FCET Film Technology Students and Graduates win Royal Television Awards

BSc Film Production Technology students scooped the prestigious Royal Television Society Award for the student film Olivia. The star-studded regional event, on the night of Thursday 29th November, the Royal Television Society also hosted the Baird Award for actor Robert Lindsey in the industry-packed show at the Town Hall in Birmingham.

Last month, students studying on the BSc Hons Film Production Technology Award were nominated for an amazing THREE awards by industry professionals including the BBC and ITV in the following categories: Best Entertainment, Best Documentary and Best Drama/Fiction.  It's only the second year Staffordshire University's BSc Hons Film Production Technology course has entered and in that time the University Award has been recognised for its high level of production.

 
The group fought off tough competition as they made it to the last three top Universities in the Midlands region with Staffordshire University voted the best in the region for the Drama/Fiction student RTS category.
 
Second Year students Oliver Truswell, Stuart Hackshaw, Alistair Little and Matt Holmes scooped the Drama category after impressing the industry panel for their superb second year studies film Olivia at the ceremony presented by TV's Myleene Klass and Channel 4 journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy.
 
They were presented with the award on stage in front of hundreds of industry professionals including BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Screen West Midlands and film makers and producers and directors in both broadcast and corporate media.   Special thanks to their tutors John Bradburn, James Fair and Mel Lee for their teaching that contributed to the winning film on the Film Technology 2 module.

The winners were joined by fellow Staffordshire University students graduates Sophie Dewing, Alex Campbell and Gradex winner Jakub Jedrzejewski who made the final three  after being nominated in their student categories for Entertainment and Documentary respectively.
Sophie and Alex were part of a team of 15 students who produced and directed the Live TV Studio production Hot Off The Press as part of their third year studies hosted by top comedians in the TV studio at Stafford campus last year. Staffordshire University's 2009 Graduate Exhibition winner Jakub Jedrzejewski was nominated for Best Documentary for his GRADEX winning production about a Polish secret service soldier in World War Two called Pseudonym Jackal. Jakub later worked on the broadcast production documentary for Sky History Channel, and the Crime and Investigation Channel, called the Brinks Mat Robbery as boom operator and is now working on a feature film in Poland.

Last year Faculty students were nominated for Best Drama for the film A Soldier's War. 

And the Faculty's winning streak continued with 2008 Film Technology graduate Andy Robinson who also won an RTS Award - the Digital Innovation Award. He is an editor and animator for ST16 from Sugnall near Stafford and they won for a road safety film entitled Speed Dating which has had over 4.5 million hits on You Tube.

The RTS Award entries from the faculty are compiled every year by Film lecturers Fiona Graham and Paul Ottey and this year they are delighted the students have been recognised for their productions.
Fiona Graham, senior lecturer and Development Producer in Documentary, said: "Olivia is a stunning film and wowed the industry judges with its high level of production and technical skills. It's fantastic news for the students who have worked so hard on all their productions. The level of work achieved is being recognised from industry professionals which is wonderful for them and other students studying on the Award now.
 
"It's fantastic news for the Olivia production crew whose film really shone from the outset when we compiled the shortlist to send to the RTS panel of judges. This win is something the students can take away and credit the start of their professional careers in film and television production.
 

Paul Ottey also a lecturer on the Bsc Hons Film Production Technology Award and a broadcast camera operator said: "This win is fantastic news for the students and their future success has already been recognised by industry experts. With such a hotbed of young talent it's wonderful to see their productions are right up there with the very best from Universities across the Midlands region and they have fought off tough competition from many to be in the position they are now.The nominations show just how diverse the BSc Hons Film Production Technology course is, it shows the range of talent and opportunities that are available to our students. We wish them all the best in the RTS awards finals now in London".