Hannah Smoker, Class of 2010 | Military Photographer

Hannah Smoker RAF PhotographerGraduating can seem like a joyous but also daunting process, entering the ‘real world’ of employment and fulfilling those career dreams. But the question I found was where do I start? After completing BA (Hons) Media Production at the University of Lincoln in 2010 I knew I wanted to pursue a career in photography or film, but didn’t know how to even remotely achieve it as well as be able to afford to live. There are a lot of free internships out there to gain experience but I didn’t have the savings or come from a location where I could do it living from my family home. 

So I decided to go travelling, visiting New Zealand, Australia and Fiji. Upon my return still none the wiser I continued in a trade I had worked in since a teenager, catering. But knew that although it had taught me a lot and shown me that a hands-on job role is what I would like, it was not going to get me closer to the world of media. I also tried my hand at family portraits and wedding photography but realised this was not the job that I wanted to pursue long term. Living in Lincoln helped me gain knowledge and understanding of other options, the main one being that the Royal Air Force has a photographer role, after deciding to join, I completed all the tests required and was on basic training within 6 months of sending that application form off.

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I haven’t looked back, it has given me so much opportunity in photography but also in so many other aspects.  Continue reading

Joseph Fallon, Class of 2010 | My story so far! Editor Zealot LA

Joseph Fallon

Joseph Fallon 2017

 I have been asked to write for the Alumni page a few times, but I have always had a goal in mind which I strived to achieve, before I started to look back.

Today I am sitting on a laptop in my apartment in West Hollywood, living a life I had dreamt about for over 14 years. So I thought it was a good time to write something.

This is a very long story, BUT if you prevail to the end, like all good stories, there are some valuable lessons inside.

From University to Editing

I got my first video camera for Christmas when I was 15 and never put it down. Like most, I grew up dreaming of working in Hollywood, directing movies.

I studied Media Production between 2007-2010 specialising in Single Camera and Digital Media. By the end of the course I was passionate about all aspects of the degree, even the parts I left behind in previous semesters. After graduating I was undecided on what to do next, my first thought was to do a Masters. In order to pay for it, I decided to take a year out, get the first job I could find as I saved up.

The job turned out to be the Mcdonalds at the end of my road. While working behind the grill, I applied for jobs and work experience at various production houses to gain media experience. After hundreds of emails and applications, and 7 or 8 interviews for Runner and junior positions, I was unsuccessful. I needed experience, which I was unable to get. I was trapped in the classic catch 22. Continue reading

Philip Stevens, Class of 2010 | Crowdfunder for ‘The Knock’

The-Knock_UrbanApacheFilmsLincoln School of Film & Media staff need your support to raise £6,500 for a short drama called The Knock by Urban Apache Films. Writer/Director and part-time Lecturer, 2010 alumnus, Philip Stevens and Senior Lecturer Dominque Webb are on the way to their target. Thanks for pledges in to date and they said: BFI and Creative England are part funding our new film, and as part of the agreement we have launched a crowdfunder campaign.  We are honoured to be part of the Creative England and BFI NET.WORK’s 2016 iShorts scheme, and we have been awarded £5000 by them towards the production of our short film, but filmmaking is an expensive process – and to make the most of this incredible opportunity we NEED your support. Continue reading

Mark Hills, Class of 2010 | Sound Designer Soho Square Studios

At only 26 years old, I feel incredibly fortunate to be in the position I am right now. Most people my age in this industry are still working as runners, making teas and fetching lunches. Some may be working in transfer or as an assistant, dealing with files, deliverables and setting up sessions. I decided to send in my alumni story to offer my own insight as someone who has now been in the audio post industry for nearly 5 years. This is a recent piece of sound design I finished for Pierre Michel, creative director at Digital Domain in LA.

