Jake Dungworth, Class of 2019 | My Graduation: Hats Off!

#WeAreLSFM. Graduation was simply an incredible experience! JThere has never been a prouder moment in my life than walking through Lincoln Cathedral as a graduate. It was a momentous occasion and being able to share that joy with my closest friends and fellow graduates from my year made the last 3 years of hard work so worth it! Thank you to the University of Lincoln for making the day so special! Continue reading

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

LSFM | 10 Regional RTS Midlands Student Award Nominations

Lincoln School of Film & Media is delighted that our undergraduates’ work have been nominated for 10 Royal Television Society (RTS) Midlands Student Awards 2019. Joint Media Production Programme Leader is Chris Hainstock: This year LSFM have received a record number of nominations for Regional RTS Student Film Awards this year, and we’re proud of the work the students have put in and the films themselves. We have three nominations for animation as well as others for drama and factual. In addition three craft nominations for Camera, Production Design and Editing. It is particularly pleasing to see a joint camera nomination for two female cinematographers working on a challenging period drama. We are competing against other Universities in the region such as Derby, Birmingham, Nottingham and Staffordshire – and we will find out the results on 28th February at the awards ceremony, which will include a special Lenny Henry sponsored award, and if successful the students will go through to the national award ceremony in June.

The winners will be announced at a celebratory ceremony on the evening of Thursday 28th February at The Book Rotunda in The Library of Birmingham, so here’s hoping for some ‘gongs’. Congratulations to the students and staff concerned – ‘and the nominations are’: Continue reading

Imogen Hayes, Class of 2018 | My Graduation Day

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On Tuesday the 11th September 2018 I concluded my 3 years as a student of LSFM, Lincoln School of Film and Media. Graduation is something we aim to achieve, but it isn’t until the day arrives that you are filled in a concoction of sadness that your undergraduate journey has ended, and pride at everything you have achieved in your time at Uni. The day involves seeing all your friends and family whilst sharing in each other’s happiness, taking thousands of photos so you can remember the day, seeing your lecturers and having them congratulate you on your achievements.

The ceremonies involve a lot of clapping! But all in all, the day revolves around pride. Pride in your own accomplishments, feeling the pride from your friends and family, pride in your school and pride within yourself. Tell people what you have been up to since leaving because they are genuinely interested and want the best for you. It doesn’t matter whether you got a job in the industry straight off the bat, or if you are taking some time out to think about what you really want to do, everyone will be proud of you.

A few months ago, I started a job at ENVY post productions as a runner. Continue reading

Leanne Rogers, Class of 2014 | Debut Doco Violet Vixen (2018)

LeanneRogers-2014Grad-LinkedInimageI’m a Project Manager/Videographer at Mediorite, which is a social enterprise and film production company that gets young people into film. Mediorite is split into two divisions: Mediorite, which is run by a bank of award-winning filmmakers, assisted by a young person and MedioritePlus, which specialises in quick, low cost, online content and is run by young creatives. I’m currently the head of MedioritePlus and have more recently been working on larger scale projects as a lead filmmaker on Mediorite jobs, working on more complex briefs.

I was recently inspired to make my first documentary, Violet Vixen (2018). The film looks at the fabulous life of 11 year old Leo who expresses with remarkable articulacy and boldness his distinctive identity. He aspires to be a make-up artist and performer as well as an inspiration to other young boys like him. Since its release on Youtube and Facebook the film has been viewed over one million times.

The idea initially came about when I was pitching ideas to a client. Continue reading

Emma Bridgewood, Class of 2016 | Top 10 Tips on Getting TV Work

Emma: TV Runner/Researcher

Emma: TV Runner/Researcher

As a graduate now working in the television industry, I thought I would share with you my ten tips about what it’s like to work in TV land! Whether you’re a prospective Runner, just generally interested in TV, or if you’re just procrastinating about writing an essay, hopefully this will be of some interest to you! Obviously if you have any more specific questions, feel free to give me a tweet or facebook message, I’d be happy to help.

1. It’s okay if you don’t know what you want to do! When you leave university, there’s a lot of pressure for you to suddenly ‘know’ what you want to do with the rest of your life, but you don’t need to know right away! When you work in TV, most people start off as a Runner, working on programmes in all kinds of genres. This is a sort of ‘try before you buy’ stage, you can see what genre(s) of shows you enjoy working on, and hopefully you can specialise into that as you progress. That also includes trying out different roles, and you can decide whether to go down an Editorial (PD / Researcher), Technical (Camera / Sound) or Production (Production Manager / Prod Coordinator / Prod Sec) route.

