I know there are a lot of Media Types here, from Presenters, Crew and more, so I'm going, if I may to pick your brains.
I go to university at the moment and it's not really working out, so I'm having a makeshift gap year and intend to start again in Sept, however I don't want to end up on another dodgy course, if indeed, Uni is the way to go? I'd like to go into Video/TV production in a studio environment, perhaps become a vision mixer or LD.
I'm currently looking at Southampton or Bournemouth on a TV Production degree? Is this the way to go, can you recommend anywhere better?
So I ask this: Where did you go to Uni (if you did) and if not how did you get where you are today? I understand some of you may not want to tell everyone on here so feel free to private message me.
All, and any advice would be welcomed.
GM
nodnirG kraM
Bail posted:
I know there are a lot of Media Types here, from Presenters, Crew and more, so I'm going, if I may to pick your brains.
I go to university at the moment and it's not really working out, so I'm having a makeshift gap year and intend to start again in Sept, however I don't want to end up on another dodgy course, if indeed, Uni is the way to go? I'd like to go into Video/TV production in a studio environment, perhaps become a vision mixer or LD.
I'm currently looking at Southampton or Bournemouth on a TV Production degree? Is this the way to go, can you recommend anywhere better?
So I ask this: Where did you go to Uni (if you did) and if not how did you get where you are today? I understand some of you may not want to tell everyone on here so feel free to private message me.
All, and any advice would be welcomed.
Ravensbourne was highly considered the best uni/college to be taken seriously in the TV world; I was of the last year that had the proper course though. Since then management have stepped in and "streamlined" the courses (ie sacked the good, expensive staff and brought in cheaper watered down staff).
Nonetheless they have fantastic studio and location facilities and are still highly thought of by those on the inside.
I think a lot of people have quite unconventional routes to where they are today, and there's no doubt that it's more difficult to get in than it ever has been before - but don't let that put you off, if you want it and you're enthusiastic about it, you'll get there.
In my own case, I always wanted to get into the radio business (TV too... there's still time...) but there really was little help and advice on offer. At school, no one seemed interested in helping people get into the media. This is 1989, and the only careers leaflets available were from 1981 - relatively speaking, this was a *long* time ago (these days, it's like picking up a leaflet from 1997... not so long ago!).
So, I ignored School and went about getting myself some Work Experience at Beacon Radio in 1989. The next year I nagged them for more, got some, kept going back to 'help out' and eventually got myself a Saturday job while at college doing 'A' levels.
I should say at this point that I'd tried to get onto a Media Studies course, but out of 200 people joining college that year, I was the only one who wanted that course, and so it didn't run... how times change! (that was the reason I kept pestering Beacon).
Over the next few years I did various stints of paid and unpaid work, working in every single department (bar Sales - I simply don't do selling), culminating in an offer of a full time post in the Production dept (making commercials, station promos etc...). I also helped on air reading weather, producing the evening kids show and stuff like that so that if any other paid work came along, in this area, I'd be there to take it on - and it worked.
I moved on to Heart FM in 2000, and I now run the Training courses for a Radio Training Company / Station in Wolverhampton.
I must say that I would always recommend practice and experience in situ above any College or Uni course every time. That's what the employers wany, they'll glance at your CV and see what you've studied... but they'll want to know what you can start doing on the day you join the company - always be prepared to think on your feet, if you wait for them to tell you what to do... you'll wait forever...
Obviously I've been very lucky, and a lot of it was down to being in the right place at the right time... (and I was able to engineer being in the right place a heck of a lot).
Basically there's not a lot of availability for Work Experience in this field these days, people don't have time to accomodate and look after it., but if you can - grab the opportunity and make the most of it, show 'em what you can do (very important), try and make yourself really really useful - and crucially, don't just rely on qualifications (unless they are specifically required by the job) as they'll get you nowhere on their own.
I went as far as A Levels... if I'd have gone on to Uni, I'm positive I wouldn't have had even half the breaks...
Best of luck - I mean it - you want it, you'll get it...
I've always knows that experiance counts over education. It's no point knowing how something works but not actually being able to work it. I have every intention of getting as much experiance as I can, and I already have, odly enough in radio. Whilst at college, like youself, I managed to get some work experiance at a local, now TLRC owned station.
I think my "personal statement" covers most of my life...
My UCAS Form posted:
I hope to continue my education at University because I know it will help to give me a good start towards a career within the media industry. I have been passionate about all forms of media for as long as I can remember. It began when I was at school; I became part of the “technical crew” for school plays and productions which involved setting up the lighting, sound, sets etc. I joined a local amateur dramatics society to help voluntarily and continued working on the technical side of productions. I then gained work experience at a local arts centre helping test equipment and perform general maintenance.
This developed my interest in television and radio production, I decided after leaving school to further my interest, which was now becoming a passion, by enrolling on a Media Production course at college. My college years have, so far, been the best of my life, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time at college, which is reflected in my grades. I was able to utilize my passion, and work with others and as an individual to create numerous videos and CD’s which I am very proud of. I was introduced by a tutor to a presenter at a local radio station, Spirit FM, where I worked for over a year on the Saturday sport team providing “IRN” news clips and I got my first “on air” experience reading out the full and half time football scores. During my time there I gained valuable practical experience in the broadcast industry.
At weekends I work at WHSmith, as part of the sales and entertainment department. I make sure all the new CD and DVD titles are ready for sale on Monday morning by ordering the new stock and ensuring all the pricing and labelling is correct. I also help the public and look after the sales floor. I am computer literate having built my own computer, and have good working knowledge of them: from basic letter writing, to animation and web design, which I also enjoy.
