King students returned to the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion festival this year. King DMAD students worked together with professors Joe Strickland and Lee Jones, producing over 15,000 photographs. The students were tasked with capturing images of specific bands and covering the festival atmosphere. Over the weekend, photographs from King volunteers were included in the official nightly recaps of the festival.
Students were grateful for the chance to get hands-on with event coverage. They appreciated the unique challenges of working with different conditions throughout each day. Covering the festival forces students to be resourceful and to apply what they have learned in the classroom in a professional work environment.
This year, professional video group Loch and Key provided a great opportunity, allowing King students to work directly with the video team. Throughout the weekend, select students took shifts with Loch and Key, experiencing promotional video production first-hand. Andy Feliu, a co-owner of Loch and Key, said:
“We’re big believers that the best way to learn in our field is to get your hands dirty so we were excited to bring on a few King University students to join our team. With this being our 4th year covering the festival, we’ve got a solid grasp of the audience and what makes Bristol special. Compared to any other festival we cover, Rhythm & Roots has by far the most stages, has the most variety when it comes to the actual festival goer, and the lineup itself spans a broad range of musical genres. These elements, along with just a great atmosphere overall, make BRRR a perfect opportunity for students to learn about video production in the context of live performance and event coverage.”
Kim Davis, Director of Marketing for Birthplace of Country Music, had this to say of King students’ involvement:
“Working with King University’s Digital Media Art & Design program has been very important to Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, as the students are a vital part of the photography strategy. Each year the talent of the students and the our partnership gets stronger, and working with King University is always a great experience. We are thankful for the students excitement and participation in the festival.”
