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Day: 21 September 2017

Manchester University ranks fifth in UK for graduate employability

The University of Manchester is the fifth best university in the country for graduate employability, according to the QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2018.

Improving on last year’s 35th place, the University of Manchester positioned 33rd in the world in the QS rankings.

Employer reputation was central to QS’ assessment criteria — 30,000 global employers were asked to identify the institutions from where they hire the best graduates.

In this section, The University of Manchester scored 96 out of a possible 100.

Tammy Goldfeld, Head of The University of Manchester’s Careers Service, said: “The University of Manchester is working hard to produce well-rounded graduates who learn from world class-researchers but also gain the other non-academic skills demanded by employers. This increase in our ranking indicates that programmes such as Stellify and our ethical grand challenges, which all students are encouraged to take part in, are helping graduates succeed in the workplace.”

“Delighted by these results”, Tammy Goldfeld suggested that they were “indicative of the quality support the Careers Service offers graduate recruiters who target the University of Manchester for student and graduate talent” as well as the broad services on offer to students both during their time at the university and post-graduation.

QS used a broad range of metrics to assess “graduate employability” with employer reputation carrying the largest weighting in the ranking (30 per cent), followed by alumni outcomes (25 per cent), partnerships with employers per faculty (25 per cent) and employer/student connections (10 per cent).

1,000 universities around the world were considered and QS published a list of the top 500.

Stanford University was ranked number one in the world, followed by the University of California, Los Angeles and Harvard University.

In the UK, The University of Cambridge came out on top, followed by the University of Oxford, University College London, Imperial College London, and the University of Manchester.

The overall graduate employability ranking score for the University of Manchester was 76.2 out of 100, with the University scoring well when it came to ‘Partnerships with Employers’, achieving 80.8 out of 100.

As the University’s Careers Service continues to develop and market its “Manchester Graduate Talent” (MGT) scheme, this particular score is more than likely to improve year on year.

The MGT scheme helps source paid graduate-level jobs exclusively for University of Manchester students graduating in 2017, working with a range of organisations based in Greater Manchester, from start-ups to multi-national firms, plus recruiters within the University, each offering a variety of different roles which will appeal to students from diverse backgrounds.

Advising incoming freshers and returning students as to how they can develop employability skills throughout the year, Tammy Goldfeld suggested looking at the Careers Service’s website, with tailored advice for first years, mid years, final years, and graduates.

However, Tammy’s quick top tips were to “take part in at least one extra-curricular activity; start to write a CV, and get some work or voluntary experience”.

 

Is university sport a viable alternative to the Premier League?

For a student, deciding where to spend your money can be hard. The expense of rent, food, textbooks, travel, and the miscellaneous costs that come with living independently can leave you a little short changed when it comes to socialising and indulging in your hobbies. A quiet pint down the local while watching the game on the telly is unlikely to cost you anything north of £10 but if you are a fan who likes the thrill of being at the stadium, you are going to struggle to pay anything less than £30, especially in England’s top division.

Manchester City has taken strides to address the issue by offering cheaper tickets for fans between the ages of 18 and 21 as well as selling match tickets through the Students’ Union. But any Premier League game at the Etihad is still going to cost at least £30. For many supporters, the cost is worth it as the feeling of being there and being involved with the game is something they look for week after week. But for students, it can be difficult to justify spending £30 for 90 minutes of entertainment every two weeks when you are living on a diet of pasta and rice. Of course, teams away from the Premier League will charge less but perhaps the smarter alternative is to look to University sport to get your live football fix.

Living in Manchester means an abundance of sports clubs in your local area. The university has 42 student run clubs which span 36 sports and 9 different football teams. In this upcoming season, the University of Manchester Football First Team will be playing in the Northern 1A division. In this six team league, UoM will come up against Leeds Beckett, Liverpool Hope, Liverpool John Moores, Newcastle, and Sheffield. The team will be looking to improve on last season’s fourth place finish and start their campaign on the 11th of October against Newcastle.

The chance to see affordable, live football is there and surely there can be no better sense of belonging than going to a game with a team representing an institution you go to every day and have done for the part one, two or three years. To actively support your university team should not be seen as you turning your back on your club side but instead embracing the players who represent you.

As well as men’s football, UoM has a strong presence in the women’s game. The first team will be competing in the Northern 2A division and start their season with a home tie against Liverpool John Moores. The game takes place on the 11th of October and will be played at the Armitage at 2 o’clock.

So while the money machine that is the Premier League continues to roll on, look to University Sport if you want an affordable alternative that provides similar levels of thrill and a sense of belonging.

A very Normal interview

After announcing the upcoming publication of his new collection of poems ‘Raining Upwards’, I sat down with Henry Normal – a BAFTA award winning screenwriter, poet, and comedian — to discuss the launch of the book.

A lot has changed since Normal first moved to Manchester (for love, not poetry) but he maintains that the creative scene is alive and well. This is evidenced by the continued growth and success of the annual Manchester Literature Festival, the predecessor to which (the Manchester Poetry Festival) he co-founded.

Hailing from a council estate in Bilborough, Normal talks of dreaming of a career in comedy, writing, but feeling trapped, largely, by his working-class origins. He describes the life he led in Bilborough as ‘not very creative at all’, his only outlet being jokes and skits he would write down and stick on the walls around his school titled ‘please do not read’, hoping for feedback from his fellow students. He observes that this felt lonely as he was the only one doing it.

After the death of his mother when he was 11, his father raised him and his four siblings alone. Sometimes working seven days a week, Normal says the work ethic his father displayed meant he felt duty-bound to find a “job for life.” After leaving school he secured two jobs, as an insurance broker and as a bartender. Whilst working around the clock he continued to write at night, even drawing on his experiences at work as inspiration for his material. Normal says “the pub was right next to a bus depot. I was very young then, only 18, and all the old bus men used to come in and call me gay boy! But I actually put that into the Royle Family which is why Antony is called gay boy.”

Spurred on by the American comedians he would see at night (a self-proclaimed fan of Richard Pryor, Jack Benny, and the Marx Brothers) Normal quit his job and moved in with his sister to focus on becoming a writer. When asked if, in hindsight, this seemed like a risky decision, he said, “I’d been doing very well at insurance but if I was the best insurance man in  the world I wouldn’t have been happy.” He describes being drawn to stand-up comedy in particular because it provided “instant feedback.” Either people laughed or they didn’t. This quickly became preferable to sending off manuscripts and waiting on rejections.

Normal with Steve Coogan and Lindsay Hughes, Head of Talent at Baby Cow Productions.

When asked what his favourite part of the early days of his career was he cited “the sense of community.” During his time in Manchester, Normal made the rounds in literary scenes up and down the country. Performing alongside a then-unknown Pulp in the Midlands, and forging lifelong friendships in Manchester with performers such as Steve Coogan, University of Manchester Chancellor Lemn Sissay, and Caroline Aherne. He eventually launched Baby Cow Productions, a collaborative effort with Coogan responsible for Moone Boy, Gavin and Stacey, The Mighty Boosh, and Human Remains among others.

Around the same time, he worked with promoter Rick Michael to launch what is now the Manchester Literature Festival. Speaking about his inspiration for the festival, Normal notes “I’d done this show called Packet of Three and I wasn’t happy with it. I got a lot of money from it but I was very upset because I thought it was dreadful and I didn’t think it was me. I’d gotten this money and I thought I’m going to do something with this money that makes someone else happy because it’s not making me happy.” The festival proved to be a runaway success, even hosting the poet Seamus Heaney only two days after he won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

But after 30 years in film and television, even producing the four time Oscar nominated Philomena, he resigned and settled in Brighton. On ‘Raining Upwards’ Normal talks of wanting to regain the independence and personal touch he feels only poetry can achieve. He says, “I’d sooner be able to communicate in exactly the way I want rather than somebody say well [you] can reach millions of people but I have to compromise myself. I’ve done that, I’ve done the compromise. I want to do the pure communication.” In it he covers everything from his family life with his wife Angela and their autistic son Johnny (whose artwork emblazons the front of the book) to his thoughts on science, nature, and fame.

When prompted for advice for young writers hoping to launch a career today he stressed the importance of originality. “There are so many opportunities now but you’ve got to have drive and stamina. You’ve got to have something to say which is why most of the good stuff is being done by the unheard voices. If you’re saying the same thing that’s been said for 600 years it’s not that interesting.” This approach helped to ensure the success of one of his earlier projects, The Royle Family, about which he states, “when we did The Royle Family it was the best depiction of working class people that had been on television because we were sick of seeing depictions of working class people on TV and thinking… well that’s not real.”

‘Raining Upwards’ launches on September 29 th at Manchester Central Library where Henry himself will give a performance. Copies of the book can be found at www.flapjackpress.co.uk. Readers wanting to contact Henry can find him on Facebook at Henry Normal and view more artwork by his son at Art By Johnny.

Manchester, night by night

So, welcome to your first week of this academic year! As you’re probably already aware, Manchester has an abundance of different club nights to offer. Here’s a quick run-down of some of the events that will guarantee a good time and won’t break the bank.

MONDAY: QUIDS IN at Factory251. The three floored venue has a mixture of hip hop, house, dance, and alternative music to offer. As it says on the tin, entry is only £1 before 12pm. The building itself is the infamous Factory Records, the studio home to the likes of the Happy Mondays and Joy Division. Take in the rich history whilst simultaneously having that Jäger shot.

TUESDAY: GOLDTEETH at Deaf Institute. This beautiful little gem plays the best in northern soul, funk, and feel good Mo-Town classics. If this isn’t your bag then the modern hits and floor fillers of the second floor are for you! This a sure-fire good night, and a lot closer than venturing all the way to the town centre.

WEDNESDAY:  Wednesday night is sport society night, which means 256 is the place to go. This place is a spectacle, with initiations as far as the eye can see. Its a very short walk from Fallowfield campus, and a short walk away from Chicken King, so everyone is a winner.

THURSDAY: SKINT at 42nd Street. For all your alternative indie pop needs. £1 entry before 12pm with a student card (£3 without a card). Can you say no to a place that serves 60p shots, £1.30 vodka mixers, and plays classics such as Kasabian, Bowie, Oasis, and Stevie Wonder? This is perfect solution for a boring Thursday night.

FRIDAY: PROP BOX Revolution at Deansgate Locks, with a free photo booth with a collection of props to drunkenly pose with. As well as this, they have fun printouts, wacky and weird cocktails, and a range of flavoured vodka shots to share with your friends. All these combined will create an exciting night out for all.

