where to live in BU? - television production 2015 entry

Hi folks,
i've got an offer for television production in BU. Yet to get my results to fulfill the conditions. So i was just thinking, everyone's about "Dorchester" house. but dont u think its too far off from the uni. Yet i would like to know hw the accommodation is and what is wise to select. Anybody else already applied for tv production BA?... :biggrin:

cheers

Reply 1

Ellie~

4

I also have an offer for Television Production :biggrin:

But I'm not sure which accommodation I would go for either :s-smilie:

Reply 2

haroonteddy

OP

Oh great! So u considering the offer or goin elswhere ellie

Reply 3

GemmaJewell2

5

Original post by haroonteddy

Hi folks,
i've got an offer for television production in BU. Yet to get my results to fulfill the conditions. So i was just thinking, everyone's about "Dorchester" house. but dont u think its too far off from the uni. Yet i would like to know hw the accommodation is and what is wise to select. Anybody else already applied for tv production BA?... :biggrin:

cheers

Hi Haroonteddy,

Congratulations on your offer at BU!

I am a first year student studying Television Production at BU and I love it :biggrin:

I also stay at Dorchester House at the moment and i've never had an issue with the distance. It's only a few minute walk to the other accommodations such as Purbeck, Lyme Regis, Cranborne.. All of which have bus stops outside them that take you to and from the Uni. The U1 comes around every 10 mins in the morning and Dorchester is the first stop so pretty much guaranteed a seat! Also the accommodation comes with a bus pass and since the majority of students are based in town your be getting the bus with your friends anyways. It takes around 15/20 mins depending on traffic and it drops you straight outside the uni.

However if you really dislike the idea of travelling there is the student village which is based on sight :smile:

If you have any questions about the course or any of the accommodations please let me know and ill be happy to answer :smile:

Gemma

Reply 4

haroonteddy

OP

Original post by GemmaJewell2

Hi Haroonteddy,

Congratulations on your offer at BU!

I am a first year student studying Television Production at BU and I love it :biggrin:

I also stay at Dorchester House at the moment and i've never had an issue with the distance. It's only a few minute walk to the other accommodations such as Purbeck, Lyme Regis, Cranborne.. All of which have bus stops outside them that take you to and from the Uni. The U1 comes around every 10 mins in the morning and Dorchester is the first stop so pretty much guaranteed a seat! Also the accommodation comes with a bus pass and since the majority of students are based in town your be getting the bus with your friends anyways. It takes around 15/20 mins depending on traffic and it drops you straight outside the uni.

However if you really dislike the idea of travelling there is the student village which is based on sight :smile:

If you have any questions about the course or any of the accommodations please let me know and ill be happy to answer :smile:

Gemma

thats sounds great gemmajewell2.... thank you so much for ur reply... so how is the course. like is the studio, staff and other equipments n stuff all up to date and is the overall course satisfaction good?.. your in ur first year but still how dyo feel..

Reply 5

KBradders

12

Hi

I am also a first year Television Production student at BU. I came from a sixth form college studying BTEC Media, BTEC IT, and AS Extended Project and also had previous work experience in the TV industry prior to starting the course at BU.

Considering that I come from a town with no job prospects, going to university was inevitable unless I wanted to be stuck in Doncaster for the rest of my life. In the TV industry a degree is not a ticket to a job however, it is all about your experience and personality. I have been incredibly lucky to have been able to break into the industry despite not knowing anyone at first, my first break came through a runner group on Facebook. BU hosts some fantastic guest talks and networking events that allows me to gain more contacts that could open up a ton of opportunities. Previous networking events I attended with Channel 4 prior to university have helped me gain confidence over time. We have also had trips to Deal or No Deal (where I was also Pilgrim of the Day for an episode) and various industry events.

In terms of the course itself. The Macs in the editing suite are the latest iMac that are fully upgraded to the highest specification possible and are not stock models. We are taught AVID v.7 on the course, version 8 is not much of a difference. Final Cut Pro is not taught on the course, which I find disappointing as a lot of jobs advertised in the industry do require you to know this program despite it falling out of favour for AVID. The cameras used for location shoots in first year are Panasonic 160. We do not have cameras like RED, Phantom, Black Magic, Canon etc. It is important to know that the TV course at BU is more aimed at the creative side over the technical.

The studio is where I have probably learnt the most since I have been at BU. The staff are fantastic in the studio. There are plenty of opportunities to gain experience in the studio from doing chat to fashion to music shows. The studio is rather tiny compared to other universities, but the standard of the equipment it has is probably the closest you'll get to a real working studio. A downside to the studio is that you do not learn lighting on the course.

The course is rather intense, even in the first year. You will have production after production and they will overlap each other so organisation amongst the group is key. Location and studio are mixed in with each other for the first year. So one week you'll be in the studio and the next you will be on location. The downside of this is that I personally feel like a film factory and I don't get the opportunity to push myself like I did in college. For example in college I could focus on special effects and teach myself After Effects in the process, here I don't get the opportunity to do that. On the other hand you will have the opportunity to try many different production roles.

In general about the university, I've had quite a poor experience and actually feel let down. I am classed as a disabled student. I had an operation in October where the university "forgot" to implement a note-taker that was previously agreed prior to surgery. I only found out that no notes had been taken once I arrived back at university. Also during the exams during January, despite me chasing them up on it beforehand, extra time failed to be implemented on 3 out of 4 exams because of a communication error. The study abroad programme has been a disaster for the TV Production course, with no information whatsoever about the universities available, lack of financial help and academic choices have been put together at the last push. Besides that, BU were 1 month behind on the actual closing date for applications for study exchange at the partner universities. Good luck getting your chosen options.

Accommodation wise, I chose to go private and I don't regret it. I get continental breakfast and a 2 course dinner everyday included with my rent. At least I know I won't starve! I was completely put off from applying to BU accommodation after seeing the state of Purbeck on open day. It is also worth noting that it is unlikely you would get Dorchester as your accommodation as it is the most applied to.

Sorry for a long winded report!

Reply 6

GemmaJewell2

5

Original post by haroonteddy

thats sounds great gemmajewell2.... thank you so much for ur reply... so how is the course. like is the studio, staff and other equipments n stuff all up to date and is the overall course satisfaction good?.. your in ur first year but still how dyo feel..

I love the course, can't imagine doing any other degree now! It's a busy and face paced but that's half the fun. Your make productions most weeks from documentaries, dramas to live studio shows. Your also get to try lots of different roles and they teach you everything you need to know. I came to uni with little camera experience but they have camera and editing workshops so everyone gets up to speed.

What I love is that fact that we change groups every semester and where we make productions, team work is key so you get to meet loads of people and make great friends while you study.

All the equipment is up to a high standard and the computers have the latest editing packages. Staff are also well experienced and all come from a television background... They know what they are talking about!

Its lots of fun, so I'm sure your going to love it :smile:

Gemma

Reply 7

haroonteddy

OP