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Hughes' impact arises from his music for films without sound, which has rendered historically important silent films, and more recent silent film formats, accessible to contemporary audiences. Critics, programmers and broadcasters have all recognised this impact in their commissions and programming of Hughes' scores, and Hughes' work has also impacted upon the way in which museum curators display film and other archival materials. The films include commercial DVD releases of classic silent films by Sergei Eisenstein and Yasujiro Ozu, music for Joris Ivens' film Regen (1929), music for a new film by photographer Sophie Rickett, and music for a documentary image sequence of photographs from the Imperial War Museum archive.
Mumford and Tallant engaged in consultancy work for IT companies, with both interactions leading to substantial positive benefits for commercial partners. Though `early stage impacts', each consultancy has generated both commercial value and a change in software design of a key product.
Through Mumford's consultancy, research led to significant changes to the development of a database tool developed by a national IT company, FACE Recording and Measurement Systems. This, in turn, has led to a patent application. FACE recently received an offer of $5m (US) for a product based upon the tool.
Through Tallant's consultancy, research led to important changes to the development of an online calendar/event planner tool, developed by a Canadian software company—Time.ly. It also led to Time.ly being able to engage a wider audience. The financial value of such a company depends upon the number of users they can engage. Time.ly were recently valued at $8.4m (CAN).
Between them, Mumford and Tallant have made significant contributions to companies or products valued at over £8m.
In just six years, research by the Sexual Offences, Crime and Misconduct Research Unit, conducted in conjunction with the Her Majesty's Prison Service and National Health Service Forensic Services, has produced key benefits for the management and treatment of offenders and the training of professionals within the prison service and NHS by:
(i) developing, evaluating and improving treatment interventions for high-risk sexual offenders; vital for successful rehabilitation and reducing recidivism;
(ii) research-based training to reduce corruption and professional misconduct;
(iii) identification of offenders at risk of suicide and other self-harming.
Based on his research at the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Professor Paul Burgess invented and co-invented several cognitive tests (known as the Hayling and Brixton Tests, and the BADS and BADS-C assessment batteries) which are used to detect dysfunction of the frontal lobes of the brain. These were developed for commercial production by Burgess and are now produced and marketed by the largest test publisher in the world (Pearson Assessment). There are versions in several different languages, and they are used in clinics worldwide to diagnose problems in a wide variety of patients with neurological, psychiatric and developmental problems. The tests are now administered around the world to around 55,000 patients per year.
While conducting research into the London riots of 2011, researchers in UCL's Department of Mathematics initiated two additional outreach projects: (1) a short film, made to explore the social impacts of the work and to engage with the communities affected by the events, and (2) a visualisation tool, developed to demonstrate to the public the potential of UCL's mathematical riot model.
The film involved a two-way discussion with youth charities, youth workers and ex-gang members across the capital, improving their attitudes towards the research and their understanding of the model, while the final version of the film raised awareness of the underlying social issues and stimulated a great deal of public debate online. The visualisation tool — in game form — has proved successful at events and festivals across the country in stimulating public interest in science.
These projects, along with the original paper, have received a good deal of media attention online, in press and on national television, serving to raise awareness, improve understanding and prompt public debate about the riots, the role of youth charities in London and the potential use of mathematical modelling to address questions about the UK's social systems.
Imruh Bakari's film projects such as African Tales (2005/2008) and Big City Stories (2011) have had impact in the areas of civil society and cultural life, specifically in illuminating social and cultural assumptions (of audiences of audio-visual culture in Africa and the UK) about contemporary Tanzania and Black London.
The impact of Bakari's research focusing on African and Caribbean cinemas, and related subjects in cultural studies, also extends into areas of policy making, education, and training surrounding film production and distribution in Africa and Europe. This is evident through public engagement (with film industry professionals, younger audiences, and the wider public) and archiving, and through engagement with policy initiatives for the creative industries sector in Tanzania.
African filmmakers have long experienced difficulties in funding, exhibiting and distributing their work, reflecting the dominance of Hollywood and `mainstream' cinema. Dr Lindiwe Dovey's research into African film and international film distribution investigates how such difficulties might be overcome, while drawing attention to the diversity and originality of African filmmaking practices. This research inspired and enabled the creation of the UK's largest film festival, Film Africa, showcasing African-made culture to a wider audience, and providing a space where African filmmakers can meet with distributors and funders, enhancing their potential to further their careers internationally.