BA media studies

# 13

# 13

# 13

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20 Dec 2007
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is there any past/present media studie students around these parts?

i just started the BA (hons) media studies Degree, so any advice or things you've done on the degree i would love to hear about it

i really looking forward to the video production part of the degree in the second term but its photography at the minute which is a hobby of mine (450D 18-55mm IS and 55-250mm IS) wo really looking forward to getting stuck in

so again any info what to exspect types of assignment/projects ect i would love to hear about them
 
Probably should have posted here rather than the other topic!

Obviously all of this depends on the kind of person you are, so all of this may be irrelevant.

Honestly, I regret doing a non-academic degree. I didn't do film because I've wanted to be a famous director all my life, I did it because I enjoyed it and I had relevant A-Levels (photography, graphics and computing).

Now though most of the jobs I'm applying for have nothing to do with film or media - recruitment, project management, administration, co-ordination etc etc. And those jobs that are media related - BBC, C4, independents and small media studios - don't really care I have a degree and they'd want me to start at the bottom anyway (ie. runner) or have a decent amount of professional experience (which obv. I don't have as I went to uni instead of working).

And for those jobs that aren't media related a degree in film isn't respected at all - it's irrelivant, a doss and they can't see the skills you'd carry across (even though these aren't the case).

This is all me though - I'm strong academically (and creatively) and hence why I have these opinions and why I'm applying for non-media based jobs.

If film IS your thing, you're probably better of spending 6 months gathering together money to buy equipment and shooting shorts, then get a job as a runner and work your way up the same but be 2 years ahead. You could even spend half what you would on uni fees and do a year long fastrack course in America or something. Either way 3 years down the line you'll have no debt, more money and actual experience.

But at the same time university isn't all just about learning - you'll meet like minded people, make friends for life and more importantly grow up. This is what I spent my fees on! And off the back of it I've set up a wedding videography company which at the least is a very nice extra earner (in 3 months we've almost covered our initial startup cost of £10,000, been nominated for a national award and are recruiting an editor). Still, it's not enough to be a fulltime wage.

Sorry to be so negative but maybe you knew what I'm trying to say anyway - a degree in science or the arts from Oxbridge is going to be respected by everyone everywhere, whereas a degree in film from Used-to-be-a-polytechnic-15-years-ago doesn't stand you in such great stead (from my experience).
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Sorry to be a little negative too but i'd agree with a lot of what rghjones said in the other thread. From my experience, media degrees are rather out of touch with the industry. Moreso, the industry is so infatuated with itself that it puts in absolutely no effort to solve this.

If you want to get into video editing, that means one thing: Avid. If you have access to an Avid at your Uni then learn as much as you possibly can on it.

But more importantly to get into post production you will have to do running for a while. It sucks, pays crap and you still have to learn stuff in your own time. Make sure you're prepared for this, both mentally and with some savings (if you come into Soho!). I'd strongly suggest getting a few days running during Uni with a variety of companies, to see what it's all about. But as it's work experience, make sure you sit in with some editors in the suites for a while too. It's important to see what running is all about, but you should take the opportunity to talk to the editors as well and find out about how they got started. If the company has a machine/VT room, get in there for a few hours. Most people training for Avid go through the machine room and do VT Op'ing for a while too. It's essential knowledge. Machine rooms are the hub of post production companies, and the unsung heroes. No ops in the suites can do anything without the VT room ;)

I personally dont regret doing a media degree at all. Although not particularly useful for helping get into post production, the experience itself was great and you will learn some useful stuff. I dont mean to sound negative.. enjoy your degree, you're doing what you enjoy and getting a qualification at the end of it! :)
 
Agree wit the previous post. I've worked as an editor and it's a really tough job to break into. Try and get as much work experience as you can, as that's what companies are really after. I didn't even have a degree but worked from the ground up and ended up editing several episodes of broadcast documentaries in Cardiff. Would really love to get back into it as well, the hours are crippling but when you see your completed project, it's really satisfying.
 
