At JosephMedia, we offer an exciting roster of creative art programs, using Art and Media as a vehicle to tackle sensitive issues affecting young offenders, mental health service users, disaffected young people and community groups. Our aim is to promote and encourage discussion and participation in arts and community events, issues, activities and groups to improve the quality of life for the whole community.

Working with a team of experienced Media and Arts Professionals, with an abundance of work experience within the community as youth workers, educators and Mental Health Occupational Therapists, we offer short courses and programmes that will help inspire, transfer skills, develop better communication and create understanding.

JosephMedia runs a rolling programme of diverse classes and workshops. These include visual and verbal arts, community arts, performing arts and a full educational programme that is specifically designed to courage people of all abilities to explore and preserve our arts heritage. We work from a number of programmes that have a proven track record, as well as develop custom made courses depending on desired outcomes.

Our workshops fall within two types:

* Specialist workshops for students with special needs, i.e young offenders, mental health and disaffected young people

* General workshops open to the general communityand businesses.

Our specialist workshops are targeted to meeting set needs of the client group, while dealing with sensitive issues. All our facilitators have been facilitating and developing structured and effective programmes with successful outcomes.

Each participant writes, directs, and edits a series of short films (MiniDV) and work in principle crew positions on additional productions. With over 50 hours of instruction and production, this is a comprehensive film program.

Twelve Weeks Acting For Film Programme. An in-depth exploration into the art and practice of acting for the screen. This programme is exceptional in its concentration on the fundamental craft of acting as applied to extensive work in front of the camera. The class is designed to provide service with effective tools and sound techniques that deal with the essential components of acting and characterization. Utilizing scripts and acting exercises facilitated by professional actors, service users will learn craftsmanship that will provide them with flexibility and choices.

For many young people and mental health service users the Jamming Group is a tremendously therapeutic creative outlet. They come back, week after week, and for some it is the only therapeutic group on the activities programme that they will attend. The atmosphere is supportive, relaxed and none threatening, providing a forum for people to express themselves, communicating through music where words fail them

The benefits of the group are many: it increases self esteem and confidence, teaches new skills, develops interests, provides a creative outlet, increases teamwork and social skills and increases relaxation and concentration. People feel empowered by the high degree of input they have into the content of sessions, and the group is facilitated in a flexible manner that caters to the skill level of each individual, aiming to maximize the experience for each individual. The final outcome will be a live performance both as a main act and as a backing band for other performers.

Students are given the opportunity to arrange and rehearse their own musical composition and give a live performance. Once the composition has been performed, participants in the film making workshops will produce a professionally finished video using digital technology and desktop editing. 

JosephMedia offers intensive hands on programmes in digital film making. The courses range from one week to three months. Most of our workshops do not require previous experience, however they all demand passion, commitment and drive. Our workshops challenge students to develop their creative skill to their fullest potential.

We develop custom made digital film courses where we work closely with organisations and service users, and are able to tailor-make courses to best suit their aims and objectives. Film is a very empowering medium, and the process of making a film is rich and varied with many roles both in front and behind the camera. These roles help develop personal growth as well as team building.

Film making can be an experience that allows groups and individuals to find a voice and an outlet to facilitate their creative expressions and explore frustrations. Working closely with groups and organisations to produce a short film about issues affecting that group, a script will be written, acted and filmed by the group members, with the support of an experienced team of professional filmmakers, actors and writers. The final outcome will be in the form of a short film, a music video or a documentary and will be screened at the Ritzy cinema in Brixton.

This programme has proven to be successful with diverse groups and youth organisations. Some of our clients include the BBC, Interchange Studios, MTV, WAC (Weekend Arts College), Cambridge Educational, Black Grape Productions, Southside Partnership, SLaM, East Potential and Fanon (Lambeth and Merton).

Students are given the opportunity to write, produce and record a piece of music using traditional musical instruments and studio-based music technology. Once the composition is recorded, students will produce a finished CD package using PhotoShop™.

Progression to do a mix with the other groups and filming their experience are added incentives. Finally, students can have an introductory look at the music industry and, combining their literacy & IT skills, produce a press release for their product. This workshop is specifically designed for students to gain basic insight into the music Industry with the aim of continuing their personal and professional development. A variety of exit strategies will be developed to provide students with a progression route tailored to meet the needs of the individual.