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Jan. 6, 2021

Portsmouth postgraduate student directs Pixie Lott music videos

University of PortsmouthAn MSc Film and Television student at the University of Portsmouth has recently directed two Christmas music videos starring Pixie Lott.

31-year-old part-time masters student, James Dunlop, directed the two Christmas music shoots starring the pop star and ITV’s ‘The Voice Kids’ judge, together with musicians from The Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines.

Speaking about this exciting project, James says: “Working with Pixie on these two music videos was an absolute privilege, it makes my job incredibly easy when you’re in the company of such a hard-working professional on set. She was open and receptive throughout to the ideas presented, and willingly took part in the ‘journey’ we’d devised for her to act out over the course of each video.” Discussing the impact that the Coronavirus pandemic had on this work, James explains, “Abiding with Covid guidelines certainly made filming trickier but with a dedicated, and fantastic, Production Manager as well as an additional Covid supervisor the challenges were overcome. I hope the fun and festive cheer we had on set really shows in the final release. It was a pleasure working with Pixie, the production team and the musicians on these films.”

So far in his career the masters student has directed and produced plenty of music videos and broadcasts, and he is now further developing his skill set whilst studying part time on the MSc in Film and Television at the University of Portsmouth with Course Leader, Dr Searle Kochberg.

James is really enjoying his postgraduate studies, saying, “I’m thoroughly enjoying the masters course. Joining in September and studying part time whilst also working in the industry allows me to develop both professionally and academically at the same time, and at a fantastic rate. The possibilities and avenues to study on the course are endless, be it drama, documentary, factual, script-writing; and to have the freedom to individually develop and flourish at the level required for that chosen professional industry is truly a career booster.” He continues, “With personal projects undertaken alongside the opportunity to give the University’s lecturers a grilling on their first-hand knowledge, it’s playing out to be a safe space for myself to develop new methods during both the creative stage and through to production and fruition. I’m already able to apply skills learnt in only a few months under Searle’s leadership and I’m excited to progress through my studies and career development with the University’s guidance.”

Course Leader, Dr Searle Kochberg enthuses, “We are so proud of James. Not only is he a dedicated student, but he brings added value to the University with his substantial professional background in TV and Broadcasting directing and producing.”

Find out more about the MSc in Film and Television.

Looking for funding for postgraduate studies? Check out the exclusive bursaries on offer from Postgrad Solutions.  

Content added on 6th January 2021. 

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