Why I chose to study Film at Falmouth University
08 May 2024
This article was written by Film BA(Hons) student Mia.
As a first year Film student, I couldn't think of a better place than Falmouth to study for 3 years. I knew from my first Open Day that Falmouth was the place for me.
The lecturers are engaging & enthusiastic, the course has the perfect balance of theory & practical (both working hand in hand with each other) and of course, the beautiful campus & town, meaning if I want to shoot a short on my own, I don’t have to go far to find a fitting set.
The facilities in SoFT (the School of Film and Television) are the best that I have seen from any Open Days around the country. We have multiple high tech camera studios, many post-production studios and a corridor of specialised editing suites for all Film, Television, and Post Production students. These studios are where we have our inductions, so that your first experiences with all areas of film are on industry-standard programmes and equipment. These can be used for passion projects too, not limited to module assignments and coursework. All of our lectures also take place in the 'red velvet-chaired’ cinema, which makes our lectures comfier than a lecture hall and places your mind into what I call ‘cinema mode’, putting me in the headset to really take in all that we are taught.
Something that may be given some thought when considering applying to Falmouth are the collaboration opportunities and industry practice, seeing as we are at the bottom of the country. This is not a hindrance at all. All of our lecturers are highly connected, as well as still making films whilst teaching, therefore we receive multiple emails a day, which are sent to the whole of SoFT, giving me opportunities to get involved in many different projects. Over my first year, I have had the opportunity to work on professional films, graduate films and our lecturers’ films which, as a student, is perfect, as I can network for my ‘future in film’.
Falmouth, being a creative university, means that within accommodation, we all live amongst like-minded students who just want to get out and create. I live with game designers, graphic designers, film students, and costume designers, which means that it is so easy to collaborate and meet people from many versatile courses.
My experience on the Film course throughout the first year has been nothing other than perfect. I find that in order to excel practically, theory is essential. Learning about prolific figures and history of cinema techniques has opened my mind to other forms of filmmaking and methods of writing. Knowing where filmmaking originated from also creates a deeper meaning to my films.
As mentioned at the start, I came to an in-person Open Day. I took a tour of the studios and SoFT facilities, attended welcome lectures in the cinema and talked to current students, giving myself a day of a proper uni experience, feeling welcomed and enthusiastic from day 1.
When I came to university, I had absolutely zero film experience. I studied Art, English, and Drama at A-Level, knowing that a lot of my peers had studied film, but this had no impact on me at all. Everyone starts at the basics and the beginning, meaning that you don’t feel like you’re behind or know less than others, because you are not expected to draw on anything that you have done before university, which is another reason why I have felt so welcomed and appreciated throughout my first year here.
Looking at my mindset, in hindsight, I wanted a course which was mostly practical, because that is what you think of when wanting to study film - there is a lot of theory at Falmouth, but I wouldn't change a thing about my decision to study here and I would rather the split than just practical, because it has made me a better and more well rounded filmmaker.
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