How it is: The city of Birmingham has represented different things to theBritish at different times. It is, above all, a city of purpose, grown in the whiteheat of manufacturing when industry¹s natural resources of iron, coal, waterand people, were on its door-step. From here it played a key role in worldhistory, an international powerhouse. Industry literally shaped the fabric of the city,causing it to be described by Birmingham born H.V.Morton in 1926, as that monster.
The past, as they say, is another country and in the past cities (monstrous or not) had distinct roles. Coventry made cars, Nottingham made fabric and lace and Birmingham made stuff of steel : the nibs and type faces to inform the world alongside the weaponry to fight for our current freedoms. In turn the Nazi air force of the second world war disfigured the face of the city with repeated bombings. But like a great-undefeated heavy weight champion its scars of missing buildings and altered features simply lent it more character and the space to develop infrastructure, leading it to be cited as one of the best cities to live (2007 Mercer index).
More recently, the city has suffered from the global shifts in manufacturing, a lack ofinvestment, strained transport links, as well as the British inherit snootiness about Œtrade¹. If you add a recession, a bit of complacency and the kind of national inverted snobbery that other world manufacturing city¹s such as Milan, Berlin, Barcelona, Chicago, Shanghai, Houston, Singapore, Osaka simply do not face,(their populations also speak with distinct accents) you end where we are now. The region has the highest unemployment rate in the UK (10.5 %) 282 thousand people, 55 thousand of whom are 18 years of age.Yet the city boosts some amazing advantages, a virtual tool kit for world success, so why is it not exploiting them? Two European comparisons are worth considering: The Randstad region of the Netherlands, and the Italian approach (faulty but interesting).The Randstad manufactures everything from tobacco, and underwear to information technology. It has survived by taking a holistic approach to its use of creativity, visual communication and manufacturing. It uses its young designers, making real and permanent connections to the country¹s excellent design schools (a blind spot in the UK - where graduate leave either the country or the industry they were trained in to find work). This has resulted in an impressive array of R&D facilities, linguistics (the Achilles heel of the British), logistics (another difficult area for us) and a commanding grasp of visual and graphical communication (information design and typography has always been the USP of Dutch art schools). Together this means that they communicate to the world in a global and sophisticated manner.
The Italian approach is interesting too - the journey from concept (idea and visualisation) to prototypes (one offs or limited editions) through to finishing and marketing and branding is a rapid one. New ideas and products are developed and market tested in small regional batches, a kind of Couture Fashion approach to design and manufacture. This allows the designers to see if their product sells at home and test how they might sell abroad. These products are then aggressively marketed in extremely sophisticated ways. They use British know-how, both employing our graduates and/or agencies. As a result the use of adverting and branding, graphic communications and the grasp of web-based marketing is impressive and organised. Try putting into ŒItalian Manufacturing Google and you will arrive at : http://www.italianbusinessguide.com/find_italian_manufacturing_suppliers.htm
While not quite a one-stop shop of firms, designers, suppliers and developers for all your needs, it not bad.If, conversely, you put British manufacturing into Google you get a diatribe of depressing newspaper reports on the dire state of our economy. There is no mention of the positive achievements in the economy by both industry and University sector.
In my University faculty at BIAD, for example, we have enjoyed substantial and sustained investment in world leading research and teaching. Many students and businesses have already benefited from access to the most up to date analogue skills and traditional vocational skills, attributes that form the creative hub of any economy. These have been enhanced by the provision of cutting edge digital technology and teaching that was rated as excellent in our most recent inspection. This is not supposed to be an advertisement for the University or my school, but it is important to see what is available as a potential resource for the whole region in these challenging times. Going to study at Art school did change my life and has positively changed the lives of countless students. Businesses nationallyand internationally have benefited from my school¹s activities. Traditional skills are back and needed in the changing face of the city.If we are a monster or at least a giant, let us act on the advantagesthat this size might bring us. We have the world leading jewellery school,the fabulous Conservatoire of Music, one of the best architecture courses inthe world boasting Ruth Reed as the first female President of the RoyalInstitute of British Architects - the Art school on Margaret Street which predates the Slade and is still sexy and vibrant, the wonderful School of Fashion and Textiles - a world force, as is three dimensional design, the TID which focuses on some of the most sophisticated engineering in the world and the faculty of media – a one-stop shop for all forms of broadcasting. My own school of Visual communication in BIAD is the biggest in Europe and one of the most successful in the world.This has helped to place the graphic practitioner at the centre of the wider creative industries debate. Businesses of all sizes and content are starting to understand that, without the appropriate and contemporary use of branding, photography, animation and moving image, illustration indeed all forms of visual and graphic design and communication, their businesses cannot survive.
