A week of new beginnings; new experiences; new journeys. The road to finding a postgraduate degree has produced a few challenges, and now I find myself following in my grandfather’s footsteps… and into the realm of television production. Naturally, a great deal has changed in the TV industry since my grandfather worked as a BBC film editor through the 50s, 60s and 70s.
My interests and passion still reside in theatre and film, yet in my research to find the right MA, I went for an interview at Birmingham City University. Before the tour of the media production facilities was even halfway through, I knew where I needed to be… And my discovery felt rather familiar too! I was distinctly reminded of my undergraduate application; when I had applied to do a film studies course and instead, after meeting the drama faculty at Worcester, I felt my calling.
I knew that BCU would be the place that would challenge me, excite me and teach me; building upon the skills and knowledge that I have been exploring and experimenting with over the past few years.
So it seems that this autumn my higher learning begins, studying for an MA in Television Production at Birmingham City University! It’s Welcome Week (organised by the Students’ Union), and I ventured to the university a day early to attend the Welcome Fair; collecting as many freebies as humanly possible, visiting all the stalls to enter prize draws and of course to learn other useful information. Putting myself in the shoes of the bemused and excited Freshers made it a nostalgic afternoon.
At the induction I met some of my course mates: Nicole also from England; Nagore from Spain; Linh from Vietnam; Li Na from Inner Mongolia; Trista, Nia and Lang from other provinces in People’s Republic of China. Many faculty members from the School of Media were there to talk about their courses, and it was exciting to learn how some modules may crossover with other MA awards! An introduction to the hires and loans procedures was also greatly informative, as there is a lot of awesome equipment available to us.
This week will have also hopefully proved to be a useful recce regarding train travel. Early starts and late finishes to keep costs at a minimum, and to be on time for class too… That always helps. Let the games begin! TM