We are an open and inclusive collective of student artists and student entrepreneurs who band together for social contacts, artistic education and stimulation, entertainment and all things pertaining to the advancement of our dreams and careers in media, journalism, film, television, music, sound and video recording and distribution, set design, costume design, lighting design, concert, online innovations, photography, architecture, mixed and multi-media and dramatic performance.
The UK’s hottest new hub for the training of tomorrow’s creative industry professionals was officially launched by a host of well-known faces at a glittering event in Cardiff last week, 29th November 2007.
‘ATRiuM’ is the name for the building which is the city centre home to the University of Glamorgan’s Cardiff School of Creative & Cultural Industries.
The new School brings together the creative disciplines within the University of Glamorgan, including Art & Design, Media & Communication and Drama & Music.
Celebrities and leading professionals from across the creative industries were guests on the red carpet for the launch event which will showcase the state-of-the-art building.
The evening was compered by actress Sian Phillips and presenter Rhodri Owen who took guests through an evening packed with entertainment.
Performances were given by well-known harpist Catrin Finch and vocalists Elin Manahan and Daisy Blue who was accompanied on the piano by her father Mal Pope.
Professor Peter Robertson who is the Dean of the new faculty commented, “This high-tech teaching environment provides undergraduate, postgraduate and research degree programmes and will be the largest single university initiative for the creative and cultural industries in the UK.”
Also joining in the celebration was the faculty’s new board of visiting Professors which include some of the biggest names in the creative industries.
This advisory board, headed by industrial designer, Professor Nick Butler OBE, will be made up of actor Daniel Evans, composer Karl Jenkins, animator Robin Lyons, film director Marc Evans and theatre director Terry Hands. Profiles
Messages of support from actors Matthew Rhys and Jonathan Pryce and Welsh band The Lost Prophets were read on the evening.
The multi-million pound facility stands as an architectural icon in the city, as well as a platform for a mix of teaching and research in the theory and practice of media, design and cultural studies.
As well as high-tech teaching and learning spaces and facilities, academics and practitioners from a broad range of subject areas work together in an exciting environment geared to sharing expertise.
Professor Peter Robertson added, “This Faculty is a major development for Wales and the UK and has attracted enormous interest from the media industry, arts and cultural organisations.
Both the Faculty and the campus are being seen as a focus for the creative industries in Wales and we will be producing the professionals of the future to work in these economic growth sectors.”
Some facts about the building:
- The ATRiuM is a £35 million development. It is a 5 storey, 10,500 square metre facility. – It is a faculty for approx 2000 students and 120 staff. – The building contains a cinema, TV, radio and film production facilities, design studios, theatre and performance spaces, photography and journalism spaces, animation studios and computer labs.
The first issue of this new Journal of Adaptation in Film and Performance has just been published by Intellect.
It is edited by Richard Hand and Katja Krebs with the help of Martha Minier and marks a step forward for Cardiff School of Creative & Cultural Industries (CCI/ATRiuM) in having an internationally refereed journal coming out of the faculty.
This is a fantastic achievement and is recognition of CCI/ATRiuM's growing stature in this field of research.
Editors: Richard J. Hand University of Glamorgan rhand[at]glam[dot]ac[dot]uk
Katja Krebs University of Glamorgan kkrebs[at]glam[dot]ac[dot]uk
Adaptation, or the conversion of oral, historical or fictional narratives into stage drama has been common practice for centuries.
In our own time the processes of cross-generic transformation continue to be extremely important in theatre as well as in the film and other media industries.
Adaptation and the related areas of translation and intertextuality continue to have a central place in our culture with a profound resonance across our civilisation.
Aims and Scope:
Adaptation in the form of the conversion of oral, historical or fictional narratives into stage drama has been common practice for centuries.
In our own time the processes of cross-generic transformation continue to be extremely important in theatre as well as in the film and other media industries.
Adaptation and the related areas of translation and intertextuality continue to have a central place in our culture with a profound resonance across our civilisation.
As an academic discipline, Adaptation Studies has begun to establish itself in the last few decades as an important area of scholarship and research which continues to make significant contributions to our analysis and understanding of a complex and increasingly diverse world culture.
Journal of Adaptation in Film & Performance is a new, peer- reviewed journal designed to engage with specific issues relating to performance on stage, film, television, radio and other media.
Embracing comfortably these disciplines under the umbrella of adaptation theories and practices, it attempts to challenge widespread views of national cultural histories and global constructions of performance culture by analysing methods, histories and occurrences of adaptation across a range of media.
We would like to invite contributions that offer historical, theoretical or practice- based considerations and discussions of adaptation in performance in the context of one of the following topics:
Translation as adaptation / Theatre / Film / Television / Radio / Gaming / Graphic narratives Submission Details
To submit to future editions, please, send your completed papers (4,000 – 6,000 words) accompanied by a short CV to the editors Richard Hand and Katja Krebs.
If you would like to discuss any specific proposals before submitting a completed paper, please contact the editors.
Short ‘Notes and Comments’ contributions (up to 1000 words) that facilitate debate and exchange will also be considered.
Articles in the current issues include:
Art of the Past: Adapting Henry James’s The Golden Bowl Authors: Sarah Artt
Adaptation as Education: A Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District Authors: Freda Chapple
In Praise of Treason: Translating Calabar Authors: Pedro de Senna
Uncle Tom’s Cabin as Dominant Culture Authors: Jim O’Loughlin
Translating the City: A Community Theatre Version of Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire in Newcastle-upon-Tyne Authors: Duˇska Radosavljevic
It has been estimated that an overwhelming percentage of Welsh films and television dramas are intentionally based upon other literary sources.
