Produced by students of the North-East Media Training Centre (NEMTC) in Gateshead, a fly-on-the-wall documentary about four students studying at Sheffield Hallam University. The film follows Bim, Dave, Mike, Matty and (briefly) Tony as they adjust to student life, living away from home, their work loads and socialising while also being deaf. Each of the boys are interviewed about their experiences. At their student house Matty and Mike go into bedroom of housemate Bim waking him up, in...

Produced by students of the North-East Media Training Centre (NEMTC) in Gateshead, a fly-on-the-wall documentary about four students studying at Sheffield Hallam University. The film follows Bim, Dave, Mike, Matty and (briefly) Tony as they adjust to student life, living away from home, their work loads and socialising while also being deaf. Each of the boys are interviewed about their experiences. At their student house Matty and Mike go into bedroom of housemate Bim waking him up, in seeing the camera Bim waves. Title: The Sheffy Boys A montage featuring the four main participants of this film Bim, Dave, Mike and Matty as well as Tony who only features briefly.. A sign in the middle of a roundabout reads ‘Welcome to Hunter’s Bar’ changes to the student house in the Hunter’s Bar are of Sheffield where the Sheffy Boys’ live. Title: In Sheffield, South Yorkshire we will give you and insight into the world of the 4 university students. What set’s these students apart from the others is these boys are deaf and live in the same house where they moved to recently. Matty arrives home coming through the front door walking into his bedroom, he shows the camera his room. In the living room sitting on the sofa is Dave who speaks using British Sign Language (BSL). Title: Me and Bim are in the 2nd year and there are now first year students arrivin like Mike Matty and Tony. So we contacted them asking if they are interested in sharing a house with me and Bim. We told them about our first year experience in the Halls of Residence, and they hesitated but came to the agreement to share a house. So Bim and I started to look at houses around here as there were lots of students in Sheffield. It means a lot of phone calls to the land-lords through TypeTalk. Eventually we got round to look at the houses. Some were crap. Some too small. But here, it was the perfect location, plenty of buses near here, lots of food shops up the road, the universities were not far from here. Very easy to travel. So we agreed on having this house. But at the time Matty, Mike and Tony hadn’t seen it yet but had to rely in Bim and I. When they first arrived here, they were happy with it. Matty shows the camera around another bedroom, in the living room he also speaks using BSL. Title: When I first arrived here at the end of August, Dave was already here. I had never met him before, I never met Bim before. I only knew Tony and Mike. Obviously, we all try to help each other, doesn’t matter if we don’t know that person well. That is the main thing. When I first came here, the first time I saw Dave when he came through the door. I was sitting here. He said ‘Who are you?!’ I said ‘Who are you too?!’. He said he was Dave and so we introduced ourselves. Matty continues to show the camera around the house taking a seat in a small chair beside a window. In the kitchen Bim is washing up, he speaks to the camera using BSL. Title: You see a lot of things. You learn a lot about yourself. You get more of the responsibilities. Less hassle from your parents – Nag! Nag! Nag! Nag! Nag! Matty continues his tour of the house taking the camera into the bathroom. In one of the bedroom’s hats hanging beside the door changes to Matty in the bathroom. Mike stands on the landing outside signing to the camera. Title: Sometimes I clean up. Sometime Dave. Sometime Bim. We all take turns. Back in the kitchen Bim is still washing up while back upstairs on the landing Mike continues to sign using BSL. Title: They saw me cleaning yesterday and so they know I’ve cleaned. So next time it could be Dave or somebody else. Back downstairs in the living room Dave speaks again. Title: We have our own privacy, with no interruptions here nothing! There is only problem is with the bills. TV rental, TV, video, washing machine, buying your own food, and cooking your own food. Really that is – ‘good for you’ Standing in the living room doorway Matty and Mike read two sheets of paper, possibly a list of some kind. They both turn their noses up at it. Sitting in a comfy chair nearby Matty speaks again. Title: One problem, a bad thing about the house… Bills! and everything… we got a telephone bill addressed to us from 1st July until 30th September, right? From that rental service, for that stupid phone! We are not allowed to phone out. Therefore, we have to pay £25. So they keep sending letters, bills, reminders... reminders. They threaten to cut the line so we said ‘Alright! We’ll pay for it’. But we thought ‘£25! for the rental!’ That is a real bloody cheek! We are not allowed to phone out! In the kitchen Mike types a message into the TypeTalk telephone set changing to Matty walking into his bedroom and flicking through some pieces of paper on a drawer and on his desk. Title: Matty is studying a BA Hons in Urban Studies at the University of Sheffield where he will be for the three years. He is a first year student Back in the living room he continues to speak using BSL. Title: I want to do a course in Sheffield most of all because last Christmas I came to have a look around the University if Sheffield. I‘ve spoken to the lecturer. I found it really interesting and I’ve applied to other places like Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford and I didn’t want anything to do with London, cos I’m not interested. And over the summer hols, I’ve decided that I wanted the course in Sheffield. On the course that’d be better for me. There are better condition and the fact the judging of the drawings there are above the average