Today’s lecture featured two guests, both RMIT staff, Adrian Miles and Liam Ward. Both speakers spoke of their personal experience in the wide world of media, with Miles focusing on different approaches to media and objectified ideas and Ward talking mainly about editing with reference to Soviet filmmakers Lev Kuleshov and Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein (which I manage to misread and spell as ‘Einstein’ EVERY time I attempt to reference).

“As part of our new curriculum the incoming first years have been hearing bits and bobs from all staff about what studios they are teaching, and so on. It was my turn yesterday. Talked about the doco ontography studio and then some things about theory and practice. Then about why come to university.” Miles recapped in his post-lecture reflection.

I personally found what Miles had to say very interesting, particularly about university itself. I often think “Why am I doing this course? I want to be a filmmaker, but a few more years at school and a huge HEX debt don’t guarantee me that at all…lots of filmmakers never even went to Uni, why am I bothering? I’ll get a certificate at the end, but that doesn’t mean I am going to be successful in the field, in fact it only guarantees that I will be spending most of my life trying to pay for the course”. Miles questioned the audience as to why we came to uni, and I thought about my initial reasons which were (in no order of preference);

1. To meet new people that are as enthusiastic about film as I am.

2. To study in an environment where people actually want to learn (unlike high school where a lot of people are being forced to be there and thus spread this aurora of distaste).

3. To have access to resources I otherwise wouldn’t (camera, equipment etc).

4. To learn about media both academically and practically so that I can achieve my full potential in the field.

Although I have recently felt like I haven’t been achieving any of these things at university lately, Miles made a good point about what to expect from doing the course;

“Think of this as quantitative learning. Just use the internet and your curiosity. University lets you learn some qualitative things. These are the things that, once you learn them, you can’t unlearn them. They change how you think about something. They disrupt what you thought you knew, and once it happens to you, you can’ undo it. That is what university can do for you. That is what a university is for, and that is why it is different to ‘instruction’ or technical education.” 

I thought it was interesting for Miles to put what we learn back onto us, and upon further reflection I agree with him. Being at University does not mean all the things I had hoped for will be presented on a silver platter- that would limit creative freedom. Instead, it is up to me to discover for myself, to go out of my way to learn, and to be open to the quantitative nature of the information we are given, rather than scouring through it for quality. The quality can only be produced through my interpretation, my research and my ideas. So, instead of thinking of the content as shallow in depth or quality, I am going to embrace it and appreciate the quantity of it, while allowing my own imagination to take it further.