Curious to find out what a typical day is like for a Film and Media student? Find out why Anna chose to study her course, and what she thinks of the reality of student life...

Hey! I'm Anna, a 1st year Film and Media student. If you're interested in this degree and wonder what my typical day looks like, I hope that this blog will be useful for you! 

8.40 - 9.00

Monday is the busiest day of the week for me. My first lecture starts at 9am and while some students might stop for coffee or a quick breakfast on their way to uni and still arrive on time, I always leave at the last moment and have to jog to my lectures!

9.00 - 10.00

Our first lecture is ‘Starting out in Filmmaking’. On this module we focus on the observational documentary mode, which is about capturing events and dialogues happening in real life without directing and reconstruction. It is very unusual and new to me, which makes it especially interesting. 

10.00 - 13.00

After the first lecture I have a long and nice three-hour break, which helps me to prepare mentally for the further 5 hours of non-stop studying. During this break I most often go to the Green Room to edit some sequences that I shot earlier for the homework. So far we are supposed to have made 3 short sequences of filmed dialogues. 

13.00 - 16.00

Next in line is the workshop for ‘Starting out in Filmmaking’, which is there so we can put theory from the lectures into practice. Normally we watch some short documentaries that we have to critically analyse in writing afterwards. Everything that we write is published in a blog.This is a great practice for the assessed reflective log at the end of the semester. After the writing practice all of the students split into small groups to do some practical activities with the camera. 

16.00 

After the workshop I go to the lecture for ‘Social and Cultural Studies’. This module is optional and I chose it due to my interest in social behaviour and cultural processes in the world. I think that this knowledge is crucial for both filmmakers and media workers, whether it is journalism or marketing. We have different lecturers almost every week, which means that every topic is presented by an expert in this particular field. This is my favourite module so far and a great way to end the academic day.

18.30

I'm a member of the Film Society, which hosts screenings of great films every Monday. If the film is of my interest and I don't feel too exhausted, I go to the screening to make the most of my day. The only thing that you long for after such an intense day is to make some tea, get in bed and watch Netflix before going to sleep - a universal ending of every day in the life of most of the students regardless of their degree!

Interested in finding out more about studying Film and Media at Newcastle University? Discover the practicalities of our degrees, career prospects, and opportunities to study abroad in our Film and Media subject page.