SATURDAY: Warehouse Project. If you are new to Manchester, WHP should be on your bucket list to visit at least once. But after going once, you are more than likely be wanting to go again. WHP is on every Friday and Saturday (and sometimes Thursday) up until the end of the year, with a special New Year’s Day special on the 1st of January 2018. WHP present a range of fresh and established electronic, techno, and house DJs.

SUNDAY: The Friendship’s Music Quiz. Free to enter, with a gallon of beer up for grabs, this fine institution can help nurse your Sunday woes. First up, deciding team names, for which a fierce arms race has developed between locals and students. Those who are squeamish may wish to give it pass.

 

 

Want to dine with a difference? Experience the blind taste test at Vapiano

For two nights in October, the laid back and authentic Italian establishment Vapiano will become a battleground for foodies hoping to prove their palettes are the most refined of them all.  Those who think they know their “pestos apart” are encouraged to prove their culinary knowledge using only their tastebuds and sense of smell.

Photo: Vapiano

Unlike a traditional dining experience, guests will be put through their paces in the heart of the Corn Exchange; they’ll be asked to guess the Italian cuisines they are sampling whilst wearing a blind fold. Despite not being able to see the food, the restaurant has ensured that this is “no bushtucker trial”. Instead, customers will have the chance to enjoy an array of homemade starters, pastas, pizzas, salads and desserts – coupled up with some drinks!

A statement from Vapiano promises that “you will be surprised by how much you can get wrong when you cannot see whats under your nose.” This event is therefore certain to provide a unique dining experience that will challenge the senses and our understanding of the food we eat.

Photo: Vapiano

If you think you have the palette of a champion, make sure you get down to Vapiano on either the 3rd or 4th of October for this exclusive event. Doors will open at seven in the evening and tickets will cost £18 a head. The restaurant does however encourage you to book your tickets fast, as previous events have sold out. You can buy your tickets here for both sessions.

Freshers abroad: what to expect from your next big adventure

Deciding to spend your third year in a whole new country is pretty daunting as a prospective student, so to make the application process a bit easier for those deliberating, I talked to three international freshers originally from the University of Manchester to see how their first week has gone.

Hari: Social Anthropology at VRIJE Universiteit Amsterdam

If you decide to take the ERASMUS route in your adventure, like Hari, Amsterdam could be for you.
“Amsterdam is known to be pretty expensive so that worried me, but I managed to get my accommodation through the university for €350 a month. On the deadline day for accommodation, the website crashed and lots of people didn’t manage to get somewhere to live, so be prepared for a second option. Mine is the cheapest, there are shared bathrooms and no oven — you get a microwave and hobs instead — and you live with twelve people, but that’s part of the fun! Travel is expensive too, you can get an OV travel card but it gets expensive, most people here cycle — even to the clubs!”

For freshers events, the university has a pretty good international society that organises a lot. “They give you campus tours, free gym lessons and a boat tour which you have to sign up to through email, all for free! ERASMUS Student Network (ESN) put on an activities weekend for €65. From Friday to Sunday you go to the Amsterdam dungeons, have a city tour, meals out, club nights and a boat party. Every Wednesday they put on a club night at Cocos Outback which is a lot of fun.”

So what should you know before applying to VRIJE Universiteit? For Hari, she warns us about organisation: “You need to expect to sort out all your modules yourself, even when classes overlap their system doesn’t pick it up and you’ll have to change it.”

But to try and get involved in your new home as much as possible! “Brush up on a bit of Dutch as well, everything in the supermarket is in Dutch and although most people speak English really well and the lectures are in English, it doesn’t hurt!”

 

 

Photo: Hari, NL

Max: Economics at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Catching a flight to Santiago will probably have you out of pocket for around £2000 for a direct flight in the summer months when term time starts, but you can get it for less if you’re a bit savvy, says Max. “I flew via Madrid which made it cheaper so it cost £1100 more or less. Just a 1-hour change over in Madrid so didn’t add too much time onto the trip.”
Luckily, travel in Santiago is pretty inexpensive. “You can buy a BIP card which you top up as you go and gives you access to public buses and the metro system. My uni campus is on one of the metro stops and I live 1-minute walk from my closest stop so I mainly use that. It probably costs me about £10-£15 a month.”
For freshers itself, there are options, even when there are no specific freshers events. “There’s a student run organisation here called CAUC which organised a few socials for us during the first few weeks. There aren’t specifically any freshers events, but my private halls ‘Livinn Santiago’ organise nights out. There is an event every Wednesday for exchange students called ‘Miercoles Po’ which changes venue every week so through that I’ve been able to experience most of the main clubs. Alcohol is much cheaper than at home which is a nice bonus, roughly £3 for a big bottle of vodka.”
Santiago freshers should prepare themselves for the culture shock, Max believes. “I would suggest insisting on living with Spanish speaking people if you really want to accelerate your language skills. Initially, classes were quite hard as you have to keep up with taking notes and understanding the professors, everyone speaks very quickly. The accent is quite different to Spain too. But I’m getting more used to it each week.”

