Thought Den were invited down again to Bournemouth University last week to run a professional studies day to second year Interactive Multimedia, Script Writing and Film Production students. So we packed our buckets, spades and a condensed version of our Thought Den Industry Day workshop and headed to the seaside. With Ben being away in San Fran, Helen (that’s me) developed the session with Dan, adding my unique insight into multi platform production into the Industry Day package.

The Industry Day was part of the students Professional Studies module, the aim of which was an introduction to the processes involved with producing content for the current market. With this vast subject in mind, we chose to include reflections on current market trends, ethics, legal issues, pitching, production roles, career routes and brainstorming methods. Opening with a ‘Pop Quiz’ to assertain the student’s understanding of terms used in current media production (and to make sure everyone was awake), we were able to focus on areas in which they were less knowledgable later on in the day. The day ended with the students developing ideas to pitch for the Bournemouth University student television channel, ‘BUStation‘ using the techniques that we had shared with them.

In addition to our professional commitments, there was also the important task of getting fish and chips to eat down by the sea, however, with autum starting to show signs of arriving, a walk along the beach…on the way to a nice pub (http://www.sixtymillionpostcards.com/) which served fish and chips (with mushy peas, thank you) was chosen instead.

Contact us if you are looking for help with external lecturers for a Professional studies modules or similar. Places with a good reputation for fish, chips and mushy peas will be given priority…

Thought Den have just returned from a whirlwind trip to the big smoke to check out the fresh new talent blossoming onto the creative scene. Free Range at The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane has been running for a while, and as an ex-Bournemouth student I exhibited there myself; it proved to be a great start to the career, and I also got to collect millions of cool postcards from all the illustrators at Central St Martins, Camberwell, UCA etc.

We were invited to the preview of the Screen Grab showcase, the Bournemouth Media School lot, who over the years have created a name for themselves as interactive maestros, mixing interactive displays with 3D Unity games, iPhone apps, hyperlocal Google mashups and social networking. Course leader Mik Parsons gets in the groove with Aneurin’s drum-tastic drumming game…

The beer and busines cards flowed but we had to make our drunken exit for an early train. There’s some really great work there and it’s open for the coming weekend so head down if you’ve got time. It’s also right by Spitalfields, where Dan and I snuck in some cheeky Capoeira…

It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally arrived. Take a look at Bournemouth’s new Virtual Tour. We’re really really proud of this one because it combines the best of Thought Den in one sexy package – we had to create an engaging, well organised, comprehensive & beautiful looking guide to the Uni, so we pulled out all the stops. 3D animations, After FX, image galleries, videos, lovely colours, lovely menus. Let us know what you think, and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you like what you see

Read more about it in our portfolio. This is the latest in a long line of products we’ve produced for Bournemouth Uni and the fruitful relationship continues – we’ll be releasing another one early next year for the Centre for Excellence in Media Practice.

Some of you might already have heard about our dalliances with the world of education, but here in all it’s glory is the launch video for our Industry Day product. It was all filmed on location at Bournemouth University Media School with the 2nd year students on Interactive Media Production. We had a fantastic time with everyone down there and can’t wait to roll it out around Britain in the next academic year. Find out more about the Industry Day, and check out Dan’s sexy centre-parting in the video below…

The project was first commissioned through the Centre for Excellence in Media Practice, based at Bournemouth Media School. There is more information here about the day on the CEMP site. A big thankyou to Holly Budge of Hip Joint Films for her hard work on the video. There’ll be a 3 minute taster on the way too, as this one might be a little long for the casual user…