A group of University of Stirling final-year students have picked up the award for Best Broadcast at this year’s Scottish Student Journalism Awards.
Held in Glasgow, the awards are a celebration of the best talent in Scottish student media and are judged by the country’s most prominent media professionals.
Kate Galbraith, Jamie Sutherland, Calum McIntosh and Sean Hayman made up the winning production team and were recognised for their documentary The Cornerman which followed legendary Coatbridge boxing coach Rab Bannan.
Film and Media student Kate said: “Rab Bannan is the beating heart of the Barn Boxing Club in Coatbridge. Boxer turned coach, he is now a living legend with over 40 years’ experience in the sport. Each day he is turning young boxers into world-class champions one by one and we wanted to know the secret behind his success.
“When creating The Cornerman,we knew it was essential for us to show boxing as a sport, but also as a way of life. Many of the Barn members use this sport as a way to escape their troubles, coming down to the gym not only keeps them fit but also gives them something to work for. The amount of lives he has transformed through boxing is unimaginable, and this was the biggest aspect of the story we wanted to capture on camera.”
The team spent several weeks at the Barn shooting the documentary, and the students’ efforts have now paid off.
Kate added: “We’re honoured to win this award and delighted with how the film has been received. This experience has not only opened our eyes to the world of documentary production but also showed us that the most touching stories can lie in the most unexpected places.”
The 2016 awards mark the third consecutive win for the University of Stirling in the Best Broadcast category. Of the University’s staggering six nominations, students Jemma Campbell, Laura Beaton, Gemma Miller and Andrea Linhova bagged a commended certificate in the same category for their theatre group documentary Ups and Downs.
Fourth-year journalism student Stefan Schmid also received a commendation in the Calum MacDonald Overall Excellence within Student Journalism Award for his journalism project work on the Greek migrant crisis.
Dario Sinforiani, Head of Production Teaching in the University’s Division of Communications, Media and Culture, said: “We're delighted to win Best Broadcast for the third year in a row. The students have made a revealing insight into the Barn Boxing Club. The portrait of a man whose passion and dedication to his job has inspired countless young people over several generations is a mature and engaging piece of film making.
“This award and the commendations and nominations the students received at this year’s awards is testament to their talent and the continued quality of the work produced here at Stirling.”
Watching the winning broadcast clip here: https://vimeo.com/162972095.
Notes for editors
- Background information
Media enquiries to Corrie Campbell, Communications Officer on 01786 466 169 or c.r.campbell@stir.ac.uk.