16 PGRs are competing in this year’s 2022 Visualise Your Thesis competition, having each created an incredible 60 second video showcasing their research and its impact. Ahead of the Awards Ceremony at Glasgow Film Theatre on 11th August, we asked our 2022 finalists some quickfire questions about their experience taking part in this year’s competition, and why you should consider giving it a go next year...

Why did you decide to enter VYT this year?

I have seen the competition advertisement in the last two years, but I always find I have other important work. However, I have always thought of joining it one day. This year, I remember receiving the email about it, and I said, either now or never. So, I attended the Q&A and then the training session, and I found myself ready to join, so I did. I participated because I wanted to challenge myself to make a video that can tell others what my research is all about in one minute. I believe that making such a video is a good activity, bringing such a complicated process (my research work) into a format that can make others understand it in simplified terms.

How did you find the process of making your video?

It was enjoyable, exciting, and fun. To create my research story, I shot various films over the course of a week. I was the one who recorded the videos and instructed my friend on what to do (the actor in the video). I had a lot of technical problems with some applications, but I was fortunate to have friends that could help me out before the deadline date!

Why should people come along to the awards ceremony?

It will be fascinating to observe the ingenuity of students from other schools as they deliver their theses in a one-minute movie. Attending and making plans to engage in the future would be extremely good.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

Don't give it too much thought. Do it now. There is no better opportunity to get started!

Why did you decide to enter VYT this year?

After I competed last year, I had a feeling that there was a better way to use my one minute of animation time. I decided to enter VYT this year to challenge myself and see if I could find a better approach to present my research.

How did you find the process of making your video?

It was so much fun! I loved the challenge of condensing my research into a single minute and visualising it in a nice way. For the software I used, Blender, there are many great tutorials on the internet, so there was no problem learning how to use it.

Why should people come along to the awards ceremony?

Learn something new, be inspired by the amazing visualisations and meet some fellow PGRs!

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

You should definitely do it! Not only will you gain a deeper understanding of your research, but you will also have a fantastic time learning how to animate.

Why did you decide to enter VYT this year?

I thought VYT was a perfect opportunity to communicate my research with an audience from a broader diversity of disciplines. Moreover, the whole process felt like an excellent exercise for summing up months of work by simplifying the complexity of the research and still keeping the sophistication intact.

How did you find the process of making your video?

While trying to choose the most straightforward way of telling the story, I found myself in three or four different roles of recording, editing and managing resources within a very tight time frame. The whole process reactivated some domains in my head which were untouched for some time.  

Why should people come along to the awards ceremony?

I believe the award ceremony is a great chance to come across contemporary research ideas and can be a meeting point for cross-disciplinary innovation.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

Please keep VYT in your plan; this is not only a significant exposure but also helps to cleanse your headspace and enhances skills you might need in future to communicate your research to a broader audience.

Why did you decide to enter VYT this year?

I have wanted to participate in public engagement competitions ever since I sat in Bute Hall for my induction day back in 2018. I tried 3MT in 2022 and it was a fascinating event and now it is time to test my other skills by competing in VYT.

How did you find the process of making your video?

I think it is all about the story you want others to hear. Once you have a compelling story, the process is fairly manageable thanks to the self-paced training available on Moodle.

Why should people come along to the awards ceremony?

Because it would be a great opportunity to learn about others’ research in a fun, easy and engaging way.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

Just go for it! It does not consume as much of your time as you would expect it to and it is really fun, especially if you will be competing against your friends (like I am!).

Why did you decide to enter VYT this year?

I was intrigued by the idea of making a (very) short film to convey research. Partly because I studied films before, but also because my current research includes looking at social media creators who make videos about art they like. It felt like a fitting form to reflect what my research is looking at. In exploring how online audiences respond to digitised images of art, I ended up doing so too. There were too many layers and parallels to resist!

How did you find the process of making your video?

I found it a challenge – how do you make work that can be so complex and expansive fit into a minute? It meant I had to think about the strongest thread that links my research, and communicate it in a way that hopefully engages viewers. Once I’d done that it was quite fun to imagine what the artwork at the centre of my video would ‘say’.

Why should people come along to the awards ceremony?

You’ll get to find out about the research of your peers in a very concise and engaging way. Also, the GFT is iconic and a beautiful venue.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

Making films is a 3D exercise, it will make you think about your research from a different perspective, imagine it in a new way, and who knows what avenues that could open up!

Why did you decide to enter VYT this year?

I entered the VYT competition to communicate my research to a broader audience and, more importantly, to have fun making this video with my friends.

How did you find the process of making your video?

