MMU Manchester vs AUB Bournemouth for film?

[Zonkedndizzy]

DS was keen on Man Met for Film production due to the big city and creative vibe however AUB Bournemouth seems to have a very highly regarded course with more accreditation - It doesn't seem to be such a happening place though.

Would appreciate hearing about first hand experiences of both. He has clearing offers for both.

My daughter went to Bournemouth uni, just graduated. She’s absolutely loved living in Bournemouth, so much so that she is staying there!

Check the costs of accomm as it might be the dealbreaker. A friends Ds is going to MMu and got place through clearing. Very little accomm left so they are paying over £300 per week

Aub are going through huge cost cutting just now with loads of redundancies.

My dd is at Bournemouth ( not doing film ) and loves it as a place to live.

Perhaps consider the size of the place and links with industry too? DD1 is at MMU currently but not film so no experience of the course. AUB and MMU were her two top choices but she felt AUB was too small. She loves being in Manchester (she's absolutely not a party girl - hates nightclubs and pubs) but loves the galleries and theatre etc. Currently on a year in industry.
As a parent I'm concerned about the financial viability of universities at present, it's a difficult time and hard times will continue. DD's godfather is an academic so we hear it from him. DD2 is currently looking at universities and I'm concerned that whatever course she starts continues and isn't closed down behind her as that would mean a loss of staff and experience.

@Philandbillthis would be my worry too - about them closing.

Following with interest as dd is also considering film. We visited AUB and were very impressed both with their facilities and the course. They did talk about how their restructuring their courses to be more connected but it’s difficult to tell on an open day if that is PR spin.
She’s also not sure about Bournemouth as a place as it seems really rundown and dd is a very introverted, non drinking/clubbing type.

@Iknownothingthey haven’t identified all the redundancies yet. I have a v close friend who is teaching staff there. I don’t recall the numbers but it’s a lot. The staffing decisions are being made before ‘25 cohort start though.

@Jamfirstest that doesn’t sound good. I hope your friend is ok.
i understand why places wouldn’t want potential students to know as it would put them off and make the situation worse but it makes it hard to make a decision where to apply.

DD is starting a film degree next month. Northumbria’s degree looked good. Newcastle is a fantastic city and probably bit cheaper than Manchester.(We’re in Scotland so a bit different for DD).

I’ve just remembered to add that (assuming your DC is wanting to do the practical side of film/fllm making), they should get a sense of how good the tech is at different unis. There are only a couple of places in Scotland that do film. We were very impressed with Napier. They showed us around their dedicated building with all the production/sound etc tech. They work with Screen Academy Scotland. We then went to Queen Margaret and because we’d seen Napier, DD could see straight away that they had very little tech and what was there was dated. It was a big difference to Napier. She decided not to apply to Queen Margaret because of that. So my point is that not all
film degrees are equal. Do your research and ask questions at the open days.

Thank you for all your replies, they are all very helpful, especially the info about the restructuring and tbh I think that will probably be a deal breaker.

We went to the clearing open day today at AUB. It finished at 2:30pm which is a stupid time seeing as people would be travelling down to it. There was an accident on the M3, we managed to go round but the journey still took one and a half hours longer so we didn't get there till just before 2:30. There was one other student there looking around, they actually left home at around 9:30 am from near the same area as us but because they actually got stuck in the accident traffic on the M3 they'd only just got there themselves.

It did piss me off that they'd totally failed to take into account the fact people would most likely be driving long distances to get there. An afternoon open 'day' would have worked much better.

The website did say there would be no teaching staff there and now I know why thanks to @Jamfirstest. Apparently the director of the course should have been there though, we looked around the building but literally saw no one - it was such a strange experience.

The campus itself was lovely though. Bournemouth town centre was a bit interesting.

DS is now very conflicted. I think MMU is back in the running. Accomodation will be a massive issue though.

We also visited Birmingman City Uni over the holls (but only got to see outside) but were put off the teaching staff didnt seem to have much actual film industry experience. Birmingham is quite an awesome, if mind-boggling city....I wonder if some of the redundant Bournemouth staff will end up at Birmingham 😆

Generally, the advice for practical film would be to target an institution which has proven links with the industry and has things such as placements as parts of modules. It's often a good idea to target institutions in areas where there are better opportunities for placements , jobs and industry experience. This means: Manchester, Salford, London, Cardiff, Belfast, Glasgow and , to a lesser extent Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield. (ie big cities with BBC/ITV studios and a film making heritage)

Exceptions to this would be the highly regarded Edinburgh Napier (really hard to get a place) and also Brighton Film School.

Bournemouth University has a good reputation for film, as does Brighton Uni and also Lincoln - BU isn't the same as AUB .

Try finding courses on Discover Uni - they'll give some student satisfaction and employment stats which could be useful. I'll find some examples for you .

