Creative Media Production
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Director’s Message ‘Distinct’. This is the focus of the 2019 edition of the MCAST ICA Festival, a creative arts festival which builds on the achievements of my predecessors, and which this year has been extended to span a full month between 4 July and 4 August. ‘Distinct’ is represented by a stylised fingerprint - the mark that distinguishes one individual from another. Such is the work showcased during this festival; students from the same cohort having followed the same programme of studies and therefore having experienced a similar formation are showing that which distinguishes themselves from their peers. Moreover, through this festival one can also appreciate the various idiosyncratic outcomes reached through the diverse areas of studies within the creative arts – Fine Arts,
Photography, Game Art & Visual Design, Interactive Media, Graphic Design, Creative Media, Journalism, Spatial & Product Design, Fashion & Retail, Performing Arts, and Cultural Heritage. Our learners have gradually developed an identity, facilitated by the experiences afforded them along their journey within the Institute for the Creative Arts. We did not walk this journey alone. Supported by our mother institution MCAST, an institution that also has a distinct identity within the field of further and higher education, and in partnership with numerous stakeholders in the industry, such formation has taken shape in a unique way that rightly deserves to be celebrated.
The context of this year’s celebration is Spazju Kreattiv – Malta’s national centre for creativity - which provides a meaningful platform to further bridge the gap between student life and life within the community and industry. Within the heart of Valletta, last year’s European Capital of Culture, it acts as a fitting venue for ‘Distinct’. Sincere thanks go to ICA staff and students who have worked tirelessly to make this event possible, colleagues within MCAST for their support and contribution, and industry partners who have been key players along the way. I trust that the result of this collaborative effort will translate into a truly distinctive experience for each one of you.
Dr Martina Caruana
George Aquilina Student Bio: Hi, I am George Aquilina and currently, I am studying BA (Hons.) in Creative Media Production at the MCAST Institute of the Creative Arts. From a young age I was very determinate and highly motivated person in everything I do in my life. I take my work seriously but I’m able to see things in perspective and believe in my own work. I am quite easy going to work with. I am very good at finding a solution to a problem, above all, I am a positive and enthusiastic person and I relish to challenge.
Rachel Azzopardi Student Bio: My name is Rachel Azzopardi, I am currently studying Media in Mcast Art and design, and this is my last year. My love for media started when I was very young, I used to edit footages with random songs and try to make them match with the action, later on in my life as I grew and matured I started to notice a specific love for storytelling, therefore I started to study character arcs and storytelling, as a means to express myself and escape. “The very reason I write is so that I might not sleepwalk through my entire life.� - Zadie Smith
Jesred Bezzina Student Bio: Jesred Bezzina is a free-lance videoeditor and videographer who is currently studying at MCAST Institute for the Creative Arts. Jesred started to work in the industry five years ago, and since then he came a long way, as, from a simple after-video of a village feast, he worked alongside PBS during the Junior Eurovision Song Contest and the Malta Song for Europe as well as countless other clients. He also took part in the production for X-Factor where his roles were
those of a data logger and a boom operator. He also worked on the set of a local TV drama where his role was that of a camera person. Apart from working as a freelance video editor for the Public Broadcast Services (PBS), he is also a freelance videographer, who has experience in filming village feasts, weddings, parties, wedding bands, documentary film-making, advertising and political advertising, event promos and after videos.
Jonathan Brincat Student Bio: Jonathan Brincat is a photographer and a videographer currently studying at MCAST Art and Design. He was introduced to the world of photography at ten years old when he received his first disposable camera while visiting Italy with his family. There he captured the artistic style of seeing the outside world through the lens of a camera. When he was sixteen years old, he attended Giovanni Curmi Higher Secondary and was asked by the Photography Class to photograph the Christmas and the Carnival Concerts. After leaving from Giovanni Curmi, he enrolled into to MCAST Institute for the Creative Arts to study to become a Director of Photography.