 

Photo: Sofi (right), USA

Sofi: Business/Finance Major, University of Illinois, USA

Situated in Urbana-Champaign in the state of Illinois, Sofi is now living the American dream. Sofi considered an apartment for accommodation when moving out to the US but felt that halls would be better for meeting new people, “but if you’re looking for the cheaper alternatives I would say go for shared flats instead as halls have cost over $13,000 for the year, not including a meal plan.”
Getting around is easy: “You mostly get around by walking, but you can’t get out of the mandatory transportation fee which entitles you to be able to ride any bus on campus by showing your student card.”
There is plenty to do while there. The international and exchange society BIEN organise meetups and activities and the dean even invited all the exchange business students to her home for a barbecue, which surprised Sofi. “Her kids were even there! it felt so strange but apparently, that’s normal here!”
Because the legal drinking age in the USA is 21, most first years stick to frat parties — which Sofi assures us are true to the stereotypes. As a result, there is not much of a clubbing culture on campus. Instead, people tend to hang in the campus bars which are the only ones in the country with the entry age of 19.
The one thing Sofi wants to let prospective students know is that it gets expensive, fast. “It all adds up really quickly and some people won’t even be able to go home for Christmas break because of that. But I would 100 per cent recommend having this experience, after all, it’s not every day you get a clean slate in a new place and new people!”
So if you’ve been looking for your next big adventure maybe a year abroad is for you. Plus, if you’re only spending £3 on a bottle of vodka in Chile, I’m sure you’ll make back the flight costs in your savings pretty quickly!

Greater Manchester Police “inadequate” at recording crime

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services has dubbed seven UK police forces to be “inadequate” in recording reported crime.

Of the fourteen forces inspected, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) was seventh worst, failing to record 15 per cent of crime reported to them.

Only three forces — Wiltshire, Staffordshire, and Sussex — were deemed to be “good”. These forces failed to record between five and nine per cent of crimes.

Four forces — Cambridgeshire, Avon and Somerset, Northumbria, and North Wales — were told that their recording of crime required improvement. They failed to record between seven and 12 per cent of crimes.

Leicestershire and Devon & Cornwall forces were found to record the least amounts of crimes reported to them — 24 and 18 per cent respectively.

Inspectors said the failure rate was a “serious concern” and would result in crimes not being investigated properly.

Police have claimed that many crimes were recorded but not classified incorrectly.

In 2014, it was found that UK police failed to record failed to one in five crimes.

HM Inspector Matt Parr said: “If a crime is not recorded correctly it is unlikely to be investigated properly and it can have a direct effect on the prosecution of the perpetrator, who may go on to commit further crimes […] Inexcusably, it denies victims the proper service they are entitled to.”

United earn comfortable Champions League win

United are entering the competition having qualified as Europa Cup Champions last season in a 2-0 win over Ajax in Stockholm. José Mourinho seems to have luck on his side after being drawn into arguably the easiest group of the competition. That being said, Benfica should not be underestimated having reached at least the Round of 16 in their last two seasons. The other two teams in their group, FC Basel and CSKA Moscow, both came last in their respective groups last year and should cause few problems.

Lining up, there are six changes from the side that drew against Stoke. Smalling and Lindelof come in at centre back for the suspended Bailly and Jones. In the fullback positions, Young replaces Valencia and after his shaky performance at the weekend, and Blind takes the place of Darmian. Mata starts showing Mourinho’s attacking intent, and Martial gives the on fire Rashford a break. De Gea, Matic, Pogba, Mkhitaryan and Lukaku all start.

As the whistle blows on a rainy Old Trafford it becomes immediately obvious that Basel are playing for the point, sitting very deep with ten men behind the ball at all times. United start with intent, pushing forward with the ball and pressing hard to recover the ball quickly. Pogba captains the side on their 21st Champions League group stage.

The first chance comes in the second minute as a Mata corner falls to Lukaku and if not for a fantastic block, Lukaku would have fired it right into the top corner. Young runs freely down the right-hand side tracking back to defend strongly too. Shortly after he fires a volley wide, chances are coming quickly.

In the 14th minute, Lukaku uses his strength to hold up play well which leads to a chance for Mkhitaryan who heads over. You can’t help but feel that, against a better team, these wasted chances might be costly. Shortly after this Pogba lands awkwardly and pulls up holding his hamstring. Losing a player of his quality for any length of time could hurt the squad but thankfully a returning Fellaini comes on in his place, fresh faced and bushy haired.

Another major chance is missed after a Lukaku cross to Mkhitaryan is pushed onto the post by the keeper from two yards. Lukaku shows that he can create chances as well as score them. Mkhitaryan is in his element here with great positional play and it could be said there is a twinkle of Paul Scholes in his ability to launch a ball cross field to a player in space.

The first Basel corner of the game was easily defended and Mkhitaryan once again tears up the field before getting slashed down by Balanta is a nasty tackle, the first yellow of the game. Early on Lindelof looks calm on the ball in his first game of the season. The style of play in the Champions League is much less physical than in the Premier League and will suit the former Benfica man nicely.

Mkhitaryan threads a ball out wide to Ashley Young who in turn launches a brilliantly placed cross into the box for none other than Marouane Fellaini to head past the Basel keeper Vaclik to make it 1-0 in the 34th minute. Great build up play and a well-deserved goal. You would think this would force Basel to come out of their shell but you’d be wrong, they seem happy to stay compact and play for the low scoring defeat.

The rain is pouring down still and the Basel manager, Raphaël Wicky is getting absolutely sodden wearing just his suit, his coaching staff all wearing thick waterproof coats. My heart goes out to him. Towards the tail end of the first half, Mkhitaryan lights up Old Trafford — first with a phenomenal ball to Fellaini who could only head it down to Basel to clean up as no one was with him, and secondly with a cheeky nutmeg, much to the fan’s delight. The Armenian always seems to be eyeing up chances to embarrass opposing defenders.

