The Internship Project

[Note: Post written by myself for Investigate Online, an investigation into whether degrees are 'worth it'. Please check out the rest of our research and findings.]

Lauren Briggs is a third year Fashion Communication student at Northumbria University, has not only spoken out about her internship experience but it has prompted her to campaign for changes.

Posting on Internshipanonymous.co.uk, ”a forum for interns to share their experiences and discuss the ethics of unpaid employment“, she speaks of her recent one-month unsurprisingly unpaid placement within the press office of a well-know high street brand. She highlights that it “opened [her] eyes to the real problems of internships.“

“Although my experience was an enjoyable and worthwhile one, the tasks set out to me were essential to the company and would have been carried out by a paid employee if I had not been present. I believe I should have been paid for the work I was doing. The travel expenses the company provided me and my own savings were just about enough to fund my month in London. Unfortunately therefore, I could not carry out the second placement I was recommended for by my supervisor at the time with a very well known PR company. This placement would have improved my CV considerably and perhaps led to a job opportunity.”

During her placement, Lauren noted how being ‘the intern’ means you’re “ immediately relegated to so many things – unnoticed, unimportant and unnecessary.” Although, as she suggests it is understandable why interns are viewed in this manner “because [they] are there to learn and experience the industry and therefore carry no importance or relevance to the paid members of staff” it seems highly unfair when more “interns often work just as hard, if not harder than some paid employees” as they are “constantly trying to impress and forever trying to stand out and therefore get the job done to the absolute best of their ability.”

 The Internship Project

Following her own experience of the unpaid working world, Lauren has been inspired to start her own campaign. The Internship Project was launched recently, on Feburary 16th 2012 and the main aim is to promote “the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage and work primarily with interns, students, graduates and young people to make internships fairer“.

If you want to get involved head to The Internships Project’s Facebook or Twitter to get your views heard. Look out as later this year TIP will be producing the first intern book to act as a

“brochure of the best interns across the UK and across different industries. It will give an insight into the internship system, as well as promote the actual interns and show just why they should be paid.”

Contact if you would like to be involved.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review

Evolution becomes revolution 

with this re-booting of the popular Planet of the Apes series. 

[Note: Originally written for a project - December 2011]

A personal favourite of 2011, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is more than a direct remake but rather acts as a foundation for the series with its own story. Although the premise is similar to the fourth film in the original series: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. This epic science fiction drama brings a fresh new approach to the collection.

 Based in present day San Francisco, Will Rodman, played by the dashing James Franco (“Spiderman” and “127 Hours”) becomes obsessed with his experiments on genetic engineering, desperate and determined to find a cure for Alzheimer’s. Touchingly, this is a personal struggle for the maverick scientist whose father, poignantly played by John Lithgow (“Harry and The Hendersons“), is battling the late stages of the disease. The research appears to take a disastrous turn when the primates subjected to testing react badly and the research gets boycotted by the greedy businessmen.

However, one positive is born from this experiment-gone-wrong. Will takes into his care a friendly infant chimp (cue the audience-approved ‘aww‘) giving him a loving home and family but also giving Rodman the opportunity to do further research. Caesar, the uncannily human-like and increasingly intelligent chimp, becomes a child to the scientist, who is mistakenly unaware of the animal’s great power. As their relationship develops, Caesar learns about his place in the human-dominated world and slowly comes to terms with this. The journey is bumpy and tumultuous at best, ultimately (you guessed it) leading to the cinematically epic rise of Caesar and the apes. The larger than life demonstration of the primates’ intelligence and brute strength makes for an exciting, striking (and admittedly a tiny bit terrifying) climax.

