6 May 2009

OPEN YOUR CREATIVE MIND

“Knowledge is nothing, Imagination is everything.” (Albert Einstein)
by TEO BELEAGA logistic mind”.
Moving on to concept, Dean
A graphic designer Stockton advices: “If you really
graduate, with no other believe in what you do, and it is a
previous background, has brilliant idea, fight for it, because
gone through producing, at the end of the day it’s always
directing, creating, branding, better to ask for forgiveness
and leading a multinational than it is to ask for permission.”
company, only to find that Also, students are urged to think
his favourite job is still to in advance ‘where the piece of
explore his imagination. creativity is going to end up?’ and
Dean Stockton, Senior Creative Director for Chellomedia, held warned that now “you have to
a fascinating presentation at the Coventry Conversations last come up with a concept that works
Thursday. across all media”
Mr Stockton tackled the subject of creativity, discussing What’s the trick to make it in
about how global it has became, the significance of logos today’s media? You have to be a creative. “The days of you
and brands and most importantly about how creativity has saying I’m a TV designer/ creative, I’m a print creative, are
become a rather scarce quality in today’s Photoshop & Co. gone. You have to be a creative. If you want to go along
world. in this business you have to be an all along creative.” And
Sloppiness, as he confessed, “has you must reinvent yourself. “Just reinvent yourself, don’t sit
become a bug bear” in his life. Looking there and say ‘This is what I do and I only do this and I’m not
back to the days when he started changing’, because you will be left behind, because the world
working for the BBC, professionalism is moving so quickly” advices Mr Dean Stockton
was crucial, “a matter of life and He adds that students must think outside the box, outside
death”. Because not being extremely their computers and use their minds. “The computer is not
impeccable, in all the areas, meant you
were fired. On the contrast, nowadays,
it is easier for people to give in to the
pressure of time, speed and information
Image courtesy of Dean Stockton

that exists around all of us, “...but at the end of the day, it’s
very important that you look at things properly. It’s the basis
of everything creative.”
Also it’s because any creative job brings with it an editorial
and manipulative responsibility that many are not aware of.
“Whether you’re an artist, a cameraman, a photographer or
a Photoshop artist, the moment you take a picture or make
a representation of something, you’re editing life, you’re
editing reality.”, said Dean Stockton
To set the scene for his presentation, we were invited to see
a very short film, about perspectives in life, shown by the
Guardian a couple of decades ago. “It’s all about the way we
see things, it’s so important!” says Mr Stockton. Then we are
challenged to unveil the meaning behind a few tricky logos. the answer to everything; the computer is just a tool ... is
Warning: “Always look at things in detail!” The point he is no different than a pencil ...your mind is better than the
arguing: “The creative mind can be very different from the computer”.
 “Be Specific and Aim High!”
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.michaeltyler.co.uk/
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/

by ADAM MANNING Peel’s

Effervescent radio music presenter
Paul Gambaccini was advising
media students to “be specific”
and to “go right to the very
top” for a job in the industry,
at last Wednesday’s Coventry
Conversation.
Gambaccini’s experience of getting
where he is today is a combination
of close thought about his self and
taking advantage of the contacts around him. “I started at
the top, I recognised what I liked and who was in charge of
it, and I went to that person. I went for a specific thing that I
wanted to do”.
Gambaccini has created two ‘comically’ musical manuscripts
and has sent them off to the editor of music magazine
Rolling Stone, which resulted in him being editor of the
magazine after 3 years of contribution.
Writing reviews for the magazine eventually took him to the
UK; and it was here during the early to mid 70s that he met
people who had indispensable contacts which resulted in
his 37 year presence in BBC radio up to this very day.
“I got on Radio One through interviewing John Peel; then I
interviewed Elton John whose publicist was the wife of John
producer. And when she had a
thank you lunch, he said to me ‘I’m starting a rock magazine
programme in the autumn, would you like to do a ten
minute weekly talk?’ I said ‘Of course’, and that’s how I got
onto Radio One” he explained.
The two time Classic FM presenter also encouraged students
who fancied radio as serious career aspiration to stay in the
UK, and not to be tempted to cross the continent with the
mindset that they’ll be more successful there.
“Anybody who seriously loves radio, and wants to work
in radio, must work in this country, because the biggest
audiences are the BBC audiences. Radios One, Two and Four
have giant audiences. In the US most radio is local; many
radio stations don’t have a listenership higher than your
average pirate radio station.”
According to Radio Joint Audience Research, the BBC Radio
has 33 million listeners, which beats commercial radios
listeners by 2 million, and proves that due to the licence fee,
the diversity of BBC radio appeals to the British public.
Students looking at going into radio would stand a
better chance with the BBC, as they’re more susceptible
to agreeing to new innovations that strive towards their
compulsory remit to inform, educate and entertain.

12 Hours Rock Festival
by ADAM MANNING
A third year Coventry University Music
student is organising a rock music
festival on the outskirts of the City, at
the Spencer Sports and Social Club, on
the 9th May. The event called “12 hours
of rock” is programmed to run from
mid day until midnight.
21 bands have been secured, with a
few more yet to join the list of local
bands. This include LP45, a band full of
ex Coventry University Music students
and female singer and song writer,
Kristy Gallagher; also, an ex Coventry
University student, with both artists
having supported well known music
sensations Nizlopi.
A former guitarist of local band
Pressure Pill, Johnny Ross, has
managed to create the event in aid of
the charity Missing People. However,
Johnny’s other aim is to encourage
musical interaction in the area, with
opportunities like this providing the
perfect platform for future successful
bands that have originated from
Coventry over the years, such as The
Specials and The Enemy.
“From my own experiences playing in
Pressure Pill”, says Johnny, “ it seems
that for new upcoming bands it can
be difficult to get a foot in the door,
as a lot of the established local events
and venues seem disinterested when
it comes to putting on and promoting
new types of local music. Hence why I
wanted to personally pick bands that
I thought would put on a great show,
and also to give some bands that are
just starting out the experience of
gigging with some more well known
local musicians.”
With renowned music festivals in
the city that run for similar amounts
of time, such as the three year old
“Covfest” festival and the charitable
music event “Covstock”, what makes
this festival different from the others?
“My concept was to get all the artists
http://profile.myspace.com/index.
together
under
one roof
for a day
of music,
so that people could come down,
spend the day and not have to leave
the venue to trek around town to see
different bands”, replied Johnny, whose
intention is to experiment and find
an ultimate festival experience for the
hardcore music fans of Coventry.
As Johnny confirms, the title “12 hours
of rock” is rather confusing: “There are
a wide variety of musical acts playing,
from acoustic acts of the folk and
singer-songwriter variety, through to
punk, metal, indie, alt, classic rock and
more”
Admission is £2 to the main hall where
all main acts will perform, but the
entry to the acoustic and bar room is
free. Food and drink will be available
throughout the day and all money
raised will be given to charity.

The student and staff newsletter of the Media and

Communications department of Coventry School of
Art and Design
Edited by Teodora Beleaga
Submissions invited to thebuzz@fsmail.net
with thanks to John Mair, Alice Tester and Adam Manning