Students sample life as a media pro

Second year BA (Hons) Media, Communication and Cultures students have recently completed a module that gives them the opportunity to learn from the pros.

Working in groups, the practical module allowed students to produce an industry-standard piece of work such as a short documentary, magazine or radio broadcast. As part of this, they got the work alongside media professionals such as BBC editor Tony Parker, Sony Award-winning radio producer Jamie Broadbent and freelance journalist Amy Lund.

Module leader Lynne Hibberd explains: “Students gained an insight into working professionally within the media and cultural industries by working with one of a range of professional practitioners who joined us as visiting lecturers. It was a fantastic opportunity to closely analyse, interpret and exercise critical judgement about media forms and practices, make connections between theory and practice, and undertake practical tasks such as researching, compiling information, problem-solving and presenting projects.”

Student Chloe Robinson was part of the team creating a four minute documentary with Tony Parker: “I thoroughly enjoyed the professional’s workshop, as it was a really good insight into what a career in TV production would be like. It's definitely something I’ll be putting on my CV and career portfolio."  Fellow student Beth Gorman added, “The experience I had with the filming equipment and editing software will be really beneficial for a future career in the media industry.”

You can check out some of the work on You Tube, which feature two documentaries on the city of Leeds: