Filmmaking/ Film Production

[MumsMadHouse1]

Any insights/recommendations for practical film making degree courses. Not looking for academic film studies. Filmmaking at Leeds Beckett looks good. We aren't wanting London way and further south. If anyone has any knowledge, we would love to hear from you. X

My son is doing Film-making BA at Nottingham Trent Uni and is absolutely loving it. In the first year it is joint with Film Technology BSC so option to move to more techie/craft side of things if that is of interest in yrs 2 & 3. Both degrees are practical and hands-on - eg they have a lecture about a particular style of film-making and then they get to go out and create their own work inspired by what they’ve learnt. Facilities are excellent - brand new arts building opened last year. He also loves being a student at NTU so would def recommend taking a look.

My son was also interested in Leeds Beckett and went to open day there (perhaps you’ve already been?) but didn’t apply there in the end because although he thought it looked really good the course seemed quite screen-writing focused and was less practical (more theory/research/essays) than he was looking for.

If you’re considering Scotland then Edinburgh Napier has strong reputation for film-making and my son loved the course open day there but in the end decided too far away/expensive to get to from our home.

Salford Uni is also strong on film/media degrees - campus is in Media City and has good industry links. A friend’s daughter is currently studying there and really enjoying it.

Hi!
Thanks for the reply, hun!
Did they mention at Leeds Beckett about the amount of projects overall? Son's really into the practical (filming and editing that kind of thing) so just curious. Could you let me know what the projects are like at Salford and Nottingham for me?
Cheers!

My dd is looking at film production but down south - we’re trying to navigate it all too. Advice seems to be to go for a screenskills accredited course or CILECT courses as apparently they well regarded by the industry.

Have a look at the Film Production course at Salford. DS3 is hopefully heading there in September. Course is run by industry professionals and there seems to be lots of practical experience with opportunity to build relationships within the industry.
He looked at the Leeds Beckett course but we both felt Salford was better.
Avoid the similar-sounding MMU Film Making course. DS2 graduated from there last year and found it abysmal. Lecturers had very little relevant experience, were disinterested and sometimes downright unhelpful, some year 3 modules were rehashes of year 2, they didn't respond to complaints made by the students, and it killed the passion he once had because he feels he isn't qualified to work in the industry despite getting a 2:1. He considered leaving at the end of his first year but decided to stick it out and now regrets it. He applied during Covid times when Open Days didn't happen.
My advice is to go to the Open Days, and find out about the destinations of graduates, i.e. what percentage go on to work in the film industry, or related industries.

We’ve been up and down the country to look at film production and my child has chosen Hull.

Leeds Beckett was lovely but they really discouraged the students from making their own content during their studies. It seems like it was less hands on than other places we went to.

UCA - Farnham was great but the local area is devoid of anything student-y.

I got a big boost in confidence after taking a few hands-on workshops through www.praguefilminstitute.cz because working on real shoots with mentors made everything click faster for me. If you’re trying to build a solid portfolio or want practical training instead of just theory, their setup with green-screen work and industry pros might be a good match.

Just giving a non-university experience:

Me and dp both work in film. I’m not so relevant as I started later with non film degree and worked my way up from being a trainee (very quickly!) but DP did a college course (not uni) at 18 (even made a film that screened at Cannes on the course!) worked on a few productions in northern England then moved to London, he’s now an HoD working on big budget productions (series and film).
Screenskills is a great way to try out different departments. People have to start at the bottom no matter their education, so it’s worth considering! Even as an alongside studying thing :)

Oh weird I just saw this is from last year, I don’t know why it popped up in my feed!