I could talk endlessly about how much I enjoyed studying Film & Television at this University. I left a piece of my heart there, and as I said to one of the lecturers in a slightly threatening tone at the class farewell party: “One day, I will come back”. So when I became Editor-in-Chief this year, one of my first thoughts was: “how can I collaborate with the Film & TV department more?”. And that’s how I found out about Future Creatives. Future Creatives is an event which showcases School of Culture and Creative Arts (SCCA) students’ work: films, music, theatre productions and writing. As a former student in SCCA, I have been looking forward to this event all summer. Yes, all summer, when Glasgow is bright until eleven at night, when you can have nice barbecues outside, and everything feels light. I had forgotten how dark November days can be in Glasgow. And I am not only talking about the weather; the looming deadlines at this time of the year feel like a dead weight on your back. You might be thinking this is a bit dramatic and negative of me. It definitely is, but I promise you, there is light at the end of this tunnel.
The first event I signed up for was a screening of short movies written and directed by students. These short films are part of a collaboration UofG has with GMAC, and they are part of the Applied Dissertation in Community & Collaborative Practice Course, part of my beloved Film & TV. All students worked with community groups in Glasgow, and aimed to feature their work.
The first short movie was Music Broth by Tara Jackson and Nico Peden. Music Broth is a community space which aims to make music more accessible to all. This was followed by Mind the Men by Jay Hargreaves, Sam Hussey & Michael Roberton, a suicide prevention and support group for men. We then watched Bluevale Community Club, a community hub in the Southside by Abby Gibson, Ally Nicolas and Felix Round. Last but not least, Pride Outside by Luisa Connarty & Jenny MacInnes. Pride Outside is a social enterprise that helps organisations to be more inclusive not only during Pride month, but throughout the year. These short movies had nothing to envy the ones you see during the Glasgow Short Film Festival! They were brilliantly shot, and through voice-overs, I felt like I was in the room with the students, talking to the people they were interviewing. All the stories were heart-warming, and I am really glad I got to get to know these community groups, whom I might have never heard of otherwise.
I then attended the live music event Song, Singing, and Vocality. It started with Music student Emma Beech, who sang stories associated with male voices and explored how these changes, if performed by a female soprano. The performance felt intimate, like we were in Emma’s own room, and she was doing karaoke using an upside-down hairbrush as a mic. Emma sang A Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen, Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis, You Should Probably Leave by Christ Stapleton and Faith by George Michael. I had never reflected on the difference between male and female voices in music, and her performance got me to think about it. These songs, sung by Emma, felt different. They felt softer, gentler, and calmer. Eleanor Baughan performed after Emma. Eleanor is a Music and Italian student and songwriter, who did a year abroad in Puglia, Italy. Her songs capture moments of her year abroad, covering moments of her journey between Scotland and Italy. I will admit I had to hold back my tears while listening to FaceTime Calls and Buonanotte.
The full-day event ended with a reception, during which Katie Duffy, Head of Arts and Music at Glasgow Life and UofG alumni, delivered a speech about the creative scene in Glasgow. Following this, Frank Herman, UofG History of Art student and DJ at Subcity radio, hosted a DJ set. In her speech, Katie Duffy talked about her time at this University. As someone who knows UofG and Glasgow inside and out, I asked Katie what events such as Future Creatives tell us about the next generation of talent in Glasgow. To Katie, Future Creative is indicative of a creative industry that is innovative, one that is always looking evolving: “The only constant thing is change: people’s habits have changed in terms of how they experience culture and how they want to participate in it. But I think it’s exciting. So culture, especially off the back of the kind of work that was here today, is the most innovative sector and industry that is. There will always be innovation in this sector, and this is what’s exciting. Pushing the boundaries… That’s what we can rely on!”. She recommends all students to “stay true to your specialism. […] While I might have gone around it sometimes, I have always come back to music as my discipline and the lens I see the world through. […] Music connects me to the world. […] Whatever you’re studying here: just embrace it and let that open up your world.”
On that cold November day, the short movies and performances reminded me that not everything is dark and not everything is heavy. I entered the GUU rooms feeling extremely burdened by my work and the University deadlines, but as I was sitting in a corner with my notebook taking notes for this piece, I felt all my worries going away, and the weight of looming deadlines was not that heavy. The range of performances means that there is a niche for everyone, and being an all-day event makes it perfect for anyone to stop by between one class and another. For all the students looking for a moment of calm in the chaos that November can bring, Future Creatives is the event to turn to.
Photo credits: Stephen McCann, Head of Photographic Unit at UofG.
