Tag Archives: xtv
XTV goes to Eurogamer 2013
Preview: After Life
It’s been a bumper year for XTV: hosting the NaSTAs, winning multiple awards and turning out some truly impressive work. Before it’s shown in full next week, I took some time out to watch Tom Bond’s darkly comic After Life – a tale of sex, death and spaghetti séances. 
The show is, roughly, an absurdist take on romance; less boy-meets-girl than manchild-meets-cynic. When overgrown perv Alex (played with panache by Jon Jones) is set up with Lucy (Lindsey Harris), he thinks he might just have found his perfect girl. That is, until he’s woken by a phone call telling him she’s been run over. How’s that for pillow talk?
But nevermind: being the emotional manchild he is, Alex soon recovers, and takes to stalking the local record shop in hopes of finding his next dream girl. When the shop owner (Lorna Miller) takes pity on our creep hero, Alex seems to have moved on for good.
But then Lucy miraculously reappears, and everything Alex thought he knew gets turned disastrously – and hilariously – on its head.
In a less astute director’s hands, After Life might have been too ridiculous a set-up. In practice, it’s a sharply executed, well-acted piece of black comedy, and a promising start to the new term.
You can watch After Life in full on Wednesday 2nd of October, 7-8.30pm in the M&D Room, Devonshire House, and catch episode one below:
For more info on XTV, follow them on Facebook
Jess O’Kane, Screen Editor
Behind the Scenes: Who are XTV?
Becky Mullen, Games Editor, introduces the student television station.
XTV is the university’s very own film and television station. They are run entirely for students by students, and have produced everything from skit shows and dramatic feature films to stop-animation, news bulletins, documentaries, live broadcasts and more. If you fancy directing, writing, editing, filming or starring in your own project, XTV is the society for you!
Becoming a member of XTV gives you access to everything you need to make your own film or television show. No experience is necessary to get involved and most of their members learn on the spot from each other. By joining you will get full use of their equipment, editing suite, and, more importantly, the other members! XTV is a friendly, welcoming team of students always willing to help each other out. So if you’ve got an amazing film idea but don’t know where to start, they can help. If you know exactly what to do and just need someone to hold a boom pole at a funny angle, they can do that too. Or if you just want to jump in and learn some useful media skills while having a lot of fun and making new friends – well, you get the idea.
And XTV isn’t just for people interested in production – lots of opportunities are available in front of the camera too! If you’re interested in trying screen acting or presenting, they’ll help you put together your own show reel, with lots of fun and friends along the way.
If you can’t make their Freshers’ taster sessions, drop by one of their shoots or members’ meetings. For updates, crew-calls, and audition info, follow them on Facebook or Twitter (@XTVOnline) – and make sure to check out their award-winning content at xtvonline.co.uk!
XTV Roundup 5/06/2013 – A Bumper Week of Awards, Workshops and Videos
Your regular guide to what those busy bees over at XTV have been doing, and how you can get involved in future projects.
News
A very boozy night was had by all at the annual Xmedia Awards on Sunday night.
XTV came away with several winners and runners-up, including Best Feature and Best Innovation. To see the full list of winners, click here.
NaSTA domination
More NaSTA nominees have gone up this week. First up: the wonderful Sketchpad, which was Highly Commended for Best Animation.
Next, Rob Seabrook’s documentary “Road to an XTV Music Video”, in which I can be found lurking:
And last but not least, music show The Venue, presented by Georgia Goodyer and Henry Coulshed:
Arts Week
XTV are holding a workshop in Screen Acting and camera skills this Friday, the 7th of June in Room 5, Cornwall House. It should be a lot of fun and would be a great way to introduce yourself if you’d like to get involved next term. To view the Facebook event, click here.
Jess O’Kane, Screen Online Editor
The Xmedia Awards 2013 results
The annual Xmedia Awards were held on June 2nd in the Thistle Hotel.
The evening saw Exeter’s student media gather to celebrate the best across XTV, Exeposé, Exeposé Online and XpressionFM.
Incoming Students’ Guild President, Hannah Barton, and incoming Vice President Participation and Campuses, Jak Curtis-Rendall, were on-hand to host the ceremony.
The award judges included:
Rhodri Jones – Assistant Editor, the i Newspaper
Matthew Sydney – Senior Producer, BBC News
Chris Cook – Lead Director, BBC News
Ted Kravitz – Pit-lane reporter, Sky Sports
Adam Hunt – TV Producer, former XTV station manager
Adam Walmesley – Journalist, former News Editor from Exeposé
The winners are listed below:
BEST FEATURE
1st – ‘The Venue Goes Record Shopping’ (James Tyndall, Henry Coulshed and Jamie Grace – XTV).
