#TVFUTURES

Callum O Leary

Author: Callum O Leary

Published 1st July 2015

by Callum O\'Leary
Issue 102 - June 2015
I made it! So here we are, the last feature to write for Kit Plus and the end of my time as a BSc (Hons) Television and Broadcasting student at the University of Portsmouth. I remember my first year at the University fondly. Lecturers and students told me that it would fly by and however cliched it sounds...it has. The entire experience has yielded so much. These last few months have been incredibly challenging, but I am delighted to have made it through. Since the beginning of the academic year I\'ve found myself developing not only as a person, but also as a broadcast professional. I\'ve thrown myself into various production roles for our shows that are broadcast live at noon on a Friday via our curriculum centered CCI TV Channel. I\'ve often stepped in as a camera or sound operator, floor managing or performed NewTek Tricaster vision mixing duties. Part of working in television means you should be ready to turn your hand to anything. As well as having ideas, I\'ve learned that you need to be positive and open to learning new skills. Based on all this, I now feel that I have confidence to to pursue an exciting career in television.

Over the last three years, I\'ve been given a fantastic insight into television; I\'ve gained so much more than just the ability to create and produce television programmes. I now have solid knowledge in many different areas- from encoding videos for different media, raster sizes, video compression and an insight into impressive upcoming technologies like 4K. The sheer speed that the industry is changing gives an incredible buzz, particularly if you\'re looking to head into live broadcasting.
Since starting University way back in 2012, I\'ve been fortunate enough to have a host of opportunities thrown my way- both in and outside of University. Most recently for example, I was given an opportunity to work with ITV Meridian covering the general election. It was an eye-opening experience with regard to the long, sometimes very unsociable hours that the \'glamorous\' television industry holds. But then it\'s moments like that which make me realize how fortunate I was to have been given such an opportunity. I often get told "if you have a job you love, you\'ll never work a day in your life". Working in television is that job, and the University of Portsmouth has given me the tools I need to take this dream forward.

by Simon Bull
With May coming to a close, so has my University BSc (Hons) degree in Television & Broadcasting. It has been a tough but rewarding journey and I am gutted that it is coming to the end.
When I first joined the University of Portsmouth in 2012, I had a very minor knowledge of the workings of broadcast television and had no real idea on what production role I wanted to pursue. The course allowed me to experiment in literally every television production role, and over the three years has revealed my passion for both camera operating and producing.
The course has given me a detailed practical insight into the television industry, providing me with the opportunities to work for real clients and produce live television programmes weekly. I am incredibly proud of the work I have produced, in particular a final year documentary I produced with two course mates titled \'The Team\' that follows a professional paintball team on their journey readying for the season. I\'d like to consider staff members Charlie Watts and Katie Still as friends rather than lecturers, as they have been incredibly supportive throughout my university life, and their professional experience has taught me greatly. I am sad to see this stage of my life end but I am excited to see what the future holds.
With the support of my degree under me, I have found work as a freelance logger and production assistant at IMG for the European Tour Productions golf team. It\'s a fun and exciting role that so far has allowed me to travel around Europe. I hope to continue working within televised sport with the ultimate career goal to work within Formula One coverage.

by Raechelle Jackson
Alas, this is my final feature for Kit Plus magazine which brings with it a final farewell not only to third year but to my time studying BSc (Hons) Television and Broadcasting at the University of Portsmouth. I was told many times that this final year would fly by but it\'s only looking at where I am now in comparison to September that I\'ve fully understood the extent to which this is true. Being described as a \'step up\' from previous years this third year has seen me take on several new roles; director, producer, NewTek Tricaster operator - alongside roles that I am fully familiar with; vision mixer and scriptwriter being two I hope to pursue in the not so distant future. Not only have I involved myself in and been a part of a live broadcast every Friday, learnt about the elements of science and technology behind TV transmission and created my own documentary, but I completed a dissertation that has made an impact.
In the Autumn term I embarked on a mission to attempt to remove the stigma of mental health around University by proposing a television programme that talks about the subject honestly and in detail. At the end of March this vision became a reality and I produced and directed the broadcast on the CCI TV Channel where myself and a crew of television and broadcasting students highlighted mental health issues with personal stories, interviews and events. My hope before going to University was to be able to use my broadcasting skill to make an impact and a difference to communities and the wider world, and to have achieved this personal goal is something I am very proud of!
These three years have seen me learn about broadcasting from many different perspectives. The course does not merely focus on the creative and organisational area of broadcasting, but on the technology too.
On my journey I have been given opportunities that have fuelled my thirst for the industry; a brief cameo as director for our 24 hour broadcast, camera operator for the Big World Impact Charity and most recently reporting and filming an election count for the 2015 General Elections for ITV Meridian News. Whatever path I take in the future I feel I have the fundamental knowledge, attitude and confidence I need to succeed. This is thanks to the lecturers and the course criteria of the Creative Skillset Accredited BSc Television and Broadcasting at the University of Portsmouth.

by Dylan Ellcome
It seems like years since I sat down to write my introductory piece. Back in September all I could foresee was countless deadlines and live shows to produce. Now I find myself looking back at it all, not just this year, but the past three. Where has the time gone? It\'s still not sunk in that the end is in sight. It\'s not just my professional skills that has improved over this time, but myself as a person. Much of this I believe can be attributed to the way in which the staff of the university of Portsmouth have run my course, giving students hands on experience working with live TV via our curriculum centred CCI TV Channel. However, I believe it\'s this factor of producing work for the TV channel that helps turn us from students to young professionals ready to graduate and take our first steps in the wide world of Television, video and Broadcasting. Over the first two years, the final year seemed like such a worrying prospect, but once I got there I found myself ready for the challenge, just as the course team promised. The prior years had all been building towards this huge moment of realisation, learning how to use video and tv studio equipment, but more importantly comprehending how the world of broadcast and content generation is changing. . Although I still have a lot to learn, I feel ready for the challenge, and I feel really grateful to all that have helped, supported or taught me.
Television is a collaborative medium, and my team members may not have always agreed, but this was only because we were all committed to making the best programmes that we could muster . For me the next step is the possibility of continuing my study of television with a masters degree over the next year. During this time I intend to continue my personal development as a scriptwriter and to pursue any and every opportunity I can to gain that vital work experience, allowing me to apply the skills the University Of Portsmouth has provided me.

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