This overwhelming dependence upon literary adaptation is primarily from important Welsh literary or cultural sources.
This suggests an attempt to ‘recall and recollect’ and to re-‘write the nation’, after a period of suppressed or neglected representations of Welsh-ness.
While Dave Berry’s book and other studies have attributed this Welsh dependence upon literary adaptation as ‘laziness’ (Berry 1994: 234), we see it as being related to issues of post-colonial ‘re-telling’ of a national story, or more related to the economics of production.
For example, Stephen Bayly directed Joni Jones (1982) as a well-received television series for S4C, an adaptation based upon the well-known children’s stories by R. Garallt Jones entitled Gwared y Gwirion or ‘Redemption of the Innocents’.
It is often the case in Wales, that directors will create a series which is actually suited to be converted into a feature film at a later date, should the funding and political will be present to effect the re-formatting.
Additionally, one of Wales's most famous sons is Andrew Davies, who is known around the world as the 'Prince of Adaptation'.
Andrew Wynford Davies (born September 20, 1936 in Rhiwbina, Cardiff, Wales) is a British screenwriter.
He is the creator of the children's Marmalade Atkins television series and A Very Peculiar Practice, and is also well known for his adaptations of classic works of literature, including the 1995 television adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle and the 1998 adaptation of Vanity Fair.
Literary and stage adaptations have added clout with film production investors, who assume that a successful novel or stage play will naturally make a successful film.
Some screenwriters have been known to 'invent' a novel AFTER writing a film script, for purposes of marketing the film, and for raising venture capital.
In small nations, broadcasting drama department Commissioning Editors often opt for an adaptation. This satisfies several remits: nationalistic and cultural agendas are fulfilled, while it's assumed that an established audience exists for the new film or TV series.
My favorite book on film and literature in general is Tom Corrigan's 'Film & Literature' (1999, Prentic Hall Inc / Simon & Schuster).
Here's a pleasant Youtube tribute to Colin Firth in Pride & Prejudice:
'Adaptation: Studying Film and Literature' (Paperback) by John Desmond (Author), Peter Hawkes (Author) is concise and readable new text for courses in Film Adaptation or Film and Literature introduces students to the art of adapting works of literature for film.
'Adaptation' describes the interwoven histories of literature and film, presents key analytical approaches to adaptation, and provides an in-depth overview of adaptations of novels, short stories, plays, nonfiction, and animation.
The book concludes with an analysis of why adaptations sometimes fail.
For additional info please contact Dr. Mark Leslie Woods at mwoods[at]glam.ac.uk
Tony Platt is visiting the Cardiff School of Creative & Cultural Industries ATRiuM on Tuesday, 4th December.
Tony Platt: Tony is a leading member of the British Music Producer's Guild
Engineer for Bob Marley & The Wailers “Catch A Fire”, Boomtown Rats “Fine Art of Surfacing”, AC/DC “Back In Black”
Producer for Iron Maiden “Phanton of The Opera, AC/DC “Flick of the Switch”, Buddy Guy “Damn Right I got The Blues”, Soweto Kinch "Conversations with The Unseen", and many, many more, including film and TV (http://www.platinumtones.com/discography.htm)
Tony Platt is visiting ATRiuM on Tuesday, 4th December!!!
Tony will be providing useful careers orientated presentations. These are particularly for Music and Sound students, who should attend as follows:
1.00 – 2.00 pm CB4 2nd Year Music and Sound
2.00 – 3.00 pm CB4 1st Year Music and Sound
3.00 – 4.00 pm CB4 3rd Year Music and Sound
Other students and staff are welcome to attend as they are able.
Submitted to AIM ATRiuM Intelligent Media Blog by:
James E Barrett Principal Lecturer Department: CCI - Drama & Music
[Pictured above: Tony Platt]
Tony Platt’s career in the music business started at Trident Studios in London but he made his name as an engineer at the now legendary Island Studios.
Working his way from assistant engineer to engineer on sessions with the likes of Free, Traffic, The Who, Rolling Stones, Sutherland Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, Jess Roden and Mott the Hoople to he came to engineer albums for a hitherto unknown Jamaican artist, Bob Marley, which would launch reggae music into the mainstream for good.
This association led him to complete ”Funky Kingston” for Toots and the Maytals and work with several other notable Jamaican artists such as ZapPow, Lorna Bennet, Harry J’s All Stars, Aswad and The Cimarons.
However, although Tony Platt’s reputation is principally based on his work in the world of rock, at Island he gained other more eclectic experience working on the numerous orchestral, commercial and pop sessions that came through the studio and some fairly eccentric projects including a 30 piece avant garde jazz band and an album consisting entirely of Tibetan bells !
After working with the various spin off projects from the recently disbanded Free - Sharks, Toby, Peace and Kossoff, Kirke,Tetsu and Rabbit and as engineer for Muff Winwood on the debut Sparks album Kimono in my House he finally left Island and turned freelance.
Having recorded demos that prefaced deals for Thin Lizzy and the Stranglers he became engineer for Mutt Lange.
With Mutt, Tony worked on the AC/DC albums Highway to Hell and Back in Black, Foreigner - 4, Boomtown Rats - Fine Art of Surfacing and Broken Home and AC/DC asked him to mix the soundtrack on their documentary film and then to work with them on Flick of the Switch.