A machine room is a VT room. VT = videotape. Believe it or not most post production companies still do most things on tape, albeit digital and often HD tape. A machine room will have predominently VT decks (think of a home video player but a lot better); for example our machine rooms have mostly Digibeta decks (the most common tape format), together with HDCAM and HDCAM SR decks, and the odd Beta (analogue) deck.

Basically, machine rooms service the suites. For example, we have a lot of Flame suites and all these run off of our data servers and machine rooms. None of the suites have their own tape decks or harddrives etc.. For example when they've completed a shot and they want to lay it out (record it to tape), they'll get hooked up to a deck in the machine room (remotely) and the VT Op will sort out their tape, get it to the right place and basically sort them out. That way the Ops in the suites dont need to worry about any technicalities and can just get on with their job. Then it's the job of the VT Op to make sure everything gets recorded properly.. check the picture for record errors, check the sound.. (QC) and everything.
 
Why do a media degree? Surely a specific video editing/new media production degree would be more beneficial to the OP?

Im not bashing, just curious as to the degree choice
 
Scam said:
A machine room is a VT room. VT = videotape. Believe it or not most post production companies still do most things on tape, albeit digital and often HD tape. A machine room will have predominently VT decks (think of a home video player but a lot better); for example our machine rooms have mostly Digibeta decks (the most common tape format), together with HDCAM and HDCAM SR decks, and the odd Beta (analogue) deck.

Basically, machine rooms service the suites. For example, we have a lot of Flame suites and all these run off of our data servers and machine rooms. None of the suites have their own tape decks or harddrives etc.. For example when they've completed a shot and they want to lay it out (record it to tape), they'll get hooked up to a deck in the machine room (remotely) and the VT Op will sort out their tape, get it to the right place and basically sort them out. That way the Ops in the suites dont need to worry about any technicalities and can just get on with their job. Then it's the job of the VT Op to make sure everything gets recorded properly.. check the picture for record errors, check the sound.. (QC) and everything.
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Thanks for posting Scam, very informative :)
 
Scam said:
But more importantly to get into post production you will have to do running for a while. It sucks, pays crap and you still have to learn stuff in your own time.
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Good advice, lots of runners at my work have gone on to do quite well for themselves here. They get to know everyone, and because it is often a case of who you know and not what you know, running can open a lot of doors for you.
 
SilverPenguin said:
Good advice, lots of runners at my work have gone on to do quite well for themselves here. They get to know everyone, and because it is often a case of who you know and not what you know, running can open a lot of doors for you.
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A foot in the door sort-of-speak?
Also, do the editors mind if you sit in when they're working? A few people have suggested that, but to me, it would seem a bit rude!
 
$loth said:
A foot in the door sort-of-speak?
Also, do the editors mind if you sit in when they're working? A few people have suggested that, but to me, it would seem a bit rude!
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Would depend on the company really...

If they have clients in, then probably not, especially if its a film and the Producers may be worried about too many people seeing it beforehand. Otherwise, it's totally down to the individual. In my experience, some people were willing to help, or let you watch, but many have worked a long day and don't want to spend it helping people when they could go home. I found that I got a lot more training and people are genuinely much more helpful when you move on from being a runner.


On the original topic though. I did a Media degree, though it was a bit more academic as it was a science degree. In all honesty though, unless you are prepared to be paid poorly and start out as a runner, you won't get into the industry. Even the most experienced and top paid people I work with started off as runners, not everyone can cut it though. That's I believe one of the reasons that most people who do media don't go into the industry, is because you have to start at the bottom on a minimum wage salary.
 
$loth said:
A foot in the door sort-of-speak?
Also, do the editors mind if you sit in when they're working? A few people have suggested that, but to me, it would seem a bit rude!
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Friday night i stayed behind to do a spot of training and was invited to sit in on a client-attended grading session. Doesnt happen very often but the colourists at our place are super-nice
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You're right about the foot-in-the-door. It sounds like a cliché, but to move on to the second/third 'rungs' on the ladder (i.e. VT op, assistant roles, junior 3d/2d positions, whatever..) most places will look at their runners before external applicants. It's as simple as that. Why should they bring in someone externally if they've got someone that's put the time and effort in doing running?
 