We have partners all over the world and we do not lack the means to help theeconomy from student placements to knowledge-transfer partnerships. From a student / graduate perspective the courses in my school have provided treasure houses of teaching, sector leading research and resources. Students need to know that when they leave they can stay and draw business into the city. They need business mentors and opportunities to make places like Fazley Street and the Custard Factory national centres of excellence, promoting this new wave of talent. Their perspective is already international and their skills and ideas know no limits .The next generation are highly motivated, organised, with skills in both traditional skills such as drawing to digital design. They are already here with ideas that could shape the future again and they are the platform from which the Midlands can play an important role in stimulating the future creative economy.
Mario Minichiello, is Head of Department of the School of Visual Communication at Birmingham City University with fifteen years national and international illustration experience. His artwork, which has covered everything from Beirut hostage releases to spy catcher trails has engaged audiences visual attention to high profile news events and his contribution to BBC Newsnights reporting contributed in them winning the BFTA Award for news and current affairs. Mario is active within the graphic and design community and contributes widely to research for animation and illustration.
Thursday, 29 October 2009
Can the Midlands Creative Industries Revolutionise the UK Economy?
What do Charles Leadbetter, author of “We Think”, David Harris, Executive Creative Director of Wunderman and Toby Barnes of Midlands based Mudlark have in common? Apart from leading the conversation in the Big Debate on the 2nd November, they represent a cross section of nationally recognised thinkers across the breadth of businesses that operate under the umbrella of the Creative Industries. Their different skills sets, perspectives and experience highlight the range of opportunities that exist within the sector and also the challenges and tensions that potentially exist between infrastructure, content and participation or in the words of the Digital Britain report: Poems, Pipes and People.
The West Midlands has a vibrant creative economy growing above the UK average in terms of economic output, with 19% growth compared with a UK average of 13% and now worth £7 billion according to ONS. Award winning agencies such as Clusta, Fluid, McCann Erickson Birmingham, sit alongside consultants with growing reputations for innovation such as Stefan Lewandowski, Chris Unitt, and Nick Booth. Leading production companies like Kudos Film and Television Junction, exist alongside leading games companies and web entrepreneurs from blitz games to Mudlark. With the creation of Fazeley Studios, home to Digbeth’s growing elite of cutting edge digital media experts, Birmingham is no stranger to leading the way. Birmingham was active in contributing to the Unconferences that fed into the Digital Britain report. Birmingham was the first city to welcome Lord Carter, the author of the Digital Britain report to the ICC the day after the report was issued. Birmingham hosts a range of leading academics, like Paul Bradshaw and Jon Hickman at Birmingham City University who are providing international advice to publications ranging from The Wall Street Journal to The Guardian and have developed the first MA in Social Media.
It is widely recognised that great content, leading infrastructure and participation need to blend in perfect harmony for the true economic benefits to be realised. If the Midlands’ creative industries are to influence the UK economy consideration needs to be given to some of the challenges ahead. Nationally 17m people aged over 15 in the UK are not online. Of those, 6m are also socially and economically vulnerable. Seventy per cent of people in social housing have never used the internet. But, for many, ignorance is bliss. A survey by the regulator Ofcom found that 42% of people who don’t have the internet at home were not bothered. Another 30% said they couldn’t afford it. The rate at which people are becoming new users is slowing. It is clear that the problem is not just about infrastructure but one of apathy and disengagement.