When he joined the Zomba producer roster in 1980 Tony enjoyed immediate success producing and engineering the work of artists such as Samson (with Bruce Dickenson singing) & Iron Maiden, Krokus, Motorhead, Gary Moore, Cheap Trick, The Cult, Marillion , the list goes on.
For additional info please contact Dr. Mark Leslie Woods at mwoods[at]glam.ac.uk
The Centre for the Study of Media and Culture in Small Nations Announces the next upcoming Cardiff Academic ATRiuM Event . . .
The Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries has moved from the University's Treforest campus to our new ATRiuM home in Cardiff city centre.
With ‘state of the art’ facilities this will offer exciting opportunities for joint work with new partners.
Public Lecture on Small-Nation Filmmaking by Professor Mette Hjort, 5.30pm Weds 28th November 2007
Distinguished academic Professor Mette Hjort will be speaking at ATRiuM on Wednesday 28th November. In her only public appearance in Wales, Professor Hjort will deliver a lecture on The ‘Advance Party’ Initiative: Scottish/Danish Solutions to the Problems of Small-Nation Filmmaking.
‘Advance Party’ is a Scottish Dogme project which sets out to do for Scotland what director Lars von Trier’s Dogme 95 had done for Denmark. Professor Hjort will examine how this unique model of transnational filmmaking helps to provide solutions to the problems of small-nation filmmaking.
Distinguished academic Professor Mette Hjort will be speaking at ATRiuM at 5.30pm Weds 28th November. In her only public talk in Wales, Professor Hjort will deliver a lecture on The 'Advance Party' Initiative: Scottish/Danish Solutions to the Problems of Small-Nation Filmmaking.
'Advance Party' is a Scottish Dogme project which sets out to do for Scotland what director Lars von Trier's Dogme 95 had done for Denmark. Professor Hjort will examine how this unique model of transnational filmmaking helps to provide solutions to the problems of small-nation filmmaking.
Professor Hjort is the Leverhulme Visiting Professor of Film Studies at St Andrews in Scotland and Professor of Visual Studies at Lingnan University in Hong Kong. She has published Small Nations, Global Cinema, and co-edited volumes including The Cinema of Small Nations, Cinema and Nation, The Postnational Self and Purity and Provocation: Dogme 95.
About one of the newest books by Professor Mette, The Cinema of Small Nations:
Synopsis: Within cinema studies there has emerged a significant body of scholarship on the idea of 'National Cinema' but there has been a tendency to focus on the major national cinemas.
Less developed within this field is the analysis of what we might term minor or small national cinemas, despite the increasing significance of these small entities with the international domain of moving image production, distribution and consumption.
"The Cinema of Small Nations" is the first major analysis of small national cinemas, comprising twelve case studies of small national - and sub national - cinemas from around the world, including Ireland, Denmark, Iceland, Scotland, Bulgaria, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and New Zealand.
Written by an array of distinguished and emerging scholars, each of the case studies provides a detailed analysis of the particular cinema in question, with an emphasis on the last decade, considering both institutional and textual issues relevant to the national dimension of each cinema.
While each chapter contains an in-depth analysis of the particular cinema in question, the book as a whole provides the basis for a broader and more properly comparative understanding of small or minor national cinemas, particularly with regard to structural constraints and possibilities, the impact of globalization and internationalisation, and the role played by economic and cultural factors in small-nation contexts.
This book includes the first major study of a range of small national cinemas. It provides detailed and informative studies of particular small national cinemas from around the globe.
It features an implicit comparative element that reveals major similarities and differences across the case studies.
It also features a strong line up of international contributors including a number of major internationally recognised experts in the field.
It is written in an accessible style to appeal to students, academics and the general reader alike.
Cardiff School of Creative & Cultural Industries / ATRiuM The University of Glamorgan Adam Street Cardiff CF24 2XF
The best of Welsh culture will be on show at a major Washington D.C festival held during Independence Day celebrations in 2009.
The annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival will see over 100 Welsh artists, performers and cultural scholars cross the Atlantic to take part.
The Festival is a complex production, over the years drawing on the research and presentational skills of more than 1,000 folklorists, cultural anthropologists, ethnomusicologists, and numerous other academic and lay scholars.
Its production involves the expertise of hundreds of technical staff, the efforts of volunteers, and the backing of sponsors and supporters.
Some observers have noted that the involvement of the Welsh Assembly Government, the numerous Welsh scholars and perfomers, the travel and hospitality, event planning and marketing programmes and staff, and the expected operating budget budgets related to this project imply MILLIONS of DOLLARS in necessary expenses along with the potential of MILLIONS of POUNDS in long-term tourism and economic benefit to Wales after the event.
Understandably the news of this event is travelling quickly, and many folks in Wales are beginning to wonder how they can contribute to or benefit from this project.
Members of the Welsh-North American Expatriate, 'Diaspora' and Welsh-descended organisations and scholarly groups are said to be hoping to participate and benefit as well.
[Pictured above Answers.com map of persons in the U.S. with Welsh ancestry -- 'Welsh ancestry' Dark red and brown colours indicate a higher density.]
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is an international exposition of living cultural heritage annually produced outdoors on the National Mall of the United States in Washington, D.C., by the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.
The Festival takes place for two weeks every summer overlapping the Fourth of July holiday.
It is an educational presentation that features community-based cultural exemplars.
Free to the public, like other Smithsonian museums, each Festival typically draws more than one million visitors.
Initiated in 1967, the Festival has become a national and international model of a research-based presentation of contemporary living cultural traditions.
Over the years, it has brought more than 23,000 musicians, artists, performers, craftspeople, workers, cooks, storytellers, and others to the National Mall to demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and aesthetics that embody the creative vitality of community-based traditions.
