suttonmedia Blog

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2008-07-09T14:00:00.000Z

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ERIC CIRE on SMR!!!!!

2007-12-06T16:15:00.000Z

Students at Sutton Coldfield College were left star-struck after a visit from International RnB star Eric Cire last week.

The Atlanta-born singer made an appearance at the college’s Media Centre in Sutton on Friday, where he guest-starred on the Sutton Media Radio station, a working station operated by the college’s media students.

Appearing as the special guest on presenter Raoul Wilson’s one hour show, Eric arrived fashionably late and was greeted by excited fans outside the media centre. During the show he invited questions about his career and how he made his progress in the music industry.

Craig Price, a second year media production student and SMR’s station manager, was very excited to have the star on the show: “Having Eric Cire was a massive coup for the station and all the students involved”.

Singer-songwriter, multi instrumentalist and producer Eric Cire is now working with big RnB and urban stars such as Mario. The founder of Cire Entertainment made his appearance at Sutton College alongside his manager known as ‘Tyson’. Eric Cire has a big American fan base and is touring across the U.S.A including New York, Pittsburgh and Nashville.

Animation in Action!

2007-11-16T13:18:00.000Z

First year National Diploma students getting stuck into some stop frame animation. This is just one way they could present their music videos which they are all currently working on.

suttonmedia Awards 2007

2007-10-04T13:01:00.000Z

SMR Goes LIVE!!!!

2007-05-01T15:05:00.000Z

That's right SMR fans, we are back on the air and in fine form as per usual.

Ranging from the sublime to the down right surreal, our shows are designed to bring you the hottest tracks to make this summery time even hotter.

We've online been online for a week now but the students are already in the swing of things pumping out some great shows and features.

Keep listening online for the latest goss and newest tracks.

E-mail us with your comments to studio@suttonmedia.co.uk

A DJ calls…

2007-04-24T13:34:00.000Z

BTEC first year students got some great advice about how to get into the radio industry this week when BRMB’s Russ Morris paid them visit.

He spent an hour with the students talking about how he started out and progressed in the industry before, somewhat bravely, answering students’ questions. Students got some valuable advice and some were inspired to follow a career in radio broadcasting.

Russ also seemed to enjoy himself and said, ‘It was good fun, they’re a good bunch’.

And now for something completely different…

2007-04-24T13:30:00.000Z

Media students can be a delicate breed. Most are happier to sit and sweat over editing a short film than tasting the fresh countryside air whilst pushing themselves to the edge. But that’s exactly what some first year BTEC students did recently when they visited Blackwell Court for a day of team building, communication and most importantly… fun!

Nine brave first years set off from Sutton H.Q at 9a.m not knowing what the day would bring. On arrival, there was a quick briefing before some simple, but effective introductory exercises taking in first names, house numbers and deep outer space, naturally. Our Nine breezed these and so it was straight to the giant seesaw where our heroes distributed their weight to find the perfect balance, before climbing a ten-foot wall. Sensing a certain amount of arrogance our instructors threw us into Blackwell’s version of Shelob’s lair, which was eventually mastered albeit after several attempts.

Then, the zip wire. You know the sort of thing… For those old enough, it was a bit like the end of The Krypton Factor assault course, or for the younger reader, like something from ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get me Out Of Here!’ We huddled nervously at the top, shivering in the biting wind. And then, one by one we all hooked ourselves up and…. “WAAAAAAAAAAHHHEEEEEEYYYYYYYY!!!!!!” Flew down the line to the bottom.

Things were stepped up in the afternoon, with the infamous leap of faith, which several found pretty scary, but did anyway. Our heroes were then pushed to the limit as groups of four took it in turns to balance on top of a telegraph pole at the same time. Not easy, but they did with impressive results.

The day ended as Team Media set the Sutton College benchmark as Luke ‘Stuntman’ Wilson and Dan ‘Hughesy’ Hughes built a stack of 16 crates before they toppled over. The record is 23, so not too far away.

