Liam
Aston

Why NTU…

What inspired you to study your subject?

Ever since I was young the creative industry has always been something I am immensely passionate about, the idea of creating something that can have an impact in any sort of way no matter how small it is upon people from anywhere no matter the distance and no matter the barriers in the way is something I will never stop chasing and when I saw the Media Production course I knew it would help me achieve my goal.

Why did you choose your course and NTU?

Media Production at NTU offers an incredible balance of both theory and practical work, something that not a lot of other courses offer, additionally the chance to learn from amazing professors and use state of the art equipment also helped me influence my decision.

What’s your experience been like of your course so far? Can you pick out any highlights?

This course has been full of highlights but one of the most memorable has been a guest lecture with BBC writer Adrian Reynolds who offered me incredible advice and is someone I still talk to this day.

Have you been involved in any projects or extra-curricular activities that have supplemented your studies run through NTU?

The Drama Society has been the biggest extracurricular help for my course for several reasons: in my first year I was chosen as a main part in the school musical which allowed me to see how a production functions outside of a controlled environment like a university classroom and what I learned allowed me to be a better director; additionally Drama 101 helped me with planning and organisation as I felt more confident and more in control if something went wrong during production and finding more creative ways around an issue.

What does Social Sciences mean to you? e.g. working with people, transforming lives, frontline services

To me social sciences is the basis of understanding, seeing how society works and what we can do to make it a better place, this is why I am so engrossed in media as it is both a mirror to society and a guiding hand to what society can be like.

On Placement…

Have you completed any work placements on your course? If so, tell us about your experience – where did you go, what did you do, what skills have you gained and what have you enjoyed the most?

Being freelance I have completed many work experience jobs such as: music videos; adverts for independent companies; photography for theatres and many more, these taught me vital skills in my field of work with the most important one being how to talk to clients and keep connections.

Do you have any memorable moments from your placement?

Being freelance I have completed many work experience jobs but the most stand out one was BBC Introduce where I filmed a music video for the bad Drone Queen, it was my first professional job and is still a client I keep t this day.

Support...

What do you think of the support available from tutors and staff at NTU?

The support is fantastic, given unforeseen circumstances I was away from university for most of a term to which the staff were incredibly supportive and did everything they could to help me out during that time.

Outside of the Lecture Theatre…

Did you find it easy to make friends and settle in at NTU?

When I first came to university, I was an incredibly introverted person but I still found it incredibly easy to make friends, the important thing to remember is that at university there will always e someone with similar interest as yours but you will never know until you make that connection because those connections may last a lifetime.

The Next Steps…

What’s next for you after NTU?

After NTU I don’t have a set goal, while I know it is in the media landscape I haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly what I want to do until I am certain but as long as I get to create in any way, I am happy with whatever path I go down.

How is NTU helping you to achieve your career goals?

NTU is allowing me to make connections I would not have otherwise and giving me the equipment to get do jobs that couldn’t do without, more importantly it is also teaching me how both in the classroom and with hand on experience.

Advice...

What top tips would you give anyone thinking about studying your course at NTU?

This is a creative course, so my biggest piece of advice is to be creative! Push the boundaries to create something purposeful and unique to you as long as you remember the core fundamentals of both filmmaking and your own you will be able to achieve amazing things in this course and out of it.