Flatpack Film Camp

On Friday the 7^th of April Flatpack will host a brand new one-day Film Camp exploring some of the latest innovations in cinema. The event is open to everyone from large scale exhibitors to community cinema organisers, student film groups and just about anyone interested in film. So if you are fanatic about film or want to learn new skills and network with others in the industry, be sure to book your place.

The one-day event will be packed with a number of insightful workshops and panels from 10:00 till 18:00. Including a panel on the relationship between music and film chaired by film journalist Beth Webb, with musicians John Sweeney and Ruth Chan alongside animator Loup Blaster. We here at MACE will also be involved, leading a workshop on how to build your own archive, with practical tips and expert guidance on how to successfully screen archive film.

A day pass can be purchased for £15 (incl. lunch and refreshments), to book your place today or find out more, click here.

 

Volunteering Opportunity at MACE for University of Lincoln Students

We’re looking for volunteers to work on a  Heritage Lottery Fund Project called What Can You See? which aims to save 18 significant film collections and to make this important film heritage accessible to all. 

Students at the University of Lincoln will have the opportunity to play a key role in this project by watching these films and describing to us what they think is important in each film, what is most interesting and engaging about them. These contributions will enable us to make the films widely accessible and to identify trends that will help our website search engine guide more people to films they want to see.

Volunteers will be given training and support throughout this element of the project which will take place between September and December 2017.

You can find out more about the opportunity here including application details and deadlines.

A selection of images captured from films preserved at MACE, which all illustrate the culture & history of the Midlands.

An advanced case of vinegar syndrome in acetate film © Screen Sound Australia

Cans of 16mm film held at MACE

Image of 16mm film on a Steenbeck at MACE

MACE Footage Features in Pedalling Dreams: The Raleigh Story

Discover the fascinating story of Raleigh with Pedalling Dreams, a brand new documentary charting the history of the world famous bicycle company.

Produced by Testimony Films, Pedalling Dreams: The Raleigh Story, tells the extraordinary tale of the remarkable characters and famous bicycle designs that spawned out of one of Nottingham’s most famous companies.

Featuring a mixture of archive footage from MACE along with interviews and testimonies from former employees, this beautifully illustrated documentary uncovers Raleigh’s fascinating journey from its humble beginnings, ups and downs, to becoming the largest manufacturer of bicycles in the world.

The documentary premiers on BBC Four on Wednesday 15th of March at 9pm and will also be available on BBC iPlayer.

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RUGBY: A MIDLANDS STORY NOMINATED FOR A ROYAL TELEVISION SOCIETY AWARD

‘Rugby – A Midlands Story’ is a documentary film by Iconic Productions charting the heritage of the sport in the region that invented it. 

This captivating film which features rarely seen moving image archive from MACE and ITV Sport, has been nominated in the Best Factual Programme category for the 2016 Royal Television Society Midlands Awards.

The winners will be announced at the Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony on 3rd November at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull.

For further information on the film or to arrange a screening, please follow the link below:

 www.iconictv.co.uk/rugby-a-midlands-story

RUSTON & HORNSBY – A VAST ARCHIVE REVEALING LINCOLNSHIRE’S UNIQUE INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE

Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Ruston & Hornsby project aims to preserve the legacy of one of Lincolnshire’s most iconic engineering companies through the digitisation of photographic negatives and cine film, alongside interviews with former Ruston and Hornsby workers.

The photographs and documents which are now stored at Lincolnshire Archives and films stored here at MACE, form part of a huge collection showcasing the history of Ruston and Hornsby, which became part of Siemens in 2003. The archive spans the company’s 150 years, offering a rare and detailed insight into Lincolnshire’s manufacturing heyday and Britain’s industrial past.

This major heritage project in collaboration with Siemens, Lincolnshire County Council and the University of Lincoln has allowed MACE to catalogue, assess and digitise a selection of fascinating films relating to the company, extracts of which can be viewed online via the Lincs to the past website and MACE’s Vimeo page. Copies of the full films can be viewed by appointment at both Lincolnshire Archives and MACE.

To learn more about the project and Lincolnshire’s rich industrial history, visit the Lincs to the Past website here.