Non-users are becoming less likely to engage with technology such as the internet saying they are just not interested in being online therefore our ability to deliver content to the nation is compromised as a result. Journalist Chris Bowsby quotes the term Refuseniks – those who won’t use the internet because its impersonal – it destroys family life, is too invasive, stating that computers are not designed for wider audiences to use and that the overwhelming stream of information is off putting. Research shows that there appears to be some scepticism that the digital switch over is seen to be driven by the governments desire to drive down costs rather than aid consumer choice, suggesting that individuals do not appear to see value in the content and its purpose.
The potential role of the Midlands creative industry has to be about how it uses its expertise in content generation, its investment focus in infrastructure and its expertise in engaging with all aspects of its community to build a bigger picture about how to build the reason for engaging.
Martha Lane Fox, the new champion for Digital Participation, is quoted in various articles as agreeing with the importance of content development – saying she is less bothered by how people log on, than why, highlighting the importance of bringing relevant applications in the online world to life.
Content that is interconnected across different platforms is becoming a key consideration. Ofcom reports that Britons spent an average of 225 minutes a day watching TV last year, just a minute longer than in 2003, but internet usage has ballooned to 25 minutes a day from just 9 minutes in 2003. TV reach among younger audiences has been falling as they divide their time between more media activities such as downloading music or watching TV online.
A number of production companies in the Midlands are developing content that can work on multiple platforms. Television Junction are currently in the Beta phase testing of a multi platform production called Wee Vee, an online mash up tool using moving image archives which enables end users to take quality content and put there own take on it, making it relevant to them. The facility recognises the value of using existing social networking platforms and focuses on the need for relevance and quality. Such initiatives are supported by a range of training and assistance from public providers and education. For example Birmingham City University, working in partnership with Screen West Midlands and AWM, will be launching its first i gamer camp for would be game makers to support Apple’s i phone platform with the support of Guy Wilday ex Studio Director at Sega. Inter agency working, supported with training and knowledge, puts the sector in a strong position to lead the way in addressing content issues.
However, in addition to content we need to think about access. Outreach, skills training and demonstration of how people can get the most out of the digital revolution, using existing networks will be key to realising true economic benefits. This is as relevant for all businesses as it is for the cross section of communities that make up our region. The more inclusive and easier the communication is to access, the more we will benefit as a region from our ability to connect and do business. Some of these issues are being teased out with a focus group set up by Birmingham City University who are working with a range of specialists, from freelancers, developers and academics to public funding agencies. Their focus is to establish how they can use their collective expertise and networks to best advantage by setting up a Centre for Excellence in Digital Participation.
The Midlands region has an incredible amount of talent in terms of expertise and knowledge in all aspects of content development. There is real evidence to support a leadership position in digital participation, utilising our cultural engagement, award winning content generation and our significant and enlightened creative community. The Big Debate is an important opportunity to bring together practitioners across all areas to establish and construct a dialogue which will unleash new opportunities to issues that are of national significance and Birmingham City University will be looking to establish what action is necessary to support a prosperous position for the sector.
For more information about Birmingham City University’s digital expertise and The Big Debate go to www.bcu.ac.uk/discoverdigital
Joanna Birch, is Birmingham City University’s Head of Corporate Relations. Working across the creative and cultural sector, Joanna has established initiatives such as the New Generation Arts Festival and conceived Trends, an international touring exhibition to showcase new themes for the interiors industry. Joanna is on the board on the Birmingham Cultural Partnership and contributes to a range of think tank groups on the development of the creative and cultural industries, working in partnership with the regions public funded agencies.
The West Midlands has a vibrant creative economy growing above the UK average in terms of economic output, with 19% growth compared with a UK average of 13% and now worth £7 billion according to ONS. Award winning agencies such as Clusta, Fluid, McCann Erickson Birmingham, sit alongside consultants with growing reputations for innovation such as Stefan Lewandowski, Chris Unitt, and Nick Booth. Leading production companies like Kudos Film and Television Junction, exist alongside leading games companies and web entrepreneurs from blitz games to Mudlark. With the creation of Fazeley Studios, home to Digbeth’s growing elite of cutting edge digital media experts, Birmingham is no stranger to leading the way. Birmingham was active in contributing to the Unconferences that fed into the Digital Britain report. Birmingham was the first city to welcome Lord Carter, the author of the Digital Britain report to the ICC the day after the report was issued. Birmingham hosts a range of leading academics, like Paul Bradshaw and Jon Hickman at Birmingham City University who are providing international advice to publications ranging from The Wall Street Journal to The Guardian and have developed the first MA in Social Media.
