Interview with ex-Long Road Student, Rebecca Sharon

Whilst visiting Lincoln I caught up with ex-Long Road student, Rebecca Sharon to find out her initial impressions of the University of Lincoln.




1) What are you studying here and what year are you in?
I am doing BA (Hons) Media Production and am in my first year.

2) What did you study at Long Road and what results did you get?
I got an A in Media Studies, a B in Film Studies and a B in Photography.

3) Did you start uni straight away?
Yes, I worked in the summer and then came straight here. Actually that is one piece of advice I would give people, work out what you think you will need and then triple it. I would be so broke right now if I hadn’t worked in the summer.

4) How would you describe your experiences so far?
It’s a lot better than I thought it would be. I’ve just finished a soundscape for radio and the best ones get played at Siren FM, the community radio station. Everything we do is a lot of fun.

5) What do you like most about the course?
Definitely the practical side, they show you how everything works and you get an idea of how stressful working in the media can be. They talk you through all of the different roles in a production. It is a lot of fun.

6) How similar is the course to the media course at Long Road?
There isn’t as much focus on the theory, which is what I really enjoyed at Long Road. There is a lot more practical work than we did at Long Road.

7) How well did media at Long Road prepare you for media at University?
The experience I had of editing and also of Photoshop have been really useful. You don’t get as much help unless you ask for it but when you do ask for help it is always there. I think I would have felt quite lost if I hadn’t done media before.

8) What opportunities have you had to make industry links?
I’m not sure. Everyone is always talking about there being lots of opportunities. I know that someone got some work from an industry person who came in as a guest editor and really liked there work so offered them a job. I think that kind of thing happens a lot.

9) What do you think of the quality of teaching and the facilities here, rate them out of 10.
8-9. Everyone is very helpful. Sometimes it can be hard to get hold of people but when you are in touch they are very helpful. The facilities are great, I love the little TV studio we get to work in and I can’t wait to get into the big studio.

10) How many hours a week do you spend in lessons?
I have three 2 hour workshops a week, four 1 hour lectures and two 1 hour seminars, so that is about 12 hours contact time. But there is an expectation here to do a lot of independent study. When we were doing our soundscape we were in the radio edit suite everyday from 5-8 or 9pm, sometimes later if we booked the last slot of the day in the edit suite.

11) On a scale of 1-5 how enjoyable is University?
5, it’s great. There is good night life here and the course is brilliant.

12) On a scale of 1-5 how hard is University?
3 to 4, it is difficult. I think it does depend on how much knowledge you have when you get here. Some things are really easy to pick up but other things are really difficult. I found Photoshop tough to get the hang of. The reading they set can be difficult too, 60 pages on representation in soap opera, that wasn’t easy. All the books you need are in the library though so you don’t have to spend loads of money on buying them all.

13) Would you recommend this course to other Long Road students?
I would definitely recommend the course.

14) What do you enjoy most about studying media at Lincoln?
The practical work is good, and lots of fun. There are loads of places to socialise between lectures and I really enjoy the group work. Our whole class, 15 of us, made a comedy drama, it was great. We had behind-the-scenes people, camera and technical people and then the actors. It was great.

15) What is the next step for you?
You can pretty much go anywhere from Lincoln. I’d really like to get into editing or behind the scenes on a TV show, maybe a floor manager. I’d also love to go on the American exchange next year so I need to make sure I get good grades this year. I’m really enjoying myself here in Lincoln, it’s a great place.

Visit Report from University of Lincoln

This week I visited the University of Lincoln's Media School. The department staff were still buzzing from their recent victory at the Royal Television Society awards ceremony, where students won three awards in the categories of Best Entertainment, Best Animation and Best Factual programme. I was given a very warm welcome when I met Mike Mason of the University of Lincoln’s Media School. Established around 1996 Media has a relatively long history at Lincoln. The Media department is housed in the Faculty of Media, Humanities & Technology and offers a number of general and very specific media related courses, these include:

BA(Hons) Media Production
BA (Hons) Film & Television
BA (Hons) Audio Production
BA (Hons) Documentary Production

The BA Film & Television can be combined with English, History, Drama or Journalism. Lincoln has an extremely highly regarded Journalism school and the Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design also offers BA(Hons) Animation.
How you get in…
The Media school doesn’t interview prospective students as the UCAS points they require are fairly high. Put it this way, it’s harder to get on the Media Production course here than it is to get onto Forensic Science! However, if a student doesn’t quite make the 300 points required then the content of the personal statement does become even more important. This is the time when media-related work experience etc could make the difference between getting in or missing out, this is something to think about if you are aspiring to go to Lincoln.
What they have to offer…
There are around 180-200 first year Media Production students so the cohort is really quite large, however the facilities are vast and all housed in the extremely modern faculty building. Edit suites for video using iMovie, Final Cut and Avid, audio recording and edit suites, design and photography studios are all in abundance, as is extremely helpful and experienced technical support. Two TV studios with gallery and green rooms facilities, a fully functioning theatre; the LPAC and auditorium at the East Midlands Media Technology Enterprise Centre just next door, fabulous library and social facilities make Lincoln extremely well equipped.

