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News

Sept 2021 Artist Residency at Massey University

For the Massey residency Martin Sercombe will work on two projects. The first will be an evocation of place, set in The Square, integrating music, sound art and the moving image. The second will be an animation project for children, hosted by Square Edge Community Arts, inspired by the photography of Charles Wildbore.

Sept 2021 One Sunday in Winter

One Sunday in Winter has been selected for screening at Lyrical Visions V, Auckland 2020, the 9th International Video Poetry Festival, Athens, 2021, the 13th Seoul Yeongdeungpo International Extreme-short Image & Film Festival 2021 and Nature and Culture - Poetry Film Festival in Copenhagen.

May 2021 Stories from the Valley

Oratia District School hosted this animated documentary about the history of the school and surrounding community. The film was made with the help of around 100 students, who collected reminiscences from local celebrities and animated some of the funniest stories. See the finished film here.

Dec 2020 Eye Music

Eye Music is a digitally hand drawn animation, inspired by the work of early pioneer, Harry Smith, who made extraordinary films back in the 1940s by drawing onto clear 35mm film, frame by frame. Eye Music was screened at Lyrical Visions V, Auckland alongside an improvised soundtrack performed by Richard Ingamells, Lucas Kewell and Francis Whall. See the finished film here.

Dec 2020 Still...Life

Gus Simonovic's poem and performance is a bitter sweet observation of life under the threat of Covid. Martin Sercombe's camerawork transforms the poet's gestures and expressions into a sequence of painterly tableaux that echo the poem's sentiments, balanced between fear, foreboding and a reassuring connection with nature. See the finished film here.

Oct 2020 One Sunday in Winter

Animation, poetry and digital painting evoke a winter’s day by the ocean. See the finished film here.

Oct 2020 Storytelling

Two poems by Gus Simonovic challenge our familiar perceptions of the words and objects which surround us. Martin Sercombe undertakes a parallel, visual exploration of a domestic environment, using a macro lens to transform everyday objects into odd and unfamiliar states. The electro-acoustic soundtrack by Yota Kobayashi and others builds a rich atmosphere of suggested off screen activity, drawing the viewer into imaginary worlds beyond the camera frame. See the finished film here.

Oct 2019 Home

These animated poems were made by a group of 6 -11 year olds during a school holiday workshop, held at New Lynn Memorial Library in October 2019. The project was funded by Arts Whau. See the finished film here.

May 2019 This is the Garden

A visual response to the e.e.cummings poem of the same name, about the cycle of life and death. See the finished film here.

March 2019 Emotional First Aid

We worked with the Royal Tutorial Project and Open Your Heart to Bhutan to make this educational video, exploring ways to support emotional well being. Pupils from 16 schools around Thimpu, in Bhutan devised drama and animation sketches exploring peer support ideas for young people. Watch the trailer here.

Dec 2018 If They Ask

A collaborative cinepoem exploring ideas of family, the ever changing bonds of love, and anxiety for the future. It was made by Martin Sercombe (camera), Gus Simonovic (poem and performance), Siri Risnes and Livnola Risnes Simonovic (performance). See the finished film here.

Oct 2018 Tales of Te Whau

Tales of Te Whau is a sequence of short animated stories inspired by the history of the Whau district of West Auckland. It begins with stories of the Maori and ends with three tales relating to the early European settlers who built their livelihoods in and around New Lynn. The work was made by 24 young people from the area, aged 5 - 11, who designed the characters and backgrounds, then used 2D stop motion techniques to tell the tales. See the finished film here.

Jan 2018 Crossings

The film is a visual journey, set in Whatipu, West Auckland, undertaken via infrared cinematography. It represents a personal response to the qualities of austere beauty, solitude and grandeur experienced by many visitors to this wild, remote area. See the finished film here.

Jan 2018 Magical Monsters

Short animations made by youngsters at Studio One, Ponsonby, Auckland in January 2018. See the finished film here.

October 2017 The Alchemist and The Wicked Headmistress

Two short films made by a group of 7 - 10 year olds at Studio One, Ponsonby, Auckland, October 2017. The Alchemist tells the tale of a tyrannical prince who ends up being sent to a distant planet to defeat some warring aliens. The Wicked Headmistress is overworking her class, so the children plot their revenge. See the finished film here.

