My Research MA Symposium! Success!

Thanks to ALL the participants in yesterday's morning symposium for my research MA! Special thanks to John Parry MA RCA for delivering a probing and provocative keynote speech - your hard work was really appreciated John! 'animism' and 'confidence' were two central themes for me!

The discussion afterwards (on 'A Manifesto for Animated Filmmakers in the 21st Century') was extremely valuable and lucrative, clarifying and 'framing' many of my research findings and discoveries and posing questions and threads for future exploration. Some really considered, heart-felt contributions to the debate! We started the manifesto ideas with Laura's proposal of 'failure' and ended with Michael Algar's telling and decisive 'so what?' observation about 'disruptive change'.

DQ, Donald, John Parry and Elaine

Thanks again to Elaine Sisson, Donald Taylor Black, John Parry, Andrew Power, Marion Palmer, Mark Riordan, Brendan Rooney, Derek Laffan, Katy Goodhue, Michael Algar, Steve Woods, Laura Venables. Also DL832 Animation 3rd years Fiona, Eleanor, Ruth, Caoimhe, Fionn, Laura, Laura Jask, Morwenna, Kayleigh, Komila, Glen, Sean and Sophie. If I've forgotten anyone (or if I don't know your name) apologies and thanks!

Also thanks to Aidan Hickey, Edith Pieperhoff, Eimhin Macnamara, Michael Connerty, and Tara Ryan who couldn't make it on the day. And remembering the late Jimmy Murakami who did the first interview for my research - we miss him!

Next, finishing the dissertation and delivering the 30 minute rough-cut of the reflective documentary before the summer - thanks for all the kind comments and suggestions about the documentary slugs I screened yesterday.

I can see light at the end of the tunnel! Thanks to my learning network!

http://www.incite-online.net/jonasmekas.html

3rd Year DONE - Alan Holly - Anim Table Quiz

IADT DL041/DL832 Animation Stage 3 is DONE for this year - most of the exit tutorials done yesterday, on my return from Dusseldorf - well done to all! Then the final excellent IADT AnimSoc lecture, with IADT Animation graduate Alan Holly.

Key learnings from Alan... Keep pitching those projects - projects may be shot down by one panel, but funded by another. Pitch projects only when you're completely happy with them - but pitch documents CAN be simple and concise (the Frameworks proposal document for Alan's CODA was 5 pages of (beautiful, moody) concept images, a script, a budget, a schedule and director's and producer's treatment notes)...

Try to work out exactly what will end up onscreen and try to schedule the production accordingly - don't leave tracts of your film, unplanned and 'not nailed down'.

Other Alan learning... When your film is finished - keep applying for film festivals. Just because your film is rejected by one festival, doesn't mean it won't be accepted for the next festival - it might even WIN the next festival.

Once again - excellent lecture from Alan and thanks to Emily, Ross and the AnimSoc for organising it!

Next, it was upstairs to the Animation studio for a small 3rd year 'exhibition', AnimSoc pizzas and bottles of fizz... After that, an Animation exhibition fundraising table quiz in Bakers. Jazis - a long day, but a great day!

2014 Stage 3 exhibition...

Baker's - the table quiz...

Baker's - the table quiz...

Baker's - the table quiz... Checking them pesky answers...

Internet Research Methods SPA

Today is the final evening of the 20 week IADT Internet Research Methods SPA (Special Purpose Award), run by Dr. Brendan Rooney. Excellent module which, whilst covering the specifics of internet research, should more properly be renamed 'postgraduate research methods'. Great class (around 20 students), most of them cyberpsychology undergraduates. Must get that final written submission into shape...

IRM - Rooney in Lecturing mode...

IRM - in class discussions

State of play of the European Qualifications Framework implementation

Really fantastic European Parliamentary Research Service webpage on the current status of EQF implementation. Some great paratextual resources here!

http://epthinktank.eu/2013/10/02/state-of-play-of-the-european-qualifications-framework-implementation/

http://ec.europa.eu/eqf/home_en.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/eqf/compare/ie_en.htm#comparison

WIT Mentoring Certificate

This morning a very pretty parchment arrives in the post from the Academic Awards Office of Waterford Institute of Technology. My 10 credit, Level 9 Certificate in Mentoring, a component of my LIN Flexible Pathway Postgraduate Diploma in Learning Teaching and Assessment. Thanks to Sean Moran and his WIT team, as well as my fellow Mentoring colleagues, for all their assistance on this excellent module.

Sadly, the powers that be in IADT have decided that the LIN postgraduate Diploma is an 'intermediate' qualification, is not an 'appropriate' postgrad qualification (as they'd previously agreed), and therefore does not make me eligible for progression to Lecturer. I now have to wait for the completion and conferring of my Masters, sometime in November 2015, for my progression application to be even considered again. A valued member of the Institute team? It certainly doesn't feel like it.