WESTON College Higher Education media students premiered their films at the Watershed cinema in Bristol last week (Thursday June 9th).

The aspiring filmmakers from the College’s Film and Media Arts Production foundation degree, which is run in partnership with Bath Spa University, presented 14 short films to an audience of more than 100 people at the venue on Bristol’s Harbourside. 

The eclectic mix of traditional, experimental, corporate and documentary flicks included ‘Ghosts’, a collaborative effort by all of the second year students, and ‘That’s Life’, which was shot by the first year students on their residential trip to Granada, Spain.

Samuel Wiggins, who directed ‘Ghosts’, said: “Working on a professional set of such a big size and scale was new to us all, but it was such a rewarding and enjoyable experience. We’re all really pleased with the film.”

The event was also organised and promoted by the multi-talented students.

Emily Eades, who led the organising committee, said: “Everyone came together really well to work on staging the showcase.

“The response was better than we could ever have hoped for, and we’re grateful to everyone who came along to share our memorable evening with us.”

As well as counting as coursework towards their degrees, the students will be submitting the shorts to competitions and festivals and also using them to support their applications to join professional shoots in the coming months.

Jimmy Hay, the coordinator of the FdA Film and Media Arts Production course at Weston College’s Loxton Campus, said: “As lecturers, we were incredibly proud to see the films being played on the big screen at a cinema as prestigious as the Watershed.

“We have a really strong group of students and the quality of the films they’ve made this year is a testament to the amount of work and dedication they’ve put into developing their craft and how effectively they’ve worked together as a team.”

The programme also included ‘The Fatal Deal’ by Miguel Fonseca and Jessie Clayton; ‘Choco Factory’ by Tanicka Fenty; ‘The Ring’ by Miguel Fonseca; ‘The Truth Is In The Groove’ by Becki Couch; ‘Jooxter’ by Seb Harris and Poppy Mobsby; ‘Under The Bridge’ by Emily Eades; ‘8 Mil Memories’ by John Peeke; ‘Play Dead For Me’ by Alex Shepherd; ‘Moth’ by Harley Sanderson; ‘The Different Sides of Helsinki?’ by Lizzy Holbrook; ‘Below The Neck’ by Samuel Wiggins; and ‘INTIMAE’ by Seb Harris and Poppy Mobsby.

You can view the showcase trailer by visiting: https://vimeo.com/169445451

Weston College’s catering students learned about budgeting on Wednesday (18 January) as they went head to head in a ‘market challenge’.

The students were tasked with sourcing local ingredients from Arthur David Food Wholesalers in Bishop Sutton before bringing them back to the College and creating menu items priced at £1.50 each.

The students created a selection of appetising dishes which were then put on sale to College staff, with the team who sold the most winning a day at a Michelin star restaurant courtesy of the Chefs’ Forum.

The students were assisted in the kitchen by Steven Shore, Chef at Arthur David, who provided expert advice as the students cooked their meals.

The winning team included Alice Ruff, Joe Gallagher and Luke Johnson-Brown, who impressed College staff with a spicy winter vegetable tagine followed by plumb crumble and custard.

Richard Tudor, Chef Lecturer at Weston College, said: “The idea behind the market challenge was to teach our students how to cook to a budget and ensure that they can turn a profit.

“The students also got to experience liaising with suppliers and working to the demands of a professional kitchen.”

Weston College’s catering students benefit from being a part of the Chefs’ Forum Academy, which enables top chefs from across the region to work with the College’s students in order to give them expert advice and open the doors to many business and employment opportunities after they’ve finished their qualifications.

Thursday 1st February was national ‘Time to Talk’ day, dedicated to encouraging everyone across the country to begin opening up and starting important conversations about Mental Health. As part of this, Weston College launched a new exciting partnership with an online support service called ‘Togetherall’.

All Weston College students can now access free online support with Togetherall (www.togetherall.com). Whether students are struggling to sleep, feeling low, stressed or not coping, Togetherall can help them get support, take control and feel better. At any time of the day, all around the clock.

Togetherall provides 24/7 online peer and professional support in addition to providing a safe space online to get things off your chest, explore your feelings and learn how to improve and self-manage your mental health and wellbeing. It is run and monitored by professional psychiatrists and allows the College’s students to explore ways to better manage stress, worry and general wellbeing.

To sign in, all students have to do is use their Weston College log in. The College has invested in a year’s subscription to this service, and is one of only 13 pioneering colleges in the country to do so.

Georgie Amos-Ford, Lead Specialist Practitioner in Mental Health at Weston College, said: “Togetherall reflects the changing dynamics of the mental health needs of students’ and allows a proactive approach to positive wellbeing. Mental Health needs arise 24/7 and Big White Wall provides support for students outside of college hours utilising the technology that is so familiar to them.

“We hope that Togetherall will have a big impact within the college and allow all of our learners to reach their full potential, emotionally and academically.”

For more information, go to: www.togetherall.com