Nominated for RTS Awards 2017 for 'JA40' Junction Arts Documentary!

We're absolutely delighted to announce that we've been nominated for Factual Programme of the Year at the Royal Television Society Midlands Awards 2017 for our work on JA40: The Junction Arts Story! The full list of nominees is available here. 

JA40 is a short documentary commissioned to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Junction Arts, a fantastic and hard working community arts organisation with a long history of engaging and exciting community projects within the region. We'd like to take this opportunity to thank all involved with the making of this documentary. It has been a fantastic journey and special thanks to Junction Arts for commissioning us to bring their 40 year story to the screen. This film was funded and supported by Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England, Bolsover District Council & Derbyshire County Council.

The film will also be screening at the inaugural Derbyshire Creative Heritage Conference being held by Junction Arts in Cromford on Friday October 13th. Further information is available on their website.

RTS awards are highly prized in the media industry. They are a ‘kitemark’ of excellence and are valued by those who are nominated for awards and those who win. The winners will be announced at the RTS Midlands Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony which will be held on the evening of Thursday 30th November at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham.

YSP Media Director Working With Junction Arts & New Bolsover Community Filmmakers

‘Community Film Makers’ is a three year film project for residents of New Bolsover Model Village to document the progress of the Heritage Lottery Funded conservation and regeneration project. The film makers have been monitoring the changes, both physical and emotional responses, at regular intervals and will continue to do so until the regeneration is complete.

In 2017 YSP Media director Christopher Bevan began working on the project with Junction Arts and the volunteer community film making team in New Bolsover. His first event was held at The Big Lunch at Vale Park, where he ran a short film competition during the day. The prize of a free starter lantern making kit was given to three brothers who really took to the challenge of capturing the event with Chris. The following event, an iMovie editing workshop, was held on the 1st August at the Community House (133 New Bolsover). Those who took part storyboarded, filmed and edited two short films and contributed to the documenting of the regeneration work that will be included in a short film for the Heritage Open Day in September 2017. More details about the screening in September to follow.

The documentary film will be a valuable record and educational tool showing the improvement work and will be something that can be used in the future by researchers, advocates and local historians alike. The film will also record the changes in people’s attitudes and day-to-day lives as the work progresses. The film will be a wonderful resource to promote the work of HLF and the impact of HLF funding towards supporting the positive impact of community participation in such projects to the wider community and further afield.

For further information please visit http://junctionarts.org/projects/community-film-makers/. The above post on our site was created from the article originally published by Junction Arts. As ever we are incredibly grateful to be working closely with them and look forward to sharing news of the community filmmakers and their progress over the next 12 months.

Green Eco Technologies 'WasteMaster' Promotional Video

Working in co-production with Dreamfusion Productions, we recently completed video work for Green Eco Technologies (GET) for their range of WasteMaster food conversion systems. Our focus whilst developing the project was to convey an effective message on how GET develop, supply and manage their innovative, efficient, and environmentally beneficial, on-site solutions for the conversion and re-purposing of food waste into reusable resources.

The process of development on the film allowed us to work alongside the GET team to deliver a film that explains the challenges of food waste for businesses, and how the WasteMaster presents a green-friendly solution. A combination of live action footage and animation was used to explore the operation and management of the system, as well as the many benefits it canprovide.

The final film, a 5-minute showcase of the WasteMaster has been released online ahead of the unveiling of the system at the RWM Exhibition in Birmingham for the energy, water, waste and recycling markets. GET’s WasteMaster food conversion system uses unique proprietary technology to accelerate the decomposition of food waste, without any additives and without odour, reducing it to a more manageable residual material, which can be re-used in positive ways such as the production of green energy through anaerobic digestion.

With offices in the UK, Australia and Japan, GET is focused on helping customers to reduce the impact of their food waste disposal both on their businesses and the Environment.

It was a pleasure to work with our co-production partners Dreamfusion Productions on this film along with our client GET. The completed film is now available to view above and will be distributed across social media platforms beginning this Autumn. For more information on the WasteMaster system please visit www.greenecotec.com. If you are interested in finding out more about the film and are looking for something similar for your own business, please get in touch with us here.