I did a media degree 4 years ago now! (wow time flys) I know this is not totally helpful but i am now working in a book shop on minimum wage :(

I did media studies because i was interested in the media its control and how it effects us daily, not really because i wanted to go into it as a career. I feel that i would have enjoyed my degree and used it more if i had done media production as i woul dhave gained some experince that may have been usefull outside. The course i was on was a bit dry and consisted of no practical work and all theory so when i left i still had no real helpful real world experience, although i do have all the analytical and research skills etc, as any other BA.

One of the main problems is that everybody who is not involved in a media studies degree thinks they are a waste of time for dossers and timewasters, this is not the case as it is obviously just as hard as any BA (just because we all think we know about TV etc.) if i could do it again i think i would pick a degree that might not be looked down on so much by the outside world. Then people may not get the bad first impression from saying i have a media degree.

It certainly seems like it is an industry where knowing the right people and starting at the bottom + hardwork count more than a degree, so I would get a "more academic" degree so that you have something to fall back on.

Sorry that this all sounds so negative but it is important to think about.

Obviously this is not the only reason I am working in a book shop, it was just one of those things where i am living with my girlfriend need a job to pay bills and have gotten complacent, i am not money driven and actually have no real aims in life at the moment, i am quite happy as i am for the time being but will obviously get that feel of wasting my life around christmas and my 26th birthday as always happens :)
 
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Curiousalien said:
One of the main problems is that everybody who is not involved in a media studies degree thinks they are a waste of time for dossers and timewasters, this is not the case as it is obviously just as hard as any BA (just because we all think we know about TV etc.)
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To be honest, and I've just graduated from a media degree, it's because they're right. Obviously I can't speak for all degrees even though mine was highly regarded in its field (and so in theory should have been one of the hardest), but I could have so easily drifted complacently through my degree. I did work hard, but not half as hard as I should have or could have been, and the only reason I did work hard was through my own choice and was in no way necessary to gain my degree or even my grade.

I'd say 90% of my year we're dossers, did hardly any work compared to me and annoyingly still exited with the same 2:1 as I did. Less annoyingly, I've started my own company which has turned over almost £8k in the past 3 months, have been proactive in applying for jobs and things aren't looking too bad, yet I can probably safely say that the majority of those 90% are living with their parents either not working or on the minimum wage.

Be honest with yourself - if you'd done a science, law or similar degree, would you really be working in a book shop 5 years later on the minimum wage? Yes it'd help if you had a degree in those subjects I'm sure, but more than half of it is down to the people that do those degrees and their drive\ambition\intellect\etc.
 
my first post does sound like i blame my degree for something, I just feel that media studies does get a hard time (sometimes rightly), i feel that there is little point in doing a media degree if you want to go into the media and that building a portfolio of work will put you in a much stronger position. I found that when i left uni i had some paper that said that i had done a degree, people on the media production course had a piece of paper and 3 years of practical experience and porfolio they could show off. I have no problem with a media degree you just need to know what you are getting from the course first.

Re-reading your first post and i agree with what you say. Nowhere in my post did I say that I worked hard during my degree :) but i also found university totally different to what i was expecting. I am quite honest with myself in why I am where I am, I don't blame the degree for it, but i am happy in life which to me is the main thing, i know some people could not sleep at night without the drive for a great job above all else but different people do life differently.

My problem at the moment (and for the past few years) is that i just dont know what i want to do with my life, I find that because of this i am stuck in a limbo. No degree would sort that out, the bookshop is one of those "temp" jobs that people do between finding a career. But at the moment apart from my lack of direction I am very happy.

Congratualtions on your business i hope it is what you want to do and that it does well. I can expect that it is a lot of time and effort setting that kind of business up. do you think you could have done it without your degree?
 
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