Film Project and Bailey Wardrobe Initiative

Cuth’s Film Project

With Producer and Director Paul Sng and Student Film-Maker Bradley Parke.

Students at Cuth’s had the opportunity to pitch their ideas for a short film to work with award winning Director and Producer Paul Sng. Paul is a bi-racial British Chinese filmmaker and writer whose work is driven by methodical research, creative storytelling and a collaborative approach that strives for inclusivity and diversity. Underpinning all of his films is an eye for strong characters and compelling narratives, all the while working to establish and maintain trustful relationships both in front of and behind the camera. His documentaries have been broadcast on national television and screened internationally and include Sleaford Mods – Invisible Britain (2015), Dispossession (2017) and Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché (2021). He is the editor of two narrative photography books, Invisible Britain: Portraits of Hope and Resilience (2018) and This Separated Isle (2021).

Student Bradley Parke’s pitch was chosen, and shooting took place last week. The film will debut in College in Michaelmas term. Watch the college website for further details!

As a third-year economics and politics student, I applied for this competition because whilst film-making is something that I have always found really fascinating, I’ve never quite had the opportunity to experience it from the producer’s side. I am so grateful for the chance to work with Paul and hopefully we’ll create something that we can be proud of! The film is going well. Paul, Hollie and I had a great time filming all of the footage one Friday morning at 5am - strange to see the Durham streets so empty! We will now work on finalising the edit and the score/sound so that we can hopefully finish it by the end of summer! We don’t yet have a title but I believe that’ll probably manifest out of nowhere during the rest of the process. Bradley Parke June 2022

Bailey Wardrobe Initiative

The Bailey wardrobe is a cross-JCR initiative which aims to provide members of Cuth’s, John’s and Hatfield with sustainable and affordable clothing options for formals and balls. With the frequency of formal events being so high in Durham, buying clothing for every event is not only extremely expensive but also vastly damaging on the Environment. Previously, the wardrobe had relied on alumni and student donations which were scarce and often outdated. Recognising its need for funding, myself and Professor Tammi Walker submitted a grant proposal to the Greenspace Ring-Fenced-Carbon-Budget. Through this scheme, we were awarded £5000 for the Bailey wardrobe! This money is being spent on a physical wardrobe for all the stock to be kept in with the bulk of the money being spent on new garments. By the start of the 2022/2023 academic year, the wardrobe will be in full use, with students being able to rent garments for any occasion. Our hope is that this scheme will contribute to Cuth’s commitment to being an inclusive college, as well as aligning with its environmental principles.

Georgie Musson