It was a bit frustrating in the beginning since I had no previous experience with video making apps. However, I really enjoyed the whole process and I had fun shooting it with my friends. To give you a vivid image: we went to a park with plastic toy guns to take the pictures and people were staring at us! (of course they did..)

Why should people come along to the awards ceremony?

It will be nice to meet the people behind the scenes and talk about our experience in communicating our research through the video.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

Stop thinking your research as purely an academic piece of work and have fun!

Why did you decide to enter VYT this year?

Ever since doing my first on-street data collection back in October 2021, where I spent a lot of time hanging out with Sauchiehall Street’s resident pigeons, I’ve always had a strong sense that if I were to tell the story of my research, it would make most sense to do this from the perspective of a pigeon. Quite how this manifested as me entering VYT, I’m not entirely sure, other than that it provided me with a ready-made platform to do that storytelling. I like to throw myself into challenges, so it was a bit of “sure, why not?” coupled with a need to focus on something else that definitely wasn’t writing for a short while! I hope I’ve done the pigeons proud, at least.

How did you find the process of making your video?

I had pretty much zero experience of making anything video related before I started and I was very grateful therefore for the opportunity to attend the training provided by the Researcher Development Team where I had the privilege of working with some really talented, enthusiastic fellow PhDs. The actual putting together of the video all happened very quickly in the end and was easier than I expected. That said though, I was extremely fortunate to have access to the advice and skills of my partner and his daughter. Whereas the final product is my work, I need to acknowledge the support and input I received from them.

Why should people come along to the awards ceremony?

Mmm. Free cinema? (Once a student, always a student…) Plus, the GFT is a great place and supporting independent businesses is an excellent thing to do. I guess it also feels like celebratory occasions are a little bit few and far between at the moment so it’s perhaps even more important to seek out positive, supportive spaces.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

“Sure, why not?” Also, learning how to make stop motion animations is surely one of the most useful skills you can have in life. It will provide you with an endless source of amusement sticking googly eyes onto inanimate objects and a ready supply of e-cards for all occasions.

Why did you decide to enter VYT this year?

The concept of visualising a thesis into a 60 second video is very interesting. I had never made video content before, but I thought this was a good opportunity to try new things.

How did you find the process of making your video?

I made the script first. It was not easy to simplify a thesis full of jargon and technical terms moreover concise it in 60 second visual. After the lines for the script were decided, I searched for video footage that could convey the message of each line. The hardest part was to make the PowerPoint presentation and convert it to video. Fortunately, there are tons of video tutorials on YouTube which made it easy. There were a multitude of iteration processes of editing and reviewing. At the end of the day, I learned a new skill and it was a rewarding experience.

Why should people come along to the awards ceremony?

Based on previous year entries, there are many interesting research projects out there that could give new ideas to your own research. This year is more special as there will be in person screening at Glasgow Film Theatre. This will be a good break from your work.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

If you are worried because you never made a video before, please don’t. There were workshops you could attend and tons of materials you could look at online. Just do it!

Why did you decide to enter VYT this year?

I got to know about VYT this year, and I thought it would be fun to participate because it’s a great opportunity to present my research to many people in just 60-second.

How did you find the process of making your video?

I made this video for the first time. The process was quite interesting at first because I wasn't sure which tools to use to create videos, but I ended up learning many video-making and editing tools.

Why should people come along to the awards ceremony?

One can learn about many current research issues, how students from various departments are trying to find solutions to various challenges, and how that will affect our society by watching just 60-second videos.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

It’s a great chance to learn something new - if you’ll never try, you’ll never know.

Why did you decide to enter VYT this year?

VYT is a platform where we can convey to the common man in simple words what do we do in high quality research. Seeing VYT as an opportunity, I decided to share my research ongoing with people in short-simple-sweet words though a video.

How did you find the process of making your video?

As happens with everyone, in the beginning it was looking like a tough deal but by providing tools and assistance the associated team of UofG made it convenient. I saw training videos and learned bit from youtube. Finally, I was able to make first video of my life. 

Why should people come along to the awards ceremony?

We should always appreciate people for their efforts whether it is little or huge. To put effort into something takes much courage, I believe that everyone should join the awards ceremony to clap for people’s efforts. Today we will clap for others, and they will gain positive energy to keep moving forward. Tomorrow, then will be our turn for people to clap for us, for our efforts and we will get motivated for keep moving. 

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

I think that many people should consider participating in VYT. It is very important for us to connect our research with common people so they can understand the importance and need of research, and it will encourage everyone to engage themselves in the research. As a researcher we are all working for humankind, so we should try to take everyone along with us where we can.

