film production or media production course??? at DVinfo.net

George Logothetis · March 17th, 2009, 06:39 PM

hallo.

I applied for media production at Uclan University at UK http://www.uclan.ac.uk/information/c...technology.pdf

At Staffordshire Media Production

And Digital film production at Gloucester http://www.glos.ac.uk/courses/underg...wayCode=single

also a film and tv production at York st. John York St John University - Prospectus

And I would like to know which of this 4 you think it will give me the best "weapons" to be ready afterwards to enter the industry(I am tending towards Gloucester,but thats me :P)

Thanks in advance

George

Andrew Kimery · March 17th, 2009, 09:44 PM

Pick the one that has the most internship options and is located near the greatest number of production and post facilities. The best way to get ready for the 'real world' is to work in the real world as much as you can while you are in school.

-A

Brian Drysdale · March 18th, 2009, 04:00 AM

Hard to tell from those listed which is the best, although one is a Skillset academy. I'd also try to find out if there is a culture of students at each university making their own films away from the actual course.

A totally practical course mightn't give you the background depth needed to develop from the well trodden paths.

None of the universities are in areas with high levels of production, so local interns may be limited.

David W. Jones · March 18th, 2009, 05:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by George Logothetis

hallo.

I would like to know which of this 4 you think it will give me the best "weapons" to be ready afterwards to enter the industry(I am tending towards Gloucester,but thats me :P)

Thanks in advance

George

Get a business degree!

There are tons of talented people out there that don't have the smarts to run their own business.
Just look at all the posts by people asking "how much should I charge to do this"

George Logothetis · March 18th, 2009, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David W. Jones

Get a business degree!

There are tons of talented people out there that don't have the smarts to run their own business.
Just look at all the posts by people asking "how much should I charge to do this"

I have the smarts ;)

So people you are saying that this unis aren't good?
This are my choices so thats why im asking which of them is the best. I dont wanna know about the other ones or the downfalls for those. My question is which you would pick .
Also i am thinking of going for a MA afterwards so i just wanna know from which i would have the most experience.

George Logothetis · March 18th, 2009, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Drysdale

Hard to tell from those listed which is the best, although one is a Skillset academy. I'd also try to find out if there is a culture of students at each university

How can i find this out? Im in Greece :S

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Drysdale

making their own films away from the actual course.

I will ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Drysdale

None of the universities are in areas with high levels of production, so local interns may be limited.

Have you got ones with high at UK?(I didn't...The best one people said was Bournemouth for Tv production where i got rejected :S) wanna give me links?

thanks

Brian Drysdale · March 18th, 2009, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by George Logothetis

How can i find this out? Im in Greece :S

I will ;)

Have you got ones with high at UK?(I didn't...The best one people said was Bournemouth for Tv production where i got rejected :S) wanna give me links?

thanks

You could check with the Students Union, there may be a film making society or you could contact the head of department for the course or one of the tutors.

The UK film & TV industry is centred around London. There are centres of excellence planned by the BBC.

MediaCity still key to BBC - News - Manchester Evening News

The BBC tends to be the place where a lot of media course people get in course work placements.

The 70% figure for employment for film & TV sounds a touch high, although they could be including web, internet and other media. Around 20% is pretty usual for a good school for film & TV.

Sean Walsh · March 18th, 2009, 09:23 AM

Yasu George, Tikanis?

Have a look at the courses at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) at Farnham in Surrey - just 25 minutes from central London.

They have courses in film (using both film and video), digital screen arts (with an impressive Avid Symphony set-up) and Journalism, where you can specialise in TV and they have a great TV studio with chromakey, Grass Valley Mixer, state of the art Autocue system and a live Reuters News Agency feed of pictures from around the world.

The journalism course is industry accredited (BCTJ - Broadcasting Council for the Training of Journalists) and came out joint second in the UK ratings of student satisfaction.

Hope that's of help.

George Logothetis · March 18th, 2009, 11:52 AM

I had a look and find out that bristol and Birmingham are cities with strong media productions.
Glouchester 50-80 km away. So no big deal.
Also if i am the top student or among the top ones wouldnt this help me out?
I didnt put london because i didnt like it much...

David W. Jones · March 18th, 2009, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by George Logothetis

I have the smarts ;)

.

Then why would you consider letting someone from the internet decide your education?

