Film Studies and Media Studies

Rubs90

Ok, so, as an aspiring movie director I was thinking of going into Film Production. I thought it would be the right course for me, and also it's a pretty practical course. But today, I spoke with my career counselor and she told me that Film Production was a very narrow course, and it wouldn't leave me a lot of doors open for other things if I wouldn't succeed. She told me I should do a Film Studies degree combined with something else. I was checking through UCAS, and I think Film Studies and Media Studies looks like a good course. I aim to go take a postgraduate in the US after, and then get moving on to the real movies.

Of course, I'm not sure about anything at this point, and I need some help. Can someone help me with the following questions please?

1. I have spoken to some people, and they say if I really wanted to become a director I needed to take Film Production, not Film Studies. Is it true?

2. What are some good uni's for Film Studies and Media Studies? Looking especially around the London area, not too much to the north, but open to anything really.

3. What exactly is Media Studies? What does the course focus on?

Thanks!

1. Film Production is really the best way forward if you want to become a film director. However, it's not the only way; experience is just as vital and useful if you get enough of it. As your counsellor's said, you've got two choices really:

a) Go for the best possible degree, but accept that it closes, basically, all other doors for you if you do change your mind.

b) Go for a less useful degree, meaning that you'll have to put in a lot more to get where you want to be, and thus face more problems - but know that if you do change your mind, your degree will help you elsewhere.

2. Can't help you with this one really, sorry.

3. Media Studies is basically the same as English Literature, but with regards to Newspapers, Magazines, Films, Television, Advertising etc., in simple terms.

Reply 3

Demoskratos7

8

cpj1987

3. Media Studies is basically the same as English Literature, but with regards to Newspapers, Magazines, Films, Television, Advertising etc., in simple terms.

Surely it's incredibly difficult to effectively analyse a film/television show etc etc without viewing it in its appropriate cultural/social/literary/political context. The study of English literature or History facilitates this best, surely, rather than a degree explicitly in Film Studies, since you're given a grounding in lots of different intellectual traditions rather than just the last hundred or so years of film-making?

I'd wager that most of the successful film-makers around now didn't even study a degree in film making at university. People like Quentin Tarantino and Steven Spielberg didn't even go to university.

Reply 4

Demoskratos7

Surely it's incredibly difficult to effectively analyse a film/television show etc etc without viewing it in its appropriate cultural/social/literary/political context. The study of English literature or History facilitates this best, surely, rather than a degree explicitly in Film Studies, since you're given a grounding in lots of different intellectual traditions rather than just the last hundred or so years of film-making?

I'd wager that most of the successful film-makers around now didn't even study a degree in film making at university. People like Quentin Tarantino and Steven Spielberg didn't even go to university.

With Media Studies you do study in context; it's not all 'compare film with film'.
Of course English Lit and History are also useful for this, but there's no harm in specialising in film rather than books, for example.

As for the final point; completely true, but why is that relevant to what film studies is?

Reply 5

Demoskratos7

8

cpj1987

With Media Studies you do study in context; it's not all 'compare film with film'.
Of course English Lit and History are also useful for this, but there's no harm in specialising in film rather than books, for example.

As for the final point; completely true, but why is that relevant to what film studies is?

Because you said "Film Production is really the best way forward if you want to become a film director."

Reply 6

Roccond!l

Media studies is studying the effects of the mass media on society. Basically it teaches you to look beyond the text or images to question the motives behind whats being presented. It certainly changes the way you consume the media. As a director it could be useful as you get to see what kind of effects other directors use as you do tend watch a lot of films. But the print aspect of it won't be so useful.

Reply 7

Demoskratos7

Because you said "Film Production is really the best way forward if you want to become a film director."

It is in that you then get the full education, all aspects, along with the experience and contacts that you require.
Going into the industry another way you can be just as successful, but it's unlikely that you'll have experience in every single aspect. For film direction, of all potential roles, it's the least important; but it still helps to have a deeper knowledge of all roles, rather than just one.
It's far better to do a practical degree than a theoretical one, as I said; but that doesn't by any means mean that doing a theoretical degree is going to stop you having the opportunity to gain experience elsewhere.

Reply 8

OP

Isn't there any course where I can combine the practical, hands-on side of Film Production, but at the same time have a more theorical side of it to leave some doors open? Like, Film Production with Media Studies or something like that?

Reply 9

Rubs90

Isn't there any course where I can combine the practical, hands-on side of Film Production, but at the same time have a more theorical side of it to leave some doors open? Like, Film Production with Media Studies or something like that?

You could take a combined honours course, yeah. UCLan, for one, has a few different options I think, and I'm sure other places do too.

Reply 10

OP

I did some research, and the course I found that appealed to me the most was "Film Production & Film & Media Production" at the University of Central Lancashire. Seems great, any opinions?

Reply 11

Rubs90

I did some research, and the course I found that appealed to me the most was "Film Production & Film & Media Production" at the University of Central Lancashire. Seems great, any opinions?

Film Production and Film & Media Production? Or Film Studies and Film & Media Production? If it's the first, then that combination is pretty pointless, but if it's the second it'll be much more suited to your needs.

Reply 12

OP

cpj1987

Film Production and Film & Media Production? Or Film Studies and Film & Media Production? If it's the first, then that combination is pretty pointless, but if it's the second it'll be much more suited to your needs.

Film Production & Film & Media

http://search.ucas.co.uk/cgi-bin/hsrun/search/search/StateId/DBQfCGvqExtLmzobbduAijAYV5NfG-VZKR/HAHTpage/search.HsDetails.run?n=940760

Reply 13

Rubs90

Film Production & Film & Media

http://search.ucas.co.uk/cgi-bin/hsrun/search/search/StateId/DBQfCGvqExtLmzobbduAijAYV5NfG-VZKR/HAHTpage/search.HsDetails.run?n=940760

Ah yeah, so that's the Film Production course (of which I do a few modules) and Film and Media theory (I've taken a few elective modules from this course). If you've got any questions specifically, I can try and help with as much as I know.

Reply 14