The Place of Character and Values in Contemporary Britain
We are inviting expressions of interest to produce a 45min to 60min documentary
on the theme of character and values in contemporary Britain with the purpose
of being broadcast.
Theme:
Issues related to the teaching of character,
a subject of considerable controversy and debate
within educational, philosophical and psychological circles in the world
of academia, is suddenly all the rage in policy circles in the UK. In the wake
of the report by the All-party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on social mobility,
and Shadow Education Secretary Tristram Hunt’s speech character education is
climbing up the political agenda. It has also been talked about by David
Cameron, Michael Gove, the CBI and many other prominent individuals and
organisations over the last year.
Character education was also the number one recommendation in the Riots
Communities and Victims Panel report launched in the wake of the 2011 riots in
the UK.
A key conviction of the Jubilee Centre for Character and Values, based at
the University of Birmingham, is that the virtues which make up good
character can be learnt and taught and that they have largely been neglected in
schools and in the professions. The
Centre is looking to make a documentary that will raise awareness as well as
add to the current dialogue about the place of character, values and virtues in
contemporary Britain. This is an
exciting opportunity for a production company to make a film on a topic that is
currently drawing a great deal of interest.
A budget of up to £150,000 is available to make the film.
We are particularly interest in
collaborating with production companies who can demonstrate:
- a solid
track record of producing material for broadcast;
- a strong
position to ensure the documentary brief is taken up for broadcast;
- an ability to
work collaboratively with the Jubilee Centre for Character and Values, the
University of Birmingham and other partners on the project;
- creativity
with the subject matter to ensure audience interest.
We are very keen to discuss what creative approaches can be used to best
communicate the subject matter and are open and flexible as to how the finished
film will look in terms of the actual content and structure.
Submit an expression of Interest
Expressions of interest
indicating why you feel you would be a good fit for this brief should be
submitted to Centre Manager Aidan Thompson by email (a.p.thompson@bham.ac.uk) on or before
Monday 24th March 2014. Expressions of interest should
include a CV and biography of the key talent on the team who will make the film
and links to examples of previous work.
We intend to hold follow up discussions with potential production
companies in London on Tuesday 1st April 2014.
For further information please
contact either
Prof. James Arthur, Director of the Jubilee Centre for Character and
Values – after 10th March 2014 (j.arthur@bham.ac.uk 0121 414 5596)
Tom Harrison, Deputy Director of the Jubilee Centre for Character and
Values – before 10th March 2014 (t.j.harrison@bham.ac.uk 0121 414 4812)
For some background information on
the theme we suggest: