It’s that time of the week again! The time where we put a spotlight on one of our incredible alumni and the amazing things they’re achieving post-graduation.
Today is all about Andrew!
Andrew is one of our fantastic Film alumni. Having studied BA (Hons) Film and Media Arts Production, as well as our BA (Hons) Lens-Based Media Top-Up, Andrew has a wealth of academic, practical and professional knowledge backing his successful career portfolio.
Our Media degree programmes offer students the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge in the areas of pre/post-production, cinematography, sound design and digital editing. Throughout studies, the courses also encourage students to immerse themselves in creative exploration, working on self-negotiated initiatives as well as collaborative projects to expand essential, industry-relevant skills.
We caught up with Andrew, who now has a hugely successful career as an Automotive Content Manager at Fully Charged Show, to find out all about his time at UCW, postgraduate life and how he broke into industry.
This is what Andrew had to say.
Andrew Q&A
I am now the Lead Automotive Videographer for a successful production company and YouTube channel. I travel the world filming new electric car launches at press events and also cover all new renewable and sustainable technologies.
I got this job halfway through my final year at UCW so I went straight into it after I graduated. During my other years at UCW I worked freelance outside of the course filming weddings and commercial content for local companies.
My favourite thing about my job is that I get to see all of these new up and coming technologies when they are in the early stages of their development and follow the story of their success into the mainstream. The fact I get to also see all corners of the world with my job is another amazing perk.
I felt that the short films we got to work on as a team on the course now feed down into what I do day to day. Mainly how to work as a team and be as efficient as possible when filming. I also got the chance to rent kit from the Uni and get to grips with how to work in a professional setting with them.
My favourite memory of UCW was the student residential trips we were able to go on, I made sure I did every single one I could, so I could work with as many people as possible on as many sets as I could. This would then lead to our showcase events where we could show our work to family, friends and the public.
I would highly recommend this course, it gives you the freedom to explore what you want to do within the industry while also teaching you things you may not have known you would enjoy. I would say to anyone looking to do this course that they should not think of it as a standard Uni course. The flexibility it gives you to work on your projects in and out of Uni is just priceless and the fact you can rent high-end, professional kit straight from the campus just elevates this.
I also felt like I got the support I needed as an individual on the course. I strived to do a lot of external work outside of the requirements of university and I was supported the entire time with this.
Follow the passion. If you like a specific area of the film industry or there’s a particular genre that you want to go into, just put your all into it. Film is very much a job that you get out what you put in. Going into the course I had no idea what I wanted to do within film, I just loved the process of the whole thing. Once I got my hands on a camera, I just knew that was where I had the passion and I then continued to put everything into it. Networking is also one of the most important ways to get a job in film, it is very much who you know in this industry and the more people you know the more opportunities will come your way.
I would also say make sure you sit in on the guest lectures. I got the job I have now from a guest lecturer who came in and did a presentation on the exact job I have now. I stayed around after to chat to them and asked for the opportunity to shadow him on a few jobs and then worked my way up to where I am now.
We’re so proud to see how Andrew has gone since graduating from UCW, and we can’t wait to see what he does next!
Thank you for chatting with us, Andrew!
To find out more about the BA (Hons) Film and Media Production Arts, click here.
To find out more about our BA (Hons) Lens-Based Media Top-Up, click here.
