Plymouth College of Art appoints award-winning Director James Caddick

Plymouth College of Art has appointed award-winning Director James Caddick as a Lecturer on their BA (Hons) Digital Media Production degree.  Speaking of his new appointment, James said: “My work as a filmmaker both commercially and independently gives me a valuable insight into what is going on out there in the industry, and that’s useful in preparing students for their future careers. For me, working in an academic environment is also very inspiring.”

He continued, “The digital media production course is all about emerging technology and exploring traditional and new ways of telling stories. The students have grown up with new technological advances all around them so their perspectives and intuitive knowledge is something that I can learn from too.”

The college’s Digital Media Production degree is a cutting-edge hands-on programme that focuses on audiovisual creativity and production, ranging from film, television and new media to the performing and visual arts. This programme primes a new generation of contemporary media artists to meet the growing international need for innovative audiovisual content.  

James’ work has previously been shown around the globe, including Cannes, Edinburgh and Milan film festivals. His most recent feature documentary, Elephant Day, premiered at the BFI London Film Festival. Filmed over two years, the documentary was commissioned by the chart-topping band The Maccabees, and documents the life of residents in the Elephant & Castle region in London alongside the making of the band’s fourth album.

With clients including the BBC, Channel 4, Universal, Honda and Polyvore, James’ work spans a variety of genres from television commercials to broadcast documentary and music videos. This will be highly valuable to Digital Media Production students when learning to produce high-quality content for all platforms and audiences. James said: “Having been through the ups-and-downs of being a freelance filmmaker I have an insight into what is required to develop and sustain a career in the industry. How it’s necessary to adapt to changes but also develop a  distinctive voice. It’s tricky, but I feel my role here will be to help students develop what they are passionate about, as I feel that is what will ultimately sustain them as creatives”.   

Digital Media Production students at Plymouth College of Art have access to a wide range of production and post-production equipment, and will undertake workshops and masterclasses with highly-skilled industry professionals in disciplines including cinematography, sound design, television producing and commercials. They also have opportunities to work on location and to live briefs set by external clients, and have already worked with local businesses including Royal William Yard and Plymouth Marine Laboratory.

James commented on what drew him to the college, “Plymouth College of Art is a proper art college, and that’s a wonderful thing especially in this day and age. You can feel the energy, it’s a place that has a passion for visual arts and I love that. It’s truly a place where people can gather to share their interests.”

Plymouth College of Art offers some of the best undergraduate media production programmes in the UK, with the college’s BA (Hons) Game Arts programme receiving an exceptional overall satisfaction rate of 100% in the 2017 National Student Survey (NSS) and BA (Hons) Film receiving an excellent overall satisfaction rate of 94%.