The tracks on this album offer an invaluable insight into a wide range of techniques and practices surrounding Creative Writing. Writers as diverse as Alan Ayckbourn, Ian McMillan and Tanika Gupta talk openly about their approaches and attitudes to all aspects of writing from original concept to final drafts and productions. Writing for stage, print, television and radio is discussed in engaging and articulate detail. This material forms part of The Open University course A363 Advanced creative writing.

A freelance career in the creative arts is a free
badged course which lasts 8 weeks, with approximately 3 hours’ study time each
week. You can work through the course at your own pace, so if you have more
time one week, there’s nothing to stop you pushing on and completing another
week’s study.

This course has a specific focus on the creative
arts, looking at how you can develop your ideas in the cultural industries and
the particular issues related to creative freelance careers. The course is
pitched at beginner level, for individuals who already have a creative idea but
limited knowledge of freelancing and business.

You’ll start by enhancing your understanding of what freelancing
and running your own business actually means, learning from the experiences of
others in your situation through case studies included throughout the course.
You’ll reflect on your current position, analysing the advantages and
disadvantages of choosing this career path and considering where you want to
get to in the future. You’ll learn how to identify your audience and markets
and develop your networks and partnerships, exploring innovative ways to promote
yourself and create interest and potentially investment in your business.
Finally, you will have the opportunity to identify goals and develop an action
plan.

Throughout the course, you’ll be encouraged to reflect on
your experiences and learning through a series of short activities.

In the last 50 years, developments in technology have had a profound effect on the production, recording and manipulation of music. The 8 video tracks in this album introduce Simon Whiteside, a television and film composer, explore his recording studio and explain how he uses MIDI to create music for films and television programmes. Using an example of one of the programmes he has worked on, Simon illustrates the technical and creative processes involved. This material forms part of TA212 Technology of Music.

It is often said that a movie comes to life in the edit suite. Ben Harrex of Final Cut post production studios in London discusses five themes with examples; The Cut, The Dissolve, Cropping and Resizing, Titles and The Sound. Ben explains how the video editor has a huge amount of creative control over how the final product looks. This material forms part of The Open University course T215 Communication and information technologies.

How do you address problematic issues at work? This album reveals more creative ways to solve problems, other than relying on rational techniques such as brainstorming and lateral thinking. Employees at a small software company are shown how to access their unconscious minds using the power of imagery, associative thinking and metaphor, to find solutions and creative approaches to their work. Meanwhile at a Neuro-linguistic Programming seminar, participants learn to use metaphor on a deeper level for practical problem-solving. The facilitators also comment and discuss their techniques and observations, including the significance of gesture, body language and breathing in the sessions. This material forms part of The Open University course B822 Creativity, innovation and change.

Is creativity a mind-set or can it be developed? How much influence does organisational culture have on creativity in the workplace? And is there space for innovation within all business environments?
Managing a successful business is never simple, especially when it’s necessary to navigate a company through a changing landscape. Featuring a series of interviews on topics such as flexible working, the role of leadership and creating under constraint, this collection also takes a closer look at fear, bias and intuition and the role they play on shaping creative environments. It examines approaches used by both private and public sectors and gives an insight into how they use different aspects of creativity to run their organisations. Martin Miller of independent music label Beggars Banquet talks about managing change, while NHS Chief Exec Samantha Jones talks about managing creativity when faced with the pressures of running NHS trust. Also featuring contributions from Microsoft, Cloud Reach, Morgan Lovell, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and Milton Keynes Dons football manager, Karl Robinson.