August 2017 Detritus

A cinepoem by Gus Simonovic and Martin Sercombe. A genetically modified performer, reconstructed painstakingly for the silver screen, delivers a word harvest with a nod and a wink to T.S Eliot's The Waste Land. See the finished film here.

August 2017 Find me a Word

This cinepoem is a collaboration between film maker Martin Sercombe, performance poet Gus Simonovic and composer Sylvi MacCormac. It was shot along Laingholm Estuary and South Titirangi bays in winter 2017. It was commissioned for screening at the Going West Writers Festival, Auckland 2017. See the finished film here.

July 2017 Kauri Rescue

Dr Mels Barton explains how the Kauri Rescue project supports individuals and land owners in the effort to limit the spread and impact of Kauri Dieback disease. See the finished film here.

July 2017 Tales from the Forest

These short animations were made by a group of 8 - 14 year olds in Titirangi, NZ. The theme was kauri dieback, and the threat it poses to the health of the New Zealand bush, and its inhabitants. See the finished film here.

June 2017 Breathe

Breathe is a collaboration between electro-acoustic composer Monty Adkins and moving image artist Martin Sercombe. It is a meditation on sunlight, shadow and natural form, shot along a number of bush walks in the Waitakere Regional Park near Auckland. See the finished film here.

Oct 2016 The Word Circus

The Word Circus was a three day poetry and animation workshop for children, held in Lopdell House, Titirangi. The children worked with local poet Sam Shepherd, writing and performing verses to camera, then animating some of their work. See the finished film here.

August 2016 The Descent

The Descent is a portrait of Taranaki Falls in Tongariro National Park, New Zealand. The film takes a visual journey from a familiar, representational view of the falls towards an ever more painterly, expressionistic response, as the stream and falls are transformed into an abstract kinesis of light and form. See the finished film here.

July 2016 Crazy Creatures

A two day plasticine animation holiday project for children held at Studio One. The finished work is here.

July 2016 Crazy Clay Stories

Short animations made by youngsters at Studio One, Ponsonby, Auckland. See the finished film here.

May 2016 Whakatu Stories

We shot a pilot for a local history project in the village of Whakatu, combining reminiscence and animations.

May 2016 Animation Antics

We ran a two day mixed media animation workshop for children at Studio One, Ponsonby.

April 2016 Odd World

We ran a two day plasticine animation workshop for children at Studio One, Ponsonby. The children combined live action and blue screen work to place themselves inside their own drawn backgrounds. See the finished work here.

March 2016 Space Kitty's Voyage

We ran a three day drama and animation workshop for children at Studio One, Ponsonby. The children combined live action and blue screen work to place themselves inside their own drawn backgrounds. See the finished work here.

Jan 2016 Go Wild

We delivered a three day animation workshop for children at Auckland Botanic Garden. The children chose flora and fauna from their immediate surroundings to inspire short 2D animated sketches. See the finished work here.

Nov 2015 Vanishing Points

Vanishing Points, a portfolio of New Zealand landscape photography by Martin Sercombe was published. Further details here.

Oct 2015 Animation Station

We ran  a holiday workshop in 2D and 3D animation for teens and children at the Studio One Art Centre in Ponsonby. Find out more here.

Aug - Sept 2015 Unicef Child Friendly Cities

Studio 1 - Toi Tu and Auckland Council commissioned this animation project for young people. Twelve young animators produced a series of short films about what makes a city fun, friendly and safe for children. The finished work will be shown widely as part of this international initiative supported by Unicef NZ. Visit the Child Friendly Cities web site for further information.

Unicef Child Friendly Cities Animations from Media Projects East on Vimeo.

July - Sept 2015 Kindergarten Design Project

We worked in partnership with AUT Art and Design students, Titirangi Private Kindergarden and the local community to help them rebuild their playground. Over three months we developed a series of design solutions which support imaginative self directed play and learning.

May 2015 Tidelight

Tidelight is set on Cornwallis wharf near Auckland, New Zealand: a much favoured location for local fishermen. It is choreographed as an 'infinite' zoom along the wharf, exploring the changing light from dawn to midday and the observed activities of the fishermen. See the finished work here.

March 2015 The Texture of Time

AUT Art and Design recently set up a 16mm B&W film resource. We worked with staff and students to help deliver the first of an ongoing series of production courses focusing on artists' film making practice and the history of structural materialist film.

