UNIVERSITY COURSES
I have recently researched into courses that I would be able to apply for at university in media production or film and television. I used the UCAS website to help navigate my options to make sure that they covered the topics that I wanted to study and to gain knowledge in. My choices are Bridgwater and Taunton College, Exeter College, University of Bristol, Plymouth University and Weymouth College. All of these courses have the entry requirement of a merit at it's highest regarding in teriff points. All of these courses also are close by to where I live, making it easy to travel between university and my family.
My first choice is at Bridgwater and Taunton College as I already study at this location for a level 3 TV and Film diploma certificate and would be the best for me financially as I wouldn't have to pay for tuition fees for staying at the University. The course also offers what I want to study overall and is a two year course, being able to take a top up year afterwards to equal the level of going to any other university and has lower financial costs overall. This course requires 102 teriff points which is equal to an overall merit score, meaning this course is easy to get into with the right requirements but is much easier overall compared to other universities with higher standards such as Oxford. The main reason I chose this course as my first option includes the information I provided beforehand but with gaining extra knowledge on the course it proves to be the most suitable for myself as I am a person who finds it better to practice to improve rather than just to be educated about the subject, this course being more based on practical learning. This course also offers it's students to work alongside companies to gain work experience where as other courses don't allow this, meaning this course allows you to learn and to gain experience which you would have to gain after finishing university but can get alongside your course.
'This course aims to develop your skills as a digital storyteller in a range of media, including film making, video production, photography, sound design and radio. You will understand and be able to apply yourself to the entire production process.
Major media provisional links and work-based learning opportunities will be provided at local, regional and national level to enable students to make informed, critical decisions involving their own progression based on 'live' contexts.'- UCAS, Bridgwater and Taunton College.
The second option is Weymouth College, third being Exeter and fourth being Plymouth. I put them in this order as all the courses offer what I want to study but are ordered in distance from where I live. I don't want to spend money on staying at a university if I can avoid those costs as all the courses have similar entry points and cost around the same amount of money to enrol on the course, location being the only issue in the discussion of which order to put down. They are all some choices of mine as I would be pleased to study at any of the universities I have chosen, Weymouth and Exeter needing 64 points for entry and all having costs around the £6,000- £7,000 mark each year. The course at Weymouth provides training in camera, sound, lighting, direction, editing through different genres of video production such as documentaries and music videos. They also offer a commercial element to the course which would be similar to what I have already studied but in greater detail. Exeter and Plymouth offer very similar elements and skill development to Weymouth, making them all fairly equal to apply towards but Weymouth has the lowest entry requirements overall, being less than my first choice.
'This is a production-led course which aims to graduate practitioners with a broad cultural frame of reference for their production work. It is designed to nurture students’ creativity in all aspects of video production; to provide opportunities to acquire and develop relevant industry skills and working practices in order to successfully enter the industry.'- UCAS, Weymouth University.
'An essential aspect of the programme is learning how to manage large projects and work effectively in a team. We have strong links with major employers such as the NHS, Flybe and Exeter City Football Club and you may have opportunities to work with them to create training and promotional videos, gaining real experience of working in the TV, film and promotional video industry.'- UCAS, Exeter College.
Plymouth is my fourth choice as although it teaches the same as the other courses it costs more a year and has a higher entry point. Plymouth requires 112 points to be accepted into the course and costs £9,250 each year. This is close to Bristol as my last choice as they both have similar financial costs and entry requirements to be enrolled onto the course. This course is very similar with what Bristol offers, both being much more educational and theory based over the practical side and skill building on the camera equipment and experience in the workplace unlike Bridgwater and Taunton College. Plymouth offers a creative-driven course by practical investigation and high technical skills, offering that you will become more confident in a public setting compared to some other courses which would change dramatically depending on the person.
'We provide a flexible environment where you will gain high level technical and production skills and foster expertise to support your own creative practice. Build knowledge of existing film and television industries and explore where they may be heading in the future. Benefit from our professional mentoring, live briefs and use our dedicated TV, green screen and animation studios, editing and production labs, professional cinema, livestreaming facilities and dedicated on-line TV channel.'- UCAS, Plymouth University.
The course that is my last option is at Bristol university. It isn't my last option because of what the course offers as it offers similar to the other courses but mostly because of the distance and the financial cost. The entry fee is at £9,250 which is almost £2,000 more than other courses that offer the same learning and skill development, meaning this option would be one of my last choices because of this. I am not ruling out this course as an option as I would still be happy attending this university and studying the course there but if I can get the same level of education at a location nearer to me and with lower financial costs, I would choose those with lower costs and good quality in what they educate people about and how they teach the students. This course will also be more of essay writing, similar to Plymouth, where as some others will be more practical, although this course also offers practical it will be in smaller amounts than others. 'In our Department of Film and Television, guided by leading scholars and practitioners, you will explore the history of film and television, consider theoretical perspectives, appreciate how films are made and engage in practical film-making activities', is how they describe the course on the UCAS website which seems much more theory based over practical, being my final option as I would prefer studying on a course that is more practical than theory based.
'As well as being trained in scholarly investigation and critical thinking, you will work collaboratively in groups and develop skills relevant to a range of careers. Throughout your studies you will encounter a range of film and television professionals, and in your final year of study you will have the chance to undertake a placement in creative industry.'- UCAS, University of Bristol.
References
UCAS. (2017). UCAS. [online] Available at: https://www.ucas.com/ [Accessed 6 Nov. 2017].
Digital.ucas.com. (2017). Creative Media Production at Weymouth College - UCAS. [online] Available at: https://digital.ucas.com/courses/details?coursePrimaryId=cbcac074-4777-4b3e-81c4-114dc04f5674&courseOptionId=be25d7f4-5084-41ab-8a7f-cf74658a25eb [Accessed 6 Nov. 2017].
Digital.ucas.com. (2017). Film and Television at University of Bristol - UCAS. [online] Available at: https://digital.ucas.com/courses/details?coursePrimaryId=3e543f26-5748-9763-8781-52fd95642c69&courseOptionId=e23d9f53-c52f-05e2-c9a3-4ccde23a2cf1 [Accessed 6 Nov. 2017].
Digital.ucas.com. (2017). Film and Television Production at Plymouth University - UCAS. [online] Available at: https://digital.ucas.com/courses/details?coursePrimaryId=a6487b72-1c67-4260-998a-028b19586110&courseOptionId=a44eaf4b-094d-1985-bb9d-19a3ac10d221 [Accessed 6 Nov. 2017].
Digital.ucas.com. (2017). Film and Television Production at Exeter College - UCAS. [online] Available at: https://digital.ucas.com/courses/details?coursePrimaryId=73b4d1b2-3da4-f6b8-f0e9-8ac4fe4d8f9f&courseOptionId=e87ca23d-c98e-d94a-47c2-84daf734ee80 [Accessed 6 Nov. 2017].
Digital.ucas.com. (2017). Media Production at Bridgwater and Taunton College - UCAS. [online] Available at: https://digital.ucas.com/courses/details?coursePrimaryId=c8b40cfc-7e6b-26fc-a034-4fd8cb9382ce&courseOptionId=2810b30c-452d-cb55-e614-436bd5372b84 [Accessed 6 Nov. 2017].