George Logothetis · March 18th, 2009, 03:52 PM

im not :P
I just want some opinions about my choices. ;)

Andrew Kimery · March 18th, 2009, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by George Logothetis

Also if i am the top student or among the top ones wouldnt this help me out?

Being a top student will help you get into the school you want, but once you graduate employers care about your work experience not your class rank.

-A

Sandeep Sajeev · April 16th, 2009, 01:44 PM

Hi there,

What would you like to do? Are you looking to get into features, commercials, documetaries, or television (drama or non-fiction). Where do your interests lie? That should be your guide.

Having gone through the sites you've linked to, these are my thoughts:

UCLAN:
This seems to be a very general production course. While there's a lot to be said about institutes that teach you a trade, this type of curriculum may not be the best choice for you to make if your interest is features or commercials or documentaries. There doesn't seem to be any sort of critical study of what's come before. I think this will suffice if you want to work in TV in some entry level capacity.

STAFFORDSHIRE
They have 3 different programs. There doesn't seem to be a detailed break-up of classes, so can't really tell what's been offered in each. But it again seems to be a general overview of production within the three streams.

GLOUSTERSHIRE
If you want to work in features or TV drama this seems to be the course for you. However it's an all digital program so you may want to supplement your coursework by shooting some projects on film. See if you can choose a craft to specialise in, within this curriculum - can you focus on cinematography, editing, screen writing, production design etc, so that when you get out, you can get work as an assistant in your stream. I'd advise against picking direction as a focus, as it's really difficult to get work as a director straight out of school.

York St.John
Pretty much the same as above, however they may actually let you shoot film. But be-warned, that cost will be added on to your course fees.

I'm assuming that since you're in Greece, you will probably pay an International Student rate as tuition. So Cost will also probably be something you will need to consider. All film programs have extra/hidden costs that are not apparent at first viewing. Find out what the course fees are - for example if you want to specialise in cinematography, your course fees will usually be much higher than if you were to specialise in editing. I'm not advocating choosing a focus based on cost, but be aware of the costs associated with your program.

I wish you all the best with whatever choice you make. Do bear in mind that when you graduate it's helpful to have more than just your thesis film/video to demo to prospective employers.

Sandeep.

Chris Soucy · April 18th, 2009, 05:12 PM

Think you'll be hard pressed to beat this place:

Middlesex University in London - UG-Media, Culture and Communication

(Check out the "Television, Film & Video Production" down the page a bit)

Extensive links to the Beeb and commercial channels, the Trent Park campus is georgous (as are their studio and editing facilities) and it's in Outer London so not the insane hassles of the inner London Uni's.

London and Bristol are where it's at for this sort of stuff, go for London, many more opportunities.

More:

http://www.mdx.ac.uk/study/internati...try/greece.asp

CS

George Logothetis · April 22nd, 2009, 08:26 AM

Thanks guys!
I picked Gloucester. I went at an open day and it was awesome!
I am thinking on going towards Bristol for MA, but its still early.
What about Postgraduate degrees in USA? I had a look at UCLA and wow Its awesome, but its 4 years... Isn't there a way to just do the final year in order to have an MA?

March 17th, 2009, 06:39 PM	#1
George Logothetis Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Athens Greece / York UK Posts: 48	film production or media production course??? hallo. I applied for media production at Uclan University at UK http://www.uclan.ac.uk/information/c...technology.pdf At Staffordshire Media Production And Digital film production at Gloucester http://www.glos.ac.uk/courses/underg...wayCode=single also a film and tv production at York st. John York St John University - Prospectus And I would like to know which of this 4 you think it will give me the best "weapons" to be ready afterwards to enter the industry(I am tending towards Gloucester,but thats me :P) Thanks in advance George

March 18th, 2009, 09:23 AM	#8
Sean Walsh Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: London, Milton Keynes, Bedford UK & Beijing, China Posts: 102	UCA Farnham - 25 mins from London Yasu George, Tikanis? Have a look at the courses at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) at Farnham in Surrey - just 25 minutes from central London. They have courses in film (using both film and video), digital screen arts (with an impressive Avid Symphony set-up) and Journalism, where you can specialise in TV and they have a great TV studio with chromakey, Grass Valley Mixer, state of the art Autocue system and a live Reuters News Agency feed of pictures from around the world. The journalism course is industry accredited (BCTJ - Broadcasting Council for the Training of Journalists) and came out joint second in the UK ratings of student satisfaction. Hope that's of help. __________________ Sean Walsh http://www.visionworkstv.co.uk PPro, Z1, EX3 - Currently in Beijing at CCTV-News