And then as the weather closed in, it was back on the bus for home.

All who went had a terrific day, pushing themselves to their individual limits and learning how to work as a team for a common purpose. They proved that, when they want to, when they really put their minds to it, they can overcome the biggest of challenges and succeed.

March Madness

2007-03-07T16:19:00.000Z

Media students from all courses attended a Media Careers Day in Manchester on the 22nd February. There were a selection of seminars to attend and a host of exhibitors from the media industry offering advice on how to get a head start in such a competitive market. Paul Abbott, creator of Shameless spoke about writing for television and Radio DJ’s provided hints and tips about putting together a marketable show reel.

All A level coursework should now be complete leaving lecturers with an enjoyable, if time consuming, job of watching Documentaries, Music Videos and Thriller films as well as reading a number of Screenplays. Examined topics are being focused upon in lectures as the knowledge base is built up to be able to tackle summer exams. Technique is being honed and debates engaged with. Film censorship is proving to be a popular topic across Media and Film courses.

Deadlines loom for BND students who have recently completed soap operas and radio packages. The different style of the course allows those who are organized and committed to extend their work and reach near professional standards with audio and video productions. This has recently been shown by the choice of ITV to showcase the work of Sutton Media students on www.itvlocal.com in the short films section. The pressure is now on to finely tune productions and put together a show reel that will really impress universities or prospective employees.

Kicking off 2007!!!!

2007-01-22T10:36:00.000Z

January is a busy month at the Media Centre. AS re-sits have been taken in Media and Film Studies. Students have de-constructed the magazines 'Sugar' and 'Men's Health' in order to compare how they create an appeal to audiences. A2 students are now focusing on exam preparation for summer topics including World Cinema, Censorship and the Magazine Industry. AS students are completing screenplays or thriller films for coursework.

A2 Documentaries are all but finished and some real successes include Rihaan and Natalie's 'Food Glorious Food' about the dangers of school dinners. These will be shown at the end of March in the lecture theatre and are being compiled on to a DVD.

BTEC projects carry on apace including creating a video promoting the College and a radio package using interviews to promote a subject area within the College. The Radio broadcasts are about to begin online and students are submitting proposals for their shows. Editing is underway on a number of projects including factual programme production for Ian Rivers.

Big Brother has been an unavoidable topic this week with a number of issues raised; the representation of British youth, the obsession of the media in promoting itself and feeding off divisive cultural issues. The fact that the front pages of newspapers have obsessed about the programme and vilified Jade Goody using unflattering images to re-enforce monstrous representation. We discuss the audience for the programme and the tabloid press. Is there an ironic readership of The Sun and their titles such as 'world crisis' over Big Brother, who are laughing along with the paper rather than passively believing the message? Most importantly the show has raised discussions about the cultural issues of our day and allowed for much informed and impassioned debate. Painful to watch (and of course I don't watch it myself!!) but fantastic material for the media student.

Remembrance Day

2006-11-13T16:51:00.000Z

Students studying on the BTEC National Diploma in Media Production at Sutton Coldfield College filmed the remembrance day events in Sutton Coldfield last Sunday. They were set a brief by the local British Legion to create a DVD that could be used to educate local school children.

One of the units on the moving image and radio pathway requires students to manage a production. The Curriculum Manager for Media courses, Harvey Rutherford explained, 'This project provided College students with the chance to offer something back to the community and to use skills developed on the course in a 'live' project. It fits in with the vocational ethos of the BTEC course whilst allowing students to learn about how much remembrance means to their compatriots.'

Students filmed the march from the Town Hall, the service inside Trinity Church and, finally, the laying of the wreaths before the war memorial. Student Marc Bhatti reflected on the project, 'We are filming a record of events in order to point out the importance of Remembrance Day to the young generation. It was quite stressful to keep up with the parade and gain good angles whilst changing batteries and film but we got some good shots. It was also an opportunity to work on a multi - camera shoot. As it was for a real client, the DVD will form a key part of our portfolio that we are creating to impress employers and universities.'