Oh, should have mentioned , an accredited course is quite important - AUB's course is accredited.

Here is their DiscoverUni page - it's pretty good, actually

https://discoveruni.gov.uk/course-details/10000385/BAFLP/Full-time/

MMU

https://discoveruni.gov.uk/course-details/10004180/K0295/FullTime/

The cost listed on this thread for MMU halls is not typical. £200 a week is more common and go as low as £160. If your DC gets a place in the normal UCAS application cycle there's no reason to think that the luxury accommodation will be all that's left.

Sorry, I see it's a clearing offer. I know from DC1's friends that as of Friday there was still availability in non-luxury halls (not sure if the very cheapest were still available though).

Bournemouth is a great place for students but what is going on at AUB is very worrying. The leadership team seem to have zero clues what is going on and what they should do. Unions have done votes of no confidence and collective grievances which are ongoing as AUB seem to be ignoring them. The VC seems to be missing in action so much that staff have created a "Where's Lisa" game akin to Where's Wally. The local MP requested a meeting with the VC and she didnt bother to turn up for it and sent someone way way down the hierarchy to the meeting which was a waste of time for the MP.

As for the course and staff, they seem great, but I would be worried about management and what could happen over the next couple of years. AUB have also refused a merger with Bournemouth University which personally I think could have saved them completely but we will see.

@Piggywaspushed AUB is accredited with both CILECT and Screenskills. Bournemouth focus of TV I think and DS's main interest is in film. He really needs a practical course.

@Jamfirstest
@LuckysDadsHat
The finance/restructuring issue is really quite worrying. That said, there has recently been a similar restructuring where I work. Unfortunately, it is happening everywhere. I've had a google and it seems to be admin staff and technician positions which are going. The leadership issue though is worrying and suggests things are currently out of control. In my workplace, senior leadership is very much respected, present and involved. I'd be worried if teaching jobs have been axed though?

Yes, I mentioned it was accredited I think?

He is free to do what he wants and many students love film courses and progress well but I do need to pick up on 'needs' . He needs to go in with his eyes open that the film industry is full of people (men largely but see also Emerald Fennell) with no training, no qualifications, no accreditation but either with a) connections b) luck and pluck or c) enormous talent.

Sadly it remains 'not what you know but who you know' industry. For that reason, network building is important and he is probably more likely to get that at a institution linked to those networks.

This is less true of 'backroom' jobs such as production , editing, sound editing and costume, art or set design.

I think that this is really relevant. A big reason that DD chose Man Met was that the industry she wants to work in has a decent sized presence in the area. In fact the company she is currently doing her industry year with recruits three students each year specifically from her course and does not look at other universities/ courses for their placement people.
As far as accomodation goes DD used Unite accommodation for her first year and was happy with it. Some Unite blocks are very close to Man Met.
Best wishes with whatever your DC decides OP.

Thank you to everyone for the advice. We're back to ManMet now i think but who knows where he's going to live though 🤷‍♀️🫤

DS also has an offer from Leeds Beckett so might start another thread about them.

MMU do have accreditation with Black Magic design, im not sure how this compares to ScreenSkills. Black Magic seems to be more related to using the equipment.

Bournemouth felt too small and the financial situation is worrying. Plus DS really wants to be up North...its where its all happening apparently!

DS also said that MN has given the most helpful advice and is very grateful - thank you 🙃

I realise this thread is a few months old but glad I can across it as DD is going to UAB open day next Saturday. Finishes at 3! Which we thought was weird. I didn’t know about the redundancies etc. so it’s good to have a heads up on that. Wondered if anyone had looked at Sunderland or knew anything about the film course there. It sounds really good and I understand they are in the process of building a new film studio in the area. She is currently doing an Art foundation at Kingston and they do film there too - anyone have any comments on that course?
My DD is a creative type and wants to make films rather than study film. She loves animation too and would ideally like to do both. Any tips for places to check
out. We are London based but she is happy to move.

Jumping on this thread a bit late but DS looked at BAU for film making. I thought the course looked good but we live in the north west and the journey was huge and Bournemouth accommodation was expensive.

DS ended up at MMU, started two years ago in very reasonably priced halls and made good friends with his flat mates who he's now in a house share with. Part way into his second year, DS switched to Manchester Film School because the MMU second year curriculum didn't suit him (solo projects in experimental film making). DS wants to work on larger productions with opportunities for specialism (in his case camera work and lighting). He's happier at MFS and says the kit is better (v important to him). I get the impression students are largely left to get on with it and the written work is reflection on film making practice. This suits DS because he's highly motivated but it wouldn't work for everyone.

He's happy in Manchester and reckons the city is second in the UK after London for Film and TV opportunities. I think he'll probably stay there when he finishes.