            

The story is told mainly from the perspective of Caesar which develops an intriguing plot. Modern technology updates a classic with these visually beautiful and incredibly detailed CGI primates that are as impressive as the convincing make-up effects of the originals. The relationships developed between Caesar and the humans and apes alike makes for a touching addition to the series. The connection portrayed by Franco and Lithgow with the leading ape is particularly heart-warming and emotional, directly contrasting with the evil ape-torturer, Tom Felton (“Harry Potter“) who will leave any animal lover’s blood boiling. Although the first half of the film is the fundamental character building and gets emotions running high, the second half will see you on the edge of your seat as the apes triumphantly come together in a rise that will see you supporting the revolutionaries. For some this film will be discredited based on its standardised Hollywood-esque finale with big bangs and grandiose cinematography; but suspend your disbelief for 105 minutes, (which isn’t hard considering the unnervingly-realistic construction of events that could be an all too real possibility) and you will find this movie draws you in, impresses and leaves you begging for more when the credits role. 

"Fashion Blogger of the Week!"

[Note: Originally written for a project - December 2011]

Take a peek at Lucy's style: http://lookbook.nu/lulutrixabelle

Lucy Sarah, better known in the blogosphere as ‘lulutrixabelle’, is one of our personal favourite fashion bloggers. This 19 year old London girl lives fashion. She’s a self-confessed shopaholic but not for high street or designer brands! She stands out from the crowd, not only because of her bright pink hair but because of her enviable talent in hunting out the best buys in charity stores and car boot sales. As a student, Lucy has successfully created and defined her image on a budget. Her low cost wardrobe is desired by many. Not only can Lucy find second-hand gems, she knows how to style and work an outfit; whether floaty and girly or edgy and adventurous, this fashionista’s way with clothes leaves us green with jealousy!

Alongside her love for discovering wardrobe treasures in charity stores, Lucy enjoys making and customising her own outfits. Her blog features tutorials on things such as ’designer’ laptop cases, fringed t-shirts and splashed bleach shorts so her avid followers can steal nuggets from Lucy’s creative brain to create their own on-trend items for cheap! Her tutorials often feature DIY versions of popular brand clothes, making her versions a great hit with those on a tight budget.

Extremely happy to win this award, the queen of thrifting speaks to us about her life, clothes, style and skills; and with a few of her fashion finding tips thrown in for good measure, you too can learn how to bag yourself some gorgeous bargains. Take note!

         

Today, Lucy rocks a typical charity-shop-find outfit. She puts her own twist on vintage, wearing a gorgeous full length black and white sheer skirt, teamed with a studded leather jacket, white Doc Martens and a vintage pink t-shirt to match her equally pink hair. Of course, all jewellery is charity shop chic; and fabulous, might we add.

It all started for Lucy when she began searching blogs online for outfit inspiration: “I often go online in the mornings to get ideas!” This soon prompted Lucy to start her own. First starting with the increasingly popular Tumblr to post her self-styled photos and then moving to BlogSpot to document her life too. Lucy not only uses her blog as a platform to spread her fashion knowledge but personally loves “reading back” and “seeing how [her] style changes over time”.

Lucy regularly finds herself admired in the virtual world for her fashion flair, with her followers asking for style-tips, outfit advice or simply to compliment her ever-changing style and expanding wardrobe: “It gives me a really funny feeling inside when I get complimented on my style, I get so happy!“ Lucy however, still feels like a relatively “new blogger, especially to BlogSpot” so she “really [appreciates] any kind messages from people“. The praise certainly hasn’t made this lovely lady into a diva!

However, despite the adoring fans lusting over Lucy’s eye for fashion and seemingly effortless style, her parents think she’s “just weird“. Lucy and her mother often don’t see eye to eye when it comes to shopping, especially when she picks up “an old granny skirt in a charity shop”. Her mum often “makes a funny face and says ‘ew, that’s horrible!’” But that’s the fascinating thing about Lucy’s sense of style: she can take something old, plain and boring and make it exciting and beautiful. Even her mum would agree that Lucy can jazz up anything, even a ‘granny skirt’: “once I put it into an outfit, it looks so much better and she says I can just pull it off.” Lucy describes her style as “a mixture of patterns textures and brands”. A particular favourite is matching “a £2 granny shirt with a 25p vintage belt, along with a £120 pair of shoes!” admitting her love for “splashing out on shoes”. We can’t blame Lucy; what girl doesn’t love a great pair of shoes! 

