Student Television Awards 2004

The winners of the 10th RTS Student Television Awards were announced at a lunch on Friday 6 May 2005 at The Magic Circle, Centre for the Magic Arts, London NW1.

The lunch was hosted by Paul Watson (Priory Pictures), with citations also read by Tim Vaughan (Granada) and attended by key industry figures, students and tutors.

For the third year running, the entries were split into two groups: Undergraduate and Postgraduate. Awards were made in three categories - Animation, Factual and Non-Factual.

Undergraduate entries were judged on a regional basis and these regional winners were then put forward for National Judging. The Undergraduate National Jury selected three nominees per category from the regional winners and the winner was selected by secret ballot. The Postgraduate nominees and winners were judged at national level only.

NATIONAL WINNERS

UNDERGRADUATE ANIMATION

Strike for Freedom Mark James, Kingston University
“An exciting, witty, often quite chilling piece about war, the Arms race and President Bush that brought back fond, nostalgic memories of the old days of the protest movements of the 1960s.”

Nominees

Tales of Heaven, Jon Draper, Southampton Institute
The Wrong Move, Blair Harrower, Edinburgh College of Art

POSTGRADUATE ANIMATION

Brand Spanking John-Paul Harney, Neil Jaworski, Peter Lambert, Lisa Hall, David Hunt & Angus Havers, National Film & Television School
“Brand Spanking…chose a visual style, sardonic wit and contemporary voices to tackle an important and topical subject; the privatisation of comprehensive schools. An imaginative scenario and visual gags well expressed what some see as the dangerous plans of ‘new politics’, a school from Hell!”

Nominees

For Your Blossom, Gaku Kinoshita, Royal College of Art
Kamiya's Correspondence, Sumito Sakakibara, Royal College of Art

UNDERGRADUATE FACTUAL

Taking Cuttings Ewan McNicol, Edinburgh College of Art
“This film’s aim, according to the paper work, was ‘to highlight a disappearing generation’s interest in recycling and re-use’… a lovely film, beautifully paced, beautifully photographed, revealing a side of human nature - especially human nature in its twilight years – that is every bit as compelling as a subject slightly higher up the social or political agenda.”

Nominees

One Plastic Bag After Another, Naomi Gayler, Bournemouth University
Under The Skin, Camilla Banks, Royal Holloway, University of London

POSTGRADUATE FACTUAL

The Company We Keep Simon Chambers, Vladimir Trivic, Jake Corbett, Benjamin Putland, Tarn Willers, Stefan Mork & Evan Jolly, National Film & Television School
“The Company We Keep…is a very left field approach to ‘business film making’. And rightly so! It is unlikely to lead to a career in ‘Corporates’. A personable young man takes on an (allegedly) unpleasant corporation and convinces me, using unconventional methods, that he’s right to worry about trading their shares. If I didn’t want television to lose an innovative talent I would advise him to get rich quick and sell insurance. Brilliant.”

Nominees

Meet Me In The Rothko Room, Rob John, Goldsmiths College
Pulled From The Rubble, Margaret Loescher, Annemarie Lean-Vercoe, Barbara Zosel, Mark Underwood & Peter Lambert, National Film & Television School

UNDERGRADUATE NON-FACTUAL

Monica Giltheart and the Mysterious Pencil David O'Sullivan, Mikal Hovland, Nick Gillett & Simon Young, The Arts Institute at Bournemouth
“The blurb here states the aim of the programme was ‘to produce a pilot children’s TV series that tackles serious issues in a sensitive yet satirical and magical way.’ Well yes, exactly. It did so wonderfully, again and again. I’d only add my congratulations to the actors and give a special thanks for some really brilliant costume and make up work. When will my kids be able to see it on the box?”

Nominees

Heaven Sent, Greg Williams, Matt Butler, Stuart Hartley, Chris Mason, Mike Gibson, Manchester Metropolitan University
The Big Girl, Conor Mulhern, Dublin Institute of Technology

POSTGRADUATE NON-FACTUAL

The Runaway (Ausreisser) Ulrike Grote, Constantin Castell, Linus Foerster & Ute Frevn, Hamburger Filmwerkstatt e.V.
“The Runaway…begins with a well executed scene demonstrating economical story telling, both visually and with a spare script. And so it proceeds with precision producing a humane story that is kept well away from sentimentality. We all thought the film well made and commend it.”

Nominees

Life With Sophia, Svetla Tsotsorkova & Georgi Chelebiev, National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts, Bulgaria
Paperboy, Janic Heen, Kristian Sinkerud, Thomas Bjerke, Alexander Kayambakis, Charlotte Kahn & Bjorn Rooland, The Norwegian Film School