Press Release: Leeds TV Trainers celebrate successful science programme workshops in Taiwan
Science TV experts from the award-winning production company in Leeds, Screenhouse, and the Institute of Communications Studies (ICS), University of Leeds, are celebrating the success of the first phase on their TV training contract in Taiwan. A team of 4 went to Taipei at Easter to show 26 Taiwanese producers and scientists how to bring science programmes to the international market. After the 3-day workshop at the host institution, Shih-Hsin University, the Leeds team gave another presentation to an audience of over 60 at the National Science Council (NSC) which sponsored the entire trip and the workshop. The Leeds team has now been invited by Shih-Hsin University to draw up plans for the next two years of the project in Taiwan.
Professor Gary Rawnsley, the Director of the Institute of Communications Studies at Leeds said: ‘I am delighted that the trip was such a success, and I look forward to entering into discussion with Shih-Hsin University about the possibility of future collaboration.’
Screenhouse Training sent 2 senior production executives to Taiwan alongside 2 leading academics from Leeds University’s ICS to conduct the training in April 2009. The team devised a ‘Making Science Programmes for the International Market’ workshop to bring high–end science TV productions from Taiwan to international viewers. 2 top scientists and 24 producers from 12 different companies attended the course including the country’s national broadcasters, for example, Public Service Station and Chinese Television System. The workshop culminated in a ‘live’ pitching session in which delegates tried to sell their science TV ideas to the panel of judges from Leeds.
Professor James C. Hsiung of Shih-Hsin University praised the Leeds team for ‘such powerful and persuasive training’ and outlined plans to invite them back for the 2nd and 3rd phases of the project. As Professor C. W. Hu, Director of the Science Education Department of the NSC, has said: ‘I was overwhelmed by the extremely positive and enthusiastic response from all the participants. Everyone involved feels so inspired by the experience that we believe we have finally found the right people to design and deliver the right kind of workshop for our science TV producers.’ The NSC is looking to widen and deepen the promotion of science communications in Taiwan in the next stage.
The 4 members of the Leeds team who went to Taipei this time are: Creative Director of Screenhouse, Paul Bader, who has been Executive Producer on nearly all Screenhouse productions since 1991 and has won numerous awards in the field of science TV; Bafta winning director Patrick Titley who creates and runs courses for Screenhouse Training and ITV and is also Director of TV Production Training at the ICS; Dr Ian Macdonald who is Research Director of the Louis Le Prince Centre for Cinema, Photography and Television at the ICS; and Research Fellow of ICS Dr Ming-Yeh Rawnsley who since March 2008, has made this international collaboration possible by coordinating between ICS, Screenhouse and Taiwan’s Shih-Hsin University.
Screenhouse Training offers industry standard course for production staff already in the business and for new entrants. It also teaches senior academics how to talk to the press and perform on camera. It is the training arm of multi-award winning TV production company Screenhouse – voted Best Production Company 2008 by the Royal Television Society in Yorkshire.
The ICS is a nationally and internationally renowned centre for research and teaching that offers taught programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. There are over 30 full-time teaching academics at the ICS including 7 professors. The ICS is engaged in research for a variety of major organisations and public bodies at home and abroad and is valued by national and international policy makers.
For more details contact:
Barbara Govan (Chief Executive, Screenhouse)
Email: barbara.govan@screenhouse.co.uk
Tel: 0113 266 8881
Simon Jenkins (Senior Press Officer, University of Leeds)
Email: s.jenkins@leeds.ac.uk
Tel: 0113 3435764