Media Midlands

[Biosonic]

Maybe they're our cranes?

[morestoreysplease]

It'll probably be Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Leeds and London. Oh well let's move onwards and upwards and get on with our own agenda.

[Brums'grove]

If you read into it you get the answer.

Ministers would be photographed against this or that newly self-conscious city centre skyline and the message would be clear: Glasgow/Gateshead/London/Belfast/Manchester - a quick look at the notes to check before talking to camera - had arrived. In this market of branded urban identities, cities are not known for what they make, do or sell but for what they look like.

No Birmingham this time.

[Bureau des etrangers]

Goold old BBC we know who their favourite is!!

Makes me wonder why they chose Birmingham for the next series of survivors?

And will it be swine flu that has wiped out the population in the next series

[Erebus555]

If I'm honest though, think about some of the projects that those cities have seen and how much they have changed the city. Obviously the BBC are looking at projects in the past 5 or so years where we have only seen the Bullring, HCT and the emergence of larger projects like Snowhill. Only the Bullring has gone so far as to change our image somewhat.

Gateshead has been changed immensely by projects like the Tyne Bridge. Glasgow has been very much in the shadows but it has seen immense changes. Manchester (which will probably also mean Salford in the programme) has seen incredible change which has really revitalised the city and has added a more cosmopolitan image to grotty urban image that it had earlier on. Belfast's physical change has also been largely as a result of political change in the whole of Ireland.

But, I suppose a lot of this stems from how much the media reacts to city changes. Selfridges has given us a whole new image but the reaction could well be greater if it was in Manchester. But saying something like this is far too variable to be sure about.

It's also worth noting Liverpool is not on that list. If anything, I would expect that on there over Manchester as the change it saw really boosted its application for Capital of Culture 08. Maybe it was a case that the BBC wanted a wide ranging view and not too much focus on the core cities.

[SimonTheSoundMan]

Originally Posted by Bureau des etrangers

Makes me wonder why they chose Birmingham for the next series of survivors?

And will it be swine flu that has wiped out the population in the next series

Oi, those of us that will be working on it will do a good job. Very little will come from Birmingham. Small part of the production crew will, and so will the offline edits. All the pre-production and online work will be done in London.

[majabl]

Originally Posted by Erebus555

Gateshead has been changed immensely by projects like the Tyne Bridge.

... opened in 1928. I take it you mean the Millennium Bridge? But, again, opened more than 5 years ago (2002). Nice to see it kept the tradition of 'Millennium' things by opening late.

It's also worth noting Liverpool is not on that list. If anything, I would expect that on there over Manchester as the change it saw really boosted its application for Capital of Culture 08. Maybe it was a case that the BBC wanted a wide ranging view and not too much focus on the core cities.

How about Cardiff as another noteworthy omission? There seem to have been a fair few changes in the Welsh capital.

[feltip]

Looks like BBC Religion department moving to Birmingham from this article

Head of BBC Religion 'doesn't need to be a Christian' says Churches Media Council head
By staff writers
28 Apr 2009

The chair of the Churches Media Council (CMC) has said that whether the new head of Religion and Ethics is ‘a Muslim or a Methodist, a Hindu or a Humanist’ is irrelevant - as long as they believe something with a passion.

His statement follows reports that the CMC was behind a story in the Sunday Telegraph which suggested that the Archbishop of Canterbury had ‘warned’ BBC director general Mark Thompson at a meeting at Lambeth Palace that the broadcaster shouldn’t ignore its Christian audience.

The CMC is made up of senior representatives of the major Christian denominations with observers from OFCOM and the BBC.

In an article for Ekklesia’s web site, the chair of the CMC Andrew Graystone says that the view that the BBC's Head of Religion should necessarily be a Christian is both ‘unsupportable’ and ‘dangerous’.

“In a world where people lay down their lives (and take other people’s lives) for their faith we don’t deserve and can’t afford another generation of religious programming that is bland and shallow” he writes.

He says that the CMC had nothing to do with the story on the Sunday Telegraph, which also appeared in the Sunday Times and the Daily Mail.

Although he spoke to a journalist from The Sunday Telegraph, he did not talk about the Archbishop's lunch, and didn't say that the Head of Religion should be a Christian.