As the half time whistle blows United are firmly in control with 69 per cent possession to Basel’s 31. The only negative really is the injury to Pogba. It looks like someone gave Wicky a raincoat during the break too, giving his suit a break from the rain.

Basel start the second half a bit tentatively but are certainly changing their game plan to be slightly more attacking, trying to grab a quick equaliser and return to their previous compact state. It seemed to be working too as they put together a few chances. They lack the end product in the final third though and most of their passing is intercepted.

The Reds look just as dangerous going forward as Martial takes on two before driving a low shot at the near post to win a corner. It is quickly taken short and driven into the box by Blind — right onto the head of Lukaku who doesn’t miss from this distance, 2-0. He just stood still as the ball came to him, the Basel defenders unable to outmuscle the Belgian. There is daylight now between the two teams.

Basel suddenly have an epiphany that if you park the bus when 2-0 down you can’t win the game. Elyounoussi leads the charge forward and they begin to hold possession more. Pressing high up the pitch leaves them susceptible to counter attacks, a big risk when you look at the pace in the United squad.

A poor pass by Mkhitaryan concedes possession and Basel run into the penalty area. Lindelof carelessly slides in and somehow doesn’t take down the attacker. De Gea makes his first proper save of the game from the resulting shot. The United defence holds up against the relatively weak attack — but a better side in the latter stages of the tournament would be more clinical in the final third.

Rashford is nothing if not consistent. He’s scored on his Premier League debut, his Manchester Derby debut, his League Cup debut, his Europa League debut, his England U21 debut, his England debut and now his Champions League Debut. A real poachers goals, a Fellaini cross is missed by Mkhitaryan, nutmegs two before being scrappily knocked in by the 19-year-old.

The whistle blows, a comfortable 3-0 victory at Old Trafford extending the unbeaten run at home to 32 games, since September 2016 — quite the fortress. Man of the match was Marouane Fellaini, and deservedly so, this season he has been the catalyst for United’s success.

 

In conversation with Neville Pierce

Having seen the marvellous short comedy Ghosted at this year’s Lift-Off film festival we approached director, Neville Pierce. His career has been varied, from journalist to screenwriter to director. He shared with us some very interesting and honest insight into the world of film journalism.

It was during his time at Bournemouth University that Pierce first developed his interest in journalism, and more so in writing about film. Being naturally good at storytelling, “spoken or written”, it is this that drew him to the art of reporting. Whilst studying journalism more generally, Pierce religiously read the now extinct film magazine Neon which led to him to push himself to try it for himself. His reasoning being: “Someone has to write for movie magazines — so why not me?”.

Starting off as the logical next step as a part of his journalism degree, a week’s work experience turned into two months working at the North Devon Journal. He recalls that the journalists there “were mostly only recent graduates themselves, but at the time seemed much older and wiser — and sexier — than I could ever aspire to be”.

Having been editor of the fortnightly paper The Nerve for a year, it was a natural question to ask what were his best and worst experiences in that position. To this, Pierce’s answer was an event that was simultaneously both, as he remembers “being shouted at by a columnist for editing his work — but he subsequently apologised, accepted the edit, and we remain close friends 20 years later”. If he could give his student editor self some advice, it would be to “admit your mistakes — even if only to yourself. Everything is useful, even the failures. Everything can be shorter, from articles to meetings”.

A journalist before the explosion of the internet in the 2000s, his experience of journalism was quite different to that of film critics or any journalists today, the main problem being that beforehand, “people paid to read things. So YOU got paid”. A result of the use of the internet for film criticism was the development of aggregated review sites such as Rotten Tomatoes, which Pierce recognises as a useful tool, “if you want a barometer of critical opinion, though inevitably reductive”. He also points out that percentages will never replace an actual film review, as he might watch something a critic has not liked, depending on their taste.

As for him and his incentive to review films, he sums it up as a combination of “ego, enjoyment and earning” which may also be said for the majority of film critics. His response to what he wished to achieve through creating artistic content: “Buying a house”. His process of reviewing films is a unique one (this was before he was directing them), advising to, “tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you just told them. I was told that at school, about public speaking, but it applies to that type of writing too I think. Sometimes you can be more playful, especially if you’re writing a long lead review – you can give more career context or make a point about theme. I always try to judge a film on what it is trying to achieve, as well as whether it is personally to my taste”.

Even critics have favourite critics. Pierce gave me this response when posed the question: “David Thomson changed the way I looked at film writing with Rosebud, his biography of Orson Welles. His Biographical Dictionary of Film is wonderful, too. I can’t remember who said if you write about film then you get to write about everything, but that would apply to him. Peter Bradshaw (The Guardian) maintains a remarkably high standard. Robbie Collin (The Telegraph) is eclectic and insightful. Guy Lodge (Variety) has a delightful turn of phrase”.

He continued: “I am in awe of the breadth and depth of Kim Newman’s knowledge. Others who are less critics — though they do write reviews – than general film journalists would be Damon Wise (Neon and Empire), who was a big influence who became a friend. Matt Mueller (Screen International) is a fine editor and a fine man. Ditto Dan Jolin, who gave me my first bit of paid work, back at Total Film. It’s a long list, really. I’m impressed by what Joe Utichi is doing with Deadline’s magazine Awardsline. Chris Hewitt and co are very good on the Empire podcast. Jamie Graham is a very fine interviewer and informed critic — I value his opinion highly. The best all-rounder, broadcast and print, is Mark Kermode, for my money. Entertaining, informed, fluent on paper or on screen or speaker — superb”.

