Future Tuesdays International Women’s Day event featuring Nuala Toman, Disability Action 8 Mar 22

On 8th March 2022 Future Tuesdays hosted an International Women’s Day event featuring Nuala Toman Head of Policy, Communications, Information and Advocacy at Disability Action.

The event was hosted by Dr Hyojung Sun, Research Associate at Creative Industries, Ulster University.

Following the theme for IWD 22 #BreakTheBias Director Prof. Paul Moore discussed with Nuala matters concerning d/Deaf and disabled persons within the Creative Industries. Whether deliberate or unconscious, knowing that bias exists isn’t enough, action is needed to level the playing field. To explore this theme Toman presented her story and the work she is undertaking to break the bias.

Nuala Toman is the Head of Policy, Communications, Information and Advocacy at Disability Action. In this role she is advancing the rights of d/Deaf and disable people. She is the former Project Manager of Future Screens NI, in this role she prioritised and advanced the diversity agenda working with companies on issues of race, disability, gender, social inclusion and the need for a sustainable peace.  

Nuala is a d/Deaf and disabled person and a human rights activist. Nuala is experienced senior manager and is a member of the NI Museum Council, Board Member of CnaG, Council Member of CMS, Vice Chair of Thrive, Board Member of the Human Rights Consortium, Member of the Equality Coalition, the UK UNCRPD Steering Group, Reclaim the Agenda, and the Women's Budget Group. Nuala has recently published research undertaken on behalf of the Equality Commission which assess progress to advance Disability Rights in NI since 2017.

Dr Hyojung Sun is a research associate in the creative industries department at the University of Ulster. She has specialised in digital and disruptive technology and published her book, Digital Revolution Tamed: The Case of the Recording Industry” in 2019. With a strong industry background in the IT industry, and with experience working across Asia, Canada, Europe and the UK, she has developed and honed her multi-disciplinary skills to bring about a fresh way of thinking to a high profile and politically contentious areas in creative industries. Dr Sun has led two major UK Government sponsored research projects - Music Creators’ Earnings in the Digital Era; and Music 2025 – the Music Data Dilemma. These reports were the catalyst for an open and informed public debate on the future of music, and informed the thinking of the UK Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committees report into the Economics of Streaming. She is now taking forward further research in this space to inform the Government’s next steps.

Closed Captions features are available through the YouTube link embedded below.

StoryFutures Academy x Future Screens NI ‘VP Futures’

StoryFutures Academy (SFA) and Future Screens NI (FSNI) have formed a groundbreaking Virtual Production partnership, supported by Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) and Epic Games. This new and innovative partnership will deliver a package of targeted virtual production training, development and production support for the creative screen industries in the UK.

Virtual Production (VP) is becoming a ubiquitous methodology in the delivery of high-quality film, television and media productions. A game-changing development, VP combines virtual and augmented reality with computer generated imagery. All made possible by real-time game-engine technology.

Launching March 7th, this UK wide programme is designed to bring the games and screen sectors into virtual production and address the skills gap identified by the ‘Virtual Production: A Global Innovation Opportunity for the UK Report’ published by StoryFutures Academy in November 2021.

The report identified many gaps and pain points in the workflows and pipelines of both Production and Postproduction talent in the UK, revealing a significant skills shortage resulting in the demand for talent and training far outstripping supply.

VP Futures will support SME’s not only with access to cutting-edge VP infrastructure, but also the skills capacity to develop their own new intellectual property in the form of tools, methods whilst developing our world-renowned ability to make the highest quality content.

The aim of the VP Futures programme is to:

• Upskill UK creative content businesses and studios in VP content origination, development and production via mentoring and de-risked access to LED Volume stages

• Arm creative content companies with the insight, skills and expertise to extend their practice into VP in a global market.

• Provide mentorship and bespoke training aimed at the unique and individual needs of each business.

• Enable on set practical experimentation and training at VP LED wall facilities in NI and London.

• Fund 2 VP projects which can act as demonstrators for the innovative use of VP in the creative content sector.

• Disseminate new VP co-production models to drive innovation.

• Identify follow-on developmental training capacity building opportunities.