Now Jonathan, with years of experience, has been the official photographer for the Eurovision Song in Malta and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Jonathan is currently a freelance videographer for his own company and a part-time photographer specialising in weddings and corporate.
Luke Camilleri Student Bio: Luke always had a passion for music and media felt a natural option to enhance his musical experiences. This was the reason why he started to study media in the first place, in order to have the artistic vision for both music and visuals. The motivation for such projects started to become more meaningful and real when he started working on his first music video back in 2015. The vision at that time was to tell a story which worked simultaneously with the music so that when one takes on the full experience, they willmunderstand clearly the meaning and message of the project. During his studies at MCAST, he developed more the purposes, styles and conventions of music video as well as developing, planning and producing till the final product (Unit 29 Music Video Production). This was a different approach from his
previous music videos as this was more based on representation and abstract visualisation. This approach makes the audience more in control and curious as more than one feeling, emotion or meaning can be given to the same thing. This approach opened for more topics to be discovered for example emotions, dreams or feelings can be represented in a more artistic/ visual way.
Representation in Portraiture: Mental Illness
Manuela Camilleri Student Bio:
Artist Statement:
Manuela’s love and passion for media and the visual arts can be seen through the hard work and dedication that she puts into her work. Her style and strengths are cinematic, slow motion b-rolls as well as capturing the most emotional moments and great stories, to share with the world through film. Her five years of experience at MCAST has taught her to truly appreciate art in film and turn her dreams into reality.
This photograph was taken in Wied ilMielah in Gozo. It was later edited in order to bring out the beautiful natural elements our sister island has to offer. The colours in the sky and the reflection in the water create balance and is pleasing to the eye.
Kyle Cutajar Student Bio: Kyle Cutajar is a 25 year old student currently in his last year of his BA Media course. During his time at MCAST he has developed his skills in media and now mostly focuses on writing scripts and directing, drawing his inspiration from the likes of Tarantino and Ridley Scott. He prefers more traditional styles, usually avoiding the more modern and abstract ones. He is a big fan of technology and likes to tinker, recently he been incorporating this more on his work, mostly in form of lighting setups from DYI filming lights to stylised led installations for television sets. When he finishes his studies Kyle would like to dedicate more time to script writing and hopes one day to pitch his stories for TV and Movie production.
Danica Luana Ellul Student Bio: Hi, my name is Danica Luana Ellul and I am currently working on my B.A. Hons in the Creative Media Production at the Mcast Institute of the Creative Arts. I was always passionate about the art, especially the filming industry. Since from a younger age, I used to be mesmerised by how someone would be able to create this other world, and with the help of others this world could be portrayed on screen for others to view it. More so, I used to enjoy the behind the scenes even more than the film itself, and on how many stages does this story have to go through in order for it to be alive. In a way, its like playing god, creating this universe, these characters and deciding how these characters develop, how the story develop, and how relatable to the audiences they will be. From there you can say I fell in love with film and I am still very much in love with it.
Melanie Farrugia Student Bio: My name is Melanie Farrugia and I am 22 years old. I enjoy being in the country side and in the company of my close friends. Also, I really like animals especially dogs. I am currently studying for my bachelors in the creative media production. From a very young age I was always passionate about photography and filmmaking because with every shot you capture, it can leave a memorable mark in your life, and when capturing that moment, you are importuning that image for the end of times, unchanged and unaltered, just a snippet of that moment in time. In these years that I have attended Mcast, I created projects which reflected my life’s journey, and make the viewer aware of certain situations that people go through and deliver a massage which can intrigue the audience. In the future I aspire to be a professional filmmaker with my own production team.
Michela Camilleri Student Bio: I am Michela Camilleri and I am 21 years old. Studying and progressing in the Media industry was always something I wanted to pursue. Filmmaking let me express feelings words cannot and progressing in this area is a mindset I am willing to keep in order to learn from every project in hand.