Getting more and more influential in his work, Pierce went from a staff position editing Total Film to being a freelance journalist for Empire. The transition from one job to the other was a noticeable one. “I didn’t have to manage people, I just had to manage my time. I didn’t have as much influence on what went in the magazine, of course, but I did have more freedom”, which led to an obvious change of pace for Pierce and a much better quality of life.

Less of a transition of sorts and more of a variation in that field of work, Pierce described his experience in both radio and print journalism as quite different ones. “Print generally allows more depth (though not always). It also allows you to edit yourself more effectively and hide your incoherence. Radio is merciless in that regard”.

Pierce managed to obtain exclusive access as a member of press to the film sets of Fincher’s Zodiac and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. “I had interviewed Fincher for a retrospective piece on Fight Club and we had got on, but when I emailed his assistant asking to visit the Zodiac set I expected to be told no – because he doesn’t generally allow journalists on set. So, really, I was incredibly surprised to be there. I also felt — and feel — he is one of the greats. So I was soaking up every bit of detail I could – for me, it’s like having the opportunity to go on set with Kubrick. I think the best set visit article — of the many I’ve written for Fincher films — was probably for Zodiac, because it was so fresh and exciting an experience for me”.

Now Pierce’s time is mostly taken up by screenwriting and directing, this did not happen over night and was a gradual shift in his career. The short version of why exactly he is on the filmmaking end of movies now is that he always “at least subconsciously, wanted to do it – and eventually, the fear of failure was outweighed by the fear of not trying”.

In an industry where one’s work is constantly scrutinized, the fear of failure never dissipates. “Whether it’s articles or scripts or finished films, I don’t think you’re ever completely satisfied. You may look back years later and be able to say you think something was good – or, at least, close to what you had in your head.”

For my final question, I asked Pierce how he would describe the relationship between filmmaker and film critic. The answer was, “carefully”: “I think Barry Norman probably said it best: ‘All critics are parasites – but parasites can be useful.’ So, yes, critics can’t exist without something to comment on. But great criticism can be beautiful – and definitely useful. Some critics are snide and ill-informed, of course, and that must be infuriating when you’ve worked hard to make a film (I’ve felt angry and frustrated upon reading ignorant reviews of the work of friends or filmmakers I admire), but a great many are dedicated, informed people who love cinema and work very hard for modest reward. I think I used to look down on film journalism, basically because I did it. Now I see its value much more. And it irritates the hell out of me when filmmakers are scornful of critics as a whole – especially filmmakers who are happy with critics when they love their work, then dismissive of them when they don’t. You have to take your lumps”.

You can find out more about his past, current and upcoming projects at nevpierce.com

Review: IT

Through the swampy mires of found-footage, spin-offs, and the recently castrated, generic hybrid “action horror” — which is to be thanked for the likes of The Purge, Resident Evil and The Mummy — an exciting horror resurgence is beginning to boil.

Perhaps the one to thank for this is James Wan, a flawed yet generous filmmaker whose Conjuring series — tight family dramas masquerading as supernatural thrillers in a period piece aesthetic — provide some of the only sincerity and creativity studio horror has to offer, despite an over-reliance on genre conventions. More recently, audiences are more likely to turn to the indie scene than ever, with studio A24’s terse and existential thrillers starting to make names for themselves at the box office.

With Stephen King’s IT, therefore, we have perhaps only the second or third blockbuster horror film of the 2010s — Wan’s Conjuring films take the first two slots —  with an ounce of creativity and cine-literacy. Though the first attempt at adapting the gargantuan book was admirable, the iconic television miniseries’ place in the canon of horror cinema is arguably mistaken, as it offers little in the way of scares, either human or cosmic, despite a winningly chilling performance from Tim Curry as Pennywise.

Thankfully, director Andy Muschietti and its host of screenwriters understand that the horror of IT hinges on two understandings. Firstly, that the performance of Pennywise is not to draw inspiration from serial killers, paedophiles or Jokeresque supervillains, as Curry’s portrayal is occasionally guilty of.

The eponymous “It” is a Lovecraftian, eldritch horror, a creature who may at first appear satanically enticing and seductive, yet eventually embodies the abject other. Secondly, the understanding that the core group of characters, the self-titled “Losers Club”, experience human terror, mirrored and exacerbated by the supernatural.

Almost every scene involving the kids interacting and growing together is wonderful, and there are some very promising talents within the cast of IT. Familial abuse, bullying and neglect are all factors in the original book that Muschietti takes care to include, ensuring that their world initially feels real, before “It” claws through the fabrics of reality to twist and distort their perceptions. Sadly, moving the setting from the 1950s to the 80s also removes an undercurrent of racism that made the original text a little more biting, though the implication is still there.

The production of this film began with some bad news, with True Detective’s Cary Fukunaga leaving the director’s chair. Initially an enticing choice, with True Detective proving his skill of weaving between narrative threads non-linearly in a similar fashion to King’s original text, much of Fukunaga’s original scripting thankfully still remains. I was wary of his replacement, as Muschietti’s debut, Mama left much to be desired, but he’s learned much since, and the inclusion of cinematographer Chung-Hoon Chung gives some of the more striking visuals some much-needed presence.