July 2014 Relocation To New Zealand

The company moved to Titirangi in Auckland, New Zealand in July 2014. The move allowed Britta to take up a new post as Lecturer in Digital Design at Auckland University of Technology. We chose Titirangi as it has long been a centre for the arts in the region, with Te Uru Contemporary Art Gallery and two other art galleries on our doorstep. We plan to continue managing community arts projects from our new home in the Waitakeres.

The company changed its name to Media Projects to reflect its new location in West Auckland.

July 2014 Literature Live

We worked in partnership with Stalham High School to run a 10 day festival of poetry, literature and animation at the school. Several leading poets ran creative writing workshops, and over 100 students developed their work into video poems and animations. A resource for teachers is now available here. The project was funded via an Arts Council of England Grants for the Arts award.

July 2014 Telephone Based Social Engineering

We worked with the London Metropolitan Police and a student video production team from Ravensbourne to produce a training video for bank staff to keep them informed about telephone based fraud.

Feb 2014 - June 2014 Broadland During The First World War

The company worked closely with The Museum of the Broads and Stalham High School to develop a 50 minute film recording the stories of families living in Broadland from 1914 - 1919. To learn more about the project, please visit the web site here.

November 2013 - May 2014 Our Way Training

We worked with Norfok Disabled Parents to make a video training resource for Norfolk Social Services, exploring how best to support disabled parents. Learn more here.

February 2014 to July 2014 Cawston Remembers

We have received an All Our Stories Heritage Lottery grant to explore the history of Cawston village through reminiscence, animation and archive work. The finished work is now available to view on a dedicated web site here.

May - July 2013 Norfolk - The Land and its People

This film was commissioned by Norwich Castle Museum for screening as part of its long term exhibits. It explores how Norfolk's history is intimately bound up with its geography and landscapes. The script is by Helen Mitchell, direction, camera and editing by Martin Sercombe. It was funded via a grant from Arts Council England.

August 2013: Elemental Iceland: Animation Workshop

We ran a two day animation workshop for artists and teachers at a farmhouse residency called Gullkistan in Iceland. Over 20 short films were made by 12 artists from Iceland and around the world. The short film shown below is by Freyja Reynisdottir.

Photos of the journey around Iceland can be seen here.

Photos from the course and further information about Gullkistan can be seen here.

 

April 2013 - November 2013: The Griffon Guide

We worked in partnership with The Griffon Area Partnership to develop a smart phone guide to the heritage sites of North East Norfolk. It includes a series of one day guided trails and a dedicated web site containing contextual information and a gallery of panorama photos of key sites. Visit it here.

October 2012 - May 2013: Martham Stories

We were awarded a £10,000 All Our Stories grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to work with the villagers of Martham and Flegg High School on a local history project. Over six months the production team has created 75 mins of short films, using animation and archive photography to bring personal reminiscences alive. See the web site here.

 

June 2012- March 2013: The Our Way Video Project

Norfolk Disabled Parents received an Awards for All grant to produce a series of online video clips, in which disabled parents share their experiences of family life and discuss the types of support available to them. Media Projects East provided the video production support. You can see the films here.

 

Sept 2012 - March 2013 : The Better Side of Greed

We worked with the Metropolitan Police to produce a drama video and online quiz about bank fraud, working with MA students from Ravensbourne. The training pack has now been distributed to major banks worldwide.

 

February 2013 - July 2013: Nature's Mini Minds

The RSPB has received a Young Roots Heritage Lottery Fund grant to work with schools in the Acle area enhancing biodiversity in their school grounds. Media Projects East is training the student team in video production skills to enable them to make a record of the project.

 

November 2012 - March 2013: Transgender Awareness Project

The Home Group charity commissioned the company to produce a 45 minute film exploring key issues faced by transgender clients and customers. It begins with two case histories and concludes with a debate around frequently asked questions.

 

Jan - August 2012: The Mitre Passage Digital Gym

We worked with a group of MA students from Ravensbourne to research ways of using the latest digital technologies to enhance user experience at a gymnasium on the Greenwich Penninsula. The study explores interactive large screen displays, smart phone apps and holistic approaches to keeping fit.