2nd – ‘Road to an XTV Music Video’ (Rob Seabrook – XTV)
3rd – ‘How much is your virginity worth to you?’ (Dom Madar – Exeposé)
MOST ENTERTAINING
1st – ‘Wake and Bake’ (Laurence Foreman and Gareth Jones – XpressionFM)
2nd – ‘The Big Broadcast for Children in Need’ (George Graham, Gareth Jones and the Big Broadcast Team – XpressionFM)
3rd – ’10 things to do with Exeposé’ (Zoe Bulaitis, Tom Payne, Ben Murphie and Ellie Steafel – Exeposé)
BEST REVIEW/PREVIEW
1st – ‘Django Unchained’ (Owen Keating – Exeposé)
2nd – ‘The Star Wars Holiday Special (Rob Harris – Exeposé)
3rd – ‘Argo’ (Kat Hyland, Sam Osman, Tini Papatheodorou and Chris Davies – XTV)
BEST INTERVIEW
1st – ‘Martin McDonagh from Cameo: London BFI Special’ (Kat Hyland, Sam Osman and Rob Seabrook – XTV)
2nd – Peter Hitchens (James Crouch and Meg Drewett – Exeposé)
3rd – Mr. Scruff (Eleanor Loftie – XpressionFM)
BEST USE OF PRODUCTION, IMAGERY OR DESIGN
1st – Guild Elections Week 2013 (Amelia Jenkinson, Genevieve Ladd, Hazel Morgan and the XpressionFM production team – XpressionFM)
2nd – Aeternus Terrarum titles (Becki Pantling and Jamie MacLeod – XTV)
3rd – Exeposé 25th Anniversary (Zoe Bulaitis and Tom Payne – Exeposé)
THE i NEWSPAPER AWARD FOR BEST NEWS/COVERAGE
1st – Tuesday Night Sport (Joe Alexander, Will Baker, Simon Dewhurst, Ben Kaye, Alex Manning and Ben Warden – XpressionFM)
2nd – Cameo: London BFI Special (Kat Hyland, Sam Osman, Chris Davies, Tini Papatheodorou and Rob Seabrook – XTV)
3rd – The 2013 Rugby Varsity Pullout (Will Kelleher and Mike Stanton – Exeposé)
THE XMEDIA 2013 AWARD FOR BEST INNOVATION
1st – Sketchpad (Becki Pantling – XTV)
2nd – XpressionFM website (Ron Liong – XpressionFM)
3rd – The Xmedia Music Show (Callum McLean, Anthony Prodromou, Ben Winsor, Daisy Meagre and Eleanor Loftie – Exeposé and XpressionFM)
PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR AWARD
Ronald Liong (XpressionFM)
THE XMEDIA 2013 SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
The NaSTA40 Committee
Congratulations to all winners!
XTV Roundup 24/05/13 – NaSTA Releases, News and Crew Calls
Your regular guide to what those busy bees over at XTV have been doing, and how you can get involved in future projects.
News
In case you hadn’t heard, this year XTV hosted the National Student Television Awards (or NaSTas), which is kind of a big deal.
As well as putting on an amazing night, which you can watch back here, XTV were Highly Commended in several categories, including Best On-Screen Female and Best Ident.
The nomination videos will be released over the next few weeks, starting with Best Ident and Best Broadcaster, which you can watch below.
In other news:
This week XTV have been filming the NUS Student Eats event for Exeter Community Garden, the footage from which should be released soon.
And finally, a new episode of Square One will shortly be in production, hosted by Will Kelleher.
The show takes a funny and informative look at some of the less championed sports groups at Exeter, with the new episode focusing on Trampolining. You can watch episode one below.
Opportunities
Afterlife – Crew
An exciting project is taking shape in the form of Afterlife, a 70 minute film described as a “dramatic romcom with a few somewhat supernatural twists”.
Casting is complete, but crew are always required, especially camera and sound operators. You needn’t have any experience however, and this would be a great way to gain some.
Filming will take place at the following times:
Tuesday 28th May, 10.00-11.30 and 4.00-10.30
Thursday 30th May, 4.00-10.30
Friday 31st May, 11.00-6.00
Tuesday 4th June, 10.00-1.00
Thursday 6th June, 10.00-6.00
Friday 7th June, 2.00-9.30
If you’d like to get involved, email Tom Bond at tfb204@exeter.ac.uk for more details.
Proof – Crew, Non-Speaking Extras
Proof is XTV’s NaSTA-nominated comedy about the world of student media. Filming of the last episode is happening next weekend, the 1st and 2nd of June, but you don’t need to have been previously involved to take part.
12 non-speaking extras are required, as well as other crew members, though a bit of experience is most likely preferable for technical roles.
Contact: Calum Baker – cb374@exeter.ac.uk
The Secret Lives of Lecturers – Editors, Crew
A 35-minute comedy to be screened at Arts on the Move Festival, June 9th. Most of the filming is now complete, though a few more scenes are being shot this Wednesday 29th May, from 12-3pm, and at further times (TBC).
However, most especially needed are those with editing skills – any help with this would be appreciated.
