City & Guilds
As part of their radio production training for their City & Guilds qualifications, CSV trainees make a short feature on a subject of their choice. Plans for a new cycle path, how milk gets from the cow to the carton, the history of Saltash, and the attraction of golf, were some of the topics chosen by trainees who finished their training at the end of summer 2006.
Anita Hobbs
I initially set out to do my feature on the wave hub in Cornwall, however the interviews I tried to set up came to no avail and I found myself in a position with no ideas and time was running out to complete the assignment. With about two weeks to go I had a light bulb moment when one morning my daughter piped up at breakfast time "where does milk come from mummy?"
The idea developed into a feature that could easily have been half an hour long, maybe even longer, and boiling it down to just four minutes was very tough and required an awful lot of editing. The whole experience was great fun and one that I will never forget. Going on an early morning milk round with the local milkman of 27 years was an eye-opener. He was full of gossip and jaw dropping stories and he knew so much local history that I could have done a feature just on him and his job. Terrific stuff! I had two and half hours of recording just from him alone.
If there’s one thing I learnt making this feature it has to be the amount of recording material I had to work with. I should have been a lot more specific with the questions I posed to the people I interviewed - that way I would have ended up with a lot less material to edit and would have saved a lot of time no doubt.
My time on this course at CSV has been one of the best experiences for me and very satisfying, it made me realise that there is something that I’m really quite good at and want to pursue further. Jon, our tutor, was absolutely brilliant at helping the whole class achieve things as individuals that we didn’t think possible. We really couldn’t have had a better teacher. The atmosphere in the group was great too. Fun, lively, interesting and amazingly supportive. Thank you sooooooooooooo much CSV and Jon for everything!
Claire Hallett
I chose to do my audio on the new cycle path plans that will run from Tavistock, through Grenofen and on to Yelverton. Both my parents live in Grenofen and so therefore I had the advantage of knowing first hand, the uproar the plans to build the cycle path was causing amongst the residents.
I decided that it would be a great subject to cover and I was able to get honest, frank interviews and vox pops for my story. I knew I had to get a broad range of opinions and views, so I made sure I spoke to a range of residents with different opinions.
I also spoke to the landlord of The Halfway House in Grenofen and the punters to get their feelings on the matter and managed to grab an interview with West Devon Council worker, Robert Sekula, to get his professional views on the cycle path.
My time with CSV Media has been extremely rewarding. Not only has it given me a great qualification, it has enabled me to develop my skills and give me the push I needed to follow my path to a career in the media industry.
My tutor, Jon Tidball, supported and guided me throughout the course and helped me believe that I had what it takes to get into the industry. As a result of the course I have been offered a place a Falmouth University to study Journalism and I have also recently completed a placement at The Herald, in Plymouth, where I worked as a reporter and had my work published and a by name.
CSV media has given me the confidence and belief in myself to know that I can further my carer and get to where I want to be, so a massive thank you to them and all the team.
Amy Maddaford
Amy takes a look at the game of golf.
Leslie Forster
I've lived in Saltash for the last year. Before that, I lived in Plymouth, which is the opposite side of the Tamar Bridge. Saltash is a town which begins as the Tamar Bridge ends. It's also known as the Gateway to Cornwall.
I chose Saltash as my subject as it has become a forgotten town that many pass when crossing into Cornwall. It receives very little publicity, even when worthy events are taking place. It offers many historical places of interest and breath taking scenery.
I wanted to bring this sunken chest of a town to the surface for all to see the hidden treasures that Saltash has to offer.
I produced my features by carrying out research at the local library, talking to a Saltash historian and by interviewing key members of the Tamar Protection Society, that look after Elliot's Store and the Mary Newman Cottage (she was Sir Frances Drake’s wife). Recording interviews with these people, plus vox pops from the general public and music and sound effects resulted in my finished feature.
The CSV radio course was hard work, and involved a lot of extra time out of class hours. It’s set out in deadlines and sometimes it can become a race against time, which can be stressful. My personal thoughts on this course at the beginning were that I would struggle, but instead I have excelled. I’ve achieved grades I never believed I could get. It's given me confidence in myself, and has changed my career path overnight. This is a very rewarding course that has proven to be a worthy challenge.
I’ve enjoyed the CSV course, and hope it shall open doors in the media for me. I’m at present applying for jobs within the media industry, so who knows where it could lead!
Nick Williams
I had a great time on the CSV course in Plymouth last year. It wasn’t all fun, in fact at times it was damned hard work, but I’d happily go through it all again. Has it got me a dream job in the media? Well, not yet - but it certainly made me more employable by tightening up my attention to detail, giving me back some focus in my life and rebuilding my confidence. Job done, CSV!
Dead Doctor Who
The voxpop came about partly as a reaction to the media hype surrounding the return of the series, and partly as a skewed kind of tribute to its real-world setting. Although the interviewees were told that the piece was to be a spoof, the words are all their own and I am indebted to them for entering into the spirit of the thing with such enthusiasm!
Lord of the Rings Big Brother
I think the idea began as one of those hypothetical discussions, based around who might be the worst people to put into the BB house. (I suspect this process may now actually be used by the real Big Brother team…) Anyway, I think the number of inmates in the house eventually suggested the Fellowship of the Rings, and there seemed to be some comedy mileage in it. I particularly wanted to avoid the usual, serious approach people take to this assignment. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course; but I felt this angle played to my strengths and would be a lot of fun to do. I made a rod for my own back really, because of the extra work required in practicing my less-than-convincing Dermot impression and processing my voice on the pre-recorded drop-in pieces. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed every second of making this - and I hope it raises a few smiles out there. Incidentally, if anyone’s wondering why Boromir has an Irish accent – remember Mary the Witch!