 2. There isn’t a set way to get into TV.  From talking to people who work in the industry, it is clear there are many different ways to get into TV. Some people are lucky enough to know someone, a few stumble into it from other industries, and others (like me) have worked hard to get where they are! Continue reading

Phil Krstic, Class of 2012 | TV Freelance Assistant Producer

Phil-Krstic-2012GradPhil Krstic is a First-class BA (Hons) Media Production graduate from the University of Lincoln – School of Media (LSM) in 2012 and now called LSFM – School of Film & Media. He works as a TV freelancer and gives a great insight about Filming Life on the Run: Celebrity Hunted broadcast on Channel 4.

Working in television, you find yourself filming in all sorts of different locations and scenarios. What I didn’t expect to be filming, 5 years after graduating from LSM, was celebrity fugitives on the run from real life private investigators and detectives, all in aid of ‘Stand up to Cancer’. Those not familiar, ‘Celebrity Hunted’ (Shine TV, 2017) is a celebrity twist on the prime time flagship Channel 4 show whereby fugitives have to evade capture for 4 weeks by hiding out and keeping a low profile anywhere in mainland UK. Meanwhile a team of ‘hunters’ have to hack phones, interrogate relatives and plot to hunt them down; especially difficult if you’re instantly recognised in every small town and village you try to hide out in the country.

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Much to the excitement of my parents, I had the honour of following eighties television legend Anneka Rice. Continue reading

Alumni Network | Uni of Lincoln Graduate Reunion in London

UoL-AlumniNetworkWe love to connect with our graduates via our alumni networks. Today University of Lincoln (UK) Alumni will hold a graduates’ reunion in London (13th Dec 2017). There’ll be around 20 LSFM alumni attending from BA (Hons) Animation, BA (Hons) CLM/ Photography and BA (Hons) Media Production like YouTuber TomSka – Thomas Ridgewell, Class of 2011; Associate Producer at Nickelodeon Aimee Cleaver, Class of 2014; Freelance Assistant Producer Phil Krstic, Class of 2012; Content Producer for CBeebies Rosie Turner, Class of 2015; and Senior BBC TV Director James Waddell, Class of 2000 who said he was offered two jobs when he graduated:

James WaddellThe first offer came during a meeting with the head of CITV in London. I had interviewed him for my dissertation and wanted to let him know that I had received a first and to also thank him for his involvement. In an email he had mentioned “if you are ever in London…” well I took that literally and went to see him! At the end our our chat he offered me a role as an assistant cameraman on a new series.  I actually turned this job down and took a job at Sky as I thought this role would give me more experience during the long term. Within 6 months I was trained to be a vision mixer, a route I knew to being a director.  Continue reading

Gemma Lowe, Class of 2012 | Career in Communications

IGemmaLowe-2017pic’ve been following the LSFM blog and it is great to see what everyone has been up to since graduating; it seems a long time ago since I was the one wearing the gown in 2012 and it is amazing how much can happen in in five years! I have worked in a number of roles since graduation, some that were directly linked to where I am now and some that helped me get here even though I didn’t know it at the time.

Following the school radio project in the third year of my Media Production degree, I’ve had an interest in education. Initially, I wasn’t sure how I could combine this with my interest in media but I decided to just take any opportunities that came my way and see where I ended up! Continue reading

Michelle Yates, Class of 2016 | From Fresher to Graduate

MichelleYates-2016Grad-withClemUniversity has been some of the best years of my life, just like it has for many. Through the length of my degree I met other people interested in the same areas of media. As of Wednesday evening on September 7th I became a proud graduate of the University of Lincoln School of Film and Media. It is amazing to see how far everyone and myself has come. The photo is of Clem Monro and me during the reception to the graduation ceremony and she must of given me one of the biggest hugs I have ever received from her when she congratulated me. She said well done to me when I had told her I had received a First. Clem will be able to see my projects grow further, as I have a place on the MA in Photography, which she also had every belief I would get on to even when I was not sure I would.

For me, the first semester on first year was difficult, as I was finding it hard to get used to university life and time manage the workload in twelve weeks. Continue reading