If you’re interested, email Dan Squire at ds360@exeter.ac.uk.
The XTV News Show – Presenters, Writers, Producers
The News Show is back in action, and looking for collaborators in production, presenting and writing. The format is expanding, so now is the time to get involved if you would like to have a say in shaping a programme from the off.
Contact: George Causer – gc298@exeter.ac.uk
Jess O’Kane, Screen Online Editor
Xmedia Awards backed by i newspaper
This year’s Xmedia Awards have received the backing of the i newspaper.
The collaboration is the first of its kind for the long-running annual celebration of student media in Exeter.
The awards recognise excellence across a range of categories, including best feature and best coverage.
Rhodri Jones, the Assistant Editor of the i, will judge the entries for ‘The i Newspaper Award for Best News or Coverage’.
The winners will receive a year’s subscription to the i as a reward.
Zoe Bulaitis, former Exeposé editor, said: “Getting the backing of the i is great news for everyone in Xmedia.
“It allows us to have some of our best work approved by one of the nation’s biggest publications, and one lucky winner will also get a year’s subscription to one of the country’s best newspapers.”
This year’s Xmedia Award judges also include senior BBC News producer Matthew Sydney, Sky Sports pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz, BBC News director Chris Cook and entertainment TV producer Adam Hunt.
The Heads of Media committee, consisting of 2012/13 Exeposé editors Tom Payne and Zoe Bulaitis, and last year’s heads of XpressionFM and XTV, received hundreds of entries for the awards.
They were faced with the daunting task of whittling down the submissions to five shortlisted entries for each category, which will be announced closer to the event.
The awards ceremony will be held on Sunday 2 June at the Thistle Hotel. Tickets are £35 from the Guild Information Point, and all students are welcome.
Tom Payne, News Team
Follow @ExeposeNews on Twitter and like us here on Facebook.
XTV Roundup 5/5/2013: News and Crew Calls
Your regular guide to what those busy bees over at XTV have been doing, and how you can get involved in future projects.
News
News being the operative word, as the XTV News show has been busy reporting on the decision to move the Music department from the beloved Knightley to new headquarters in Cornwall House. Check out their report below:
Opportunities
CREW CALL –
Crew and extras required between the 12th and 21st May for a new comedy screenplay called Secret Lives of Lecturers.
SLoL is a comedy screenplay about the private lives of four very strange, very different and very funny professors, shot in documentary style. They’re looking for anyone who wants to help out with a boom or a camera, no expertise required.
EMAIL: ds360@exeter.ac.uk
To get involved with XTV, you must be a member. Sign up via the Students’ Guild website!
For more info, like XTV on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, or view their YouTube channel here.
Student television conference success on-campus
The National Student Television Association’s (NaSTA) annual conference and awards were held on-campus this weekend.
Exeter University’s student television station, XTV, hosted the event, having been elected to do so at last year’s conference.
The event, beginning on Friday, saw over 400 delegates from around 40 student stations across the UK arrive in Exeter. The conference opened with NaSTA’s annual general meeting and a welcome party for delegates.
On Saturday, delegates took part in a filmmaking exercise called ‘The Golden Bodge’ and television-related workshops.
The awards ceremony was held on Saturday evening and marked the 40th anniversary of the NaSTA awards. It was hosted by Glynn Jones and former XTV station manager, Dan John. Their lively presenting had them interacting with the audience and singing a song that claimed “students make the best telly”.
XTV submitted entries for all 22 awards categories except Fresher’s coverage and had 10 entries shortlisted. The station won four accolades at the 2012 NaSTA conference in Nottingham. XTV superseded this previous year’s achievement by winning five awards on Saturday:
- Award for Best Title Sequence
- Highly Commended Best Animation
- Highly Commended Best Ident
- Highly Commended Best On-Screen Female (Tini Papatheodorou)
- Highly Commended Tim Marshall Award for Special Recognition.
XTV live broadcast the event to the internet and to on-stage screens. The stream was viewed internationally by around 500 viewers with over 1000 individual viewers across the broadcast.
The conference utilised Exeter’s campus throughout the weekend with delegates staying in Holland Hall. The Ram hosted the welcome party and workshops were held in the Alumni Auditorium and the Forum seminar rooms.
There has been much praise for the event. Exeter’s Student Guild President, Nick Davies tweeted: “I have never been so proud to be from Exeter than I have tonight. @XTVonline have shown that we really do have the best of the best”. However, some bemoaned the length of the AGM with Warwick University’s station, Warwick TV, tweeting: “Which of the differing levels of infinity will this agm last for? #NaSTA40”.
Staffordshire University’s STAFFS TV were elected as next year’s NaSTA conference hosts. Incoming XTV station manager, Alice Nicholson, said: “I have a feeling they’ve got a lot to live up to. Best of luck to them.”
Olivia Luder, Site Manager
exeposedev 