The real work starts now, as there is a lot of footage and previously recorded interviews to edit and log on to suites at the Media Centre, Mill Street. The group will then work toward a December deadline to author a DVD with extras including still images of remembrance events. For more information about the DVD contact the Sutton branch of the British Legion.

For more information about Media courses at SCC contact Harvey Rutherford

All Aboard!!!

2006-11-10T13:28:00.000Z

Two narrow boat trips have taken place - one with the BTEC First Diploma group and the other with the BTEC National Diploma 1st years.

It was an enjoyable trip to Norbury Junction in rural Staffordshire. They all had to film the event and Autumn colours to create a film for Activ8, who run the enrichment activities for the college.

It was good fun and good weather ........ and nobody fell in the water either!!!!

SUTTON MEDIA STUDENTS PAINT THE TOWN PINK!

2006-10-18T15:52:00.000Z

Students studying media at Sutton Coldfield College have been raising awareness about breast cancer by dressing up and collecting donations in Sutton Town Centre.

Even the boys stepped out in style…sporting bright pink outfits, feather boas and hats! They decided to brighten up a gloomy Wednesday afternoon by supporting the national 'Breast Cancer Campaign' - and ended up raising over £100.

BTEC Media student Vicky Hill, 17, said, 'We are wearing fancy dress to catch the attention of the public, but also to highlight a serious issue. A lot of young people do not realise they might be at risk such as young people and men. Women who are on the contraceptive pill, who smoke or are overweight are most likely to get the disease.'

Their Media teacher, Heather Bryson , 29 encouraged students to take part in the campaign as members of her family have been affected by the illness ;
'A few years ago my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer....... I was devastated. She has been really brave, undergoing radiotherapy and various drug treatments. When a family member gets cancer, it affects everyone.'

'My Aunt , and God mother have also had Breast cancer, and I am worried that I will get it one day. That's why I do regular self checks- as every woman should!'

Kylie hit the headlines last year, when she was diagnosed with the illness raising awareness further. The students would like to thank all those who generously donated and hope that they brightened up their day!

Managing a Production

2006-10-03T13:27:00.000Z

BTEC Media students went on location today to check out the layout of the Sutton Sea Cadet's Base.

They had to complete a location recce of the area in order to plan how to film a forthcoming inspection. The footage shot today will form part of a documentary about the Sea Cadets.

The brief set for their 'Production Management' unit is to make a DVD for a local charity.

The parallel group are creating a DVD for Remembrance Sunday. Their client is the Sutton British Legion, a representative of whom came into the Media Centre to be interviewed last week. These students have also carried out a location recce on the local church and sites where the march and services will take place.

Busy Busy Busy

2006-09-26T13:56:00.000Z

It's only been a fews weeks since the start of term and the new media students are already getting into the swing of things.

After having their first go on the editing facilities by making their own trailer for Star Wars they were itching for more!!

They are currently in the pre production stages of their own video productions, so in a few weeks expect to see some great film work coming this way.

As we have now updated our editing facilites we will be making a "Best of ....." DVD at the end of each year. But i'm sure it will be a few hours worth of good stuff to watch!!!

A New Dawn Arrives

2006-09-14T12:44:00.000Z

Another new year dawns on Emmanuel Court and we welcome new students to the Media Centre. Things will get rolling quickly as assignments are set and productions get underway. The editing room will be abuzz with the sound of the bee-keeper, a time honoured favourite, which is an exercise where clips and interviews are arranged into a documentary about ‘how to make honey.’ This allows an introduction to video editing which is integral to most of our courses. As ever our Media stalwarts Pete and Roger will be on hand to offer expert advice in addition to their life affirming pearls of wisdom which come gratis.

The First Diploma has some new units this year with Photography and Print Production units allowing us to study a wide range of Media. We are excited about this course and look forward to seeing how wet and digital photography can be then edited and manipulated with our software to create magazine or news articles. Radio and Video elements are a major part of this course and students will be researching material and interviewing people to create documentaries.

