film studies A2 level college class

[Danny]

i just had the first lesson and boy am i pissed becuase of "budget cuts" the practical coursework has been cnacelled cus there aint enough cameras and has been replaced with....*sigh*...."journalsim" we have to write a peice about moive or review it......just a rant really but its a damn shame buget cuts screw with my damn learning, still one year till i can apply to a uni for a film and tv degree, then ill get my hands on some cameras and do proper work.....but "journalism"...jesus....

[EvilBread]

Just make sure when you apply for a film course at Uni that the title doesn't have the work 'studies' in it, otherwise you will be doing lots of theory. I did Film Studies and Entertainment Technology and although I got to do a bit of film making (8 short films) I regretted not being able to make more.

[MinionZombie]

I'll throw my hat into the ring, I'll say that having "studies" in the title of your course will mean bugger all when it comes to getting your foot in the door, if anything people who did a degree which has nothing to do with media have an easier time. It's hard as heck no matter how many practical courses you did, it's just a matter of finding the one ajar door out of the 1000's to get your first footing, it took me a good 7 to 8 months to find that and it's still slow going... As for budget cuts, what can you expect from this gubment really, they've completely destroyed education, I weep for this country's future...but oh well, it's not all bad, it's more fun and interesting than studying maths or physics or R.E.

[EvilBread]

I agree Minion, having studies in the title of your degree wont mean bugger all, the job I was lucky to get straight out of Uni only wanted a degree in some aspect of filmmaking. However, I wish I had chosen a more practical course for my time at Uni and although the studies side helped me understand the form of film more, I would have liked to have had more experience in certain aspects of filmmaking.

[MinionZombie]

Well this is where I come on that front, I personally think it's better to have the theory side taught at university, especially as it opens you up to whole new expanses of film (I certainly found this, heck, I did a whole unit on Musicals and really enjoyed it as it was all quite new to me, likewise with the first term's course "Key Issues in Film Studies" where I was first introduced to classic Film Noir and Bogart - The Maltese Falcon has become one of my favourite films because of the course). *gets back on posting track* With the practical thing, if you have your own gear you can get out there and experiment yourself and be ready to impress some chaps when you get official work experience - of course, it would be a great idea to get some experience during university (say in the summer holidays, or working on campus, say in the campus TV studio) - I was very much of my procrastinating generation and preferred to hang out with my friends and have fun and forgot that there was a real world after university...lol Obviously a uni degree needs practical, mine could have done with a bit more, even just one more unit, but I don't regret it at all, because I experimented endlessly myself with filmmaking, did some practical courses on the degree and then when I got my first footing I was able to really impress the chaps I did some freelance work with. So my opinion is that it's best to be taught the theory at uni (with some prac thrown in for good measure), but do a lot of the practical learning in your own time on your own set up (camera and edit) so you get all that "oh I really love that shot so I simply MUST include it" (and related) crap out of the way by the time you leave and go about getting official work experience. So hellsing - when you go, make sure you get work experience during your stay on campus and in the area.

[EvilBread]

True, filmmaking in your own time is a good idea and I don't regret most of the theory stuff I learnt (had a great cult cinema module in my final year) but the main form of film could be taught in the practical modules I would argue. Giving students a bunch of equipment and telling them to get on with it is a little sloppy and so a few lectures and extra time research modules would help a lot. You also have to take into account the money aspect. I was not lucky enough to have the funds to buy my own kit and so had to rely on the University kit.

[MinionZombie]

Money doesn't have to be that big of an obstacle these days though really, especially if you have a part time job to help out (not that I did), but I wasn't exactly flush with cash either...just gotta find a way really... Duno what practical modules you did, but we were taught at length in our practical modules before/during getting our mits on the kit. ... And to wax my own ego at the time I was chuffed to be able to show my peers a good thing or two - the practice on my own helped out in spades, I actually had several conversations in (rather tense) editing sessions on one course about why certain edits couldn't be used, or why that shot was unusable, or why this shot really wasn't necessary ... it was a bloody uphill battle though, cram four people into a pokey little room to edit something and you've got reality TV gold ... if you had a camera on us...

[EvilBread]

I must have had crummy teachers as they always told us not to spend money on the cameras and invest in set design, props and costumes. I guess thats the reason they never hit it big and chose to slate other filmmakers work :P

[MinionZombie]

It's always best to have your own gear, cos like I said, you get to practice as much as you like, hence my belief in practical stuff being something you can do mostly yourself (bar a good portion of taught prac). As long as you've got yourself a decent desktop PC (or even laptop) then you're half way there already. What student doesn't have their own computer these days? There's too much downloading to do! But with that computer you can get yourself some software, from all that student downloading, and then you can pick up a consumer level camera for under £500, which has 3CCD image quality, get yourself a cheapy tripod (although these don't have that lovely smooth head action, but they're good for setting up static shots), get a firewire cable and bingo, you can go about experimenting... If the lecturers were saying don't get your own equipment and were complaining about filmmaker's work, rather than celebrating it, then they've obviously got a big old stick crammed somewhere brown... Where did you go by the way, out of interest?

[EvilBread]

Portsmouth University. Got a BA Hons in Film Studies and Entertainment Technology (2:1).

[Danny]

yeah i agree with the studies thing, but the local uni (ranked 92/100) does parctical in its studies AND job placement for experience as well but there are ones like film and video studies which only require 2 a -levels to apply. which is good since i started college a eyar late and could only do 2 a levels and to do the full a2 for photgraphy, my new subject id need to put off uni fro another year if i wanted to get into one like east anglia, which i still might do as id be able to get a decent paying job if i studied for another year but itd be 2 years late start so thats whats buggin' me. im surprised how many birts on here are really aiming as high as you can rather than settle for second best, we should all work on somethin sometime that'd be cool

[paulannett]

Personally, I HATED film studies at university, seriously. It was the most abysmal excuse for a subject I have EVER taken (last year). I actually dropped it and changed my whole degree (to English and journalism). I hope you know what you are letting yourself in for, or really do have an ultra passion for the subject. Good luck!

[MinionZombie]

Where did you take your course, and what was your course actually like? Also, one man's gold is another man's sort-of-shiny, and personally useless old rock.

[Danny]

i honestly dont care how hard it is , if it can get my film makeing to go to the next level im all for it, you gotta aim for your dream no matter how impossible or your doomed to live in a "nice little house" in a quiet suburb wearing sweaters and smoking a pipe, and work 9 till 5 in an office *shudders* now THAT is terrifying.