A frequent collaborator with Park-Chan Wook, whose Korean and English language films frequently combine character drama with sadistic violence, Chung-Hoon is an inspired choice who never loses sight of his careful and precise sincerity when pointing and moving the camera.

Unfortunately, it is clear that Muschietti is growing into a far more jobbing director than Fukunaga. During the film’s highly repetitive second act, many of the scares are constructed around the familiar, 21st framework of a slow build up and predictable pay off that belong in a far lazier movie. IT is only really scary when Pennywise is the focus, relative newcomer Bill Skarsgaard trying his utmost to inject some otherworldy horror into his performance so his character at times really does feel like a cosmic entity wearing a costume constructed to terrify children.

Unnerving visual effects pull the rest of the weight, with mixed results. This works best when the computer imagery is subtle. When the clown is injured, for example, the face twists and contorts like a mask worn by a creature with only a passing interest in how the human form is constructed, and the visual flair given to the layers of razor sharp teeth that extend and expand from the face of the clown are truly unnerving. Scenes involving a giant Pennywise, a leper or a headless ghost, however, are far less successful and call to mind the false moments of horror from The Conjuring or Insidious films.

Already taking the box office by storm, had the film been marketed more accurately as a Spielbergian throwback, a mature adventure movie first, horror second, perhaps it would have been even more successful. Having more in common with Lucas and Reiner than Carpenter and Cronenberg, too much of IT is framed like a high school comedy for the horror to feel truly horrific. Audiences will find that before they have a chance to settle in for a good scare, a humorous line from Richie Tozier (Stranger Things alum Finn Wolfhard) will catch them off guard and the rest of the horror set piece will be spent suppressing a smile.

The filmmakers earn points for self-awareness, as many of the horror scenes also inject some comedic timing and imagery, yet I can’t help but imagine another film that balances its tonal shifts better and manages to deliver the dark counterpart to the onslaught of 80s nostalgia that we truly need. IT is an accurate adaptation of half of Stephen King’s intimidating novel, though there are moments of cosmic weirdness and character melodrama in the text that, if included in chapter two, don’t feel particularly earned here.

Independent horror remains on top this year, as IT never surpasses the true to life nastiness of Get Out or the quiet tension of It Comes At Night, though the film is thankfully far more rewarding than the rest of its ilk. More earnest and intelligent than Ridley Scott’s mess, Alien: Covenant, and more visually creative and self-aware than Rings, IT is the horror film to watch in 2017, despite its reliance on a modern framework that already feels outdated. Frustratingly close to a great movie, if the tonal footfalls and comic missteps of chapter one are tightened in the sequel, Stephen King’s drug-fuelled magnum opus should make for a surprisingly worthwhile duology.

3.5/5

Largest rocket launched from UK by Manchester space tourism firm

The reusable, carbon-fibre Skybolt 2 rocket built by Starchaser measures 8.2 metres (27 ft) and is designed to fly more than 100 km, or what is defined as the edge of space. Starchaser are the first to launch a rocket of this size on the UK mainland.

The flight was sponsored by the University of Chester. Skybolt 2 successfully blasted off on Monday 11th September from the back of a converted flatbed truck. The vessel carried test equipment to be used in future manned rockets, commercial products, a stuffed toy from the Morecambe Bay primary school, and an accelerometer as part of a science project from Sheffield Hallam University.

The Manchester-based firm is determined to have a stake in the space tourism market that is taking off. “One of the things we want to do is make space tourism a reality, we want to be launching people into space and this rocket was carrying various systems and experiments that will allow us to do that.” managing director, Steve Bennett, told the Guardian. The firm claim they are getting close to these goals and are only a couple years away from sending people into space for their holidays.

Space tourism is all about suborbital flight; reaching the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere and space but not completing a full revolution of the Earth. As a comparison, the International Space Station orbits the Earth at 400 km, well above the suborbital threshold.

Affordability is one of the biggest challenges in making space tourism happen. The reusability of a spacecraft will be key in overcoming this. So far space flight has involved two-stage rockets. The first stage of a rocket holds the thrusters; its heaviest, most powerful and most expensive part, at around $30 million (over £22 million). Traditionally, it separates from the main part of the rockets at 69 km before re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere and falling into the ocean, unable to be used again.

One solution is a spaceplane; a rocket-powered aircraft, that looks much like a normal aeroplane. The first, the SpaceShipOne, was built and designed by Burt Rutan and completed a manned spaceflight in 2004. Virgin Galactic has since evolved this design into the SpaceShipTwo. They have carried out several successful gliding tests (flight and landing without the use of rocket engines) of the SpaceShipTwo since the crash of the first full test flight in 2014, which resulted in the death of co-pilot Michael Alsbury. Virgin Galactic say they are close to a second full test flight with engines.

Others are working on perfecting reusable rockets. Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos and his space company Blue Origin were the first to pull off an upright landing of a rocket in November 2016. But Elon Musk’s SpaceX were the first to re-fly a used rocket, in March 2017. It is estimated that reusing in this way could lower costs by 30%. SpaceX has also recently been in the headlines for revealing their astronaut spacesuit for the first time.