In my spare time I like to read, and listen to music or the radio. I’m fan of Radio 4 comedy and have produced my own radio versions of Just a Minute and QI at college. These are the two biggest radio projects I have undertaken as an individual and are probably the most memorable.
I initially started at Winchester University in 2005 on a Media Production course, however this did not turn out as well as I had hoped. The course was in its first year and I felt that there was not enough structure for me and that I would not achieve my best there, so after much deliberation I decide to leave at the end of the first Semester. This was a very hard decision as I didn’t want friends and family to think I couldn’t do the work or that I had given up, as I honestly felt I was on the wrong course. I intend to spend the time up until September gaining more work experience in the industry and adding more work to my portfolio.
I know that I will keep working until I have a career in media and a job at the BBC or ITV, and am not afraid of putting the work in to get there. I feel that on the right course I can, and will, go far.
Ravensbourne's reputation within the BBC has dropped quite severely over the last few years. The quality of graduates from Ravensbourne in core craft skills seems to have reduced - and many seem more interested in PC/IT stuff than learning the basics well...
Media degrees cover such a wide spectrum it is difficult to make blanket recommendations. Historically the BBC preferred people with general degrees rather than media degrees - as the BBC training made up for the lack of media training during a degree. This is no longer quite the case...
Media degrees aren't worth the paper their printed on these days. Anyone I meet who says their "doing" a media degree, I give them a wide berth. Universities only still carry general media courses because there is a demand for them by lazy and/or disillusioned youngsters.
Take my advice and do not do a media degree - unless you want to work in a chip shop...or something.
As I've just PM'd you without fully reading this topic - I can definately say that experience counts over qualifications.
I'm very lucky to be working for who I am today - but I left college with 4 A-Levels (Media, IT, Business and General Studies(!)).
I got offered Work Expericence (which I did for 7 months) at a big TV Company and thanks to that, I got offered a contract in February by one of he biggest independant production companies in the country!
I'm very lucky, but - as crap as it sounds - unless you have a contact in the industry or someone is willing to give you a chance, it's pretty impossible to get into it.
As I didn't go to Uni, I can't really advise you on this, but I'd suggest that you try and get yourself some work experience - even if it's in the office of a production company first: it will almost certainly lead to better things.
Try to read up on things - http://www.skillset.org/tv/ is great and has links to other useful websites relating to the media industry.
For what it's worth, I'm pretty much in agreement with everyone else. I went to Ravensbourne and left thinking it was "the" college. Now, most people I speak too think it's gone downhill quite rapidly, so I'm not sure of the kudos associated with it anymore.
I would say if you want to go to university anyway, then do it. It won't harm your career path, but in my experience it won't help a great deal either, unless you want to get into journalism. Experience is everything, so you'd probably do better writing to as many companies as you can and asking about short work experience placements. It might take a while, but once you get in somewhere, you can start to learn, prove what you have to offer, and above all, meet contacts and people in the industry.
Above all, don't take the knockbacks personally as there will more than likely be lots of them. Keep focused, and driven towards your end goal. Do keep us posted, and good luck!
I want to eventually end up in journalism myself... at the moment, however, I'm doing a degree in tourism with the intentions of doing a post-graduate degree in journalism so I know all the relevent laws. My thinking is that it's better to study something that you are interested in so that you could later specialise in this... one of the good things about my course is that there is a lot of written work such as reports, marketing strategies, things like that. I've also done work experience in the past for a few radio stations, so I'm hoping that my current course (and the skills I've gained from it) combined with the experience I have is the right way to go.
Obviously, there is no hard and fast way of getting into the industry, but I've been led to believe that experience and in-depth knowledge of a specific area are a million times better than anything a media or journalism degree could ever teach you.
Media Degrees are only disregarded by lazy and/or prejudiced employers.
Experience and contacts are all important in gaining a career in the media industry... and a good media production degree (one that majors in practical hands-on production) will help you to attain both.
Well, as many others have said, there is no path "in" to TV, indeed one of the interesting things about working there is that each person has their own individual story.
In terms of unversity courses, take a look at the Broadcasting Studies degree in Leeds. I am biased, but everyone in my year who did the course is working in TV and doing well. The course has a good reputation within the BBC and I assume it does externally too (many of my coursemates are already APs/Production Co-ordinators after just 3 years). The course ends with a 3 month placement at a TV production company. Many people stay on, indeed, it's how I got my job.
However, as you pointed out yourself Bail, nothing counts more than experience, and even after doing any degree you will literally have to start at the bottom, probably making cups of tea.
It's a long and hard path, but a rewarding one. Good luck!
Media studies courses do get a bad rap, it's true - but it's also true that you can't rely on just that; if you want to get into the media, you need to show your enthusiasm by getting experience elsewhere.
I left school aimed in the direction of engineering; but on the first day of university, discovered the student TV station - with a proper studio and programmes you can make any everything. And later in the year found myself involved in the radio station too. Lots of humming and hawing, realising I didn't want to be a mechanical engineer, not sure quite what I wanted to do. Skip to the end, I've got a Computing Science degree, plus several years experience in doing things with wires and cameras and microphones and sound desks. And ran the student TV station for a year too.
And through some virtue of good timing, I managed to get a job with a big broadcasting company (no, not that one) the day after I graduated.
The reason I picked CompSci was that I already spent far too much time in front of a computer, and thought it best to pIick a degree that I reckoned I'd actually be able to do, (rather than one that was stretching me too much,) and which would allow me to keep on meddling in student media at the same time. But also because it would act as an insurance policy, as it were, in case everything meeja-related went tits-up. Your circumstances will probably be different, but it's a plan which seems to have worked for me. Best of luck to you, though!