For the past three years, the Broadcasting – Radio, Television, Film & Digital Media program has collaborated with the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) both academically, as well as with an exchange articulation. Prior to the start of the very first academic project, Chris Terry, Program Coordinator, met with UWS associates, and it was determined that engaging in shared academic work would be a great way to keep the two schools connected.
Subsequently, this led to the first project collaboration, where Chris and a group of his students went to Scotland. He explains that with the instrumental help from the Services and Global Experience team, seven Broadcasting students were able to develop their pre-production work for an agreed-upon project at Centennial, and then carry out that work in Scotland with other students. Chris says, “That was very successful, and we repeated that for a second time last year, and it was tremendously successful as well. Simultaneously, one of my colleagues wanted to try and do something with another University that they had a relationship with, which was the University of Portsmouth, and we started to nurture a similar relationship with them. The plan was that last Winter we were going to do something with the University of Portsmouth, but with COVID, that wasn’t possible.”
This is what makes the collaboration this year so unique – it went virtual! As with many instances this year, the switch to a virtual setting and has often created a space for creativity, innovation, and opportunities. Since travelling to the UK was no longer an option, Chris says that they wanted to see if there was something they could do for students in the Documentary & Factual course. What has arisen is this year’s project called Walking Together.
Broadcasting students have been grouped together to form 14 groups, each with 3 – 5 students, and in most cases, one student from either UWS or the University of Portsmouth who are voluntarily participating in the project. Chris says the project involves students filming themselves on a walk, and while on the walk, they come across an aspect of interest. This could be something historical, cultural, or in nature, and students form narration around it. “In a group of five, there might be one walk from the UK side and one or two walks from the Canadian side, and then they’d edit those together. The project would be that they collaborate to figure out what they’re going to do on their walks, and then they film it. In turn, it becomes a video project that includes all of those walks and in itself is a creative endeavour. It’s really up to them to come up with themes or connecting aspects.”
The project really emphasizes collaboration, especially since students are working with each other in different time zones and on a virtual platform. It also provides a chance for them to discover new and interesting things about one another and acquire different perspectives within the industry. Chris says, “The big thing for this international collaboration is to lay the groundwork for them to be able to exchange ideas, work with somebody who is coming from a different perspective and explore some themes that they can share amongst each other creatively.” Additionally, Chris mentions that the development process of this project is not as heavy as other projects in the past, mainly because of the pandemic and its impact on filming. “We didn’t want to go through that long development process with them because everyone has a lot on their minds, and so we were looking for something that we could easily move forward on.”
The videos are still being put together, but something that connects each one is the embedded framework. Chris explains, “There are a lot of details in the framework that they’ve been working from that helps them to take their ideas and package them up in a way that when you look at all of them, they’re thematically working in a certain format that makes them relatable.” Although each video will vary depending on how the students choose to approach them, some of the main themes like collaboration and togetherness (despite not being together physically) remain solid.
Despite the change in plans, we congratulate students on this exciting opportunity and know that creativity and storytelling will shine through regardless of the distance.
By: Alexandra Few