It is widely recognised that great content, leading infrastructure and participation need to blend in perfect harmony for the true economic benefits to be realised. If the Midlands’ creative industries are to influence the UK economy consideration needs to be given to some of the challenges ahead. Nationally 17m people aged over 15 in the UK are not online. Of those, 6m are also socially and economically vulnerable. Seventy per cent of people in social housing have never used the internet. But, for many, ignorance is bliss. A survey by the regulator Ofcom found that 42% of people who don’t have the internet at home were not bothered. Another 30% said they couldn’t afford it. The rate at which people are becoming new users is slowing. It is clear that the problem is not just about infrastructure but one of apathy and disengagement.
Non-users are becoming less likely to engage with technology such as the internet saying they are just not interested in being online therefore our ability to deliver content to the nation is compromised as a result. Journalist Chris Bowsby quotes the term Refuseniks – those who won’t use the internet because its impersonal – it destroys family life, is too invasive, stating that computers are not designed for wider audiences to use and that the overwhelming stream of information is off putting. Research shows that there appears to be some scepticism that the digital switch over is seen to be driven by the governments desire to drive down costs rather than aid consumer choice, suggesting that individuals do not appear to see value in the content and its purpose.
The potential role of the Midlands creative industry has to be about how it uses its expertise in content generation, its investment focus in infrastructure and its expertise in engaging with all aspects of its community to build a bigger picture about how to build the reason for engaging.
Martha Lane Fox, the new champion for Digital Participation, is quoted in various articles as agreeing with the importance of content development – saying she is less bothered by how people log on, than why, highlighting the importance of bringing relevant applications in the online world to life.
Content that is interconnected across different platforms is becoming a key consideration. Ofcom reports that Britons spent an average of 225 minutes a day watching TV last year, just a minute longer than in 2003, but internet usage has ballooned to 25 minutes a day from just 9 minutes in 2003. TV reach among younger audiences has been falling as they divide their time between more media activities such as downloading music or watching TV online.
A number of production companies in the Midlands are developing content that can work on multiple platforms. Television Junction are currently in the Beta phase testing of a multi platform production called Wee Vee, an online mash up tool using moving image archives which enables end users to take quality content and put there own take on it, making it relevant to them. The facility recognises the value of using existing social networking platforms and focuses on the need for relevance and quality. Such initiatives are supported by a range of training and assistance from public providers and education. For example Birmingham City University, working in partnership with Screen West Midlands and AWM, will be launching its first i gamer camp for would be game makers to support Apple’s i phone platform with the support of Guy Wilday ex Studio Director at Sega. Inter agency working, supported with training and knowledge, puts the sector in a strong position to lead the way in addressing content issues.
However, in addition to content we need to think about access. Outreach, skills training and demonstration of how people can get the most out of the digital revolution, using existing networks will be key to realising true economic benefits. This is as relevant for all businesses as it is for the cross section of communities that make up our region. The more inclusive and easier the communication is to access, the more we will benefit as a region from our ability to connect and do business. Some of these issues are being teased out with a focus group set up by Birmingham City University who are working with a range of specialists, from freelancers, developers and academics to public funding agencies. Their focus is to establish how they can use their collective expertise and networks to best advantage by setting up a Centre for Excellence in Digital Participation.
The Midlands region has an incredible amount of talent in terms of expertise and knowledge in all aspects of content development. There is real evidence to support a leadership position in digital participation, utilising our cultural engagement, award winning content generation and our significant and enlightened creative community. The Big Debate is an important opportunity to bring together practitioners across all areas to establish and construct a dialogue which will unleash new opportunities to issues that are of national significance and Birmingham City University will be looking to establish what action is necessary to support a prosperous position for the sector.
