gained much from such a well-rounded placement, in an industry that can be difficult to break into. Second year student Amy Morley told us: “It's been a really enjoyable experience as I have taken on many different roles and having the opportunity to be involved in the production of a television show will definitely be the highlight! I’ve been given a really good insight into the world of events management and the television/film industry.”