Wales has been chosen as the featured nation for the 10-day event, which regularly attracts over one million visitors.
But this clearly understates the potential benefit of a newly 'energized' American 'connection' with Wales. For example, the Smithsonian Folklife Centre reports that:
"As the largest annual cultural event in the U.S. capital, the Festival receives considerable publicity, typically reaching 40 million readers and viewers through print and electronic media."
"In the past, the Festival was named the Top Event in the U.S. by the American Bus Association as a result of a survey of regional tourist bureaus—thus joining previous winners that include the Olympics and the World Expo."
"The Festival has also been the subject of numerous books, documentary films, scholarly articles, and debate."
Some skeptical observers have been asking in blogs and discussions, "Is Wales going to be ready for this event, or will a golden, once-in-a-century opportunity be missed for the nation of Wales?"
The Smithsonian has written about the festival's impact upon foreign domestic markets, that:
"The Festival has strong impacts on policies, scholarship, and folks "back home."
"Many states and several nations have remounted Festival programs locally and used them to generate laws, institutions, educational programs, books, documentary films, recordings, museum and traveling exhibitions."
"In many cases, the Festival has energized local and regional tradition bearers and their communities, and thus helped to conserve and create cultural resources."
On November 5th, 2007 the Assembly spokeman reported in a news release that:
"Representatives from the Smithsonian Institution will be in Cardiff today [ 5 November] to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Assembly Government to confirm the Welsh presence at the 2009 Festival."
[Pictured above: Welsh National Assembly First Minister Rhodri Morgan]
"They will also meet First Minister Rhodri Morgan to discuss plans for the event. . ."
The event celebrates the cultural traditions of communities across the United States and around the world. It showcases the best of community-based arts and highlights the importance of heritage to communities.
The Welsh Assembly Government will lead the development of in building of the programme for Wales, which will demonstrate the wealth of cultural history and traditions in Wales. As well as the cultural activities, the Welsh Assembly Government will use this festival to target its international audience to maximise economic opportunities for Wales.
The Welsh Assembly Government will be working closely with partners throughout Wales to build a dynamic programme of performance, demonstration, and discussion events.
The participation of the Welsh Assembly Governemt in this Smithsonian initiative seems to complement and support the 'Assembly Government’s vision for Wales as a confident, diverse, creative and physically fit nation.'
[Pictured above: The Smithsonian's first building, popularly known as the Castle, houses the Institution’s administrative offices and the Smithsonian Information Center, located at 1000 Jefferson Drive SW in Washington, D.C. Completed in 1855, the original Smithsonian Institution Building was designed by architect James Renwick Jr., whose other works include St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. This Washington landmark is constructed of red sandstone from Seneca Creek, Maryland, in the Norman style (a 12th-century combination of late Romanesque and early Gothic motifs).]
The Welsh Assembly Goverment has published related statements declaring 'our intention is to raise the profile of Wales and stamp our unique identity on the world stage'.
In a related story, on Wednesday 14th November, a diverse group of arts and cultural practitioners and academics met at the new University of Glamorgan, Cardiff School of Creative & Cultural Industries complex called the ATRiuM on Adam Street in the Cardiff City Centre to address the symposium theme through a series of focused conversations and group exercises.
These discussions were set within the context of what is now a key economic sector, the creative and cultural industries.
Presenting at this event was the ATRiuM / Smithsonian Institution Visiting Fellow, Folklorist Dr Betty Belanus.
Dr. Belanus is Curator at the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and has joined the Centre as a Visiting Research Fellow and is undertaking preparatory work for the Smithsonian Festival's focus on Wales in 2009.
2007 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Washington, DC
Since arriving, Dr Belanus has been engaged in an active period of fieldwork which has also involved consultative planning visits around Wales.
[Pictured above: The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.]
The ATRiuM has been fortunate to have Dr Betty Belanus, Curator at the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, as a participant at this symposium.
Dr Belanus is currently a Visiting Research Fellow with the Centre for the Study of Media and Culture in Small Nations.
Key Players from the Welsh Higher Education, Welsh Tourism, National Gallery and National Museums, and Arts and Media sectors attended this crucial and timely ATRiuM symposium and participated in the discussions.
Keen interest was show toward all the presentations, although the events related to the upcoming Smithsonian 2009 event attracted animated and intense questions and comment.
Concerns were raised that Wales carefully considers and plans the nation's participation in this upcoming event in 2009, so that the broadest variety of sector in Welsh society and the Welsh economy benfit from this project, both before, during and after the event.
The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage is a research and educational unit of the Smithsonian Institution promoting the understanding and continuity of diverse, contemporary grassroots cultures in the United States and around the world.
The Center produces the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, Smithsonian Global Sound, exhibitions, documentary films and videos, symposia, publications, and educational materials.
The Center conducts ethnographic and cultural heritage policy oriented research, maintains the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, and provides educational and research opportunities through fellowships, internships, and training programs.
The Center also produces major national cultural events consistent with its mission.
In 2004 these included the National World War II Reunion and the First Americans Festival for the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian.
The Center's activities are funded by federal appropriations, Smithsonian trust funds, contracts and agreements with national, state, and local governments, foundation grants, gifts from individuals and corporations, income from the Festival, and Folkways product sales.
The Center's experienced staff is culturally diverse and extremely productive, combining interdisciplinary scholars with technical specialists. The Center has distinguished advisors and cooperates with numerous international, state, local, and professional organizations.