Looking back, Lucy has always had an interest in fashion and grew up surrounded with style and creative influences: “My Nan worked in the fashion industry and my mum's also very crafty, so I just have creative genes“. Lucy still owns the first fashion drawings she ever did, although admittedly they were “awful“. If this fashionista started out bad, then there’s still hope for the rest of us! Lucy’s love for fashion is “just in [her] blood”; starting from drawings at a young age and a love for textiles lessons at school, progressing to fashion studies at college and now there’s a degree in her favourite subject on the horizon as she explores fashion at University.  

Nowadays, awful fashion drawings seem a distant memory. Lucy can piece together items to create outfits from anywhere and anything. This self-confessed charity shop and car-boot sale addict gets “a buzz” from finding a bargain. Taking first place over high street stores are jumble sales too as “they are the cheapest places to buy clothes, especially vintage”. And Lucy’s top tip for readers? “Don’t be afraid to rummage!”. Although it may feel like trawling through a load of old “junk” it’s the only way you can find those hidden gems. Lucy certainly isn’t afraid to get stuck in and always reaps the benefits of this! “At car-boot sales I am often kneeling on the floor rummaging through piles of people's old clothes, but sometimes it’s a bit of a fight as with other girls doing the same!” So prepare to get competitive when you come across something especially good!

Lucy’s most important tip for developing your own style is: “be creative. Think of how you can customise an item and how you could incorporate it into an outfit. Don't just look at the clothes in your size, look at all sizes.” Taking a peek into her wardrobe, nearly all of the shirts are sizes that appear much too big for her small frame, but style them up right and you‘ve got a killer outfit. Also girls, don’t be afraid to “look in the men’s!”. You’ll be surprised what you can find that can be easily worked into an outfit; no-one will ever suspect that it’s labelled for men! Simply: “think of what you can do with an item”. Lucy isn’t afraid to take a risk with her clothes; ripping the sleeves off a shirt, cutting a pair of jeans into shorts or working the collar of a cut-up shirt into an outfit. Be experimental and it will pay off. Oh and of course, Lucy’s favourite: “stud it, stud everything!”.

Straight Lines Review

[Written: 15 ‎September ‎2011 (following my time working for Merthyr Rock.]

After recently seeing Straight Lines support Kids in Glass Houses at their phenomenal album launch show in Cardiff, I was excited to see what the Pontypridd lads would bring to Merthyr’s new festival, appropriately named Merthyr Rock.

Although they weren’t headliners, Straight Lines got the crowd going like the best of them. As soon as ‘Antics’ blasted out from the ‘Big Deal Clothing’ stage, a crowd flocked in. Fans pushed their way to the front, singing along to every word as the boys energetically threw themselves around on stage. Even the unpredictable Welsh weather couldn’t dampen people’s spirits - front man Tom had the crowd pumping their umbrellas into the air in spite of the downfall.

The set included ‘A place to stay’, ‘Say it for your sake’ and ‘All my friends have joined the army’ - some sure-fire festival hits from “Persistence in this game”. They also gave the crowd a taster of what to expect from the upcoming album with new song “Freaks like us“. Straight Lines spent the whole set lifting spirits but kept their most rousing anthem ‘til last: the triumphant ‘Set me on fire and feed me to the wolves’. During this song Tom called for a conga line and the enthusiastic crowd obliged, with young and old jubilantly snaking their way through the audience with hands raised in the air. 

Straight Lines’ set was a definite personal highlight from the whole festival; make sure you get your hands on the album! 

Experience: Merthyr Rock!

In the Summer of last year I was given the amazing opportunity to intern at Merthyr Rock. As if that wasn't great enough, it was also the first year for this Welsh festival. Being able to work with big and upcoming Welsh names in my home country made me so proud! 

Throughout the Summer, I was involved in the promotion of the event especially on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and my own blog. I also set up and ran a fan blog for the festival to create a buzz around the event. In addition to this I put up posters and handed out flyers. 

My role in the 3-day spectacular was as part of  the crew (having a backstage pass was an odd but incredible experience for someone who's always wondered what goes on behind the scenes!).

