Dr Annie East
- 01202 965911
- aeast at bournemouth dot ac dot uk
- Principal Academic in Media Production
- Weymouth House W209, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, BH12 5BB
Biography
Annie East is an academic, a filmmaker, and a thought leader whose career bridges the worlds of professional media production and higher education. As a Principal Academic at Bournemouth University, Annie is known for her innovative teaching, industry-informed curriculum design, and deep commitment to student development.
Annie recently completed her doctoral viva on her thesis titled: “What are students doing when we aren’t looking? A hermeneutic phenomenological exploration of Risk Management on a Student Film Shoot.” This research, using VR elicitation, investigates how students perceive and navigate risk during film production, offering critical insights into the hidden dimensions of learning and decision-making on set. Her findings are now shaping pedagogical approaches within media education, particularly in how institutions support student autonomy, safety, and professional readiness.
In terms of thought leadership, Annie played a key role in shaping national HE screen production policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, co-authoring the ScreenSkills COVID-19 Guidelines for UK FE and HE Screen Productions... Her leadership in updating these guidelines demonstrates her agility and commitment to safeguarding both education and creativity in rapidly changing circumstances.
A founding member of the Albert in Education group in partnership with BAFTA, Annie is a national advocate for embedding sustainability into media production education. Her work in this area has earned her awards, including two from Bournemouth University for Education for Sustainable Development, and recognition as a finalist at the EAUC Green Gown Awards. She is now working towards taking this work international.
In the leadership position as Deputy Head of Department, Annie lead on education overseeing successful revalidations of BA Film, BA Media Production and BA Film and TV Production. Her approach to research and academic leadership champions staff teams to work collaboratively to create exceptional curricula that has experiential learning, and the development of resilient, industry-ready graduates at its forefront.
Annie’s filmmaking career spans over 30 years and includes credits on major UK television dramas such as EastEnders, Casualty, and Holby City as well as historical dramas such as Love In a Cold Climate and A Respectable Trade. She has worked as a 1st, 2nd and 3rd Assistant Director, Location Manager, Production Manager, and Production Consultant. Her most recent work as 1st Assistant Director was on feature-length rom com, To England With Love (2024), continuing her active engagement with the industry. A full list of her work is available on IMDb.
Working with the academic team, Annie is part of a department that help students progress into successful careers in the creative industries.
moreExpertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person's work contributes towards the following SDGs:
Affordable and clean energy
"Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all"
Responsible consumption and production
"Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns"
Journal Articles
- East, A., 2020. What Are Students Doing When We Aren’t Looking: A Pilot Exploration of the Ways Students Interpret the Production and Risk Assessment Process when Working Independently of an Educator on Location Film Shoots. International Journal of Creative Media Research.
Internet Publications
- East, A., 2020. Looking through the lens of Covid-19 at student risk management practice in HE. Bournemouth University. Available from: https://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/2020/06/10/looking-through-the-lens-of-covid-19-at-student-risk-management-practice-in-he/.
Theses
- East, A., 2025. What Are Students Doing When We Aren’t Looking? A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Exploration of Risk Management on a Student Film Shoot. PhD Thesis. Bournemouth University, Faculty of Media and Communication.