“The Churches' Media Council works with senior people in the BBC - often to advise them on how a particular initiative or programme might be received by various groups, Christian and otherwise. We also provide factual briefings and advice for faith leaders. I think that might be why the story emerged that we had been 'lobbying' for a Christian to be appointed as Head of Religion. It's inaccurate and deeply unhelpful” he told Ekklesia.

“On the substantive issue, it is important that the BBC should build its authority in speaking about religion. It is true that they had lost several religion specialists from their departmental executive board over the past 12 months. There is a risk that they might lose their college of expertise and their connectedness with the audience. Moving the management of the department from Manchester to Birmingham (just as large chunks of the BBC's programme-making is moving in the opposite direction) isn't going to help. But the appointment of a new Head of Religion (of any faith or none) could well provide a new impetus for the department.

“The view that the BBC's Head of Religion should necessarily be a Christian is unsupportable. In fact I think it's dangerous. The BBC's new Head of Religion needs to be passionate and knowledgeable about the subject. Anyone who looks at religion and says ‘I just don't get it’ probably isn't best suited to head up that department - just as someone who doesn't understand why people like football probably shouldn't produce Match of the Day. But the moment you start saying that this or that job must necessarily go to a person of this or that faith - especially when that job is a journalistic one - you have lost the objectivity that is so vital to a free and independent broadcaster.”

Andrew Graystone joined the BBC's Religion and Ethics department in 1995 were he worked on a broad range of radio and TV programmes. He later became Development Executive in the Religion and Ethics department. In 2001 he left the BBC to pursue a freelance portfolio as a media analyst and communications consultant.

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/9352

[morestoreysplease]

I read today that Digbeth-based Maverick TV won a BAFTA for a website for Ch4 Embarrassing Bodies Online, and worked alongside Jewellery Quarter company Made Media Ltd.

[van heckler]

Newsnight, BBC 2, right now. It's Birmingham! On national TV!

Alpha and Hyatt look class although it doesn't look live.

[djay]

hustle r n town this month aint they...or is it survivors?

[SimonTheSoundMan]

They are still up for tender for production and post production. A couple of months at least.

[djay]

A Birmingham-based film-maker is bucking the trend of London-based production by making the most of the city’s talent and resources for his new film.

The collaborative effort is the first joint venture from Immense Productions – the partnership between Guardian columnist Guy Browning and Birmingham-based producer Steffan Aquarone.

The feel-good film, The Husband Obedience Trials, will be produced in Birmingham and filming will take place in Kingston Bagpuize near Oxford for five weeks in the summer. Mr Aquarone said: “Very few full-length films are genuinely regionally produced, so it is great to be a part of such a breaking project. There is no reason why all production should fall to London. In my work with the Producer’s Forum I encounter so much talent in the city and we have the equipment as well as the skills.

http://www.filmbirmingham.co.uk/Arti...test_film.aspx

[feltip]

nice relocation from East Mids to Birmingham and another creative company for Digbeth

New TV and games firm Mudlark moves to Birmingham
May 17 2009 by Anna Blackaby

A new company formed from the merger of three separate East Midland businesses spanning television, web and games production has relocated to Birmingham

And Mudlark is marking the move with a day dedicated to exploring life in a post-digital world.

The company is celebrating the launch of its office in Fazeley Studios by hosting what it says will be a day of playful discovery featuring “interesting people with interesting things to say” about emerging technologies.

The event, called Post Digital, will take place at the studios in Fazeley Street, Digbeth, on Friday.

It will feature guest speakers Russell Davies, Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino from Tinker, James Boardwell from Rattle Research and Daniel Heaf from Channel 4.

Mudlark managing director Toby Barnes said the day would be looking at life in a world where the internet goes beyond its traditional publishing model and where physical objects are networked.

Mr Barnes said: “So it’s the motorway that can tell you whether it’s busy or not, the car park which can tell you whether it’s full or a shoe that can tell you how many miles you have run.”

Guests will also hear from Mr Barnes about Mudlark’s latest development projects.

He said the firm believed in making life “playable”.

“We are a production company, which means we make things. Those things can be as well-known as a TV programme or a website but predominantly we make games and interactive experiences.