Another exciting project involving interviews will be completed by Christmas. This involves creating a DVD for the Sutton British Legion on the theme of Remembrance. Second Year BND students will film the remembrance events and interview war veterans fulfilling a brief to be commissioned by the charity. Other local charities will be approached to see if we can provide a similar service. This allows students to respond to a real brief from a client whilst enriching the local community. They will also be busy creating factual programmes, radio dramas and running the television studio. Paula is planning to start the Film Studies unit with some hard hitting films made by New Zealand Maori directors dealing with disturbing social issues ! Prepare for some tears to be shed, tissues will be supplied.

A level courses are popular once more and heavily subscribed. Film Studies has found its home on the top floor of the Media Centre. A2 students will be deciding on a director and carrying out a detailed study of their films They then consider whether they can be considered an auteur. Last year chosen directors ranged from Tarantino to Tim Burton and Ridley Scott, whilst a challenging choice focused on French Director Jean Pierre Jeunet.

A level Media students will be analysing a range of media texts in preparation for their coursework productions. AS students will be creating 2-3 minute thriller films whilst A2 students will be making television documentaries. Kuldip is expecting to notch the standard of films up again this year as A2 students are now familiar with new editing software. This allows those who are willing to fully explore the possibilities of Final Cut Pro to create a polished and professional production. By Christmas 40% of their A2 mark could be realised.

GCSE students are also welcomed into the Media fold and will find Johnny and Heather are keen to pursue practical skills to complement the theory on the course. Four assignments starting with Soap Operas and ending with involvement in the radio broadcasts allow students to gain 50% of their marks before Easter.

We wish all our students the best of luck for the forthcoming year and look forward to celebrating your success next summer

Roll Up, Roll Up .................

2006-09-14T11:09:00.000Z

Be a Media student ....... NOW!!!!

Vacancies still exist on the vocational Media courses. The BTEC First Diploma allows for grounding in a range of Media. Photography, Radio and Video units allow students to create some impressive productions that will form a portfolio of work displaying skills developed on the course. In order to join this course you will need 4 GCSE passes at D or above or be able to prove your commitment to the course if you nearly attained this standard.

The National Diploma is a two-year course made up of 18 units. You will study a range of media specialising in radio and audio. Universities and employers are keen on students who have completed this course, as the skills they develop are relevant to those necessary to work in the industry. You will work to a set of deadlines, details of which can be found on the dates and events area on this website. By the end of the course you will have taken part in a radio broadcast and made media products ranging from music videos and short films to commercial material. Media professionals regularly visit the Media Centre to offer advice and run workshops. Last year DJ Phil Upton opened our radio station (SMR) and local film director Justin Edgar worked with students in the Media Centre to create a documentary.

Here we go again!

2006-09-14T08:47:00.000Z

Here We Go Again...

And so September is here. It seems to come around quicker and quicker doesn't it? Even quicker than my school days when six weeks seemed like forever but soon enough I was back in the ill-fitting uniform and heading for the school gates.

Anyway, there is both excitement and nerves in the air. You could say it's nervous excitement. It's always a nervy time for both staff and student as one tries to get to know the other and build some sort of trust and understanding.

So far so good.

Our new intake on the BTEC National seem a good bunch and I am hopeful of some good work. However, we are a little low on numbers, so if you know anyone who wishes to join the course, please get in touch.

This week has seen the return of the big bad second years. Ok, they're not that big or bad, but they do seem to grow up a lot over the afore-mentioned six weeks. Goodness knows what they get up to.

Last year the BTEC National recruited more students than ever and there was some excellent work produced. Both myself and the other staff are expecting more of the same and I for one, am looking forward to see what they can do.

Enjoy the new term.

Ian

Welcome to the suttonmedia Blog

2006-09-13T13:00:00.000Z

Welcome to the suttonmedia Blog

If you need information about the media centre, courses, facilities or anything you like it will be here.

Keep an eye out for regular posts by the media team.

Happy blogging ........