Media and Film 09
Our annual INSET event for Media and Film Studies teachers was our biggest and most successful yet, with over 120 teachers from schools and colleges around the UK and beyond. Media and Film 2010 will be on 16 and 17 September. 

Film education training research
We’ve been awarded a tender by the Film Agency for Wales to investigate training needs for film education in Wales.
The aim is to develop accredited training, both for those with some expertise or experience, and for those who work with children and young people and would like to learn about using film and film-making.
If you are interested or have views on this, please visit www.mediaedwales.org.uk/cpdresearch.htm to complete our online questionnaire

Blog
We now have examples of project work on a blog. If your place of work blocks Blogger or YouTube you will need to watch it from home. We will shortly be including examples directly on this site.

Ffilmschool 2
We have just completed the classroom activities for our year-long project on non-narrative film, poetry and music in Briton Ferry. This project, with years 6 and 7, has produced some fascinating work and helped us to develop new approaches to film-making in the classroom. Thanks to the Film Agency for Wales, the Arts Council of Wales and Neath Port Talbot CBC for their support. A brief project description and examples of work here, and we’re hoping to produce a much more detailed online report and evaluation in the near future.

Media and Film 08
Our annual two-day INSET for Media Studies teachers expands this year to include WJEC GCSE and A-level Film Studies. We have plenty of interesting sessions lined up, including beginners’ sessions, course planning, how to teach current and forthcoming topics, practical coursework (including website design, digital photography and video), and a guest session on advertising from Dr John Jewell of Cardiff University. There will be a wine reception and book launch on Thursday afternoon and we’re arranging a minibus shuttle between the hotel and the venue. You can download a booking form here.

CP3
Tom Barrance delivered workshops on using iMovie, and on image, sound and montage, at Film Education’s CP3 2008 INSET conference at the University of Sussex in July.

Apple Teacher Institute
In April Tom provided an introduction to film language, and workshops on Final Cut Express, at the Apple Teacher Institute in Cheltenham College.

International events
Tom Barrance ran a series of workshop on digital video at an ICT training conference for international schools at the British School, Brussels in June. He also presented work from the Ffilmschool 1 and 2 projects at a European seminar on Media production by young people and media literacy in Paris at the end of June.

First Campus
During April and May we ran a series of one-day workshops in Primary schools in the Gwent valleys for First Campus.. We also ran a one-day workshop for deaf young people at University of Wales Newport.

Animation for GCSE Media Studies
We’ve now run two successful courses on animation with Oscar Stringer in February and July with the support of the WJEC.

MediaEd
We’ve just undertaken a complete redesign of the MediaEd website, with expanded forums, greater interactivity, and a change of focus to more general use of media, film and film-making in Primary and Secondary schools.

Making movies make sense
You can now order our CD-ROM on film language and film-making online, using Paypal, debit or credit card. Click here for more information.

Poetry and Film
Fifteen poets from Wales and England came together at the end of April for a weekend exploring the relationship between poetry and film, montage and metaphor. Tom Barrance of Media Education Wales, Mark Reid of BFI Education, and Ynyr Williams of Salem Films supported the poets while they worked in groups on bilingual film poems. There are photos of the weekend here. We’re now planning to run film and poetry workshops for children.

Making movies make sense
Our CD-ROM on film language was highly commended in the Learning and Skills Hardware, Software, Content, and Tools category, at the BETT Awards 2006. It was also shortlisted in the English Key Stages 3 and 4 category.

Media 21
85 Media Studies teachers attended our annual INSET in September 2007. Following the succes of the event we are expanding it this year to include GCSE and A-level Film Studies. Media and Film 08 will be on 2 and 3 October, again in Ty Dysgu, Nantgarw, just north of Cardiff.

Media Teachers' Association
The UK professional association of media teachers is now established and we'll be organising another Wales meeting in Cardiff within the next few weeks.

Deall ffilmiau, gwneud ffilmiau
The Welsh version of Making movies make sense is now available. For more details click on the link above.

Suggested video equipment for Media Studies
We've recently updated the list of equipment which we produced with support from the WJEC. This is a free downloadable PDF with a list of what you need in terms of filming and editing equipment, with suggested models and prices.

Llunyddiaeth
We are doing several INSET sessions on films for GCSE and A-level Welsh this year. We'll shortly be adding Solomon a Gaenor to the films we can cover, as the WJEC will be offering it as an alternative to Hedd Wyn for A-level Welsh Second Language.