 Being part of the crew meant that I was involved in:

• Chaperoning the artists - namely; Cuba Cuba, Evarose, Straight Lines, The Guns and Funeral for a Friend
• Working on Artists Reception - welcoming in the bands, their guests and dealing with queries
• Preparing bands to go on stage - checking they were there on time, bringing water and towels
• Working back stage - tidying and preparing the green room and dressing rooms, preparing the riders
• Organising the bands' signings
• Working in admin -  managing bands, making the passes and door signs

     Not everything was as glamorous and rock 'n' roll as it might seem but it was a fantastic learning experience and I had a great time. I learned a lot about the industry and the hard work that goes on to make festivals run smoothly and I built on my confidence and professional skills through working and interacting with such a wide variety of people and new situations. It also brought about other opportunities linked to my desired career areas such as I wrote a live review of Straight Lines (which I shall post up asap) for AmpedWales. 

   

    I will definitely be applying to work at more festivals in the future and if you're interested in a career in live music I highly recommend you do so too!

Investigate Online!

I am currently working on an investigation into the worth of a degree. Within my role as Community Manager I will be talking to those at the heart of this topic, trying to answer their questions and summarise the views and findings. Hopefully the insights and findings from this investigation will help draw light to some very important issues and to address where important  changes need to be made.

I recently posted a piece that pointed out some very interesting questions and ideas about whether arts degrees should be less important, with trainee-ships tacking precedence. Additionally, the value of gaining work experience through internships alongside a degree is becoming apparent in today's society.

Don't hesitate to get involved! Feel free to share your ideas or ask questions.

Make sure you follow us on our investigative journey! The outcomes will be summarised in the final investigation story by our editor by Tuesday 6th March 2012.

http://www.investigateonline.co.uk/

Bella Diem!

As part of my plan to keep you up-to-date with the work I'm currently involved in, expect to see the lovely, quirky and talented Bella Diem pop up a fair bit! I am working alongside the three other team members to create a promotional campaign for the band prior to the release of their new single.

Myself, Carlie, Emily and Ash (or 'Alt PR') and Bella Diem are excited about the outcomes as we are very optimistic about this challenge! The campaign will involve creating promotional posters, single artwork and similar material using images from Carlie's recent photo-shoot with the band. My main role, alongside my general helping out here-and-there, is in the written aspect of the promotion; so I'll be tackling the press releases, covering letters and band's biography. 

I'll keep you up to date with our progress and look forward to sharing the final products with you! 

If you're interested in checking the band out, head here for more information or, more importantly, to check out their music!

Studio work with FTW

Something I am eager to blog about is my recent photography session in the studio with new and upcoming boy band 'FTW' or 'For The Weekend'. You can check them and the music out here! It was a great opportunity as although I have worked in the studio before, I had not yet had the chance to work with 'models' or rather people who particularly wanted to be photographed. (Thankfully I have great friends who will pose for me for assignment work with a little persuasion!)

Shooting the boys was excellent as they worked with the camera, were full of ideas and enthusiastic. I found using the grey background (rather than the white) was particularly effective as it complimented the clothing and skin tones much better. I hope to do more studio work using it and trying out different lighting.

The final images are now with the management company and being used for FTW's promotional campaign (so you might see them around!) prior to their new single release! It's very exciting to see my own work being used and has given me that extra encouragement to gain more experience in photography.

Here are examples of the original final images and promotional material featuring my work:

(You can also find a link to my personal portfolio of work on Flickr located in the tabs on the right, enjoy!)

Let me know what you think of the work, feedback is always welcome!

Welcome!

My name is Hannah and this is my professional blog where I shall be posting about everything related to my interests and studies in Media.

I am currently a second year student at Birmingham City University, studying Media and Communications. I thoroughly enjoy the work, new experiences and challenges it brings. My degree has aided me in developing my skills in the areas of Music (the industry and business aspect, rather than playing!), Journalism, Photography and PR. I am highly interested in all of these ideas and I am working towards a career that involves all ideally, however I would love to work in any of those fields. 

This blog will therefore be a space for me to showcase my various work, projects, to discuss any interesting media topics and to update you on any work I am undertaking or experiences I have. 

Please feel free to give feedback on my work or to discuss ideas with me!