Music Video for Lost At Home 'Don't Change On Me' Released

We were recently pleased to work with the up-and-coming band Lost At Home on the official music video for their new track ‘Don’t Change On Me’. An upbeat, energetic track, the brief was for a performance led video shot in a studio space with a quick pace and colourful onscreen elements. Director Christopher Bevan worked closely with the video’s director of photography Louis Vella to achieve the right look, with a key challenge being the necessity for the camera to remain in the same position throughout the video to allow the frequent performance snap cuts in the edit to work

We filmed at the Studio Factory in Nottingham on their large infinity curve studio set, giving us the room we needed for the band to perform. We’re grateful to our hard working crew who helped us bring the end result together, including assistant director Alec Jordan, costume designer Sammy-May Buxton, art director Emma Wylie, make-up artist Madz Abbasi and our production assistants Alex Pickavant and Jake Majthenyi. We’re delighted to say that Lost At Home were over the moon with the end result and we’re hoping to begin discussions soon about the next video, one with a narrative styling potentially. Again a big thanks to all involved in bring this one to life!

JA40: The Junction Arts Story Documentary Completed

From the Junction Arts archive, a lantern making workshop in Bolsover in 1995

Back in July 2016, we were thrilled to learn that our director Christopher Bevan had been commissioned to direct an exciting new documentary project for Junction Arts, a Derbyshire based participatory arts organisation. Established in 1976 and celebrating their incredible 40th Anniversary this year, the JA40 project was created by the organisation to look back at their history through archiving their past work and developing a short film that would tell the story of how they Junction Arts came to be. The film was created and supported with funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

“Working over the last five months on this project has been a fascinating and rewarding experience. I’ve had the chance to delve into the history of an organisation rooted deeply in rural communities where arts exposure is not as prominent, and to get a glimpse of what this has meant to those local people over the past 40 years is both inspiring and moving.

I’ve also been able to interview key individuals from throughout the history of Junction Arts including former team members, artists, participants and representatives of the organisation’s funding bodies including Arts Council England, Bolsover District Council and Derbyshire County Council. The 20-minute film was produced from hours of interviews filmed over the duration of the project and I hope that the end result will be a lasting tribute to Junction Arts’ work to bring art to the communities that need it most” – Christopher Bevan, Director ‘JA40: The Junction Arts Story’

Filming at the Bolsover Lantern Parade in November 2016

The film screened for the first time in early December at a private event for the Junction Arts team, funders and associates of the organisation. In early 2017 the film will tour the areas in which Junction Arts has been based over the past 40 years. The film has been released online too and is available to view below.

About Junction Arts (via www.junctionarts.org)

Junction Arts is a participatory arts organisation and charity based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. We have built a reputation, during the last 40 years, for delivering outstanding, transformational work in the arts through partnerships and collaborations within the rural areas of the East Midlands.  We believe that the arts changes people’s lives, builds confidence and skills, increases communication and supports community and personal empowerment.  Our primary aim is to increase and extend access to high quality arts through inspirational, innovative participatory arts projects and through partnership working and collaboration.

Attending the RTS Midlands Awards Ceremony

Last night we were thrilled to attend the annual Royal Television Society Awards for the Midlands. It was a tremendous evening and great to be surrounded by such talent and the competition in our category was no exception. We were nominated in the ‘Best Promotional Programme’ category for our commercial for Mackney Photography’s POP superhero themed portraits, released last year to coincide with the opening of their new studio and shop in the Intu Derby.

Whilst on the night we didn’t pick up the award, it was a genuine pleasure to be nominated and this recognition in an incredibly competitive field means a great deal. Our thanks go to RTS Midlands for their wonderful hospitality and a fantastic awards ceremony. We look forward to submitting again next year!