Like most sound designers, my love of sound came from a musical background. Continue reading

Hannah Skidmore, Class of 2014 | Assistant Producer, HEAR Video

HannahSkidmore_2014GradOur 2014 graduate Hannah Skidmore tells us about a Higher Education project that has gone live this month with a final video. She worked as an Assistant Producer at Nik Morris Associates during the production of the HEARoes advert . It was released via The Student Room site.  Hannah’s asking Universities for feedback about an online service for students:

HEAR, or ‘Higher Education Achievement Report’, is a service being rolled out at universities across the UK to record and verify the achievements and experiences of a student. They can can consult the electronic document throughout their studies, and it becomes fixed after graduation. The HEAR helps them find their path, it helps them better manage their efforts and time, it reassures them that unexamined activity contributes to intellectual and personal growth, and on leaving it helps them prove the value of everything they did during their university years.

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Christian Moles, Class of 2010 | Writer & Director Invicta (2015)

ChristianMoles_2010Grad_BehindTheScenes_Follow-up from a recent post to trail Invicta (2015). The movie is now online and free.  Creators at The Inside Mole said you can also see ‘a brief glimpse at both the inspiration behind making the feature film INVICTA and comments from various members of the cast and crew.’  Like 2010 animation graduate Christian Moles, the co-writer & director of a family inspired WW2 film.


The feature length film is free to view online at http://theinsidemole.com/ Continue reading

Christian Moles, Class of 2010 | Invicta (2015) Online Release

Christian-Moles_2010GradChristian Moles is our 2010 animation graduate and runs his own company called The Inside Mole. It has been working on a new film and Christian is the director of the Invicta movie. The war drama was inspired by Christian’s grandfather who served in the British Expeditionary Force. The feature, which started over three years’ ago with historical research, was made with a team of undergraduates from the University of Lincoln.  You can read Christian’s making of this film at the LincolniteThe online release date will be the 29th May 2015 – timely for the 75th anniversary of Dunkirk.  For now you can see the trailer for Invicta (2015).

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Headspace 2015 Industry Event | Lincoln School of Film & Media

Today’s HEADSPACE was LSFM’s on-campus industry event organised by Senior Lecturer Zara Healy. Our Visiting Professor Trevor Dann opened the day. He introduced industry guests, who were primarily our alumni and BBC Radio Lincolnshire’s Managing Editor Charlie Partridge. This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to gain an insight into the range of employment after graduation. Work can be in many forms as our graduates shared why they started their own media businesses; how to leap from local radio into local telly as well as network TV; and doing forms of digital media to pursue their passions.  Here are some moments captured at Headspace 2015 – networking and socialising.

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Many thanks to our creative alumni:  Continue reading

Simon Dunn, Class of 2010 | Camera Trainee on Spectre (2015)

Simon-Dunn_2010GradSimon Dunn graduated in 2010 with a BA (Hons) in Media Production and he’s currently working within the UK Film industry as a 2nd AC & Camera Trainee on various different productions. Since November 2014 Simon’s been working on Spectre (2015), which is the twenty-fourth James Bond film, as a Camera Trainee on the Main Unit at B24 LTD. See some behind the scenes footage from the creators …

George Horne, Class of 2010 | Science Museum Film We Engineer

George-Horne_LonelyLeap Our 2010 graduate George Horne works as a Creative at LONELYLEAP – a film company with production teams in London and New York.  George was the Director and Creative Lead on a film called We Engineer (2014).  It was made for the Science Museum for its Engineer Your Future exhibition, which is to encourage young people into engineering and look at relevant careers in this field.

George said: “To be honest the Science Museum has always been one of my favourite places to visit in London, ever since I was a child. So having the opportunity to make a film for one of their major exhibitions was an honour. Within the project I developed and wrote the original proposal that won the tender, then directed the shoots and led the edit and post production stages. Millions of people visit the museum every year, so making a film with that sort of exposure is amazing!”  The Science Museum: “the film is aimed at children aged 11 to 14, designed to shine a light on the ingenious, albeit unknown work done by British engineers. Meet the real-life engineers making faster racing yachts, safer houses and smarter prosthetics…


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