For more information about Birmingham City University’s digital expertise and The Big Debate go to www.bcu.ac.uk/discoverdigital
Joanna Birch, is Birmingham City University’s Head of Corporate Relations. Working across the creative and cultural sector, Joanna has established initiatives such as the New Generation Arts Festival and conceived Trends, an international touring exhibition to showcase new themes for the interiors industry. Joanna is on the board on the Birmingham Cultural Partnership and contributes to a range of think tank groups on the development of the creative and cultural industries, working in partnership with the regions public funded agencies.
Creativity can revolutionize the UK economy.
The biggest enemy of creativity is fear.
Understandably in the midst of recession there’s a lot of fear around. On top of that, we’re in the midst of a revolution which will be as economically and socially disruptive as the one that started in the Midlands in the 18th C. Except the Industrial revolution happened at the pace of a puffing locomotive. This one is happening infinitely faster.
The Internet has already changed the way we communicate (can you imagine life without email?); the way we shop for groceries and clothes (ASOS.com attracts over 5.4 million unique visitors a month and has 2.4 million registered users). It’s changed how we buy and listen to music (Amazon is the UK's favourite music and video retailer- Verdict Research 2009). The Internet has changed how we pay our bills, how we watch film and TV; even how we diagnose our illnesses and start dating. It’s creating different social interactions, starting to kill the dominance of big brands in favour of niche ones and forcing businesses (and banks) to become increasingly transparent.
It’s given more power to consumers so they can influence what brands do and what products they stock (Wispa was brought back by popular demand through a consumer led online campaign). It has allowed them to share opinions with each other and take control of brands by making their feelings and complaints very public.
But we’d be mistaken to think this is just a digital revolution. We are at the beginning of is a creative revolution.
Because, although we are awash with more new technology than we know what to do with, we need ideas on how best to monetize it. That’s why we need to think creatively – consumers are already showing us through their own content how impactful and viral their ideas can be. Now they’re expecting companies to raise their game and deliver content that is desirable, that is targeted at them and which rewards them for engaging with their brands.
Sadly our education system has, for years, relegated ‘creative subjects’ to the bottom of the education hierarchy and created a society where they are deemed less important than academic subjects. As Sir Ken Robinson stated in his emotive TED lecture (http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html,)creativity should be seen as important as reading and writing.
It’s a destructive system where the disconnect between academic and creative thinking creates obstacles which stay with us throughout our lives and ultimately results in barriers in business. One of the obstacles the creative industries face today is that not enough people recognize what creativity can achieve and the huge transformational effect it can have on businesses. You need only look at Jaguar cars and see how the influence of a brilliant creative thinker, Design Director Ian Callum has transformed the image and appeal of this marquee.
So many ideas are killed because those who hold the purse strings lack the imagination to see their real potential. They think ‘creative’ = ‘crazy’ and because creativity is something intangible and can’t be plotted on an Excel spreadsheet it is seen as a ‘nice to have’ rather than an ‘absolute must, to have’.
But let’s not forget the revolution has barely started. In the same way that computers emerged ten times faster after the 1973 – 7 oil shock, so they increased their speed ten-fold after the 2000-4 downturn. They’re likely to be ten times faster in 2011 than they were in 2007 when the credit crunch started. This means more content will be more easily downloadable and accessed by more people. It means that Internet TV will become the norm and there will be huge opportunities for content creators in all areas to create ways to entertain, inform and excite consumers. The lifestyles of people are changing, they will no longer need to flock to mercantile hubs like London and will choose to live and work in less expensive cities and start working more remotely.
In the 18th C, the Midlands started a revolution that spread across the world. Today it could invest in the blossoming creative industries and champion their successes. What’s stopping central England becoming a ‘California’ for software and game designers? Why can’t it capitalize on its location and become a distribution hub for all online retailers? Why aren’t more businesses using the wealth of creative talent available in the student community and helping facilitate even better connections among creatives in different disciplines. Why can’t the Midlands lead the future of mobile (the interface is just coming of age)? If the Midlands became the home of the most connected creative minds where ideas were shared, talent recommended and experiences shared, just think how the fire would spread.