 

GOLDEN FIRE – A DIGITAL ARTS PROJECT EXPLORING THE STORY OF HEREFORDSHIRE’S CIDER

Funded by Heritage Lottery, Golden Fire is the latest participatory digital arts project from The Rural Media Company which explores the story of Herefordshire’s cider heritage from 1945 to the present.  

The project comprises of moving image material from MACE, photography, oral histories and online content, alongside public exhibition of the Hereford Cider Museum’s extensive archive material – all pulled together in an exciting new Golden Fire Cider Heritage app.

The app will guide visitors and locals around the county’s cider producers, festivals and growers, telling the stories of the people, past and present, who make and ferment the “golden fire”.

Golden Fire, which was supported by Heritage Lottery Fund and Heineken, has been nominated for the Royal Television Society Midlands Digital Innovation Award, which will be held at the Birmingham Motor Cycle Museum in November.

For more information about the project, including where to download the app, please follow the link below:

www.ruralmedia.co.uk/golden-fire.aspx

 

MY ROUTE –A MAJOR HERITAGE PROJECT MAPPING THE HISTORY OF BIRMINGHAM’S STRATFORD ROAD

My Route was an 18 month Heritage Lottery funded project developed by Sampad South Asian Arts  which focused on mapping and preserving the heritage of Stratford Road in Birmingham, from the 1940s to the present day.

Working with volunteers and local residents between Sparkbrook and Hall Green, My Route explored how the population, landscape and culture has changed and developed over the years with the settlement and migration of new communities along the road.

Around 25,000 Birmingham residents connected with the My Route experience, either as exhibition visitors, participants or volunteers, through a series of research activities, art events and exhibitions.

My Route also created an interactive digital map of Stratford Road which uses touch-screen technology that allows users to unlock the history of the area by tapping into collections of photographs, sound-bites and video including a selection of news material sourced from MACE.

A short documentary about the project was also produced by Sampad in partnership with Iconic Productions which was screened in March as part of the University of Birmingham’s Arts & Science Festival. You can watch the full documentary below:

For further information on My Route, please visit www.myroute.org.uk

LOVE IN THE MIDLANDS

Get that loving feeling and check out this short compilation originally put together by MACE for the BFI love season and the Film Audience Network.

It features tales of love and romance from the streets of the Midlands in the 1960s and 70s. Originally filmed by ATV Today and answering burning questions of the day, such as: “Do Midlands men make lousy lovers?”

 

The BFI Unveil A Captivating New Collection- Football On Film

The BFI have released a fascinating new collection on the BFI Player called Football on Film. 

The collection includes some of the earliest matches ever filmed, adverts, documentaries and newsreel all of which provide a historical insight into the evolution of the game.

Within the collection are a variety of films supplied by MACE including Day-Dream Believer, a short film from 1968 made by pupils at the City of Leicester Boys School in which a student dreams of playing for Leicester City Football Club.

You can also experience early football matches in the Midlands including Derby County vs Leicester in 1939 and Sheffield Wednesday v Hereford United from 1958.

Click here to start exploring the absorbing history of the beautiful game.

MACE SUPPLIES FOOTAGE FOR DOCUMENTARY FILM: RUGBY – A MIDLANDS STORY

‘Rugby – A Midlands Story’ is a short documentary film by Iconic Productions charting the heritage of the sport in the region that invented it. 

The film features a range of interviews with Moseley Rugby Club, Rugby School, Web Ellis Rugby Museum and official Rugby World Cup host venue Aston Villa FC along with rarely seen moving image archive from MACE and ITV Sport.

This fascinating film not only celebrates the history of rugby but also acts as a legacy document for rugby in the Midlands both in the present day and looking ahead at the future.

The film premiered at the official Rugby World Cup Fan Zone in Birmingham on the 26th September 2015 and was shown 5 times on a 100 sq/ft big screen viewed by over 7000 Rugby fans from around the world.

A shorter version of the film ‘Rugby – The Origins’ screened during the opening ceremony of the World Cup at the birthplace of the game. It is also currently screening 4 times a day to visiting school children at the ‘Rugby Village’.

If you would like to arrange a screening please contact Iconic Productions by following the link below:

http://iconictv.co.uk/contact-us/