Aside from a shared ambition to get more humans into space, these companies have one other thing in common: they’re all based in the US. This makes Starchaser a pioneer in paving the way for British firms taking a position in the new space race. Bennett is not fazed by the big players though and, speaking to the Guardian, affirms, “Space tourism is a big cake and there’s a slice for everyone. There’s some people out there with a little bit more money than us but we’ve got a fantastic team of people, we’ve got the University of Chester behind us and we’re going to make this happen.”

The successful flight is a good sign for future plans to build bigger reusable rockets, and Bennett is aiming high. Starchaser’s next project, the 12-metre rocket Nova 2, will carry one person. If all goes to plan, it will launch within the next 18 months.

The firm also hopes the flight inspires the younger generation into science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers. Skybolt 2 is set to embark on an educational outreach tour to thousands of schools across the country.

£153,500 saved for students by Union advice service

This year, the Students’ Union Advice Service has advised 3074 students, a three per cent increase from 2015/16. The total saved by the service’s successful cases was £153,459.

The figure is also likely to be conservative since students who apply for the Manchester Hardship Fund often fail to notify the Service upon receipt.

It is the first year that there has only been an increase in the number of academic cases (by 18 per cent).  There has been a decrease in all other types of cases: finance (by five per cent), housing (by three per cent), and well-being (by six per cent).

However, the report states that the 18 per cent rise in students seeking advice on academic issues may be a result of the fact that bullying and harassment cases — themselves continuing to rise since 2014 — are being increasingly referred through subject-based support services.

There were marginally fewer students asking for advice on housing issues; though inquiries about council tax and contract details rose by nine and 14 per cent, respectively.

There was a 23 per cent increase (to 103) of students seeking advice on mental health. The Advice Service does not employ counsellors; rather, it explains the options that are available. Some members of staff have been trained in rudimentary well-being techniques, such as mindfulness, to help deal with this demand.

The number of students that had been the victim of a scam rose by 64 per cent. International students were most commonly targeted — often by faux Home Office accounts threatening deportation. The Advice Service will be working with the university in the Atrium during Welcome Week to help raise awareness about such scams.

The Advice Service has received the most positive feedback to date, with great case outcomes and a record number of successful academic appeals.

During Welcome Week and the first week of term — the busiest of the year — the Advice Service operated a drop-in service only. By operating in this way, quick queries were answered more efficiently and appointment time was freed up for more complex issues.  This drop-in-only service will continue in 2017/18.

The Service provides advice via telephone, email, drop-in, and appointment. The former saw a 73 per cent increase, whilst the rest each rose by one per cent. This rise in telephone calls is mostly explained by the introduction of a staff rota system after difficulties in the previous year.

University of Manchester-owned radio telescope given Grade I listed status

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Lovell Telescope’s ‘first light’ — the point at which the famous radio telescope was first used to collect radio signals from the far reaches of the universe — at the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire.

To mark the anniversary, six structures at the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester have been granted protected status from Historic England.

Radio telescopes are used to observe distant objects in the galaxy and the universe too far away to be observed with visible light, in a phenomenon known as the Doppler effect. As stellar objects accelerate further away from earth, their visible light and radiation become stretched so that the wavelength of this radiation is no longer visible, but is detectable in the microwave and radio band.

You have probably experienced this yourself — the Doppler effect applies to sound waves as well. When an ambulance with its sirens on speeds away from you, the sound of the siren appears to sound progressively lower in pitch. This is because the sound waves are being stretched relative to you, and therefore have a lower frequency.

The site was purchased by the university in 1939 and has been used for radio astronomy since 1945. The most famous structure, the Lovell Telescope, named after Sir Bernard Lovell — a physicist working at the University of Manchester — was completed in 1957 and at the time was the world’s largest steerable dish radio telescope.

The Lovell Telescope was given the honour of Grade I listed status in 1988. Structures joining this status for its diamond jubilee include the Mark II radio telescope, which was completed in 1964. Paired with the Lovell Telescope, this second telescope was designed to work in tandem to acquire more accurate data when monitoring distant stellar objects. The design of the Mark II has since become the cornerstone of radio telescope design throughout the world. The Mark II was the first in the world to utilise a computer to control its orientation — the Ferranti Augus 104. This computer had historically been used for military purposes for ballistic missile control, but with the 1960s came an increase in computers being used for more civil and commercial purposes — the Mark II telescope was certainly keeping ahead of the game.

As well as pioneering work in the study the moon, solar system, galaxy and the universe beyond, perhaps Jodrell Bank’s biggest claim to fame was in October 1957, when the Lovell Telescope was the first major telescope in the west to monitor the orbit of Sputnik I, the world’s first man-made satellite to be launched from earth by the Soviet Union.

Other buildings at the site to gain listed status this year are the Royal Park building—the control room for the Transit Telescope whose study of radio waves from the Andromeda galaxy confirmed that the universe extends beyond our own galaxy; the electrical workshop — the main purpose-built teaching building at the site; the Link Hut — used to investigate “cosmic noise”; the control building, and finally, the remains of the 71MHz Searchlight Ariel.

It is perhaps overdue that this centre of historical importance in the field of astrophysics gets the celebration and attention it deserves, but choosing the 60th anniversary of the first light of such an iconic telescope is indeed welcome, and hopefully will inspire the next generation of scientists to explore the deepest and farthest mysteries of the universe.

The Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre is open to the public and free to enter. One can learn more about the universe and tour the grounds, as well as get a breath-taking up-close view of the famous Lovell Telescope.