Four students from Bath Spa University have triumphed in the Royal Television Society West of England awards.
BA Creative Media Practice (CMP) graduates Luke Taylor, Gabby Hawes and Geoffrey Clinch along with BA (Hons) Film and Screen Studies graduate Rosie Jones were among the award winners at the presentation evening staged on Monday at Bristol’s Watershed media centre.
Luke and Rosie won the combined award in the Open category with their film, Nan. The film was created directed, written and edited by Luke and produced by Rosie. Featuring Luke’s real life grandmother, the plot focusses around the idea that grandparents teach you the things you know and help you through growing up. You then repay the favour for them as they grow older and require help themselves.
Gabby Hawes completed her undergraduate degree in 2014 and is currently studying for an MA in Feature Filmmaking. Gabby won the Drama award with her film, Unseen. Written and directed by Gabby, Unseen looks into the severity behind human trafficking and domestic servitude and follows the emotions and struggles that go with it
Gabby said: “My producer Alex Pugh and I are thrilled with this RTS award. It is a wonderful recognition of the hard work by our talented cast and crew. I have every hope that our nominations for the upcoming National Royal Television Society Awards will show Bath Spa to be an excellent destination for aspiring filmmakers.”
Geoffrey Clinch also won an award in the Comedy and Entertainment category for his film Square Eyes. This film was written, directed and edited by Geoffrey who created it as part of his third year personal project on the CMP course. Square Eyes looks into the effects of video games where one young man plays them so often that he starts to experience them in real life.
Geoffrey said: “Winning the award was fantastic, especially as I wasn't really going in expecting to win, but I'm just glad the judges enjoyed my film as much as I did making it.”
Head of Film, Media and Creative Computing at Bath Spa University, Terence Rodgers, added: “We are delighted by the success of our recent media graduates at the RTS awards, which adds to Bath Spa's reputation as one of the top creative universities in the UK.”
The ceremony was also attended by presenter and wildlife filmmaker Patrick Aryee, who gave a keynote speech advising students on how to make a successful impact on the TV industry.
Pictured: Luke Taylor and Rosie Jones
