Did someone leave the fast forward on?? Where has this first year gone?
It genuinely seems like yesterday that I was sitting in an office being told I'd got a place at Glyndwr and being unable to breathe for a good minute. They said in the interview that the gap between the interview in February and starting in September would go by in a flash, and they were right!
Since then, the first year has gone by faster than the speed of light. It has been a huge shift for me, after being used to working full time. But I've surprised myself at how easy I've been able to put my mind to work, something I wasn't great at in college or high school.
So what have I learnt in my first year? Well, I've learnt that university isn't like school at all, learning is mostly a self discipline, and if you need the knowledge, you have to go out and find it, or someone who knows it. I have been introduced to film makers, photographers, artists and other creative people both in the industry and at Glyndwr. I've been given the chance to use equipment that has opened up a huge range of creative options to me and to top it all off, I've met a bunch of people who have supported and encouraged me, staff and fellow students alike. For this I am so greatful, and feel so lucky to be given this chance.
As with most things in life, things haven't been a complete breeze, sometimes it's hard to find enthusiasm to keep going when you hit a wall. Some of the projects have been hard work, like the short film and its six weeks of editing. Sometimes the briefs we've been given are a little confusing in what exactly is expected. I feel like communication could be a little better in some instances, as well as offering more practical lectures. I am aware short courses in Photoshop and Final Cut are on offer and shall endeavour to attend the Final Cut course in order to better my ability to use it.
For a term we were given critical studies lectures, these were mostly interesting to attend but I felt them to be very much geared towards fine art. It seemed a little odd to want to put the whole art school together and each week the numbers dwindled a little more. I did enjoy going to Liverpool to the galleries though, and surprised myself with my writing ability. Having not written an essay in several years it was very comforting to know I could still do it well.
We've been offered the chance to attend several trips over the course of the first year. There has been a good selection, and I feel none of them were overpriced. I enjoyed visiting Liverpool, and Paris was a photographer's dream. I took away memories from the streets of Paris that I'll never forget, and got by quite well even with my rusty French! We also visited Stoke your Fires, sadly I felt this was geared towards animation more than anything and although it was entertaining it wasn't really for the film makers and photographers.
The projects we've been given have been both varied, fun and in some cases very hard work. I enjoyed all of the film projects apart from the vox pops which I felt wasn't for me, perhaps if we had chosen a different topic it might have been more interesting. The photography projects have been fascinating as most of them (apart from the portrait ones at the beginning) have pushed me out of my comfort zone where photography is concerned and I've really enjoyed pushing myself. I had never really experienced film making before starting the course and I have really taken to it, enjoying each aspect individually, including post production once I started to get the hang of it.
I've enjoyed getting into the studio again, and being able to photograph people in that setting has been immensely fun and rewarding. I've learnt a lot from my fellow students too, about the inner workings of my camera, and how to use a Mac properly (although I can't see myself running out to buy one any time soon!).
Between meeting new friends, learning new skills and experiencing new and exciting things almost everyday university has been an amazing experience so far. I look forward to the second year, although I really hope it doesn't go as fast as the first!
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