Why did you decide to enter VYT this year?

Entering the 3 Minute Thesis competition earlier this year changed my perspective on my research, its value, and how to communicate this to a wide-ranging audience. VYT has felt a bit like the opposite side of the coin – focusing on the visuals rather than the spoken words – and I hoped it might help me to see my work from yet another angle. I’d also never made a video before and thought it would be fun to try!

How did you find the process of making your video?

I actually made a whole other video before inspiration struck and I got an idea I thought might stand out! I initially found it a bit tricky to navigate the different animation programmes, but that was quickly solved by the VYT training session with Strange Boat. Over the course of making the video, I learned how to use a range of editing software programmes I’d never even heard of before entering.

Why should people come along to the awards ceremony?

VYT entries from previous years have been creative, inspiring, and fun to watch. It’s a great chance to engage with the wider university research community – and to see if the competition might be for you! It also helps that the award ceremony is being hosted in the lovely Glasgow Film Theatre – which is a nice place to visit for any reason.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

The training provided and the process of making my VYT entry has been very valuable for me. It’s a great creative outlet and has given me a chance to try out video-making with a goal in mind but without too much pressure. It has also been a great exercise for thinking about my research in terms of public engagement and how best to communicate its value.

Why did you decide to enter VYT this year?

I have recently joined UofG and was eager to get involved in any events from the onset to ensure I hit the ground running this year. This event stood out to me as I thought it was an exciting, fun and different way to showcase my work and thesis in a way that could engage people who may not necessarily have an academic background.

How did you find the process of making your video?

I have created a couple of videos before however, from the video workshop I learned lots of new ways to create videos and how to improve my future videos to help showcase my work.

Why should people come along to the awards ceremony?

It’s a great chance to see what upcoming UofG students have to offer from a wide range of expertise and areas which UofG explores. There will be hot topics discussed and explored in a way that is funny and enjoyable.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

It’s a great opportunity to meet other PhD students on campus. Its good to hear about other peoples research and get involved in building different skills via the workshop.

Why did you decide to enter VYT this year?

I have always been passionate about the concept of science communication and sharing research with a diverse audience, and loved seeing the creativity from last year’s VYT competition entries. But this year was the first year that I felt like I’d solidified my PhD plan enough to be able to come up with innovative and engaging ways of visualising it. It was that confidence in my work, as well as not being so far into the PhD that I had looming deadlines to prioritise, that convinced me to submit an entry.

How did you find the process of making your video?

It was a really fun challenge – I found that I lost myself very easily in the design and editing at times! Once I settled on the general theme of old-school pixel art and video games, I had so much fun playing with that theme in the actual drawing of the animation frames. Having the skills obtained from other postgraduate courses in public engagement and storytelling also helped a lot at the scripting and storyboarding stage. However it was still super difficult to fit all my original ideas into only 60 seconds!

Why should people come along to the awards ceremony?

I showed my family my draft video before submitting and they all found it more impactful and noticed so many more little additions and references when it was viewed full-screen. So I think being able to watch these awesome videos that people have put so much work into, on a big cinema screen with proper sound systems, is a rare and exciting opportunity. It’ll be like a small-scale movie premiere!

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

I would caution that, if you’re like me, you may get a bit engrossed with fine-tuning and perfecting your video and that can take up a lot more time than expected. But these kinds of extra-curricular activities (outside of performing data collection, analysis and writing papers) are so valuable for getting your work and your name out there and enhancing a very transferrable set of skills. So if you’ve got some breathing room then definitely go for it!

Why did you decide to enter VYT this year?

I’m in my final year and it was my last opportunity to enter!

How did you find the process of making your video?

I really enjoyed it, it was great to use different software packages and learn a new skill.

Why should people come along to the awards ceremony?

Because not all the good stuff is on Netflix!

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

Go for it, it’s a welcome distraction from thesis writing.

Why did you decide to enter VYT this year?

This year is the second year of my PhD. I think this is the perfect time to share my research with VYT audiences as I have started to know better where my PhD is going.

How did you find the process of making your video?

I decided to use the hand-drawn animation technique to create my video. It was so difficult, but it was fun.

Why should people come along to the awards ceremony?

I think people should come to the awards ceremony and see the participant’s works so they can see various research students’ projects and see how one minute can convey much information. 

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

Go for it. It is not about winning the competition. During the process, you will improve your digital literacy and video-making skills, learn how to see your project using a non-specialist audience’s perspective and push yourself to finish what you have started.

The Visualise Your Thesis 2022 Awards Ceremony will take place in-person on Thursday 11th August from 3.30-5.30pm at the GFT. Register as an audience member here.