For additional info about the articles discussed above please contact Dr. Mark Leslie Woods at mwoods[at]glam.ac.uk
Mary Traynor, the Head of Teaching and Learning at the Cardiff School of Creative & Cultural Industries / ATRiuM, University of Glamorgan has encouraged Arts & Media students to move as quickly as possible to sign up for place on the Careers Workshops, since places are strictly limited . . .
Mary Traynor is one of the ATRiuM Arts & Media students' favourite instructors . . .
-- Mary engages in Practice based research interests that include community Radio production and Radio drama production --
Mary oversees students involvement with the Glamorgan County Borough local Radio station, GTFM.
This involves overseeing programming, managing Radio training courses and facilitating participation in the Radio station by the wider community.
Careers@ATRiuM
Q&A Sessions for ATRiuM Students
Creative and Cultural Industries experts answer your questions on getting your ideal job. Including advice on self promotion and marketing, preparing CVs and portfolios.
Performance and Directing for Theatre, Film, TV, Radio and Multimedia - Wednesday 28th November 6 - 8pm in CA202
Design, Photography and Digital Media - Wednesday 5th December 2 - 4pm in CA303
Radio Production, Film and Sound Technology - Thursday 6th December 5 - 7pm in CA112
Places strictly limited. Reserve your place by signing up at the ATRiuM Advice Shop.
Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries / Ysgol Diwydiannau Creadigol a Diwylliannol Caerdydd University of Glamorgan/Prifysgol Morgannwg ATRiuM Adam St/Heol Adam Cardiff/Caerdydd CF24 2XF
As you may know, we are hosting a one-day conference on the ground-breaking TV series Life on Mars in the Faculty on Friday 16th November.
A highlight will be a discussion with two of the executive producers of the series (Claire Parker from Kudos and Julie Gardner from BBC Wales) in the afternoon.
Many thanks – and look forward to seeing some of you there.
Stephen swlacey[at]glam[dot]ac[dot]uk
Professor Stephen Lacey Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries/Ysgol Diwydiannau Creadigol a Diwylliannol Caerdydd University of Glamorgan/Prifysgol Morgannwg ATRiuM Adam St/Heol Adam Cardiff/Caerdydd CF24 2XF
Life on Mars One-day symposium Friday 16th November 2007
CCI researchers are hosting a one-day research symposium on the ground-breaking and critically-acclaimed BBC Wales/Kudos drama series Life on Mars, which finished its second, and final, series earlier this year.
"Starsky and Hutch meets Cracker...intriguing British drama" The Toronto Sun
"...brilliant detective-noir" The National Post
‘Life on Mars’ will attract academics from across the UK for what is the first research event devoted to a drama series that has emerged as one of the most significant of the 21st century.
STOP PRESS! Both Claire Parker and Jane Featherstone of Kudos have confirmed their attendance
Life on Mars Series 2 Trailer x2
The conference will open with a keynote address by Professor Robin Nelson, whose book on ‘quality’ television drama (A State of Play, MUP, 2007) has recently been published, and will close with a panel discussion with some of the leading figures behind the series; so far, Claire Parker of Kudos, who produced Life on Mars, Julie Gardner, Head of Drama for BBC Wales who commissioned it, and Ashley Pharoah, one of the series’ devisers and main writers, have provisionally agreed to attend.
Papers will be given on a range of topics, including the role of nostalgia in audiences’ responses to the series, the re-working of the iconography of the 1970s, the programme’s relationship to other police series and the role of the uncanny.
The symposium is organised by Dr Ruth McElroy and Professor Stephen Lacey, and will be one of the first research events to be held in the Atrium, the University of Glamorgan’s new base in Cardiff.
Life on Mars One-day symposium Friday 16th November 2007
Panel 1: Sam’s Stories - Narrative and Genre Panel 2: Producing Audiences for the Past
1:00-2:00 Lunch
2:00-3:15 Discussion with members of the production team: Julie Gardner (BBC Wales) Claire Walker and Jane Featherstone (Kudos) Ashley Pharoah (writer)
3:15-3:30 Tea
3:30-5:00 Panels 3 and 4 Panel 3: Nostalgia and the Uncanny Media Panel 4: Locating the 1970s
Life on Mars Panels
Panel 1: Sam’s Stories - Narrative and Genre Nichola Dobson (??) ‘Am I mad, in a coma, or back in time?’ Generic and narrative complexity in Life on Mars
Karen Devlin (University of Hull) Voices Bleeding Through: The Strange Journey of Sam Tyler in Life on Mars
Ross Garner (Cardiff University) Make Another World: Expressing the Nostalgia Affect in the Diegesis and Narrative of Life on Mars
Angelina Karpovich (Brunel University) Life on Mars and the Dialectic of Suicide
Panel 2: Producing Audiences for the Past John Cook (Glasgow Caledonian University) ‘Moonage Daydreams’: Industrial and Cultural Memory contexts of Life on Mars
Brett Mills (University of East Anglia) ‘American Remake – Shudder’: Online Debates about Life on Mars and ‘Britishness’
Justine Mortimer (University of Winchester) ‘Knowing’ Quality: Exploiting Popular Cultural Capital, and Producerly and Audience Expectations
Panel 3: Nostalgia and the Uncanny Media Matt Hills (Cardiff University) The Media is the Monster…or the Message? Uncanny Test Cards and Interactive OU Lecturers in Life on Mars
Elisa Oliver (Central St Martins, University of the Arts, London) Longing to Return-Seeing the 1970s. Life on Mars: Britain, Nostalgia and Art
Peter Jachimiak (University of Glamorgan) ‘Through the TV Screen’ – The Test Card Girl, the Uncanny and a ‘70s Childhood
Panel 4: Locating the 1970s Teresa Forde (University of Derby) Location, Location, Location: What does the 1970s look like?
