This year I got involved in two societies - one university society and one of Coventry's societies. In addition to that, I went to some amazing performances, ranging from visual arts through dance, music and magic to film festivals. All of the projects I was involved in and all of the things I got to do pointed me into the right direction of my main interest - film journalism. Although I had been interested in film ever since I can remember, I always wanted to do everything and it was difficult to pick just one thing. But getting to do a lot of different things and to see other people doing them has the capacity of showing a person how much they can actually do and I realised that a lot of my desires don't match my abilities. But, on the other hand, I was able to outline the things I am good at and thus allowing myself to finally choose the thing I want to be involved in.
Coventry Live Poets
Being a part of Coventry Live Poets Society has proven very beneficial for all aspects of my life in England. The society consists mostly of Coventry locals, most of them quite older than myself, and ever since the beginning they have been 'teaching' me about English language and culture, history and mentality, as well as some specifics about Coventry and the surrounding area. Being around more mature people is always a good thing, since I was a witness to some amazing discussions that none of my friends could ever carry and even though I was nowhere near competent enough to participate, I learnt a lot (and I keep learning a lot) from those people. When it comes to poetry itself, it is a very useful experience, as English poetry and the laws of English literature as a whole completely differ from everything I have been taught in Bulgaria. Since some of the members have degrees in English or English literature, it is always an invaluable experience to ask them questions about poetry or literature as a whole and even though it is a poetry society, I have to say it has contributed towards my essay writing skills, since it is all based on language and the understanding of the specifics of language in order to express an idea correctly.
Overall, even if I take poetry out of the equation, it really has been educational being a part of that society and learning a lot about English culture and overcoming some barriers that seemed impossible to breach when I moved to England. In addition to all of that, we have discussed some pressing issues from the media, which was also useful - to hear elderly people's opinions on pressing matters, and even better is the fact that I already relied on members of the society to help me with my course - I interviewed the chairman of the society Jo Roberts for my 130 coursework articles, I took a statement from American member Merle Gering for my radio news package and I used Jo Roberts and John Marshall to give interviews to my friend Nadia for her radio news package. These are people I can really rely on, whether personally or professionally (for instance, Jo Roberts works for the BBC, which is an extremely good resource to have around), and they have certainly played a big part in my 'integration' into the 'English world'.
Coventry University East Asian Film Society
I joined CUEAFS in order to contribute with submissions of articles to their newsletter and had no intention of becoming more involved in the society. Not because I had no desire, but ever since the start of the year, I really didn't have a clear idea of what the society was involved in or a strong interest for Asian film specifically, so I hadn't really considered being a part of it. However, even before I joined the society, I had become a regular visitor to all screenings and felt like I wanted to be a part of this big thing, which had speakers come to visit and interviewed them, while the rest of us were sitting inside the room and watching a film.
It has been a wonderful journey with them and I am so glad I joined this society, as it has helped me personally and professionally. On the one hand, I met a lot of wonderful people within it, with whom we can discuss different things - not specifically just Asian cinema, but also other interesting topics, and I appreciate thus the society on a personal level. On the other hand, it has been an amazing professional experience, which was totally unexpected, and in addition to that, it has pointed me into the right direction of following film journalism because it interests me and because I think it will be the thing I am best at. Thus, I value it also on a professional level.
Going back to those first articles and first reviews, I must admit that my writing work has seriously improved since then and this is only due to practice and contribution to the society's newsletter or submitting material for either the CUEAFS's blog or other online platforms that are our partners. I consider this a personal growth in the maturity and professionalism of my writing, but my involvement in the society would also look good on paper, which, although it might be the last thing I ever consider before getting involved in our activities, is an amazing thing to receive in return for our hard work.
Udine Far East Film Festival
The UFEFF was a film festival we were a part of in May with the East Asian Film Society. It added a lot to my idea of festivals, journalism, deadlines and everything related to the work of a real journalist, whether a news reporter or involved in any other area within the realm of journalism. Understandably, I was struggling sometimes, as English is not my first language and writing about film sometimes proves immensely difficult, as the language of film needs to be various and creative and sometimes words elude me, and the pressures of sleep and food deprivation and deadlines were totally unexpected, but I would gladly go back and do it all over again.
Since I have discovered my incredible interest in film journalism, covering a film festival with other media students was absolutely nerve-wrecking and, at the same time, marvellous. We had to act like absolute professionals and operate within the limits and requirements of professional work, which is an invaluable experience that no-one would ever offer people in first year of their studies and it was an amazing opportunity to get our priorities straight. It is one thing to have an education on paper and to have ideas and goals because of impressions from films or other people's words and it is a totally different ballgame to be present at a real film festival, interviewing actors and directors and having deadlines that you cannot miss - this is the pressure of being actually in the industry.
The writing itself was a big pressure, as it had to be squeezed in between screenings and still submitted on time. It is quite different from having a few months to prepare a written coursework, because I was there at the spot and had only a few hours to write a review and an article because that was expected out of me as a professional.
Besides writing, there was the pressure of being filmed all the time, as part of the society's members were making a documentary about our experience and were following us around with cameras, which is a huge pressure in itself, even if one is comfortable with being filmed. Another nerve-wrecking moment was an interview I was present at with a Korean film director, where I didn't even have to ask questions, just record audio and write down notes, but my presence in a room full of real journalists, photographers, interpreters and people from the film industry was giving me a feeling of both immense nervousness and immense excitement. It was one of those moments when I knew this was exactly what I wanted to do in life and this is why the Udine FEFF was absolutely invaluable to me.
Student Helper
Being a student helper is something else I got involved in and it might not seem relevant to my discipline, but it actually adds a lot to my whole course. On a personal level it was really helpful, as it was another channel for meeting new people from the media department and discussing all of our degrees with them - or even more useful is meeting second and third year journalism students, as they provide invaluable advice and opinions on what I am heading towards. On a more relevant level, my main work as a student helper involves giving tours to potential students and talking to them about the degree. It is an amazing thing to do, as in the beginning I had no idea what to say or to ask, but going through the open days I realised that every time I discover a different thing I can say about the degree, which means I discover it for myself, as well.
I think being a student helper was mostly useful in helping me find my path, as in the beginning I was really uncertain about journalism and media and had the fear I would repeat a familiar experience of starting and then dropping out because of a course that wasn't for me. And in my first day as a student helper I was really worried as to what I will say to potential students as I had the feeling I could only bad mouth the course and be really bitter towards the whole system. But my attitude changed when I started thinking about all the amazing things we have done and we have learnt without even realising it and somewhere along the way I started feeling this was the exact perfect course for me and I find a lot of enthusiasm talking about it to other people.
In general, I do tend to find inspirations in the weirdest of things, sometimes, and they tend to reflect upon my growth as a person, a student or a professional, even if they seem completely irrelevant to anything I do. I must say that all the different kinds of performances I have seen, such as dance and music composition, film screenings, magic shows and comedy performances, they have all attributed something towards my understanding of British culture, language and mentality or my attitude towards Britain, Coventry and journalism or my understanding of my personal goals and aspirations. Nothing could be ever irrelevant, if it is worthy of being seen. They all leave something behind and it does make a difference, because even the slightest change in me as a person is relevant to my discipline, as it changes my outlook on the world and my place in it.Labels: 101mc |