The programme consists of two stages:

Stage 1 Development Zone May 23rd-July 8th 2022. Eight SMEs from across the UK will be selected from an open call and taken through a 6 week intensive and bespoke training programme built around the company's skills development, VP development, VP production and business development needs.

Stage 2 Production Zone July 18th - Sept 2022 : The eight SMEs will pitch for production funding which will see two companies selected: one from NI and one from GB, to go into production on a VP Shoot. Shoots taking place in NI and London. 

In the development zone, successful businesses will have the opportunity to:

• Develop in-house VP knowledge, skills and expertise to expand into the growing area of VP

• Access expertise, mentorship and bespoke training from ILM, SFA, FSNI and Epic aimed at the unique and individual needs of each business.

• Take part in on set practical experimentation and hands on training at VP LED facilities in NI and London.

• Develop projects, test concepts and storytelling ideas using VP which will help drive new and innovative VP methodologies

• Pitch for production funding to take projects into production at industry standard facilities

• Identify follow-on developmental and capacity building opportunities.

To participate SME’s will need to:

• Provide a one page outline of an idea which can be developed as part of the Development and Production Zone. The project must be narrative driven, highly innovative in either content or methodologies and includes a high proportion of virtual production methodology.

• Identify up to 4 employees to take into the programme

• Demonstrate evidence of the company’s ambitions, capacity or capability to work in VP.

• Only SMEs registered with a main place of business and/or operational activity in the UK are eligible to apply.

Application Process:

Please complete the online application form which can be found by clicking the link below.

Deadline for Applications is Sunday April 3rd (Midnight)

SME’s participating in VP Futures Development Zone will secure a ‘training award’ to support direct costs arising from participating in the programme.

Apply Now 

Key Dates:

Applications Open: Monday 7th March 2022

Webinar: Friday 18th March 2022 (4.00pm)

Applications Close: Sunday 3rd April 2022 (Midnight)

Successful applicants informed: Friday 29th April 2022 

Background:

The ‘Virtual Production: A Global Innovation Opportunity for the UK’ report identified many gaps and pain points in the workflows and pipelines of both Production and Postproduction talent in the UK, revealing a significant skills shortage. Demand for talent and training far outstrips supply. There is a clear need for highly creative, technical artists who can write code, problem-solve and communicate effectively with creatives while fixing complex technical issues; all within the fast-paced film and TV set environment. This shortage needs to be tackled urgently if the UK is to leverage its reputation for innovation and creative excellence across film, TV, VFX, games and computing.

Traditionally the technologies and methodologies of the games and film and TV industries have developed in parallel, with very little crossover from one field to the other. With VP the opportunity exists for a crossover of competencies allowing companies to expand from games (UK 2020 video game market worth £5.3 billion) to high-end TV (UK 2020 spend on HETV production: £1.49 million) to film (UK 2020 total spend feature film production: £1.37 billion) and into immersive (UK value 2021 prediction: £5.7 billion). To benefit all these sectors individually and collectively, it is crucial that the UK ensures that it has not only cutting-edge VP infrastructure, but also the skills capacity to develop its own new intellectual property in the form of tools, methods and in our world-renowned ability to make the highest quality content.

Information Webinar - Friday 18th March 2022, 4pm.

Register for the information webinar here.

Future Tuesdays International Women's Day special with Deirdre Hargey, Minister for Communities and Nuala Toman Head of Policy, Disability 8 Mar 12 Noon

We would like to offer everyone the opportunity to come together virtually on Tuesday 8th March at 12pm for Future Tuesdays International Women's Day 2022. The theme for IWD 22 is #BreakTheBias and we will discuss d/Deaf and disabled persons within the Creative Industries.

Whether deliberate or unconscious, knowing that bias exists isn’t enough, action is needed to level the playing field. 

This event will be hosted by Dr Hyojung Sun, Research Associate in Creative Industries. 

Deirdre Hargey, Minister for Communities will open this very special event and provide an update on the work of her Department with respect to inclusion.  

To explore this theme, we will have Professor Paul Moore with an “In Conversation” with Nuala Toman, to hear about her story and the work she is undertaking to break the bias. 