John Curzon (University of Warwick) Sam Tyler and the New North
Andy Willis (University of Salford) Memory Banks Failing! Life on Mars and the politics of re-imagining the 1970s
There a few places left on Wednesday’s workshop… full details below.
To book a place please contact Sara at sara@screenacademywales.org or on 01633 432679.
· Do you know where to find up-to-date info on careers in the film, TV, animation or performance industries?
· Have you always wondered what Writers, Producers, Directors, Actors and Animators actually do on a daily basis?
· Are you looking for tips on how to write the perfect film CV?
· Do you want access to experienced industry professionals discussing how they got into the industry and what they wish they’d known when they were starting out?
If so, this event is a must for you!
This half-day workshop includes:
Session signposting where to find info on funding for post-FE/HE training and useful careers tips
Interactive CV workshop giving you vital dos and don’ts
A chance for you to quiz a professional Animator, Actor and industry Writers, Producers and Directors about how to get noticed in an extremely competitive industry, improve your contacts, avoid pitfalls and progress, once you’ve got a foot in the door in the audio visual sector
University of Wales-Newport
SPEAKERS:
Vicky Jones – Skillset Cymru Co-ordinator
Vicky provides administrative support for the Director of Skillset Cymru, Gwawr Hughes, and Skillset's activities in Wales. Vicky also co-ordinates Skillset's Careers Service in Wales.
Sue Jeffries – Producer, Writer and Director
Sue graduated from University College Wales, Aberystwyth. She has worked her way up through the grades from Principal Production Assistant to Continuity Supervisor, Production Manager, Line Producer, Director and Producer and became freelance in 1989.
Sue has been working as a freelance film and television producer for more than twelve years, mainly in the field of drama. Her latest credits include the children’s drama for ITV and Nickelodeon – Help! I’m a Teenage Outlaw which was shot in the Czech Republic in 2004. Currently, she is preparing to shoot a full length horror feature film entitled Snapshot which will be shot entirely on location in Wales.
Since Sue is passionate about helping new people into the industry, as well as giving a hand up to those already there, she, with a colleague, runs audition and interview workshops for children, actors and industry professionals mainly through Equity, BECTU and the Welsh Assembly.
Sue has also recently been on the drama school accreditation panel of the National Council for Drama Training. Sue also delivers careers advice and guidance to new entrants and freelancers for Skillset.
Catherine Linstrum – Writer/Director
Having made her Cannes debut this year with the Romanian feature film California Dreamin’ which was selected for the highly sought-after Directors’ Fortnight screenings, Catherine has a 15 year track record of writing and directing feature films, dramas and documentaries.
Dreaming of Joseph Lees was her first feature as a screenwriter, a Twentieth Century Fox production directed by Eric Styles.
She has also written and directed two notable shorts, The Boy with Blue Eyes and The Black Dog starring David Threlfall.
She is currently developing a feature script with her artist husband David-John Newman, which is being supported by the Film Agency for Wales.
Antony Smith – Producer, Writer and Director
Antony was brought up in the South Wales Valleys. He began his career in 1998 with ITV. During his period there he was engaged on a number of TV dramas and feature films such as Testimony Of Taliesin Jones, Mindblowing and A Way Of Life.
Antony seized every opportunity at ITV that would allow him to gain experience in a number of different fields. Producing became Antony's natural role.
In 2006 Antony produced his first feature film on a budget of £50k and is now overseeing a slate of 12 films with a combined budget of £3.5 million.
Paul Cawley – Actor and Skillset Careers Adviser
Paul started out as a chef before retraining as an actor at The Drama Studio London. He has now been a professional actor for twenty years.
In London Paul has appeared in several theatrical productions in the West End and at The National Theatre, as well as at prestigious fringe venues such as The Gate, Southwark Playhouse and Jermyn Street Theatre.
On screen as an actor Paul has contributed to eight series of Numbertime for the BBC, as well as appearances in The Bill, London's Burning, and a number of independent films, as well as several TV commercials.
As a voice artist, Paul created the character of Bill in the BBC’s Numbertime, which he voiced for eight series, and has contributed a variety of voices and characters for BBC series, The Adventures of Captain Crimson.
Paul also delivers careers advice and guidance to performers for Skillset.
Guardian - See You In Heaven - Clipe Legendado -- Featuring Paul Cawley
Aron Evans – Animator and Co-Founder, Dinamo
Award-winning animation directors Aron Rhys Evans and Owen Stickler set up the young, innovative animation production company, Dinamo in 2004.
The company produces high quality 2D and 3D digital animation for film and TV using various software applications and also offers services in visual effects and motion graphics.
Dinamo is currently producing the 20-part pre-school series Happy Valley and providing animation for S4C’s satirical series Cnex.
They have a number of series in development for children of all ages and family, including live action with animation.
PROGRAMME
Skillset Screen Academy Wales: Careers Workshop for Students
10.15am – 2.45pm, Wednesday 14 November 2007
ATRiuM Building, Cardiff School of Creative & Cultural Industries, Uni. of Glamorgan, Adam Street, CARDIFF CF24 2XF
CCI - DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA AND MUSIC RESEARCH SEMINAR
It is our pleasure to welcome Professor Eckart Voigts-Virchow, University of Siegen, Germany.
