Meet The Weatherbies, Eco-Education focused animations for student learning.

Northern Ireland-based content creators, The Weatherbies recently completed the Future Screens NI Narrative Futures project challenging creative industries to explore where and how changes have impacted the creative industries. To meet the call founding-member and creative director Yvonne Flemming and her team created the project “Meet the Weatherbies” a collection of video-based stories based on a community of loveable weather themed characters with the aim to help to comfort children, reduce anxieties, and fears they might have in today’s ever climate changing world. The concept will inspire children to look up to the sky, see and feel the weather as a friend, that can both nurture and be nurtured.

Following the completion of the project to develop videos the aim now is to release a songbook and related music available through streaming services for kids. Drawing on partnerships with Eco-Schools, as a delivery partner for their Green Flag initiative, the project can enhance Schools / playschools, teachers and children learning experience with access to original, fun content that deliver stories within a positive and educational message. The videos will promote an eco-friendly message, relevant more so now than ever, helping children be more aware of the world around them.

Rewriting the Narrative was an open call to the Northern Ireland creative industries challenging them to explore where and how changes have impacted the creative industries. The call was aimed at identifying how we can learn from the current situation, both positives and negatives, and use it to strengthen the industry once normality returns. The funding call was a Future Screens NI and Northern Ireland Screen partnership.

Future Tuesdays presents Michael McGlade of Yellow Design 12 Apr 12 Noon

Join us in person at Ormeau Baths in Belfast for Founder and Creative Director of Belfast-based Yellow Design Michael McGlade speaking on recent Augmented Reality projects for public and civic use. Yellow Design has developed AR360: Augmented Reality for Tourism app featured at the Titanic Quarter:  Titanic – Back in Belfast, an AR walking tour of The Peace Wall and the bespoke DeLorean car racing feature! Michael will talk about developments of AR apps and the future of civic design including the recently released ROVAR app launched to host the Beyond Conference Programme 2021 in Belfast. With its unique mixed reality app, Rovar introduced conference delegates to the host city of Belfast. The app supported some of the best of Belfast’s mixed reality experiences including Titanic, ARt and the James Connolly Trail.

This event will be in person at Ormeau Baths, 18 Ormeau Ave, Belfast BT2 8HS

Tuesday 12th April 2022

12:00Noon - 1:00PM

Doors open at 11:30

For tickets please register here.

Michael McGlade is Creative Director of Yellow Design based in Belfast, N.Ireland. With 25 years experience in branding and visual communication, the key focus the use of immersive technologies. Michael leads a dedicated team that brings creativity and imagination to the visitor’s experience within smarter, sustainable cities, ensuring that cultural and historical stories are promoted within communities.

With specialist skills in Augmented Reality, the team at Yellow has recreated Titanic at full scale, allowing visitors to view the ship in high detail back on the Belfast Slipways were it was originally built. Within the mobile app interface, the user has the option to walk among the decks, on which the titanic lowers its vertical position and while strolling along the paved slipways, the visitor can look up at the funnels, navigate through different compartments and inspect the ship in high-detail.

Future projects for Yellow Design include Game of Thrones Studio Tour on behalf of Linenmill Studios, Emirates Airlines and Westminster Council in partnership with BT.

Future Tuesdays is a monthly events series hosted and run by Future Screens NI focussing on a particular aspect of associated industries, inviting speakers to tell us about their experiences within the industry, their projects and how they think the industry will change for the better.

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.