Royal Television Society Award Nomination For YSP Media

Excellent news this week from the Royal Television Society! We’re delighted to announce that our commercial for Mackney Photography’s POP superhero portraits has been nominated for Best Promotional Programme at the RTS Midlands Awards. This is a tremendous honour for us and we’re delighted to be attending the gala awards ceremony in Birmingham in November alongside some incredible talent. A huge thank you to the cast and crew for all their hard work on the commercial, and a special thanks to our client Mackney Photography for entrusting us to deliver the project. We had a blast working on it and are now looking forward to joining our fellow nominees in just a few weeks time. You can check out our award nominated commercial here!

Sci-Fi 'Transcended' Festival Selection For The Short Cinema

Our sci-fi short Transcended was recently selected to screen at The Short Cinema in Leicester, an international film festival with a focus on shining a light on East Midlands talent. We had a terrific time at the event, joining a sold out crowd for a superb and diverse line up of films. If you’ve not seen it yet, you can view the film online here. Below is a photo of just some of the Transcended cast and crew on the festival red carpet at the wonderful Phoenix Cinema in Leicester. Our thanks to the organisers for another brilliant year and we hope to be able to submit again in 2017!

(From L to R) Gemma O'Brien, Michael Muyunda, Julia Quayle, Dan McGrath, AJ Stevenson & Christopher Bevan. Photo by Pamel Raith Photography

Mojo The Movie Star Poodle!

Poodle? Check. Skateboard? Check. Miniature car? Check. In one of our most unusual short projects to date, we teamed with animal trainer and poodle lover Lynne Land to develop a comedic, snappy short following the exploits of her superstar poodle Mojo. Filmed at the Arianne Photography Studios near Burton, a small team of crew got together for a day of madness and mayhem as dogs galore descended on the set. A huge part of the fun was building the idea that Mojo is indeed a ‘superstar’ dog, creating a faux-Hollywood feel to the film and scenarios. The film has been released simultaneously on Facebook as well as traditional video platforms, resulting a tremendous surge in views and shares from dog lovers all around the world. Mojo’s career has seen her appear on the sofa of ITV’s This Morning show and take a starring role in the Colin Firth starring Kingsman: Secret Service. Now Mojo is taking her next step into the world of showbiz and we had a great time being a small part of that.

New Music Video For Guy Jones 'Little Guys' Released

In the lead up to the online release of Guy Jones’ latest single ‘Little Guys’ we’re delighted to unveil the official music video we produced for the track! A big thank you goes out to all of the cast and crew involved in this one. Check out some of the behind the scenes images below taken by Gemma O'Brien.

48 Hour Sci-Fi Film Challenge 2016

After two years away, YSP Media answered the call and once again joined the Sci-Fi London 48 Hour Film Challenge earlier this month.  Bringing together a small and dedicated team, we came out after two days of solid work and no sleep with Transcended, a story of a test subject rescued from a lab by two conflicted friends, at odds over the best way to handle her rapidly deterioration and unusual symptoms.

As ever the Sci-Fi London organisers provide a title, line of dialogue and prop in order to help stimulate ideas and demonstrate that the film has indeed been made over the competition weekend. With ‘It must be some weird kind of metamorphosis’ as our line and the genetic manipulation of humans as an optional theme, we decided to move towards bioscience as part of our story. The cast for Transcended, Michael Muyunda, AJ Stevenson and Julia Quayle, all came into the project with no idea of the story or character they would be playing which proved to be an exciting challenge for all involved. Working closely with director Christopher Bevan and writer Dan McGrath, they were cast in roles from a script written hours earlier during the first hours of the competition.

Shooting through until 5am on the first day of the shoot, the team then relocated from the main base in Nottingham to a nearby forest location, wrapping after nearly 24 hours of solid work at around 8am on the morning of day two! Our sincere thanks go to the hardworking production crew who made it happen in such difficult circumstances. A shout out must also go to the post team, including editor Simon Dymond and sound designer Adam Fletcher, who both worked tirelessly through the night to complete the film alongside DP Karl Poyzer and director Christopher. You can find a team photo from the shoot above, with further images taken by Gemma O'Brien also available to view over on Facebook here. We hope you enjoy watching the film as much as we enjoyed making it!

