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Things I Hate: University - Brought to you by James Wormald -
I’ve not always hated University, much the fool me. I first came to the grand institution, then realised I was actually 5 minutes down the road, in an office building. An office building which resides somewhere in an alternate dimension. A dimension where the very people who are supposed to be your intellectual superior play the role of guidance counsellor, that is what university is supposed to do after all. It prepares you for whichever industry you choose to work in. And is specialised for industries that are hard to break into (Like the film industry). The guidance given to first year film students at The Film School branch of the Met, is to get as much made as possible. If it turns out looking good, then great you can put it on your showreel, and use it to get work. If not, then it’s all practice which is needed to be able to finally make something that turns out looking good. The point is, the more stuff you make, however crudely, the better you will become, and the better a showreel you will have. And in this business it is ALL about the showreel.
The course at the film school is meant (As I heard it) to give students the aid and resources to be able to learn the skills to perform these industry roles. And then to give them a good enough showreel to go out into the world and get work. I admit the course has to be regulated with assessment, and grades and things like that. But why is it so important?
All of the tutors working full time at the University I have spoken to, all claim that they believe the most important thing is to get things made, and practice until you get good. So then why, when we try to make something off our own backs, do they not only flat out refuse to give us any help or resources to make this a possibility, but not even agree to meet and tell us this is the case!?
And why, in lectures and end of year assessments are we as students, slated for trying to develop our own way of doing things, which we are comfortable with? And instead pressured to do everything the way they personally believe is better, by blackmailing us with bad, or good marks?
I’m obviously not going to mention any names (Although I could, but we don’t want another GIRL’S NAME incident on our hands) however I’ve personally heard of many alleged instances during previous courses at the film school where tutors gave students bad marks over nothing but an unresolved grudge! It’s gotten to the stage now, where some tutors are making students down, the better they are, simply because of the tutors oversized egos, and out of control jealousy.
The problem in my mind, is that the course is supposed to be run be professionals, people who have worked in the industry, and therefore have first hand knowledge of the way things work. And are able to pass on this knowledge and these skills to the next generation. Only it doesn’t work like this, the ex-pros don’t accept the fact that they are EX. They see the new generation as taking their jobs. This means as students, we are unable to work as equals with the people teaching us. WE are always the ones who have done it wrong. It’s always OUR way which is the wrong way. Why is there even A wrong way? Why can’t there just be TWO ways? It’s always OUR fault when one of THEIR cameras doesn’t work, or that we don’t know how a new version of a program works, which they’ve never shown us before.
Ok. Time to stop ranting, and start thinking. I have recognised the problem. Now I have to solve it. I believe ¾ of the solving the problem is in recognising it first. So hurrah for me! However boo for everyone else. Unfortunately there is nothing I can do to stop this happening again (To more and more students every year). Apart from writing this article, where whomever reads her, shall understand the complications of the political hierarchy system and deal with it however they see best.
In essence there isn’t THAT much wrong with the system, if you take yourself away from the promises the course makes. Promises of learning skills and leaving with good links into the industry. In the immortal words of ‘Terminator’ ‘The only future, is the future we make for ourselves’, you do have to get stuff done, and get a showreel together in order for production companies to take notice. And this University course IS a good way to gain the skills needed, and to meet other people with the skills needed to work with you. But that’s about it. The jealous, egotistical dictators teaching the course may mark you down for saying what you think, or working in a different way than they do. But in the end, mark you down is the ONLY thing they can do to you.
As a student on a film course at the Met, all you have to be concerned with, is impressing the people who you like and enjoy working with, and convincing them that you can do your job better than anyone else. Whichever method you use. And get stuff made, yes, but please don’t rely on the University for any help. That is as big as waste of time as trying to eat a bowl of sugar whilst standing on your head.
Obviously I’m not saying don’t do any of the work. Even if you think you’re not going to learn anything about what you want to do from writing a 5,000 word essay. You will. Do all the work, you will learn from it, but don’t be intimidated by their threats of bad marks. Because whether you get a first, a 2-1, a 2-2, a third, or a fail. You still learn all the skills you need to impress people. As long as you have a good enough showreel, Production Companies don’t give a shit what Degree you have, or whether you have one at all. And if you don’t have a Showreel, they won’t even look at your degree, even if it is a first.
And This year, I intend to prove it.