Why I chose to study Television at Falmouth

This piece was written by Television & Film Production BA(Hons) student Cosmo about their experiences studying at the School of Film & Television.

Hey! I’m Cosmo and I’m a third year Television (now Television & Film Production) student at Falmouth University. My decision to come and do this course was a relatively easy one, once I'd decided what I actually wanted to do. You see, before realising I wanted to commit fully to TV, I had applied to do Psychology at Aberystwyth, then a certain virus went around the world a bit and I took a year out before going to Uni, when I decided I actually didn’t really want to do that and instead wanted to follow my passion.

Falmouth and the Television course had been on my radar well before that unforeseen year out, I’d gone to a university fair with my sixth form and my psychology teacher pushed me to talk to the Falmouth stand, knowing that really this was what I was interested in most (that was probably her psychology teacher knowledge working its magic).

I was immediately excited by what I saw - those silly videos I’d been making were actually art? I took the compliment as humbly as I possibly could.

Following up from this, I came with my Dad to an Open Day, before I’d even decided whether I wanted to do Psychology or Television. I’d definitely recommend that anyone considering Falmouth come to an Open Day, if you’re able to. It was a really great way to get a good idea of what it would be like actually studying at Falmouth, which isn’t something you can get by combing over the prospectus or website. I loved the atmosphere of it all. It wasn’t the little backwards seaside town that I was expecting, it really is unique and has a fair bit going on. The campus also made me feel really reassured, it was so green and had plenty of hangout spots for any friends I might make.

The course sounded amazing, and from experience, I was right. In the School of Film & TV Stores, we have access to industry standard cameras, lighting, sound equipment and all the rest. We have a cinema we use for screenings as part of the course, as well as if there’s anything we want to put on for a society or for friends. The editing suites are decked out with Macs and the Adobe software we need for perfecting what we make. All of our lecturers are current industry practitioners, so they know what they’re talking about and what current standards are.

Initially, I wasn’t sure if Film or Television (now Television & Film Production) would be the course for me. They both had their perks. I settled on Television, because there was a heavier focus on actually making stuff, rather than on theory and analysis. It also featured more opportunities for writing, which is what I was looking for when applying. Being in my third year now, I definitely made the right choice. I’ve achieved so much in and outside of my course, thanks to what I’ve been able to learn and do here. I’ve entered many competitions in which my films have been shortlisted internationally, even travelling to Belfast for a screening of a film I made in second year about gnomes taking over the world (I’m as surprised as you are.)