Post-Apocalyptic Short 'Hollow Men' Launches Online

We’re pleased to finally be able to unveil our latest film Hollow Men, a post-apocalyptic short inspired by the T.S Eliot poem of the same name. It’s been a long time coming after many months in post-production tinkering away and building the world our lead character, The Traveller, finds himself in. The genesis of the idea came as part of an experiment to move away from a traditional format and script, instead taking a poem and crafting a story and mood to fit. We were fortunate to have the incredible High Peaks of Derbyshire at our disposal with the unique Mam Tor offering a crumbling road and rocky outcrops, giving us some wonderful visuals to work with. The film has been premiered online which is a first for our shorts, an approach that has allowed us to reach new audiences and so far we’ve been thrilled with the response. Take a look and let us know what you think!

Shine A Light Film 'Seen Ya Rights: A Creative Journey' Premieres at QUAD

Following a commission from Dreamfusion Productions, YSP Media recently had the pleasure of being a part of Shine A Light, a film participation project for Over 60’s in Derbyshire run by Derby QUAD. Funded by the Esmée Fairburn Foundation and delivered by the QUAD in Derby, the scheme saw a series of short films developed by professional filmmakers from ideas generated within groups of participants engaging with the scheme through script writing and story.

Director Christopher Bevan briefs Seen Ya Rights on the day's filming

Working with Dreamfusion Productions and our production partner Top Box TV, we were assigned to work with the inspiring Seen Ya Rights, whose passionate journey to highlight the issues of dementia and LGBT care in older through film became the subject of our documentary. The film, ‘Seen Ya Rights - A Creative Journey for Change’ was produced by Belinda Basson of Dreamfusion Productions, directed by Christopher Bevan of YSP Media, working with Director of Photography Joff Whaite of Top Box TV.

Filming on the production began in July 2015 when we first met Seen Ya Rights and immediately we were drawn to their strength, activism and camaraderie, which set us on the path of developing what would become ‘A Creative Journey for Change’. Liaising with the group and QUAD, we began to tell the story of how Seen Ya Rights had formed through human rights activism and ultimately how they became a part of Shine A Light. After initially submitting their own ideas, the group had renowned director Christine Parker assigned to their group and after listening to their thoughts and concerns, she began development on her own short film The Carer which promised to address these issues.

Simultaneous Seen Ya Rights’ own script ‘My Secret Love’ was adapted into a stage production directed by Ava Hunt, and unexpected but very welcome outcome that allowed the issues of same-sex relationships in care and dementia to be debated and put across to a wider audience.

The full documentary is now available to view online above.

Having the opportunity to be able to tell such a wide ranging but impactful story, full of such important issues, was a real privilege and it was fantastic to see all of the Shine A Light films, including our documentary and The Carer, screened at QUAD in February 2016 where they received a tremendous reception. The documentary is now available online via QUAD and can be viewed here. It was a pleasure to be commissioned to direct this film by Dreamfusion Productions and we loved working with them and Top Box TV to bring this film to life.

John Raybould of Seen Ya Rights interviewed in the documentary

In the script read through, Jenny King listens intently

Mackney Photography POP! Promotional Video

Following on from our commercial for the award-winning Mackney Photography in July of this year, we were thrilled to be commissioned to work with them again on a promotional video for POP! A portrait series aimed at children, these stylish and imaginative pieces of artwork can be based around superheroes or fairies. We were tasked with bringing Mackney’s pop-up shop to life on film during its two-month presence in the Intu shopping centre in Derby, allowing us to spend a day on the shoots themselves and a day at the studio to see the magic of post-production. The film was released through Facebook and reached an audience of over 30,000 online viewers, a testament to the power of film and video for social media marketing. Take a look at the final film and we hope you enjoy!

Short Film 'Love & Other Chairs' Released Online

We’re delighted to finally release our award winning short film Love & Other Chairs online following a great festival run over the last 18 months. Filming commenced way back in Spring 2013 and it’s been a fun journey full of exciting opportunities. Being given the opportunity to share our film with so many festivals, venues and events has been fantastic and seeing audience reactions has made all the hard work worthwhile.