A revolution isn’t the time to bury heads in the sand; it’s the time to raise them above the parapet, to be brave, to start using your imagination and trust creative thinkers.
As Steve Jobs famously said “...while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
David Harris is Executive Creative Director at Wunderman, a global digital and direct agency network and part of WPP
One of the industry’s most outspoken champions on creative standards he has been running award winning creative departments for 13 years and shows no signs of stopping yet. Before Wunderman he jointly founded LIDA (part of M&C Saatchi) in 1999. He is a passionate supporter of young creative’s, has close links with the Birmingham City University and is a Trustee of the Graeme Robertson Trust
Understandably in the midst of recession there’s a lot of fear around. On top of that, we’re in the midst of a revolution which will be as economically and socially disruptive as the one that started in the Midlands in the 18th C. Except the Industrial revolution happened at the pace of a puffing locomotive. This one is happening infinitely faster.
The Internet has already changed the way we communicate (can you imagine life without email?); the way we shop for groceries and clothes (ASOS.com attracts over 5.4 million unique visitors a month and has 2.4 million registered users). It’s changed how we buy and listen to music (Amazon is the UK's favourite music and video retailer- Verdict Research 2009). The Internet has changed how we pay our bills, how we watch film and TV; even how we diagnose our illnesses and start dating. It’s creating different social interactions, starting to kill the dominance of big brands in favour of niche ones and forcing businesses (and banks) to become increasingly transparent.
It’s given more power to consumers so they can influence what brands do and what products they stock (Wispa was brought back by popular demand through a consumer led online campaign). It has allowed them to share opinions with each other and take control of brands by making their feelings and complaints very public.
But we’d be mistaken to think this is just a digital revolution. We are at the beginning of is a creative revolution.
Because, although we are awash with more new technology than we know what to do with, we need ideas on how best to monetize it. That’s why we need to think creatively – consumers are already showing us through their own content how impactful and viral their ideas can be. Now they’re expecting companies to raise their game and deliver content that is desirable, that is targeted at them and which rewards them for engaging with their brands.
Sadly our education system has, for years, relegated ‘creative subjects’ to the bottom of the education hierarchy and created a society where they are deemed less important than academic subjects. As Sir Ken Robinson stated in his emotive TED lecture (http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html,)creativity should be seen as important as reading and writing.
It’s a destructive system where the disconnect between academic and creative thinking creates obstacles which stay with us throughout our lives and ultimately results in barriers in business. One of the obstacles the creative industries face today is that not enough people recognize what creativity can achieve and the huge transformational effect it can have on businesses. You need only look at Jaguar cars and see how the influence of a brilliant creative thinker, Design Director Ian Callum has transformed the image and appeal of this marquee.
So many ideas are killed because those who hold the purse strings lack the imagination to see their real potential. They think ‘creative’ = ‘crazy’ and because creativity is something intangible and can’t be plotted on an Excel spreadsheet it is seen as a ‘nice to have’ rather than an ‘absolute must, to have’.
But let’s not forget the revolution has barely started. In the same way that computers emerged ten times faster after the 1973 – 7 oil shock, so they increased their speed ten-fold after the 2000-4 downturn. They’re likely to be ten times faster in 2011 than they were in 2007 when the credit crunch started. This means more content will be more easily downloadable and accessed by more people. It means that Internet TV will become the norm and there will be huge opportunities for content creators in all areas to create ways to entertain, inform and excite consumers. The lifestyles of people are changing, they will no longer need to flock to mercantile hubs like London and will choose to live and work in less expensive cities and start working more remotely.
In the 18th C, the Midlands started a revolution that spread across the world. Today it could invest in the blossoming creative industries and champion their successes. What’s stopping central England becoming a ‘California’ for software and game designers? Why can’t it capitalize on its location and become a distribution hub for all online retailers? Why aren’t more businesses using the wealth of creative talent available in the student community and helping facilitate even better connections among creatives in different disciplines. Why can’t the Midlands lead the future of mobile (the interface is just coming of age)? If the Midlands became the home of the most connected creative minds where ideas were shared, talent recommended and experiences shared, just think how the fire would spread.
