New Screen School for Liverpool

Phil Redmond backs North West’s first Screen School

It's already the most filmed location in the UK outside London and boasts an impressive list of creative talents who have helped transform the broadcasting industry.

Now Liverpool is planning another premier by becoming home to the North West of England's first Screen School.

Developed by Liverpool John Moores University, the Liverpool Screen School will embrace all forms of digital media, offering practice-based education and training on all aspects of TV, film, journalism, radio and news production as well as computer games, interactive media and animation.

The new School has the backing of the BBC, Granada, FACT, EMAP and Trinity Mirror as well as leading figures such as Phil Redmond, co-founder of Mersey Television.

Phil Redmond, who is also an LJMU Honorary Professor, said:

"Liverpool John Moores University has always been quick to grasp technological solutions and the Screen School embraces the seismic shifts in digital technology that have changed how we engage and interact with, not just films, TV and radio but also the internet, our mobile phones and games consoles.

"The digital content industry in Liverpool has the potential to become one of the greatest in the world. We already have competitive games companies, design houses and production studios. The Screen School will build on this and strengthen the creative industries sector still further."

The development of the Screen School marks the next stage in LJMU's drive to become a national centre of excellence in all aspects of digital technologies.

Professor Roger Webster, Dean of LJMU’s Faculty of Media Arts and Social Science, explained:

“Creativity has always been one of Merseyside's greatest resources. The Liverpool Screen School capitalises on this potential and by dissolving the boundaries between film, television and multimedia production and embracing the potential of new technologies, we can give our students a huge advantage in this increasingly important sector."

“If the planned relocation of the BBC goes ahead, the North West will be the largest broadcasting centre outside London. The Liverpool Screen School will ensure that the region as a whole and Liverpool in particular will have the skilled and creative practitioners that the broadcasting industry needs in order to capitalise on emerging opportunities and technological developments."

Over the next three years, LJMU is planning to develop a new building to house the Screen School, bringing its programmes in journalism, media professional studies, screen studies and interactive media together under one roof.

Boasting state-of-the-art filming, editing and post-production facilities, the Screen School will form an integral part of the University's new Creative Industries Campus along with the University's new Art and Design Academy, due to open in 2008.

Professor Michael Brown, Vice Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University, said:

“We are a University very much connected to industry and the Liverpool Screen School is the latest manifestation of our long term commitment to equipping our students with the skills demanded by today’s employers.”

Margaret McClelland, Development Executive at the BBC, agreed:

"It's essential that Industry works with education to meet the skills agenda, developing both new skills and a new generation of talent. That talent needs to be capable of developing new products and ideas to bring technology to life for audiences. Existing professionals also need access to development and it's important that education and industry work together here too. The Screen School is a valuable addition to the industry in the region."

LJMU has led the way in forming innovative partnerships with the broadcast and digital media industries over the last 20 years.

In 1995, the University launched its pioneering media professional studies course in conjunction with Phil Redmond and Mersey Television. LJMU has subsequently forged close links with the BBC, Channel 4, Granada, EMAP, Trinity Mirror and other leading media organisations, keeping its courses professionally relevant and up-to-date while also giving students exceptional placement opportunities.

In 2001, again in conjunction with Phil Redmond, LJMU established its International Centre for Digital Content (ICDC), a world leader in digital content design and solutions. ICDC regularly works with the BBC, Channel 4, AMD, Nokia and Hewlett-Packard as well as local businesses and community groups.

This was swiftly followed by the UK’s first business incubator for the digital industries, DigitalINC, which has an excellent track record in attracting and retaining technology companies in Merseyside.

More recently, LJMU again became the first UK university to use cutting-edge, industry-standard broadcast software to teach journalism students how the news makes it from around the world into our living-rooms.