 

July 2012: Air Raid Over Stalham

This short animation, made with students from Stalham High School, won the Best Animation, 14-16 year olds, award at Film Nation Shorts Awards 2012, held at the BFI, London on July 4th. The film was shortlisted from over 400 entries made by young people all over the UK. It will be screened in a range of iconic London 2012 venues throughout the games. See further details here.

May 2012: The Moonstone

Coleridge Community College in Cambridge made a short film about an airline disaster, werewolves and a brave adventurer called Lilly. The students designed virtual sets and actors then shot the movie using Moviestorm. Further information about the project can be found here. The project is funded by First Light.

 

April 2012: Changing Horizons

Martin Sercombe, Joc Mack and a team of young performers from Utrecht's Centrum voor de Kunsten and Norfolk worked together for an intensive weekend of improvisation, animation and video work on the theme of migration. The project has been nominated for a prestigious international award: Learn for Life, celebrating innovative work in adult education. Our contributions can be seen on the Changing Horizons Facebook page here.

As a final contribution to this Grundtvig funded partnership project, we returned in June to present an overview of our community based video and drama work to media students from Holland, Poland, Italy and Turkey.

March 2012: Move to New Premises

On March 24th we moved to new premises in Thorpe Hamlet, Norwich. The base includes a stop frame animation studio, editing studio and a flexible production area for blue screen live action work.

March 2012: 40 BC

We worked with Parkside Federation on a classroom based research project, teaching machinima style film making in schools. Using Moviestorm as the production tool, the first short film explores what happens when a games geek gets drawn into the world of Cleopatra's Egypt. The project is funded by First Light.

 

March 2012: The Tale of The Nutcracker

A Year 6 class from Bignold Primary School made an animation based on Hoffman's tale. See it here.

February 2012: The Bully

A team of young film makers from Stalham High School made a short film about a school bully, for Film Nation.

February 2012: Air Raid Over Stalham

Another group from Stalham High made a short animation about a World War 2 air raid over Stalham.

September 2011: The Teachers' Animation Toolkit

Our animation resource for the classroom was published by Continuum on 3rd September in the UK, and one month later in the USA.

Further details here.

September 2011: Seaside Memories

We received funding from Young Roots Heritage Lottery Fund for a follow up project to Mardling From Coast to Broad, called Seaside Memories. Lowestoft based young people explored the history of local seaside entertainment in the surrounding coastal area. The stories they gathered formed the inspiration for their own "end of the pier" film show, reflecting the changing styles of entertainment over the past two centuries. It's a mix of animations, documentary style reminiscences and dramatic sketches on video.

The Seaside Memories website is now online. See it here.

August 2011: The Best Friend

This partnership project with The Best Friend educational charity took place in Thailand, from the middle of August. We taught animation skills to Burmese refugee children at KM 42 Learning Center near Mae Sot and interviewed adult refugees about their lives in Thailand and reasons for fleeing Burma.

Further details here

July 2011: Skola Summer School

We taught film-making and animation to a group of students at the International Community School at Culford. Some explored folk tales from their home countries, others made sci-fi stories, a crime thrller and a documentary about the summer school. The students used the course to improve their English language skills. www.icschool.co.uk

July 2011: The Big Decision

We worked in partnership with The Shaw Trust to deliver a film production course for a group of school leavers from the Great Yarmouth area. The film is about making the transition from school to the world of work, and the steps needed to optimise one's career options.

It follows the fortunes of a 17 year old called Gazza, who falls out with his alcoholic father and takes the train to Yarmouth the crash with his older sister. After a few weeks of slumming it, his sister runs out of patience with him and kicks him out. He heads off to sleep rough on the beach. Sis has second thoughts, rescues him, and sends him to Social Services for support.

June 2011: Person Centred Recording

We completed a project with the Home Group housing charity. They needed a training video to assist their support team in person centred interview techniques with clients. We produced a series of clips demonstrating good, mediocre and bad practice, for use as discussion aids during their training days.

May 2011: We R Who We R

Year 9 students from Diss High School created a collection of short films and animations on the theme of identity. They span a wide range of subjects, including bullying, Facebook friendships, sport, cooking and scrapbook memories. The video will be sent to partner schools in Rwanda, Sri Lanka and Holland. The project was supported by Creative Partnerships.