A revolution isn’t the time to bury heads in the sand; it’s the time to raise them above the parapet, to be brave, to start using your imagination and trust creative thinkers.
As Steve Jobs famously said “...while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
David Harris is Executive Creative Director at Wunderman, a global digital and direct agency network and part of WPP
One of the industry’s most outspoken champions on creative standards he has been running award winning creative departments for 13 years and shows no signs of stopping yet. Before Wunderman he jointly founded LIDA (part of M&C Saatchi) in 1999. He is a passionate supporter of young creative’s, has close links with the Birmingham City University and is a Trustee of the Graeme Robertson Trust
Made in Digbeth - by i Phone
Like many new parents, it does not take long after little ones arrival for your hobbies and creative outlets to be placed firmly in the back seat. Looking back it is now easy to see how I got out of the habit of carrying my camera with me; a passion for urban landscape photography isn’t at the forefront of your mind when you are constantly tired and carrying nappies, bottles and feeding paraphernalia instead of camera bodies and lenses.
But as many people remind me it is just a phase, and I’ve found working in Digbeth, the hub of both Birmingham’s industrial past and burgeoning creative community, has reignited my passions for urban landscape photography.
I’m still not taking my digital SLR out with me, so I rely on my camera phone for images instead. Yes, it has many limitations, but at least it means I can be creative rather than regret lost opportunities.
But as many people remind me it is just a phase, and I’ve found working in Digbeth, the hub of both Birmingham’s industrial past and burgeoning creative community, has reignited my passions for urban landscape photography.
I’m still not taking my digital SLR out with me, so I rely on my camera phone for images instead. Yes, it has many limitations, but at least it means I can be creative rather than regret lost opportunities.
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
The group I manage, Animation Forum WM, is running a special event on the 5th November to celebrate the launch of Flip Festival ’09. So, if you'd like to hear about the current state of the region's animation industry, sup some drinks or just watch me attempting to keep the discussion on track, pop along. Here's the blurb:
Animation in the West Midlands: A Snapshot, co-hosted by Flip, Creative Networks, Hello Digital and Animation Forum WM, will be looking at the current state of the region’s animation industry, what are its highlights and achievements? And, how can we help the sector develop and expand at a time of recession?
As well as screening work from leading animation studios and individual filmmakers, a panel including Chris Randall (Second Home Productions), Andy Guest (The CharacterShop), Sam Moore (a filmmaker specialising in animated documentary) and Dan Lawson (Head of Production, Development and Inward Investment, Screen WM) will debate how the animation community can continue to expand and develop.
Join us afterwards in the iBar too for drinks, socialising and live music from the Young Runaways. There will also be laptops on hand to show off your own work and showreels (à la Shorts on Screens).
The event is free to attend, but please RSVP to info@light-house.co.uk.
(post by David Allen)
Sunday, 25 October 2009
What Not To Wear
Working as a manager in the creative industries & education sector I face a regular problem. Its not a staff problem or a technology problem, its not a resourcing or client problem, the problem is sartorial.
On a couple of a occasions recently I have found myself either the most over dressed or the most under dressed man in the room. In such a situations not only do you stand out but you have to justify your attendance and involvement at the event or meeting. At one of these events I was over dressed and I must have been asked at least three times what I did to satisfy my creativity and I found myself explaining how I am a musician and how I was signed to a label a few years back blah blah blah to justify my corporate suit and tie.
I'm not the only one experiencing such issues, I met a music producer a few years back called Stereo Mike http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereo_Mike. Mike is both a Hip Hop producer and university lecturer, he explained to me being a lecturer damaged his cred in the Hip Hop world and being a Hip Hop guy meant people at the university he worked at didn't always take him seriously.
The nature of work in 2009 dictates that we must be flexible and able to adapt to different situations, markets and challenges and I accept that from time to time when crossing sectors you are understandably going to have to demonstrate your value, even so we all know first impressions last so its best to get the dress code right.
