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Erin, Media Level 3

Why did you choose to study Media at college?

I did Media GCSE and I really enjoyed it but my sixth form didn’t provide a full Media course. They did Media A Level but I wanted something a bit more practical. I had a look at some colleges and when I came down to college, they had the nicest studio and all the equipment they had was a lot better than what was available to me at my sixth form.

The facilities here are the best out of all the colleges that I visited and the studio is really big. They have a green screen and the teachers are super enthusiastic about the course which made me really want to apply when I came to the Open Event. They are really welcoming.

Practical projects

I’m most interested in the film side of Media. Luckily, this year a lot of it has been focused around that side. For our first assignment, we did a how-to video so we had to research all kinds of how-to videos and we got to make these in little groups. My group chose to do it on how to braid hair which was quite fun.

Our second assignment was more practical, and it had to be something that would be useful for the future so we got to make a website as our portfolio for all of our work. That was quite good and definitely useful for the future.

My favourite part of the course this year was the practical sessions in the studio. There, we were let loose with the cameras. Our teacher would just give us a quick brief for the afternoon and we get to practice using the cameras, microphones etc. One time, we made a film noir film in one afternoon which was so fun!

A supportive learning experience

The teachers are all really nice. We have three or four different teachers and it’s good because we get to do different things with each of them. They’ve all been really supportive and if you need help, the teachers are really approachable and they always do their best to help you. At the same time, I like the fact that they give you a lot of independence and freedom which is what’s quite different to secondary school. If you’re happy to work on your own, you can be left to get on independently which is what I prefer personally, but if you’re someone who does need a lot of support, they’re there for you as well.

If we wanted work experience, I feel confident enough to walk up to our tutors and ask if they have connections. Some of our tutors actually still work in the industry and I’m sure they would go out of their way to help you if you asked for that.

Looking forwards

I’ve heard that in the second year, it becomes more intense. I’m a little bit apprehensive about that but I am looking forward to it. Our tutors have been talking about things that they’re keen to bring in and other things that they’re keen for us to have a look at, like the TV, radio and broadcast studio so that gets me excited about it.

In the future, I would love to go into the documentary side of filming.

Interested? Find out more about our Media pathway