WHAT ARE FLEX STUDIOS?

Flex Studios are Media Studios that run in November/December, in an intensive, 6-week mode. This year, Flex Studios will run from Monday 31 October to Friday 9 December, with final assessments due Friday 16 December.

SHOULD I ENROL IN FLEX?

Check with your academic advisor.

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FLEX STUDIOS 2022

PEOPLE + PLACES (ON-CAMPUS ONLY)

Character and location in non-fiction media making

Timetable (you must attend all sessions):

WEDNESDAY 10:30-12:30 + 13:30-16:30

FRIDAY 10:30-12:30 + 13:30-16:30

Studio question:

What are some of the technical and ethical considerations when we turn the camera towards characters and locations and describe our work as documentary?

Studio description:

In People + Places, students will engage in a variety of studio activities (including screenings, discussion, practical exercises, reflective tasks and media production) to explore the various ways in which non fiction materials can be arranged for different outcomes and audiences. The first half of the semester finds students researching and reflecting on various approaches to capturing the real world. In class, students will respond to the work of practitioners such as filmmakers Frederick Wiseman and Molly Dineen and photographers Eve Arnold and Martin Parr in a series of in class exercises. Along the way, students will evaluate and improve their media production skills. The second half of the semester finds students working in small groups to devise, pitch and produce a major work. This major work is usually a short documentary of 5 minutes duration but there is also scope to create a print or transmedia artefact.

Studio leader:

Rohan Spong is a writer / director / cinematographer whose feature length films ALL THE WAY THROUGH EVENING (2012) and WINTER AT WESTBETH (2016) have been released in cinemas (Australia, New Zealand & US), been broadcast on television (ABC, SBS, FOXTEL, 7PLUS and on PBS/WORLD) and selected by numerous film festivals (including MIFF, Sydney Film Festival, DOC NYC). His work has also been programmed at cultural institutions including ACMI, MONA, Boston Museum of Art, Lincoln Center (NYC) and the US Library of Congress.

You can read more about his work at www.rohanspong.com.

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DELIBERATE FILM (ONLINE ONLY)

The learning of filmmaking inspired by prompts and guided with constraints. 

Timetable (you must attend all sessions):

MONDAY 12:30-15:30 AEST

TUESDAY 12:30-14:30 AEST

THURSDAY 12:30-15:30 + 16:30-18:30 AEST

‘[Y]ou know you are encountering art when you are engaging with an intentional process or product that causes surprising transformations in matter or in a moment.’

Gibson, Ross. 2009. “The Known World.” Text, no. 2007: 1–11. Brien, Burr & Webb (eds) 5 TEXT Special issue, Symposium: Creative and practice-led research—current status, future plans, Oct. 2010

Studio question:

Could a different approach to the learning of filmmaking – working through a series of projects inspired by prompts and guided by constraints that investigate different facets of film production – elicit better outcomes?

Studio description:

In order to evolve our filmmaking skills we need to steady up, take a breath and slow things down — become more deliberate. Through an iterative cycle of learning, making and reflection you will develop your competency in production techniques and your analytical skills will become more refined.

You will be viewing and analysing other’s work in parallel with planning, shooting and editing small projects in and out of class time. Each project will be inspired by a prompt and/or a constraint.

You will develop the technical competencies required to work through each of these projects. This will deepen your knowledge of each of the facets of film production and how they work together. The methods of collaboration and production will be designed as we progress through the semester. There will be time for discussion and feedback back from staff and your peers. Outside of class time you will be researching, reflecting and writing on the issues each of the projects gives rise to.

The second half of the semester you will initiate your own series of film projects that will be small and contained. This is the reverse of the usual film school model of loading all of your eggs into the last week mega project and smashing them all together into a dissipated mess.

Studio leader:

Paul Ritchard lectures in film production and is a member of the nonfiction lab and the Screen and Sound Cultures group at RMIT University. His PhD is titled THE RIVER PROJECT Towards an Eco-Aesthetic practice where he is producing a series of films on rivers.

He has made 13 short films; two of which have been festival finalists. He worked on Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions. After graduating from RMIT Media in 1994, he worked as a freelance editor and camera operator while running his own production company ‘No Name Films’ which produced over 120 films, music clips, corporate videos and promos.

Important note: added – 29 jan

The myTimetable people accidentally allowed you to preference the studios in your timetable. This has now been turned off.
But, you are able to enter in your preferences for your other courses till 5pm Monday 7 February 2022 (and, again, it is not ‘first in, first served’ so there is no rush). And the Review and allocation adjustment opens 10am Tuesday 15 February 2022 for another month.

from previous posts:

Do not try to select your studio in timetable preferencing –  the media studio ballot and allocation process happens outside of myTimetable.

Don’t preference tutorial times for your other courses (context and electives) that take place at the same times as your studio. Your studio class times will be entered for you in your timetable (but possibly not until after the preferencing period).

Remember that all lectures and screenings are online and/or recorded so those kinds of clashes shouldn’t be an issue.