and the things like that and so I went to Sheffield A sign for Psalter Lane Campus, part of Sheffield Hallam University, outside the main entrance with traffic passing by at speed. Inside four students sit around a bench. Title: This is where Bim, Tony, Mike and Dave do their studies. It was formerly known as Sheffield Poly A lecturer walks past and speaks with four students at another bench, amongst them is Bim. Title: Bim is studying a BA Hons in Product Design. He is now doing the second year. From the bench Bim signs to the camera. Title: This is the 2nd year studio. Have you had a look around here in my group. Maybe say once a month. We have a small group for a project. We the small project. So at the moment group, go out and do the.. this is my group. There are two more students who are ill… I think!!! Sitting beside Bim a female student making notes. The film returns to Bim signing. Title: I have four lectures a week and I need a note taker and she – this is Rachel… well she volunteered – to do the notetaking for me. Bim and the lecturer speak with Bim reading his lips. A portrait shot of Mike. Title: Mike is a student of BA Computer Engineering. Standing at the busy bar inside the Pomona public house on Ecclesall Road he signs for the camera. Title: About my course I have been only for one week. So far it is not bad actually. It is quite hard for me really because I have just been transferred to here for the 2nd year. It is hard for me. I am surprised it is so difficult, much bigger, more people, bigger theatre. Before at Oxford University they had a small group, say about fifteen that it! But here, there are about 150. I couldn’t cope with that but I got used to it now. Mike crosses the road outside the student house before returning to him at the bar continuing to sign. Title: Notetaking in Sheffield is very good but I didn’t have them all the time because there are too students around her, say about twenty students. Standing at the bar beside Mike is Bim, they sign to each other. Dave sits at a computer in a computer lab, he signs to the camera. Title: Lectures? Well I was in the first year there were lots of information. But lots of lectures, providing this year is mostly group work but at the moment I am doing my own work. The group I need to prepare myself before meetings. At the moment I have only started two weeks ago so I have to work on my own for the next 6 weeks individually work on the computer, brrr! why did I do that for, brrr? Dave uses the mouse for the computer before continuing to sign. Title: When I was the first year I had ‘extra support’ a woman come and see me every week. I am meeting her tomorrow, anyway she comes every week to see if I need support. ‘Interpreter’, ‘notetaker’, ‘extra hours work’ things like that. But in the first year I did not need them. But now I’ve realised I don’t actually need them because my course tutors are very good. They have provided photocopier of the work for me. The other hearing students have to write everything down but me, I just lay back and relax! I know that is really not fair as I should do the same but how can I hear? About interpreters I don’t need them. I’ve got a special small tape recorder for lectures; in case the man may have a moustache. I won’t be able to understand him so I give him the tape recorder and he’s wired it up so. So that he can talk into the tape and then a lady typed the script for me. That is easy way for me. My Education Authority pays it for that. The Education Authority… they pay for it. They gave me four-thousand pounds… ‘Off the record’… I spend it on myself and on the booze! Instead for the typed scripts! That is strictly ‘off the record’ A stick on his computer reads ‘Dave… no more games! You got that? By order 1993-94’. Back at home a montage of the boys sitting around relaxing and chatting with each other, Bim is eating a meal and Matty is using the TypeTalk. Laying on the sofa Matty signs for the camera. Title: Yorkshire! When I was 5, I used to live there near Barnsley, a place called Grimsthorpe. The coal mines there closed down cos of the government… the stupid Government! In the kitchen Tony sign for the camera. Title: Hey! Does Tony Adams have Branflakes? Tony? Back in the living room Matty in a chair. Title: Is that recording? Ooops!! In the kitchen Tony takes two Jammy-Dodgers from a packet placing them in his mouth as he puts the packet back in the cupboard. Title: Its Bim’s! This’s not mine… so shhh!... Sitting beside the television in the living room Matty signs for the camera. Title: Look… this is rubbish. I’ve got one solution. Watch!... Let's go to the PUB! He turns the television off and the film changes to a montage of students and young people walking towards and going into The Pomona. At the bar Dave smiles as he drinks from his pint of beer. Standing next to him Bim and Mike chatting over their drinks. Others in the bar smile and laugh over their drinks. Matty sitting nearby holds up his bottle and signs. Title: Hey I’ve got one thing to say. Do you know how much this costs? One pound! There’s many more things to come! Sheffield s the perfect place to come. Bitter, larger are out of it. This is cheap! Come to Sheffield and you’ll find it brilliant Back at home Dave sitting in the sofa signing. Title: I’m in the 2nd year, as you know that. Of course. Last year when I was in the 1st year when I arrive I was terribly nervous. I didn’t know the people and what they do at the Uni. I was really nervous about meeting them. My confidence was low. I do feel that it does happen to everybody. All students are the same. I felt uneasy but with the time you realised everyone are on the same level, they are just ‘students’. You’ll feel good as you’ll know that you’ve things in common. They are on the same course as you and you are all ‘students’ but in the first year, most of my time was spent were.. socialising… out, out, out… every week, with the student crowd. Like on Mon night after work, about 9 o’clock, go to the