Carlo Musco Student Bio: Carlo Musco (Italy, 1997) is a filmmaker and aspirant director of photography based in Malta. Carlo received a degree in (BA Hons) Creative Media Production at MCAST (Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology) in 2019. In 2017, he released “The Jazz Player�, which won the award as Best Non Fiction Work at the ICA Festival 2017. Carlo focuses on cinematography and direction, always trying to tell a compelling story through the use of light and composition.
Gabriel Lawrence Piscopo Student Bio: As long as Gabriel can remember, media was always his passion. the beauty of conveying emotions and capturing special moments to him is fascinating. Looking back from where he started, he sees himself progressing further and further, but looking ahead, there is still so much to learn. This carrier brings many challenges, but the satisfaction one gets out of media surpasses any challenges faced. Gabriel thinks of himself as a hard-working individual that leaves no stone unturned when working on a project.
Maria Victoria Schembri Student Bio: Hey my name is Maria Victoria Schembri. Writing this bio about myself in the third person felt a bit pretentious, so I will just talk to you directly. I don’t know if you will read this or if you care, but here it goes. I have always loved films and media, and how they can transport a person from one place to another. That’s why I am studying for a BA Hons in Creative Media Production at MCAST (Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology). I haven’t done much yet, but I am passionate about storytelling, character building and character design. I aspire to be a scriptwriter and director so I will be able to transport others into new and fascinating realities. I have a lot to learn and a lot to contribute.
Jeremy Vella Student Bio: Jeremy Vella is a film-maker from Malta. He enrolled to the MCAST Institute for the Creative Arts in 2016 with the intent of learning how to project his ideas and thoughts through the art of film. He started off with experimenting with film in the first years of his course until he found his niche, which is short documentaries. He released his first short documentary in 2018 called ‘The Crystal Healer’ where he delves into the life of a young spiritual healer and sees what led him to his journey. That same year, he released another short documentary called ‘Buttuni’ where he showcases the world of a old military button collector. In 2019 he is planning to release his third short documentary called ‘From the Past to the Future: A Journey of Maltese Music’ in which he documents the lives of two artists from two different genres; Maltese folk music and Maltese hip-hop.
Shaun Vella Student Bio: Since a young age I’ve always had a general interest in the arts, from that moment onwards I’ve gained more and more interest in digital arts, mainly audio-visual arts. Therefore, I decided that it was a good idea to grab a camera and experiment. From that moment onwards I’ve made it a mission to transform my interest and passion into my profession. As a result, I decided to attend MCAST, starting as a Level 2 art and design student, working my way up to reach a BA (Hons) in Creative Media Production. Whist working on a project, I always make sure to deliver my full energy through the pre-production stage to the postproduction stage to make my vision come to life as much as possible. I consider myself to quite ambitious, creative and passionate. Throughout the years I’ve had to opportunity to intern at the Reykjavík International Film Festival in
Iceland as part of an Erasmus+ programme. Upcoming I’ll be participating in workshop at the Norway Youth Film Festival as a reward in winning Best Picture, Best Storytelling and Best Audience Engagement for my documentary “Mument Misruq” which was submitted at the Malta Youth Film Festival 2019.
Supported by
Prospectus Academic Year 2019/2020
The Online Application periods for the upcoming academic year 2019/20 will be as follows:
Monday 22nd July till Sunday 04th August Monday 02nd September till Sunday 08th September Friday 27th September till Wednesday 02nd October 2019 Access to the online application portal will be through the MCAST website, as from Monday 22nd July. Those who will be submitting an Application and are in possession of a National ID Number need to have a valid E-ID in order for them to apply for an MCAST full-time courses. Prospective applicants who do not have a National ID, will also be able to apply online. Further information about the online application process will be available by the second week of July. The conditions for application are found in the MCAST prospectus – an online version of which can be accessed through: https://www.mcast.edu.mt/mcast-prospectus-2019-2020/