Profile of Teaching PG
- MA Producing Film and Television - Production Management
- MA Media Production Framework - Professional Practice
- MA Producing Film and Television & MA Directing Film and Television, Directing and Developing Story
Profile of Teaching UG
- BA Television Production - Level 4 Production Portfolio
- BA Television Production - Level 6 Concept Development
- BA Television Production Level 6 Graduate Project
- BA Media Production, Level 5, Client and Audience
- BA Television Production, Level 5, Production Management Specialism
Invited Lectures
-
Introduction To Risk Assessment, Bournemouth University, 23 Sep 2015 more
Introduction To Risk Assessment Bournemouth University
External Responsibilities
- BCP Film Office, Chair & Member of BCP Film Office Steering Group (2024-2026), https://www.bcpfilmoffice.co.uk/
- BH Productions, First Assistant Director (2022), https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27153457/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm; To England With Love
- University of Gloucestershire, External Examiner (2022-2026), https://www.glos.ac.uk/courses/course/tvp-ba-television-production/; BA (Hons) Television Production
- Screened and Heard, Director, Producer, Writer and Curator (2020), https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCbwPT3iyiEV4iq6cYx0EqQ/videos; Screened and Heard
- Screened and Heard - Working From Home, Writer-Director (2020), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t42vsX1oTkQ&t=89s; Working From Home
- Screened and Heard - In Zoom We Trust, Producer (2020), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS-9fYfPPQg&t=138s; In Zoom We Trust
- Nelson Nutmeg Pictures, First Assistant Director (2018), https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8344316/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm; Future TX
- Kids Camera Action!, Consultant (2009-), http://kidscameraaction.co.uk/about.php
- Regents American College, London, TV Industry Panel Member (2009), http://www.regents.ac.uk/study/undergraduate-study/programmes/ba-hons-film-tv-digital-media-production.aspx
Internal Responsibilities
- Health and Safety Academic for the Faculty of Media and Communication, Bournemouth University Health and Safety Executive Committee
Journal Reviewing/Refereeing
- Media Practice and Education, Anonymous peer review, 01 May 2022
Public Engagement & Outreach Activities
- Aspire BU Outreach media production programme making workshops for year 5 & 6 pupils. (29 Jun 2015-09 Jul 2016)
- Aspire BU Outreach Media Production Workshop with Year 3 children. (09 Jun 2015-20 Jun 2016)
- Founder - Kids Camera Action! (01 Sep 2009-31 Aug 2015)
Conference Presentations
- Global Green Media Production Network, BAFTA Albert in Education Partnership case study, 18 Oct 2019, Warwick HQ London
- HEA Annual Conference 'Teaching in the Spotlight', Teaching the teacher; exploring the challenge of education for sustainable development on practice-based media courses in HE., 04 Jul 2017, University of Manchester, Renold Building
- Media Education Summit 2016, Greening the screen; sustainable media production practice & pedagogy within a higher education setting., 04 Nov 2016, John Cabot University, Rome.
Consultancy Activities
- Health and Safety, Advising. White Lantern
- 'Who Killed Nelson Nutmeg' - Dorset Based Feature Film, Production Consultant. Projector Films
Attended Training
- Carbon Literacy Training with Albert BAFTA - Sustainable practice in Film and TV., 13 May 2016
- Safe Management Of Productions (Film and TV), 01 Jul 2014, Production Safety Passport
Qualifications
- PGCE in Higher Education Practice (Bournemouth University, 2015)
- BA (Hons) in Media Production (Bournemouth University, 1995)
Honours
- Senior Fellowship of HEA (HEA, 2020)
- Education for Sustainable Development (Centre Excellence in Learning, 2016)
- Fellow of Higher Education Academy (Higher Education Academy, 2016)
Memberships
- Assistant Directors Association, Member (2016-), http://adauk.org/
- Meccsa, Professional Affiliation (2016-),
- Women in Film and TV, Member (2016-), https://wftv.org.uk/
Website Links
- The BBC Centenary was celebrated by FMC through a host of events spanning October to December 2022. BU has strong ties with the BBC. This event saw panel discussions, student centred events and a curated exhibition of BBC artefacts from Media Production Staff. Oversight of this event was led by Annie East., https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/celebrating-centenary-bbc-our-work-creative-industries
Broadcast Interview
- BBC South Today, Kids feature film made at BU with star, Griff Rhys Jones. Discussion about regional filmmaking, filming at BU and graduate outcomes for students in the Media Production Department., Leyland, B, 21 Oct 2022
- BBC Radio Solent Breakfast Show, Looking at where Oscar nominated alumni of Bournemouth University learnt their craft., Lucas, K, 25 Jan 2022