In light of restrictions brought about by the coronavirus lockdown, the Media Make-Up and Character Design students have adapted their work, which normally would be presented in an end of year show at our Art and Design school, to instead be virtually showcased publically on the internet for the first time.

Beverly McColgan, Tutor in Media Make-Up (Special Effects) said:

“The students came up with the concept of the degree show reel to end the year, so that they didn’t miss out on showcasing their hard work due to lockdown. The most positive aspect of transferring their work to a digital platform is students blending all the skills in curating, socially promoting, networking and publicising an event.

“Producing this show reel has been a very good experience for the students, enabling them to utilise key industry skills which they will use as they move forward into their careers.”

The showreels feature a mix of designs as students were tasked with creating high-fashion and fantasy character looks from movies, tv shows and books. Final year students whose work features in the show reel are Abigail Coates, Remi Smith, Joanne Brisbane, Danuta Lichman, Julia Mzorek, Mya Onyemere and Ela Piskorek.

Our Media Make-up & Character Design students will be premiering their degree showreel in a weeks time on the 11th of June! 📆 (Images by: Remi Smith, Ela Piskorek, Danuta Lichman & Abigail Coates) #UniofBeds #MediaMakeUp #CharacterDesign #DegreeShow pic.twitter.com/Tjwx2sibhZ

— uniofbeds (@uniofbeds) June 4, 2020

Student Remi Smith, 21, took inspiration from fantasy fiction into her work, creating a character design inspired by Game of Thrones. Remi’s creations feature naturistic elements such as tree bark and mushrooms growing from the skin and a costume made entirely from leaves and twigs.

Remi, who had to move back home to Essex due to the pandemic, plans to enter the special effects make-up industry after graduating. She said:

“I did find studying at home difficult at times as we weren’t able to see and do demonstrations up close and in-person, but our lecturers made sure to support and help us with everything.

“I think the virtual show reel will definitely help to promote our work to a much wider audience such as industry professionals, which is a positive thing.“

Staff will take learnings from this year’s online degree show which will help to inform and reshape future activity and opportunities, with show reels and social media output hoping to be incorporated into next year’s course. 

Follow the School of Media and Performance (MAP) on Instagram to see more students’ work. Further information about Media Make-Up & Character Design and other courses can be found here: www.beds.ac.uk/howtoapply/departments/media-and-performance/