'Droso-Philology’: Adaptation and Bio-Poetics WEDNESDAY, 14 NOVEMBER 2007 11AM -- ROOM CA228
Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries ATRiuM University of Glamorgan Adams Street Cardiff CF24 2XF
REFRESHMENTS WILL BE PROVIDED -- ALL WELCOME!
Professor Voigts-Virchow coined the term ‘Droso-Philology’ in order to mark approaches to art dominated by neo-Darwinist thinking (i.e., Joseph Carroll).
This paper reviews recent approaches to adaptation (Kamilla Elliott and Robert Stam) and attempts to assess the relative merits of the biologistic analogies of the term.
In particular he shall argue against the universalist tendencies in bio-poetical approaches.
The point of this paper is, therefore, to articulate doubts about the intrinsic, universal and perennial appeal of any story, any writer and even more severe reservations about the attempt to build a canon from socio-biological universalism:
"The greatest literary works most completely satisfy [the reader's desire for cognitive order]" (Carroll 2004: 145).
This paper is very much work in progress and invites attempts to apply this to theatre and performance in preparation of the forthcoming conference
“Adaptations – Performing across Media and Genres”, University of Siegen, May 2008.
Professor Voigts-Virchow's Current projects: "Janespotting" – Die bildmediale Konstruktion nationaler Identität am Beispiel der Inszenierung von Englishness in costume films, heritage movies und classic TV serials der 1990er Jahre in Großbritannien (ZMI Gießen, 2001-2003).
Professor Voigts-Virchow's Areas of research: Theater, film and media theory. Contemporary drama. Culture, literature and technology. Metaphorology.
Professor Voigts-Virchow's Papers and Conferences: President of sessions 'Beckett and Popular Culture', 'Discussion Group: Media and Literature' at the MLA Convention (Chicago, 27-30 Dezember 1999).
Organiser of the International Conference 'Dramatized Media / Mediated Drama', CDE (17-20 Juni 1999, Giessen, sponsored by DFG, HMWK etc.).
Papers read at Bochum University; Tübingen University; Freiburg University; Strasbourg University; German Shakespeare Convention, Weimar; Leipzig University; George Mason University, Fairfax, VA (IAPL); Siegen University; Potsdam University; Koblenz-Landau University; Birkbeck College, University of London; Humboldt University, Conf. Beckett in Berlin 2000, Stuttgart University
CCI researchers are hosting a one-day research symposium on the ground-breaking and critically-acclaimed BBC Wales/Kudos drama series Life on Mars, which finished its second, and final, series earlier this year.
"Starsky and Hutch meets Cracker...intriguing British drama" The Toronto Sun
"...brilliant detective-noir" The National Post
‘Life on Mars’ will attract academics from across the UK for what is the first research event devoted to a drama series that has emerged as one of the most significant of the 21st century.
STOP PRESS! Both Claire Parker and Jane Featherstone of Kudos have confirmed their attendance
Life on Mars Series 2 Trailer x2
The conference will open with a keynote address by Professor Robin Nelson, whose book on ‘quality’ television drama (A State of Play, MUP, 2007) has recently been published, and will close with a panel discussion with some of the leading figures behind the series; so far, Claire Parker of Kudos, who produced Life on Mars, Julie Gardner, Head of Drama for BBC Wales who commissioned it, and Ashley Pharoah, one of the series’ devisers and main writers, have provisionally agreed to attend.
Papers will be given on a range of topics, including the role of nostalgia in audiences’ responses to the series, the re-working of the iconography of the 1970s, the programme’s relationship to other police series and the role of the uncanny.
The symposium is organised by Dr Ruth McElroy and Professor Stephen Lacey, and will be one of the first research events to be held in the Atrium, the University of Glamorgan’s new base in Cardiff.
Life on Mars One-day symposium Friday 16th November 2007
Panel 1: Sam’s Stories - Narrative and Genre Panel 2: Producing Audiences for the Past
1:00-2:00 Lunch
2:00-3:15 Discussion with members of the production team: Julie Gardner (BBC Wales) Claire Walker and Jane Featherstone (Kudos) Ashley Pharoah (writer)
3:15-3:30 Tea
3:30-5:00 Panels 3 and 4 Panel 3: Nostalgia and the Uncanny Media Panel 4: Locating the 1970s
Life on Mars Panels
Panel 1: Sam’s Stories - Narrative and Genre Nichola Dobson (??) ‘Am I mad, in a coma, or back in time?’ Generic and narrative complexity in Life on Mars
Karen Devlin (University of Hull) Voices Bleeding Through: The Strange Journey of Sam Tyler in Life on Mars
Ross Garner (Cardiff University) Make Another World: Expressing the Nostalgia Affect in the Diegesis and Narrative of Life on Mars
Angelina Karpovich (Brunel University) Life on Mars and the Dialectic of Suicide
Panel 2: Producing Audiences for the Past John Cook (Glasgow Caledonian University) ‘Moonage Daydreams’: Industrial and Cultural Memory contexts of Life on Mars
Brett Mills (University of East Anglia) ‘American Remake – Shudder’: Online Debates about Life on Mars and ‘Britishness’
Justine Mortimer (University of Winchester) ‘Knowing’ Quality: Exploiting Popular Cultural Capital, and Producerly and Audience Expectations
Panel 3: Nostalgia and the Uncanny Media Matt Hills (Cardiff University) The Media is the Monster…or the Message? Uncanny Test Cards and Interactive OU Lecturers in Life on Mars
Elisa Oliver (Central St Martins, University of the Arts, London) Longing to Return-Seeing the 1970s. Life on Mars: Britain, Nostalgia and Art
Peter Jachimiak (University of Glamorgan) ‘Through the TV Screen’ – The Test Card Girl, the Uncanny and a ‘70s Childhood
Panel 4: Locating the 1970s Teresa Forde (University of Derby) Location, Location, Location: What does the 1970s look like?