Nuala Toman is the Head of Policy, Communications, Information and Advocacy at Disability Action. In this role she is advancing the rights of d/Deaf and disable people. She is the former Project Manager of Future Screens NI, in this role she prioritised and advanced the diversity agenda working with companies on issues of race, disability, gender, social inclusion and the need for a sustainable peace.  

Nuala is a d/Deaf and disabled person and a human rights activist. Nuala is experienced senior manager and is a member of the NI Museum Council, Board Member of CnaG, Council Member of CMS, Vice Chair of Thrive, Board Member of the Human Rights Consortium, Member of the Equality Coalition, the UK UNCRPD Steering Group, Reclaim the Agenda, and the Women's Budget Group. Nuala has recently published research undertaken on behalf of the Equality Commission which assess progress to advance Disability Rights in NI since 2017. 

For tickets to this online event visit here. 

Alasdair Asmussen Doyle examines representation of flora between Tasmania and Ireland.

Alasdair Asmussen Doyle recently completed a Future Screens NI Future Creatives research project: The dormant existence of Tasmanian flora before they were named draws on Alasdair’s PhD research investigating how early filmic representations, in parallel to cartographic tools have framed our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. The project was informed by Uriel Orlow’s Theatrum Botanicum and examines the translation of botanical material and knowledge between Malahide, Tasmania and Malahide, Ireland. Outputs to include presentations and talks at Belfast School of Art and Void Gallery, Derry; and an article published in the Post-Graduate Journal: Intersections, Ulster University Press, April 2022.

The Future Creatives scheme was designed to enable participants to make a step change in their research and innovation by enhanced leadership and collaboration skills and developing new practices in the field of creativity and technology.

Deepa Mann-Kler & Aura Digital share their experiences developing ‘AR In The Time of Covid’ at Future Tuesdays 22 Feb 22

On 22nd February 2022 Future Tuesdays hosted Deepa Mann-Kler, CE Neon with animation content creators Aura Digital. The cohort shared personal experiences of adapting and developing new creative industry relationships during the pandemic and how to embrace changes and ‘plan-B’s’ as potential positive, if unexpected, opportunities.  

In this session Deepa Mann-Kler shared how the company fulfilled funding requirements while achieving the original vision of the work and in doing so, created new opportunities to work with a young exciting creative technology company Aura Digital.  

Deepa Mann-Kler is Chief Executive of Neon; Visiting Professor In Immersive Futures at Ulster University in Northern Ireland; an artist and an exceptionally experienced public, private and charity sector Chair and Non-Executive Director, having served on 10 Boards across the UK over the past fourteen years. Neon harnesses the power of immersive technologies to create authentic augmented and virtual reality narrative driven experiences. This year the company launched AR Peace Wall and AR Street Art apps freely available on iOS and Play Store. As a TEDx speaker and thought leader she regularly keynotes on the intersection of digital transformation, technical innovation, inclusion, ethics, bias, data, AI and creativity. Also an award winning, internationally acclaimed, multi-disciplinary artist with over fourteen years’ experience of international exhibitions and public art programmes. 

Company awards include Royal Television Society Finalist “Interactive Entertainment” 2017. WinTech Series Finalist “Tech Start Up Of the Year” 2018. TEDx Speaker “Being Human” 2019. Digital DNA Finalist “Tech For Good” Talking Sense AR App 2020. 

www.discoverneon.com | www.deepamannkler.com | @deepamann_kler  

Aura Digital was founded during the coronavirus outbreak by Eva Robinson, Josh McAvoy, and Dónal Rainey. From big organisations to small businesses, Aura Digital combine production experience with a unique creative flair in their approach to animation. The trio combine their experience in 2D, and 3D design with a fresh approach in pipeline and innovation. Passionate about Digital Transformation, Aura Digital is a young studio that believes animation and immersive technologies are amongst the future heavy industries of Northern Ireland. This year, the company worked with Neon on AR Peace Wall and AR Street Art, Ulster University, Evoke and many others. Aura Digital was a proud quarterfinalist of the Santander Universities UK Entrepreneurship Awards, and a Dingle Animation Sting Selection of 2021. Josh, Eva and Dónal are due to graduate Ulster University with a Bdes Honours in Animation in June 2022.