Media students create video project of NTU’s European Creative and SMART Cities Challenge 2019

Students studying BA (Hons) Media had the opportunity to put their practical skills to the test by attending the Nottingham Trent University (NTU) European Creative and SMART Cities project trip, creating a video that documented and explored how Nottingham can become a SMART city.

The group of 8 students completed the project as part of the work experience module on their course, coordinated by NTU’s Employability team. This allowed them an experience of working to a brief from a client, and allowed them to improve their practical skills with filming and editing.

The European Creative and SMART Cities Challenge is organised by NTU Global, Nottingham City Council and Nottingham Creative Quarter. 100 students from across NTU visited either Karlsruhe, Germany or Timișoara, Romania and explored the question “How can cities and universities work together to support creativity and innovation?” Students were divided into smaller teams, with an academic accompanying each group, and had a set of research questions to investigate during the trip.

During the trip, the students visited creative businesses, areas of innovation and saw examples of environmental sustainability. The project demonstrated NTU’s commitment to Europe and gave the students an opportunity to experience European cities. The themes of the project were inspired by Nottingham’s regeneration plan, Building a Better Nottingham (2018) and Future City Strategy, Smart Nottingham (2018).

Media student Thomas Walmsley in action

The media students explored how Nottingham can learn from other European cities to become a Creative and SMART city in their video, as well as including the experiences of the students that attended. As well as the experience of working to a brief as a team, the students were given an opportunity to screen their film at a celebration event at Nottingham Council House. This provided the chance for senior members of Nottingham City Council, NTU staff and creative organisations in the city to view their work.

BA (Hons) Media student Indigo Johnson told us about her experience of the project: “I enjoyed the range of activities they had arranged for us. This was everything from talks to brewery tours. The highlight was definitely the Fred and Luna electronica gig. Personally, I learnt a lot about working to a brief, as well as expanding my media skills such as camera work and interview techniques. Overall, I really enjoyed the freedom we had throughout the trip. We had a lot planned for us but it was all very fun and interesting.”

School Employability Manager for the School of Arts and Humanities, Georgia Stone, explained the value of this project for Media students. She commented: ““This was an invaluable opportunity for 8 media students to hone their video making skills, not just their technical and production skills, but also their professional project management skills. Given that this was also in a European city, the challenge of working in unfamiliar territory was also presented. The finished products will be used far and wide and they will be a fantastic addition to the students portfolios. This is an example of the sorts of exciting career development opportunities that are open to our students in the School of Arts and Humanities.”