pub usually ‘student night’ only eg ‘Nursery Tavern’. Tues nights, mostly at the ‘Pomona’ pub, the one we went last night. Wed nights at the ‘Canji Jax’, a brilliant nightclub for the students.. only one pound. For the working people to get in.. £2 or £3. The students get a huge discount, good thing about being a student.. you get everything cheap! At the Nelson Mandela Student Union bar at Sheffield Hallam students sitting around tables chatting over their drinks. Back at home in the kitchen Bim signs. Title: The work is good… but the socialising’s brilliant!! At a table back in the student’s union Mike chatting with friends around him. He sees the camera and begins to sign. Title: Hey! Flasher and Bim are having drink competition. I’ll say 1-2-3 then go. Get drinking fast! Ready?1 – 2 – 3 GO! Sitting in front of Mike is Bim and their friend Flasher who both guzzle down their pints of beer, Bim finishes first and looks pleased with himself. Flasher falls off his stool as a laugh. Back at home in the living room David continues to speak using BSL. Title: You’ll have to remember to do your work first but most students tend not to bother, they leave their work till the last min… If the deadline is tomorrow, they go off to the nightclub and drink all night, come back and do the work till 2...3...4am. It’s natural! A lot of students do that! It thought that you must do work like school prep… your mother or father tell you to go to do your prep. Fine, I’ll go and do it’ then it is over, but with the uni students, it’s the other way round. Go out drinking, come back about 12 at night. S***! Then do work till 3 or 4am. The light s usually on all night. Sometimes you never go to sleep, stay awake for the next 24 hrs… sometimes Back at the student’s union everyone continues to have a good time chatting over their drinks. Title: One of the Sheffy Boys’ favourite social places is the Nelson Mandela Student Union bar Back in the living room Matty signs for the camera. Title: Well, recently, 3 days ago I had arranged to go to a uni meeting with all my friends, will the students, about 40 of us in a class with Margaret Miller. She explained about me being profoundly deaf since birth and then she explains what I need from them is their notes to photocopy then give it back. What they need from me is communicate. I’ve got to speak with then. I’ve got to look at their mouths. Everybody got different mouth shapes, different voices and accents. I look at what everybody says. Eventually 2/3 week time I’d probably know them all, no problem. When I speak , I speak too fast, and they don’t understand, that’s fine. I’ll do something about it. I went out with them 2/3 times last week. Brill time Back at the student’s union Mike is chatting with a young woman at the table beside him, the others around them listen on or have their over conversations some using BSL. Back at home Dave speaks again. Title: The communication with the hearing on my course? Well, if I’m good, well, I know I’ve got good oral skill, I can speak well, but I realised if I say nothing, I don’t make the effort to talk to them they won’t talk to me. Sometimes I say hello, how are you? Sometimes have a proper communication, like... ‘Oh last night was brill’ and things like that. If I asked them first, like, if I try, they will try. If I don’t bother, ignore them, they’ll ignore me. I believe deaf people with sign language, if they try to sign, use the gestures with them. I’m sure they’ll be happy to talk back. Drinks continue to be consumed at the student’s union, everyone listening or reading the sign language as Bim talks about his course. Title: In jewellery, you have to make necklaces, earrings out of leaves , berries…. I won a prize for that!.... In Product Design, I had to design a hat, different, unusual hat. I had design and made it. I won that prize too! Fab! Back at home Matty speaks again using BSL. Title: I guarantee that Sheffield is brilliant time for everybody… anybody who’s young… whatever…deaf… hearing… anybody Back at the student’s union the drinking and chatting continues changing to everyone outside in the dark beside a bus shelter making their way home on foot. Back home the boys stand around chatting while Matty sits down and puts the television on to read the latest football news on Ceefax. He is given a mug of tea as he relaxes in an easy chair. Title: The Sheffy Boys’ have the ambitions for their future. Mike is uncertain at the moment but would like to be successful in the field of Computer Engineering. Bin want to be a successful Product Designer, but his secret ambition is to be a professional footballer. Dave wants to work for well-known computer co. Matty is hoping to be a successful town planner. In the bathroom the next day Mike brushes his teeth. Finished he turns the bathroom light off heading back to his bedroom carrying his watering bag. He closes his bedroom door on the camera. Back downstairs in the living room he chats using BSL. Title: After I leave the course, I hope I’ll be guaranteed a job but there is three million people out there – looking for work. So I could be one of them. I’ll do my best for the next 3 to 4 years with the course but all I have to do is to my best – go for it… after that.. that’s it... that’s all I can say… A final montage featuring the Sheffield skyline intercut with the boys at home, university and in the pub. Title We, the NEMTC, would like to send the regards to Tony Adams, the fifth member of the Sheffy Boys. He had broken his ankle a few days before the start of the filming, therefore he could not be able to make it, as he had to have an operation. Credit: Participants. Ajadi Abimbola – Bim. Michael Brickliffe – Mike. David Robison – Dave. Matthew Smith – Matty Production: Director Rachael Hayes. P.A. Ranjit Singh. Camera Catya Neilson Post-Production: Editor Catya Neilson. Edit-Assistant – Rachael Hayes End title: Thanks you to The Sheffield Hallam Uni, Hatfield House. YMCA, The Pomona pub, The Sheffy Student Union