A couple of years back I was agonizing over what to wear for a panel discussion I was to be involved in at a conference. It was a technology/media conference and I felt a suit was too formal so I went with an approach that I'm going to call the Anchorman. To achieve the Anchorman look is simple as the Anchorman look is just jeans and a shirt. Take the same shirt you'd wear with your suit and wear it with a pair of jeans, simples. So if you were reading the news it would appear as though you may well have suit trousers on, but really under the desk you are sporting some thing much cooler on your legs, James Dean cool. Having decided upon the Anchorman approach for the panel discussion I confidently sent my wife a video message via Facebook (the conference was in the states) explaining my dilemma and excellent solution. She wasn't so impressed, commenting that I looked like I was in Dire Straits, it was my first attempt at pulling off the Anchorman look, I've got better since.
We all prepare a face to meet the faces that we'll meet, all you've got to get right is which face to put on. Be prepared if you get it wrong you are going to have to start explaining yourself.
Oliver Williams
Acting Director at Screen Media Lab
On a couple of a occasions recently I have found myself either the most over dressed or the most under dressed man in the room. In such a situations not only do you stand out but you have to justify your attendance and involvement at the event or meeting. At one of these events I was over dressed and I must have been asked at least three times what I did to satisfy my creativity and I found myself explaining how I am a musician and how I was signed to a label a few years back blah blah blah to justify my corporate suit and tie.
I'm not the only one experiencing such issues, I met a music producer a few years back called Stereo Mike http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereo_Mike. Mike is both a Hip Hop producer and university lecturer, he explained to me being a lecturer damaged his cred in the Hip Hop world and being a Hip Hop guy meant people at the university he worked at didn't always take him seriously.
The nature of work in 2009 dictates that we must be flexible and able to adapt to different situations, markets and challenges and I accept that from time to time when crossing sectors you are understandably going to have to demonstrate your value, even so we all know first impressions last so its best to get the dress code right.
A couple of years back I was agonizing over what to wear for a panel discussion I was to be involved in at a conference. It was a technology/media conference and I felt a suit was too formal so I went with an approach that I'm going to call the Anchorman. To achieve the Anchorman look is simple as the Anchorman look is just jeans and a shirt. Take the same shirt you'd wear with your suit and wear it with a pair of jeans, simples. So if you were reading the news it would appear as though you may well have suit trousers on, but really under the desk you are sporting some thing much cooler on your legs, James Dean cool. Having decided upon the Anchorman approach for the panel discussion I confidently sent my wife a video message via Facebook (the conference was in the states) explaining my dilemma and excellent solution. She wasn't so impressed, commenting that I looked like I was in Dire Straits, it was my first attempt at pulling off the Anchorman look, I've got better since.
We all prepare a face to meet the faces that we'll meet, all you've got to get right is which face to put on. Be prepared if you get it wrong you are going to have to start explaining yourself.
Oliver Williams
Acting Director at Screen Media Lab
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Introduction to the Discover Digital Blog
Hello this is the first post to the Birmingham City University Discover Digital blog. This blog will feature articles and comment from members of the Birmingham City University, research, teaching and project teams across, media, art, technology and topics in between.
The Discover Digital blog isn't the only place to find comment from and opinion from members of the BCU team, check out these three blogs as a good starter.
http://interactivecultures.org/
http://daveharte.com/
http://www.birminghampost.net/birmingham-business/bigdebate/
As a reader I hope you find the blog posts worth while reading material, we are happy to hear from you whether you agree or disagree with any content on the blog, it all about the conversation right.
The Discover Digital blog isn't the only place to find comment from and opinion from members of the BCU team, check out these three blogs as a good starter.
http://interactivecultures.org/
http://daveharte.com/
http://www.birminghampost.net/birmingham-business/bigdebate/
As a reader I hope you find the blog posts worth while reading material, we are happy to hear from you whether you agree or disagree with any content on the blog, it all about the conversation right.
Sunday, 18 October 2009
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
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