A TEAM of students from the University of Chester filmed a set of exclusive football matches at Liverpool’s famous Anfield Stadium.
The games were staged by Bank of America, whose Europe Card Services is based in Chester and which is allowed access to Anfield each year as part of a sponsorship deal with the club, giving its staff the chance for a memorable day on the historic pitch.
The main fixture is a competitive match between two teams from within the company, made up of its best players. This takes place after a penalty shootout and a shorter ‘fun’ match for employees who applied to be part of the day.
As a way to mark the event, while raising money for their chosen charity, the Marina Dalglish Foundation, the company commissions a DVD of the day’s experiences and sells it within the organisation.
This year, due to its connection with the University’s Chester Business School, Bank of America offered the chance for a group of film and media students to create the DVD.
Not only would they be providing a memento for those involved and aiding the charity but also earning valuable experience for themselves by producing a professional-quality product.
Phil Potter, deputy head of the media department at the university, said: “Community-facing projects such as the charity event Bank of America hosts at Anfield are magnificent extra-curricular activities – one of many we involve ourselves in – that allow students to get their teeth into real-world projects, apply and develop their abilities, network and promote themselves and the university. All while helping others. This speaks volumes about the qualities our students have.”
The team of students selected were: Annika Wilmot, 27, studying an MA in TV production, Thomas Gill, 19, a radio and television production student, Robert Mumford, 18, also a radio and television production student and Thomas Cox, 19, of Widnes, who is studying television production.
Leading the project was TJ Cosgrove, a 20-year-old BA film studies and television production student. He said: “We received an email asking if we would be interested in being part of the film-making project.
“I replied straight away as I saw it as a great chance to take the skills I’ve learned on my course and put them to use in a professional environment.”
After being selected as one of the chosen respondents, TJ volunteered for the position of project leader as he had done two years of freelance graphic design work before coming to university. He felt this had given him a greater understanding of the professional world and its expected attitude, having worked with large companies before.
He added: “Producing a project like that is a lot more like being a manager than being a filmmaker at times, you have to organise transport, access, equipment, etc. The filmmaking is the fun part, but you don’t get to it without all the paperwork and planning. The experience was equal parts incredible and stressful.”