“Our ethos is to make life playable,” he added. “That means looking at ways we can make activities more fun and engaging.”

Mudlark’s client list includes organisations such as Channel 4 and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The firm works across different platforms to deliver campaigns such as mobile phone and alternate reality games.

The new company is a result of the merger of three existing companies from the East Midlands – Rockhammer and Pixel-Lab from Derby and Active Ingredient from Nottingham.

Mr Barnes said there were three main reasons the firm had decided to defect from the East Midlands and set up in Birmingham – and the availability of talent was on top of the list.

“We believe that the talent in and around the West Midlands is absolutely top class in terms of the UK,” he explained.

“We also believe that the support from organisations such as Screen WM is amazingly useful. And we felt that Fazeley Studios was a really good home for us – places like Fazeley Studios and the Custard Factory don’t exist all over the place.”

Mr Barnes said he had chosen to mark Mudlark’s move to Birmingham with the event on Friday as he wanted to do something a bit different to the traditional launch event.

He said: “We didn’t just want to have a standard launch with cheese and wine and DJs.

“We wanted to do something which reflected Mudlark’s outlook on life but also bring together people that could add value in our first days in Fazeley.”

* Post Digital takes place on Friday, May 22, from 9.30am to 4pm, at Fazeley Studios in Birmingham. For more information or to attend the event, visit www.wearemudlark.com/postdigital.

http://www.birminghampost.net/birmin...5233-23634971/

[SimonTheSoundMan]

I'll be at Post Digital.

Survivors almost finished production. They have used all resources and staff/crew from Manchester and London. Post production next, offline edits will be done in the region, but online in London.

[neon18]

Shaun Smith from Lichfield is doing quite well on Britain’s got talent 2009!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVgiJJsWbOE

[feltip]

BBC confirms TV series Hustle to be filmed in Birmingham
May 29 2009 By Roz Laws

The BBC has confirmed that the TV drama Hustle is coming to Birmingham, bringing the glamorous side of the city to millions of viewers – and bringing more than £1 million into the region.

The Birmingham Post revealed two months ago that the hit series was heading for the Second City.

After shooting in London, Las Vegas and Hollywood, the Bullring and Rotunda are the next locations for the drama about a gang of con artists.

Its stars, including Brummie Adrian Lester and legendary actor Robert Vaughn, will be living in the city during filming, which starts in July.

The relocation of Hustle will bring an estimated £1.2 million into the regional economy and provide jobs for local crew. It follows news that the BBC drama Survivors is also moving to Birmingham.

A spokesman for Screen WM, which worked to bring Hustle to Birmingham, providing locations and funding, said: “This is a major coup for the city.

“It positions the West Midlands as an important hub for UK drama production. Producers are attracted here on the basis of the region’s diverse locations, excellent facilities and experienced crew.”

Hustle is made by production company Kudos. Managing director Simon Crawford Collins said: “We are hugely excited about Hustle's move to Birmingham. It’s a transformed city whose cool new locations have rarely been used for TV dramas and we will hope it will become a hub for Kudos’s output for many years to come.”

The six-part sixth series, which also stars Robert Glenister, Matt di Angelo and Kelly Adams, will be broadcast next year.

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/w...5233-23737763/

[djay]

Birmingham was the city of choice for channel 4's The Building Inspector Is Coming

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/t...tch-up#2918354

[feltip]

Just read the article properly and it sounds very good when you see what Kudos produces such as Spooks for example. The fact we haven't been used much before suggests it's a good opportunity to start using Birmingham and with the diversity of locations could be exciting times.

Originally Posted by feltip

Hustle is made by production company Kudos. Managing director Simon Crawford Collins said: “We are hugely excited about Hustle's move to Birmingham. It’s a transformed city whose cool new locations have rarely been used for TV dramas and we will hope it will become a hub for Kudos’s output for many years to come.”

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/w...5233-23737763/

[Erebus555]

Birmingham was the location for an episode of Spooks some years ago. They used a lot of old footage of the city to make it look more grimey and concrete-jungley. Was not the prettiest of episodes - especially as the suspect blew himself up in the middle of a basketball court.