Graduate Enlists Falmouth Talent to Bring Research to Life

Music, Theatre & Entertainment Management graduate Ellie Ripley has been working with fellow Falmouth graduates and current students to present the outcomes of her research project in a feature length documentary.

Following her graduation in 2018, Ellie won a New Talent Research Fellowship with the Southwest Creative Technology Network in the field of immersion.

Ellie explained:

As part of my fellowship I chose to explore the relationship between music and the mind after being so inspired by the musical community here in Falmouth. My research looks at the cognitive relationship we have with music, during immersive experiences.

"In order to promote accessibility to science, I decided to present my outcomes in the form of a feature length documentary, which explores music in relation to education, health, wellbeing, community and culture."

Ellie turned to Falmouth to get the expertise she needed to bring her research to life: "I chose to work alongside Falmouth students as whilst I was here I felt there was an incredible sense of collaboration. The team have been on the project for almost a year and we are now applying for it to be premiered at film festivals."

Film student Sam Laurence, who worked as Director on the project, added: "The documentary contains interviews with people from all spectrums of life talking about music and the way it affects them on a daily basis, something that everyone can relate to, thus making this a film with universal appeal."

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Ellie is now planning to disseminate her research further, working with graduate Josh Collins to produce a book.

She explained: "We had so much interview footage for the documentary but not everyone was keen to be on camera, so we're developing a book. It will contain a plethora of interviews, from cancer survivors to care home residents to young people combating mental health, based on the same themes as the documentary."

Ellie worked with a number of people on the project. The main team are:

• Theo Cordery, Cinematographer and Editor - third year Film student
• Sam Lawrence, Director - third year Film student
• Evie Nuggets, Assistant Producer – Film (2019) graduate
• Liam Hall, Project Photographer - third year Marine & Natural History Photography student
• Adam Weeks, Composer and Music Arrangement - third year Creative Music Technology student
• Ethan Kent, Lighting Design - second year Technical Theatre Arts student
• Josh Collins, Graphic Designer - Press & Editorial Photography (2018), MA Communication Design (2019) graduate
• Red Van Records - Music, Theatre & Entertainment Management student company

Visit Ellie's You Tube channel to see the documentary trailer.