Working with staff and students from across UCLan’s school of Journalism and Digital Communication (JDC), this week saw the Media Innovation Studio host the multimedia convergence production project: The HotPot.

First run as a multimedia newsroom trial in 2010, the HotPot has expanded to encompass print, broadcast, digital and magazine undergraduate and postgraduate routes. The ‘production runs’ involve undergraduates and postgraduates coming together to produce media on a theme, event or location.

Over the last three years, students – supported by staff across the school and Media Innovation Studio – have covered budget and spending review announcements, the anti-tuition fees marches and the US elections. In the last couple of years, students and staff have also travelled to China and Kenya to cover international stories ‘on the ground’.

Autumn’s HotPot grabbed the opportunity to cover a global story from a UK perspective, and a committed cohort of second-year undergraduates covered the US elections.

The Media Innovation Studio was delighted to host informal training sessions on digital video editing, social media, search engine optimisation for writers, data visualisation and a guided tour of online publication platforms.

Researcher and project coordinator John Mills said: “The HotPot is a great chance for both students and staff to create a real newsroom environment that combines multimedia publication techniques, storytelling and editorial collaboration. Over the last few years we’ve covered national and international stories and tested mobile and other tech innovations.”

Early morning editorial meets were hosted in the Studio – along with debrief and round-up sessions that were led by staff.

Beyond the Studio, JDC lecturers and tutors provided TV production masterclasses, geo-location and mapping, radio workshops and background sessions on the US political landscape.

“HotPot also offers the research team an excellent opportunity to gather data and the students to get a real feel for how the industry is evolving,” Mills added. “I’m already looking forward to HotPot 2013!”

The next HotPot will again have a distinctly international feel as the Media Innovation Studio’s George Ogola and Paul Egglestone will be heading back to Kenya with a small group of student journalists to report on the aftermath of the national elections.

Watch this space for more developments.