Industry links…
There is a community radio station based in the building that students can get involved in and numerous opportunities to make links with the industry. The 33 strong staff is comprised of academics and practitioners, from ex-BBC personnel to experimental film makers to working photographers. Industry guest speakers are the norm at Lincoln, a recent guest was the Deputy Director General of the BBC who commanded quite a crowd. And on the day of my visit a highly experienced actor was coming in to discuss his experiences of working in front of the camera in both TV and film. There is also a unit in the third year which requires students to conduct research into media orientated organisations, this has in the past led to students being offered work within those companies. All of this industry exposure pays dividends for the students who work hard and get themselves noticed.
What happens when you get there…
Most of the production work conducted is done in groups with a certain amount of paperwork attached; other forms of assessment include critical evaluations, log books, reports and essays. There are no exams in the Media Production course.
Typically in a semester students would have two practical projects to work on, from different disciplines i.e. Radio & Sound and Design & Visual Communication; these would have paperwork attached. They would also be required to produce two critical essays, one from a core module and another from an optional module.
Extras…
In the second year Media students can also apply to spend their first semester at the University of Minnesota in Moorhead, USA. The School of Communications and Journalism has been a part of an exchange programme with Lincoln since 2001.
Success rates…
77% of graduates from the Media Production course get either a First or a 2:1. Those are very impressive results. Graduates from Lincoln go on to have prosperous careers in organisations such as the BBC, ITV, Sky, Nintendo and even Mi6. They become runners, work in TV studios in either corporate or camerawork, work in public relations and even teaching. One thing seems very evident to me and that is that if you are interested in extending your media skills and equipping yourself with the necessary tools to make it in the industry then Lincoln should be a strong contender for your UCAS application.

Top three reasons to pick Lincoln:
* A strong emphasis on practical work with excellent facilities
* Regular industry guest speakers
* No exams

Visit Report from Anglia Ruskin University

I recently went to visit Anglia Ruskin University, which is my old stomping ground, to see what’s changed since I graduated from there several years ago.

I met with Dr. Sarah Barrow, Head of Department who talked to me about the exciting developments at the Cambridge Campus that will benefit prospective film and media students.
Anglia has numerous campus’ and centres in the Anglia region, the media courses are taught at the Cambridge campus which is currently undergoing a refurbishment programme to incorporate state-of-the-art facilities, this should be complete for the 2010-2011 academic year.

The new facilities will include a digital performance lab that media students will have access to.
Existing facilities available to the media students are as follows:
* Excellent access to camera and editing equipment.
* Around 50 edit suites with Final Cut Pro and DVD Studio Pro
* Two dedicated digital ICT suites with access to Quark Express, InDesign, Flash etc and dedicated technical support
* On-line booking for production equipment and edit suites
* Instant access to expert technical advice
* An impressive selection of cameras including HD Panasonic 41 cameras, JVC Pro HD camera and a range of additional equipment including 6 portable lighting rigs, a range of dolly’s and tripods.
* A dedicated screening room with DVD, video and 16mm projection facilities
* Dedicated radio suite
* TV studio
* Dedicated screening facilities in the library
* Full range of DVDs, videos and media and film books

The choice of courses at Anglia include BA(Hons) Media Studies, BA (Hons) Film Studies and BA (Hons) Communication Studies. The key difference between media and communication studies is that media studies is focussed on the media and using the media whereas communication studies is about all communicative practices, it doesn’t have to apply to media but to everyday practices.

All of these courses work on a modular system and each module carries a certain amount of credits. You need to build up 60 credits per semester to total 120 credits per year. Every year there is at lease one compulsory module and then you can choose the rest from a selection, this is a great system which gives you the freedom to specialise in either theory or practice.

Anglia don’t usually require you to go for an interview so you don’t need to worry about preparing a portfolio in advance but they do think portfolios are important, so much so that there is time set aside for every student to begin to build up a portfolio of their work which showcases their skills. These portfolios are very useful interview tools for the graduates of Anglia Ruskin.

The department also has a module called ‘Working in Communication’, which gives students the opportunity to find work experience in the industry and make good industry links. Anglia students regularly work with organisations such as the BBC, the Fitzwilliam Museum and have helped to organise events such as the Cambridge Film Festival and the Strawberry Fair Film Festival.

