Category Archives: Film

Conference: Communities and Communication

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Staffordshire University’s new Department of Media and Performance (formerly Film, Media & Journalism, Humanities and Performing Arts)  is organising an international and interdisciplinary conference around the themes of Connections. It will take place online on 24th April 2021.

More information about the conference is at its own website.

This conference seeks to consider the ways in which creative digital communities start, develop and grow, what is created within those groups and how real connections are built through technology sharing and eventually within the virtual environment of online discussion and dissemination. We welcome contributions from across the sector from traditional print media forms to film and television, and gaming and interactive technology, offering the opportunity to explore both applied and theoretical explorations of this area of communities within the digital world. We aim to publish a selection of these contributions in an edited collection developed as a result of the conference. 

​Topics of interest:

  • ​Real-world versus digital communities 
  • Audio-visual communication practices
  • Interdisciplinary community-connections
  • What is the future of communities?
  • Visibility and identity in communities
  • Local vs global communities
  • Sports, digital media and communities
  • Healthcare and community
  • Community inclusion and exclusion
  • Performance

Deadline for submissions is 18th December 2020. For more details on how to submit please see the Call for Papers.

For any enquiries, please contact: Agata.Lulkowska@staffs.ac.uk

Running Naked: University and private equity partnership launch a feature film

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Running naked is a feature film made in collaboration between private equity and Staffordshire University’s film production courses. The film has already screened at Beijing and Portland International Film festivals and is due for release in February 2021.

Running Naked is the story of two lifelong friends, pushed together through cancer. The story explores a period their life as one discovers the cancer has returned and their adventures as his illness unfolds.

The film was made in a unique way. The funding for the film came from private equity. This was combined with in-kind use of equipment, space, locations and crew from the University.

We, Andy Paton and Mike Knowles successfully combined a crew of industry professionals who mentored Staffordshire University students. The Crew included, Oscar nominated and Emmy winning director Victor Buhler. He directed Running Naked and Mike and Andy produced the film. The film’s score was composed by Craig Potter from Elbow

The film was all shot in and around the University in Stoke, utilising some of the buildings as locations and a production office, as well as many local businesses.

The cast start Andrew Gower(Carnival Row and Black Mirror) Tamzin Merchant(Carnival Row, Salem and Pride and Prejudice) Matthew Mcnulty (The Terror, Jamaica Inn and Deadwater Fell)

The project is an amazing example of how the University and private equity can be brought together to create a film that already has a distribution deal and international sales with an international release date in February 2021.

Watch this space for announcement of first screenings!