John Curzon (University of Warwick) Sam Tyler and the New North
Andy Willis (University of Salford) Memory Banks Failing! Life on Mars and the politics of re-imagining the 1970s
[Pictured above: Philip Glass; Photograph by Robert Mapplethorpe 1976.]
The European première of a collaboration between Philip Glass and Leonard Cohen, Book of Longing features a new score composed by Glass, set to Cohen’s powerful words, and accompanied by artwork and imagery created by Cohen himself.
Theatrical, atmospheric and intimate, this production is performed by an eclectic seven-piece group of musicians, featuring Glass on keyboards, and utilises a mixture of live voices and a pre-recorded Leonard Cohen vocal.
Book of Longing is poignant yet passionate, playful yet profound, and one of the highlights of the achievement of two of the world’s most uncompromising, celebrated and influential musical visionaries.
Free pre-performance talk with PHILIP GLASS 6.30pm 18 October – please book place in advance.
Leonard Cohen's new book of poetry, Book of Longing, has been published in Canada in April 2006 by McClelland & Stewart, and in the United States by Ecco (HarperCollins) in May 2006. UK & Commonwealth edition was published by Viking Penguin in October 2006.
My colleague Dr. Paul Carr has written to inform me of wonderful but limited opportunity for our ATRiuM students.
[Pictured above: Dr. Paul Carr, Principal Lecturer in Popular Music / ATRiuM]
Dr. Carr writes:
"Dear Colleagues, The Millennium centre have been in touch regarding offering our students discounted tickets for the forthcoming European premiere of Philip Glass’ Book of Longing’ concert. Students can gain access to the concert for £7.50 as opposed to the normal price range of £15 - £45."
"Philip Glass is also offering a free pre concert talk before the 2nd concert at 6.30, which our students are eligible for providing it is booked at the time of purchasing the ticket."
"I would really appreciate if you would pass this on to students during lectures and tutorials, as I am attempting negotiate similar deals for future concerts. "
"Tickets can be obtained in person or over the phone, and students simply need to verify that they are purchasing the “Philip Glass Student Deal” – or something similar. "
"Tickets have to be booked in advance as places are limited, and I have around 40 leaflets which outline the detail of the concerts (which are on the 17th and 18th of this month). I will keep them on my desk, so please feel free to come and pick some up."
Dr Paul Carr, Room CA409 Cardiff School of Cultural & Creative Industries Atrium Cardiff CF24 2XF
BOOK OF LONGING Conceived and Composed by Philip Glass Based on the poetry of Leonard Cohen
A new work by Philip Glass based on the poetry of Leonard Cohen, Book of Longing has been conceived as an evening-length concert work composed for ensemble, singers, spoken word and imagery.
[Pictured above: Composer Philip Glass]
The culmination of years of mutual admiration between two of the most celebrated musical artists of their generation, the piece will feature new music by Glass inspired by Cohen's most recently published book of the same name.
Comprised of Cohen's poetry and sketches created over the course of the past 20 years including eight years spent at the Mt. Baldy Buddhist monastery, Book of Longing is signature Leonard Cohen-- at once meditative, playful, erotic, and provocative.
The poems are a diverse collection that can loosely be collected into the categories of long "ballads," love poems, autobiographical works, spiritual meditations written at Mt. Baldy, and short comic pieces that Philip Glass has nicknamed "limericks."
Philip Glass has conceived the concert as a collection of poetry from each of these loose categories that will run as a continuous evening rather than a traditional song cycle.
The music is currently being written for an ensemble of seven musicians including electronic keyboard (one played by Glass himself), flute/bass clarinet, hand percussion, violin, cello, upright bass, and oboe/English horn that will be visible on stage throughout the evening.
The music will be directed by Glass's longtime musical director Michael Riesman.
Four singers (Soprano, Mezzo, Tenor and Baritone) will sing lyrics pulled from Cohen's poetry as a quartet and in a variety of combinations throughout the evening and will be staged and likely visible for the majority of the evening.
The visual artwork of Leonard Cohen has never before been seen in conjuction with his music and they will be incorporated into this work. Exact means of their incorporation is still to be determined.
Philip Glass has chosen to work with choreographer/director Susan Marshall, with whom he created the opera Les Enfants Terribles, to stage the musicians and singers.
Set by Christine Jones, Lighting by Scott Zielinksi, and costumes by Kasia Walicka Maimone.
For further study:
Four Musical Minimalists: La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass (Music in the Twentieth Century): La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, ... Glass (Music in the Twentieth Century) (Paperback) by Keith Potter
The American composers la Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Philip Glass are widely regarded as pioneers of the aesthetic and the techniques of minimalism in musical composition during the 1960s and early 1970s.
This book offers the most detailed account so far of their early works, putting extensive discussion of the music into a biographical perspective.
The true musical minimalism of these years is placed in the wider context of their music as a whole, and considered within the cultural conditions of the period which saw not only the rise of minimalism in the fine arts but also crucial changes in the theory and practice of musical composition in the Western cultivated tradition.
To Apply Quickly Contact: Dr. Mark Woods, Senior Welfare Tutor ATRiuM / CCI Ty Pont Haearn at mwoods[at]glam.ac.uk