Since going live on Vimeo earlier this month, the film has been shortlisted for Shooting People’s ‘Film of the Month’ and was added to the Director’s Notes featured channel which has further helped expand our audience online. Thanks to all who have watched and shared the film so far. Written by Luke Kondor and directed by Christopher Bevan, Love & Other Chairs follows Julian, a lonely man with a severe problem; every woman he meets turns into a chair. After trying to make it work with his girlfriend-turned-furniture-piece, he becomes desperate for love.

Winner of the Grand Prix at the In Short Film Festival, Love & Other Chairs was also awarded the Audience Award at the Focus Film Festival in London. The film was also nominated Best Comedy and Best Sound at the Southampton International Film Festival and received selections from several other festivals including Screen Stockport, Thurrock Film Festival and The Short Cinema.

Love & Other Chairs stars Mark Drake, Faith Knight, Rowan Scarborough, Katie Hind, Della Maylan and Freya Sharp.

We’d also like to take this opportunity to once again thank all of our incredible backers who helped fund this film through a successful IndieGoGo campaign. Without all of you it wouldn’t have been possible and you have our immense gratitude.

POP! Mini Superhero Commercial For Mackney Photography Lands!

Following a fantastic shoot with a wonderful cast and crew in early July, our brand new commercial for Mackney Photography's POP! has landed! Inspired by the superhero themed portrait photographs Mackney has just launched, we were tasked with bringing the concept of mini superheroes to life in a fun and creative way. The end result is a tongue-in-cheek story of a young superhero boy who comes to the rescue, shocking his mum as much as all the onlookers as he strides towards an 'immovable' object, lifting it with ease above his head. Take a look!

The commercial was a hit online and has received to date 30,000+ views online via Facebook and Youtube. We were excited to learn recently that the advert is playing in the Showcase Cinema De Lux in Derby on all 12 screens to promote the launch of the POP! shop in the Intu Shopping Centre, Derby. We've received some terrific feedback and our thanks go to the whole cast and crew for pulling out all the stops to make this happen! 

We've got some fantastic behind the scenes photos taken by Jason Parrish of Arctic Productions up on the YSP Media Facebook page, you can check those out here.  If you'd like to see more of the making of the commercial, have a watch of our behind the scenes video of the shoot below for more on how it all came together!

Online Awards for Love & Other Chairs Short Film

Ahead of the official online launch of our short film Love & Other Chairs, the film stopped by the Short of the Month Film Festival, a brand new online platform for independent shorts being developed to showcase up and coming talent. We were thrilled to be selected for the June edition of the competition and after a month being part of the showcase, Love & Other Chairs was awarded Best Film, Best Director and Best Original Score!

It's always great to hear responses to your work and a subsequent review focusing on our short was published by Indie Shorts Mag, where the film came in for some fantastic praise from the author. You can check out the full review here.

Director Christopher Bevan also took part in a short interview with the website too, going on to discuss the creative process, development of the project as well as working with Love & Other Chairs screenwriter Luke Kondor. It's a fun read and our thanks go to Indie Shorts Mag for their insightful questions and feedback on the film. If you're interested in having a read of the interview, you can do so at the link here.

We're building towards a final online release of the film and are hopeful to be able to announce a date very soon, along with a tie in podcast on Love & Other Chairs' eventful journey through production and on the festival circuit. In the meantime take a look at the trailer and keep an eye out for further updates!

Casting Call For New Film From YSP Media! (CLOSED)

APPLICATIONS FOR THIS PROJECT ARE NOW CLOSED. Exciting news! YSP Media are currently casting for our latest project with the working title ‘Out There’. It’s a short film being produced in Derby in conjunction with a locally based artistic company for an upcoming promotion. 

Unfortunately we’re unable to publish the full details of the synopsis at this stage due to the secretive nature of the project, but we can tell you with some excitement that it’s a short, one minute comedy and if you’re a fan of comic books we think you’ll get a kick out of it! Script and project details will be provided for selected cast members following successful application.