Every Anglia Ruskin Student has a personal tutor and access to the full range of support available to them within the university, this includes: careers advice, finance support and advice, counselling, help with accommodation, access to a student adviser, help with essays etc.
There is an amazing choice of modules across the three years from ‘Media and Society’ in year one to ‘Technoculture’ in year three. A 15 credit module will usually add up to 2 hours contact time and a 30 credit module has 3 hours contact time. Modules usually consist of a lecture followed by a smaller seminar resulting in a range of activities to complete; these can include essays, reports, portfolios, presentations and major projects.

This department is staffed with very experienced lecturers who are experts in their field and fully qualified technical people who are also on hand to help. It is an extremely supportive and creative environment.

Follow this link to find out more information about the courses on offer and upcoming Open Days.
http://www.anglia.ac.uk/ruskin/en/home/prospectus/ugft/p300.html

Interview with ex-Long Road student Matt Waters

Whilst visiting Anglia Ruskin University I caught up with ex-Long Road student, Matt Waters to find out his views on studying Film and Media at Anglia Ruskin University.




1) What are you studying here and what year are you in?
I am in my third year of a BA Film and Media Studies degree course

2) What did you study at Long Road and what results did you get?
I got a B in Media Studies, a B in English Language and a B in History. And I got a C in General Studies

3) Did you start uni straight away?
Yes, I knew what I wanted to do so I didn’t want to waste any time, I just wanted to get on with it.

4) How would you describe your experiences so far?
Up and down I would say. Uni is a sheltered environment in which to grow up, the Student Loan gives you financial stability for a time and so it is like you’ve got training wheels on for a while until you know how to cope with it all. The staff are all really helpful and the people I’ve met are amazing.

5) What do you like most about the course?
The opportunity to study film and see films I would never have seen otherwise. I didn’t take film at Long Road so I enjoy that aspect of my course. Media Studies focuses on engaging with the world around you, for example looking at advertising and public perception. One of my favourite modules so far has been music, media and culture; we study old rockers which is great! The teacher clearly really cares about the subject so it makes me care. It is much easier to learn if you are interested in the subject.

6) How similar is the course to the media course at Long Road?
I think it is very different to Long Road, there is a lot less practical work here and the content is different. But I would definitely say that Long Road gave me a good grounding because we looked at lots of different aspects of the media and we learnt a lot of cinematic terms which helped me when I first got here.

7) How well did your time at Long Road prepare you for University life?
I don’t think every Long Road student would be ready for it. There is a lot of extra work, if you want to go to uni you have to be aware of the fact you need to put the work in. You have about 12-14 hours a week of lectures and obviously you need to put in the same amount of time outside of lessons.


8) What opportunities have you had to make industry links?
The department regularly get sent e-mails from various different organisations that are offering opportunities to get involved in things, for example in my first year I wrote reviews for the Cambridge Film Festival Daily. Then this year I got an internship at the Film Festival which was a fantastic opportunity. I was the Online Intern so I was in charge of uploading and updating the content on the web, I also wrote for the brochure and was in charge of the festival’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. I also managed some Diploma students from LongRoad who came in to do some work for us. It was a great experience.

9) What do you think of the quality of teaching and the facilities here, rate them out of 10.
I would probably give the facilities a 7 as I think they need more equipment but this is being addressed right now so it will improve. I would give the teaching an 8 to 9, the staff are really knowledgeable. I think Anglia is better than it’s ranking position, you will be pleasantly surprised by it if you just go on the rankings. You can get a good degree here if you apply yourself.

10) How many assignments do you have to do in a semester?
It is about one or two pieces of work per module.

11) On a scale of 1-5 how enjoyable is Uni?
I'd give it a 4, Uni is brilliant

12) On a scale of 1-5 how hard is uni
Probably a 3, it’s as tough as you make it, you get back what you put in. The final year is tough though, especially with the dissertation. But because it is based on continuous assessment you always have an idea of what you’re aiming for. I know that unless I mess up I am on target for a First.

13) Would you recommend this course to other Long Road students?
It depends on what you want to do but I would recommend it. The range of skills you learn here make you very employable because it is such a multi-faceted course, one minute you are studying Freud and the next you’re discussing the Dark Knight.

14) What is the next step for you after Anglia and are you getting support through this process?
I’ve been informally offered paid work at the next Film Festival and I am interested in taking a course in Journalistic writing. But I also really enjoy writing comedy; anything to do with writing is my ultimate aim. There is support here; there is a huge careers department that will help you with your CV and interview preparation etc.