SBS Media Mentorship Applications Now Open

• Are you studying Media at Macquarie in 2012?
• Are you from a non-English speaking background?

Macquarie University has partnered with SBS and the Ethnic Communities' Council of New South Wales (ECC) to offer a free dynamic training and mentoring program for up to 10 students who are commencing their first year in Macquarie University's Media program in 2012. You are encouraged to apply if you have a non-English speaking refugee or migrant, and low income family background. Second and third year students are also welcome to apply, however priority will be given to first year students.  Applications close Friday 9 March 2012.

Download the application form for more details: SBS Media Mentorship Application Form 2012

Contemporary Indonesian Sounds Come to Macquarie

The Macquarie University Gamelan Ensemble was established by Dr. Andrew Alter, Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Music Studies (MMCCS) at the beginning of 2011. The ensemble's goal is to explore the contemporary world of Indonesian music. The group primarily performs new works in the 'Pop Sunda' style of West Java, combining traditional sounds with contemporary improvisation incorporating violin and saxophone. Ensemble members include staff from the disciplines of Music and Media Studies, Post-graduate students from across the Department of MMCCS and undergraduate students in Music. Guests from the University of New England, Armidale will create an added fusion of sound flavours. The group's debut performances promise to be an exciting showcase of musical talent at Macquarie.

The ensemble will be playing two concerts in the middle of November. Admission is free for both!

On Thursday, November 17 at 6:00 pm the ensemble will present its first concert on the campus of Macquarie University in the Drama Studio (187) - Building Y3A.

On Saturday, November 19 at 6:30 pm the ensemble will be joining the Sydney University Balinese Gamelan group to play a twilight concert at the Old Darlington School on the Sydney Campus. The combination of West Javanese and Balinese sounds promises to entrance you as the sun sets over Sydney. Come with your picnic dinner and your friends to experience great music in a wonderful setting.

Screen Production Festival Successes

The short documentary MAURICE has been invited to the Show Me Shorts festival in New Zealand and the Blue Mountains Film Festival. To date three student documentaries (MAURICE, BETTER ON THE INSIDE, GENERAL DANG) produced during MAS312 (Advanced Screen Production 1) have been acknowledged beyond the University. BETTER ON THE INSIDE was invited to the Canberra Film Festival and GENERAL DANG is a finalist in the national Atom Awards. This is really an excellent result for the students.

Alex Munt Interviewed by Quest

Alex Munt is interviewed in Quest magazine about his film 'LBF'.

FBI's Northern Lights competition

Oliver Tank, a third year music student, recently entered FBI's Northern Lights competition, and has just been announced as a finalist. There are 6 finalists from around the world and the top 2 will be sponsored to perform at Iceland's Airwaves Music Festival.

Click here to listen to the finalists and vote

Voting closes August 31.

Screen students' music video selected for film festival

Congratulations to all students who collaborated on Should I Let Go - a music video made in MAS313 Advanced Screen Production 2 (2010).

Produced by James Brettell and written and directed by Ally Kvisle, Should I Let Go has been selected for the Dungog Film Festival. A terrific achievement!

Film screens Friday 27 May.

Dungog Film Festival website: http://www.dff.org.au/2011/index.html

Commonwealth Writers' Prize Shortlist 2011

MMCCS PhD candidate Amanda Lohrey
was recently shortlisted for the prestigious Commonwealth Writers' Prize.

Amanda is one of five writers in the South East Asia and Pacific Region shortlisted in the Best Book category for her book of short stories entitled 'Reading Madame Bovary'.

Congratulations to Amanda on this significant achievement!

http://www.commonwealthfoundation.com/NewsArticle.aspx?articleID=146

Screen Production Film Success

Posted: 23rd November 2010

The short film 'Ribbon' produced by MMCCS second year screen production students won the prestigious Audience Award at the Great North Shore Short Film Competition held recently at the Events Cinema, Hornsby.

The annual competition is designed to stimulate artistic creativity, showcase local talent and receives entries from right across Australia. Writer/ director Alexandra Charles and the crew Elizabeth Fennel, Thomas Roberts, Elizabeth Hamilton, Natalie Parker and Emma Shuttleworth were there to collect the award.

Congratulations to our MMCCS screen production students!

MMCCS Student film wins award

Posted: 3rd November 2010

Congratulation to B.Media graduate Toby Morris (Writer/Director) and the crew for the short drama film 'Before Sundown' which recently won the Canberra Short Film Festival collecting a prize of $1,000. The short film has is also screening at the Fantastic Planet Film Festival (Best Australian Short Film Category) at the Chauvel Cinema and at the New York City Downtown Short Film Festival during November 2010. 'Before Sundown' was completed as a student film project in an advanced screen production unit in the Department of Media, Music, Communication & Cultural Studies.

The film can be viewed online at Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/12868148

MMCCS Student wins Aria award

Posted: 2nd November 2010

Master of Contemporary Improvisation Student wins Aria award for best World Music Album Bobby Singh, a disciple of the great tabla maestro Aneesh Pradhan, is one of the most sought-after musicians on the Australian world music circuit and is the first choice for musicians from India touring Australia and New Zealand. Bobby has played with such luminaries as Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Purbayan Chatterjee, Shashank Subramanium & Guru Karaikudimani amongst many others. Outside of the milieu of Indian classical music, Bobby has also formed many partnerships with some of Australia's best known musicians. Crossing many styles of music from Drum & Bass with The Bird to Western Classical with Slava Grigoryan to Blues & Roots with John Butler & Jeff Lang.

Website: bobbysingh.com.au

Media in bhutan

Posted: 1st November 2010

Media student Natasha Akib recently travelled to Bhutan to take up an internship on the first privately owned newspaper, the Bhutan Observer. As part of her assessment, Natasha has agreed to contribute regularly to a blog about her experiences.

Bhutan - the tiny Himalayan kingdom-turned-democracy - only allowed the introduction of television and the internet in 1999. The internship will provide Natasha with unique insights into the challenges the country faces in moving from an isolated rural economy to the digital communication age.

The internship has been established between the paper and MMCCS due to the efforts of journalist Bunty Avieson. Bunty, a long term observer of Bhutan, was funded by the United Nations to train and advise journalists on the Bhutan Observer for 12 months in 2008/9. Her experiences during that time provided the fieldwork for her PhD by creative production which she is completing with MMCCS.

http://tashlovestotravel.blogspot.com