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Leeds Met students create film for O2 Media Awards
Legendary England Cricket Umpire Dickie Bird and Emmerdale actresses Alicya Eyo and Nicola Wheeler were among the celebrities who attended the event at the University's Rose Bowl building.
The three-minute film of the awards, created by Leeds Met Journalism and Broadcast Media undergraduates, can be seen on O2's official website: http://news.o2.co.uk/?press-release=o2-media-awards-yorkshire-and-humber-2013-2.
Student Charles Clark, who was tasked with the on-camera interviews for the production, said: "Getting to work with O2 was such a brilliant experience. It was my job to interview all of the award winners and celebrities who presented the awards, as and when they came off the stage. Because the ceremony was quite fast paced, I had to think on my feet for a few of the interviews which was a challenge, but we all pulled it off in the end. I really enjoyed it and I felt the experience gave me a genuine taste of how it must be for professional broadcast journalists."
Undergraduate Henry Arnold worked on footage which was aired on BBC Look North, while Charles Engwell edited the film for the O2 website. Charles said: "We wanted to capture the atmosphere of the award ceremony and show people what the event was all about. It is tough to cover a two hour event in just three minutes but hopefully as a team, we pulled it off nicely.
"The event itself was a lot of fun despite me being locked away in an editing room with the pressure of a looming deadline! Getting to work for O2 was an absolute must-not-miss opportunity that was equally as stressful as it was exhilarating! Overall it was wonderful experience."
Students Chris White and Max Ryan filmed the awards; Nikolai Baker was a runner; Photojournalism students Thomas Gadd and Rebecca Leggott photographed the event and Natalie Casey and Ryan Parrish worked with O2's Social Media Editor to provide social media coverage on the night.
Leeds Met's Journalism Course Leader, Jenny Kean, commented: "It was a brilliant night. The students couldn't afford to get anything wrong because they were working for real with the pressure of producing something for a multinational company. They really rose to the challenge and I was so impressed by their professionalism. Everyone involved is really proud of the final film and photographs produced."
Ann McCracken, Communications Manager at Telefonica UK Limited, added: "It was a real pleasure to work with the media students and their tutors. We set high standards to deliver a truly professional and memorable night. An audience of media professionals set a high bar and the students excelled.
"O2 believes in young people. Our Think Big programme helps empower 13-25 year olds to make a difference in their community and our O2 Media Awards has a category specifically aimed at identifying Emerging Talent.
"This year, our involvement with the Leeds Met team added a new dimension. Everyone who worked with them has been full of praise. The results of their work is out there as part of our coverage and I would challenge anyone to identify the paid professional from the student."