To find out more on us, visit here. In short, we’re an award winning Production Company based in Derby, specialising in the development of narrative film content and commercials. Our shorts have won awards and screened at festivals around the world and we’re very excited to be expanding our portfolio and reach this year with the launch of our new website and production opportunities. We’d love to hear from any actors interested in working with us on our latest project! Take a look at our portfolio of film work to get a flavour of what we do.

APPLICATIONS FOR THIS PROJECT ARE NOW CLOSED. You can find details of the roles being cast for the film below and should you wish to register your interest, please get in touch via the contact box below with a list of credits, headshot and showreel where available, stating the name of the role you wish to apply for in the subject line. Please note that preference will be given to actors local to Derby, Nottingham, Leicester and the surrounding areas in the East Midlands.

Thomas - Age range between 6-8, Male (Non Speaking): A young and gifted comic book fan, Thomas is blessed with the inner strength and courage of a man ten times his size.

Mary – Age range between 30-40, Female (Speaking): A hard working and busy mum on the way to work and caught in an out of this world situation.

Ron (Builder) – Age 30+, Male (Speaking) – The gaffer, laid back and giving the orders. He is unusually calm in times of stress and strangeness.

Terry & John (Builders) – Age 30+, Male (Non Speaking) – The two tough blokes who get the job done. Only this time, they might have bitten off more than they can chew.

We also have a number of extra roles available with those involved required for a shorter time on Sunday July 5th. To express an interest in being involved in one of these roles, please fill out the same contact form with the word 'Extra' in the subject line. Please note that we are unfortunately unable to cover expenses for extras on this production, involvement in these roles is purely on a voluntary basis hence our suggestion for local applicants. APPLICATIONS FOR THIS PROJECT ARE NOW CLOSED.

Trailer for Award Winning Short 'Love & Other Chairs' Follows Festival Success

It's been an incredible and fun ride for our short film Love & Other Chairs which has to date had over a dozen screenings around the country and most recently received the Audience Choice Award at the Barbican Focus Film Festival, which we're extremely grateful for. Screenings over the past nine months have taken place at festivals including but not limited to the Southampton International Film Festival (nominated Best Comedy), Screen Stockport, In Short Film Festival (winner Grand Prix), Thurrock International Film Festival and many more.

 After a year of the festival circuit we've decided to make the jump online and we'll be bringing Love & Other Chairs out for public release very soon, date still to be confirmed. This an exciting next step in the journey and we can't wait to see what happens. This is where you come in.

To build the buzz and acheive great exposure for the film, we would love for you to share on Facebook and Tweet the link to our brand new trailer for the film! Particularly to our IndieGoGo crowdfunding backers, your involvement and generous contributions two years ago made the film possible and if you'd like to carry on the journey with us, any support you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Here's the link to the film's first official trailer, have a watch, leave a comment and please share on your social media networks! 

Julian has a problem; every woman he meets turns into a chair. After trying to make it work with his girlfriend-turned-furniture piece, he becomes desparate for love. Love & Other Chairs is a darkly comic, award winning short film written by Luke Kondor and directed by Christopher Bevan, starring Mark Drake, Faith Knight and Rowan Scarborough.

Music video for KETO 'Change' Premieres

Our latest music video for the super talented KETO's debut single 'Change' has premiered on Clash Music! Released on Denizen Recordings, 'Change' marks the first step in a new direction for Nottingham artist Leah Sinead and we jumped at the chance to work with her in the Autumn of 2014. When shooting the video, director Christopher Bevan was strongly influenced by Lord of the Flies and the Lost Boys when it came to shaping the story of a group of young and older children fighting and living wild in dense woodlands, watched over by a mysterious and manipulative presence.

Leah and Chris both felt the song and visuals perfectly complimented each other and as the collaboration progressed, everything fell into place. We're excited that the final result has now been released. You can take a look at the final video below via our Vimeo channel or head over to KETO's official Youtube link here. Thanks of course go to our cast and crew for their hard work in bringing this to life!