April 18th, 2009, 05:12 PM	#14
Chris Soucy Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fairfield, Dunedin, New Zealand Posts: 3,691 Images: 18	Hi........... Think you'll be hard pressed to beat this place: Middlesex University in London - UG-Media, Culture and Communication (Check out the "Television, Film & Video Production" down the page a bit) Extensive links to the Beeb and commercial channels, the Trent Park campus is georgous (as are their studio and editing facilities) and it's in Outer London so not the insane hassles of the inner London Uni's. London and Bristol are where it's at for this sort of stuff, go for London, many more opportunities. More: http://www.mdx.ac.uk/study/internati...try/greece.asp CS Last edited by Chris Soucy; April 18th, 2009 at 06:16 PM. Reason: +

March 17th, 2009, 09:44 PM	#2
Andrew Kimery Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 352	Pick the one that has the most internship options and is located near the greatest number of production and post facilities. The best way to get ready for the 'real world' is to work in the real world as much as you can while you are in school. -A

March 18th, 2009, 04:00 AM	#3
Brian Drysdale Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Belfast, UK Posts: 6,152	Hard to tell from those listed which is the best, although one is a Skillset academy. I'd also try to find out if there is a culture of students at each university making their own films away from the actual course. A totally practical course mightn't give you the background depth needed to develop from the well trodden paths. None of the universities are in areas with high levels of production, so local interns may be limited.

March 18th, 2009, 11:52 AM	#9
George Logothetis Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Athens Greece / York UK Posts: 48	I had a look and find out that bristol and Birmingham are cities with strong media productions. Glouchester 50-80 km away. So no big deal. Also if i am the top student or among the top ones wouldnt this help me out? I didnt put london because i didnt like it much...

March 18th, 2009, 03:52 PM	#11
George Logothetis Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Athens Greece / York UK Posts: 48	im not :P I just want some opinions about my choices. ;)

April 16th, 2009, 01:44 PM	#13
Sandeep Sajeev New Boot Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 14	Hi there, What would you like to do? Are you looking to get into features, commercials, documetaries, or television (drama or non-fiction). Where do your interests lie? That should be your guide. Having gone through the sites you've linked to, these are my thoughts: UCLAN: This seems to be a very general production course. While there's a lot to be said about institutes that teach you a trade, this type of curriculum may not be the best choice for you to make if your interest is features or commercials or documentaries. There doesn't seem to be any sort of critical study of what's come before. I think this will suffice if you want to work in TV in some entry level capacity. STAFFORDSHIRE They have 3 different programs. There doesn't seem to be a detailed break-up of classes, so can't really tell what's been offered in each. But it again seems to be a general overview of production within the three streams. GLOUSTERSHIRE If you want to work in features or TV drama this seems to be the course for you. However it's an all digital program so you may want to supplement your coursework by shooting some projects on film. See if you can choose a craft to specialise in, within this curriculum - can you focus on cinematography, editing, screen writing, production design etc, so that when you get out, you can get work as an assistant in your stream. I'd advise against picking direction as a focus, as it's really difficult to get work as a director straight out of school. York St.John Pretty much the same as above, however they may actually let you shoot film. But be-warned, that cost will be added on to your course fees. I'm assuming that since you're in Greece, you will probably pay an International Student rate as tuition. So Cost will also probably be something you will need to consider. All film programs have extra/hidden costs that are not apparent at first viewing. Find out what the course fees are - for example if you want to specialise in cinematography, your course fees will usually be much higher than if you were to specialise in editing. I'm not advocating choosing a focus based on cost, but be aware of the costs associated with your program. I wish you all the best with whatever choice you make. Do bear in mind that when you graduate it's helpful to have more than just your thesis film/video to demo to prospective employers. Sandeep.

April 22nd, 2009, 08:26 AM	#15
George Logothetis Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Athens Greece / York UK Posts: 48	Thanks guys! I picked Gloucester. I went at an open day and it was awesome! I am thinking on going towards Bristol for MA, but its still early. What about Postgraduate degrees in USA? I had a look at UCLA and wow Its awesome, but its 4 years... Isn't there a way to just do the final year in order to have an MA?