College Student’s Film Features at Sheffield Film Festival

Wakefield College student, Daniel (middle right) with his brother (left), Tutor, Gemma Haigh (middle left) and Lucy Dalton-Lodge (right) at Spirit of Independence Film Festival, Sheffield.

Wakefield College Creative Media Production and Technology students’ self-made music video was screened at the Spirit of Independence Film Festival in Sheffield last month after it won the College’s internal Film Festival competition.

Hosted in Sheffield’s The Light Cinema, the independent film festival showcases emerging filmmakers, film lovers and industry professionals seeking innovative storytelling and diverse voices – Wakefield College student, Daniel, was one of these voices.

Daniel’s self-direct music video accompanies the song ‘Psycho’ by Harvey Causon and was originally created for his final major project at college before it was submitted for the festival. Blending animation, concept, narrative and performance, Daniel’s music video explores themes of creative suppression of artists in an age of AI and large corporations.

Daniel said: “Having my music video screened at the Spirit of Independence Festival was a huge achievement – I felt proud and accomplished watching it on the big screen.”

Daniel is now progressing his media production career at University of West England Bristol with the dream of becoming a music video director for contemporary pop artists.

Students in the College's Film, Media & TV department learn camerawork, editing and screenwriting and work towards producing a portfolio of audio-visual productions. Daniel said: “You get a lot of freedom to specialise in what you want to do which is great on the course as it allows the students to experiment with all different aspects of media to find out what they want to do best. You are given the tools and help from your tutors but overall, it's completely your choice on which direction you take a project.”

Many students on the Creative Media Production & Technology course progress to creative roles and university courses, with some managing to enter the competitive British film industry. One of these students is alumnus, Taylor Caddick, who has become a Writer and Director and was the winner of the ‘Fresh Meat’ award at Dead Northern’s Horror Film Festival in York for his short film, ‘The Bloke in the Boot’ in 2024.

Caddick acknowledged his time at Wakefield College as pivotal to his success today, saying: “Being able to have full access to equipment at College was an absolute dream. It allowed me and the other creatives in our class to experiment with different styles, and the encouragement of creative expression inspired me to pursue comedy. I have many happy memories of the College’s media studios and I made great friends there. My tutor took me to my first film festival, Aesthetica in York, which had a profound impact on me and opened a huge door of opportunities.”

Creative Media Production student in Wakefield College’s media studio.

Former Creative Media Production student, Rob, combined his media production abilities with his passion for journalism and politics. Rob said: “I’ve been able to focus a lot of my projects on interviews and documentary-style videos so I can practice journalistic skills.”

Rob ran for Labour Councillor in Hemsworth Ward in Wakefield earlier this year and has now begun a Politics and International Relations Degree at Sheffield Hallam University.

Wakefield College has recently opened its applications for the 2027/28 academic year, which features Level 1 to Level 3 Creative Media Production & Technology, enabling students to begin their media studies at a level that suits them. Students are encouraged to apply directly to the College on its website.

Daniel’s music video can be viewed on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/Mg6qRD1gFoQ?i...

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