For many the chance to work at a film or television studio is a dream job, but with more universities offering courses in Film and Television studies working in the media industry is a real possibility for today’s graduate.

Media programmes in the UK

There are a number of schools that offer course work in Film and Television and even some schools entirely dedicated to film and television. When deciding what school to attend you’ll need to decide where you want to study in the UK, how much you can afford, and what sort of course you’re looking for. Some programmes specialize in post-graduate work, others in short courses, and diploma programmes. The National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire is a school totally dedicated to teaching every aspect of film development and production. Graduates from the school have had their work win Oscars. Another great program is the University of Warwick Department of Film and Television. In 2010 the programme was named the top film and television department in the UK by the Guardian’s Good University Guide for the second year in a row. Many universities offer classes in Film and Television studies, but dedicated programmes and departments are going to have the best professors, which could make all the difference at getting your foot into the door for an industry job.

The differences between film and television

While Film and Television productions share many of the same jobs they perform slightly different functions. A film director has a great deal of control over the final product, whereas a show runner has more control over a television show episode than its director might. Knowing that things don’t necessarily function the same way on both sides of the industry means you’ll need to learn flexible skills. Media programmes teach students the basic skills and specialised skills that will allow them to work on either film or television projects, but some programmes might lean more towards one side or the other and it is a good idea to research whether a schools programme places emphasis on film or television. A good way to tell that is by examine the faculty and their backgrounds. The faculty (and how accessible they are) is probably the most important aspect of a department. If you’re interested in working in TV then it makes more sense to go to a lower rated program full of television professors than to go to a top rated program taught entirely by film veterans.