__________________________

PLEASE READ THIS WHOLE POST. ANY EMAIL QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS HERE WILL BE DIRECTED TO THIS POST.

MyTimetable preferencing opens today.

Don’t preference tutorial times for your other courses (context and electives) that take place at the same times as your studio. Your studio class times will be entered for you in your timetable (but possibly not until after the preferencing period).

Remember that all lectures are online and recorded so those kinds of clashes shouldn’t be an issue.

If you have been allocated to an On-Campus studio (this is stated at the end of the studio title the timetable below) and aren’t able to come on campus, please get back to us ASAP

Requests for studio swaps are only possible in genuinely exceptional circumstances – and these do not include clashes with paid work, internship opportunities, wanting to reduce days in and/or travel time and so on.
We appreciate these things are important and real issues but the numbers of students involved in the studios make post-allocation swaps unfeasible and the current system is as equitable as we can get it.

Any questions about particular studios should be sent in the first instance to Studio Co-Coordinators (please address to both. And when replied to PLEASE REPLY ALL):
Dan Binns, daniel.binns@rmit.edu.au
Paul Ritchard, paul.ritchard@rmit.edu.au

HERE ARE THE STUDIO ALLOCATIONS

Here is the timetable – each studio has two classes per week (3 hour + 2 hour) and you need to be available to attend both of them:

Studio	prac1	time	room	prac2	time	room
DIRECTING PERFORMANCE Investigating acting performance as a core component on screen – ONLINE	Tue	11.30- 2.30 (3hr)	Online	Thu	1.30-3.30 (2hrs)	Online
DOING MOBILE MEDIA Practice, Placemaking and Performativity – ONLINE	Tue	1.30-4.30 (3hrs)	Online	Wed	1.30-3.30 (2hrs)	Online
FIX THE APP Understanding platforms with social theories; designing apps to make them better to live with – ONLINE	Mon	1.30-4.30 (3hrs)	Online	Thu	1.30-3.30 (2hrs)	Online
FUTURE MACHINA Creating Contemporary Futurology with Film, Video, Audio & Immersive Art – ONLINE	Tue	1.30-4.30 (3hrs)	Online	Thu	1.30-3. 30 (2hrs)	Online
PRODUCTION ON A SHOESTRING How financial constraints enable distinct creative solutions – ONLINE	Tue	1.30-4.30 (3hrs)	Online	Thu	1.30-3.30 (2hrs)	Online
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEDIA Making media art about the internet and the self – ON CAMPUS	Tue	2.30-5.30 (3hrs)	010.02.062	Fri	11.30-1.30 (2hrs)	010.02.062
ECO VIDEO Crafting ecological intimacy – ON CAMPUS	Mon	9.30-12.30 (3hrs)	010.02.062	Fri	11.30-1.30 (2hrs)	012.02.104
MAKE HASTE! FILM WASTE! – Communicating the circular economy – ON CAMPUS	Wed	12.30-2.30 (2hrs)	010.02.062	Fri	2.30-5.30 (3hrs)	012.02.104
MEDIA BODIES Exploring film and sound with technology, place and the body – ON CAMPUS	Tue	9.30-12.30 (3hrs)	012.02.104	Thu	11.30-1.30 (2hrs)	010.02.062
READY CAMERA ONE Multi-camera studio production – ON CAMPUS	Mon	12.30-2.30 (2hrs)	010.02.062	Thu	12.30-3.30 (3hrs)	012.02.104
REAL TO REEL Self directed non-fiction project – ON CAMPUS	Tue	12.30-2.30 (2hrs)	012.02.104	Thu	2.30-5.30 (3hrs)	010.02.062
ROOM WITH A VIEW Broadcast radio as a collaborative space and enduring audio medium – ON CAMPUS	Mon	12.30-3.30 (3hrs)	012.02.104	Thu	3.30-5.30 (2hrs)	012.02.104
SOCIAL VIDEO Designing and producing social video for art galleries – ON CAMPUS	Tue	9.30-12.30 (3hrs)	010.02.062	Wed	3.30-5.30 (2hrs)	012.02.104
THE FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE Conceiving and mounting a film festival – ON CAMPUS	Wed	9.30-12.30 (3hrs)	010.02.062	Fri	9.30-11.30 (2hrs)	010.02.062
THE SCENE IN CINEMA Studies in camera coverage – ON CAMPUS	Mon	9.30-12.30 (3hrs)	012.02.104	Thu	9.30-11.30 (2hrs)	010.02.062
THINKING WITH PICTURES The personal essay film – ON CAMPUS	Tue	2.30-5.30 (3hrs)	012.02.104	Fri	1.30-3.30 (2hrs)	010.02.062
TO BE AT SEA Making site-responsive media in uncertain times – ON CAMPUS	Wed	2.30-5.30 (3hrs)	010.02.062	Fri	3.30-5.30 (2hrs)	010.02.062

 

Please read ALL OF THIS POST to the end and take the time to digest it before you go to the ballot link – apologies for the length but it is all relevant. 

Only students enrolled/enrolling in MEDIA 3 and MEDIA 5 in Sem 1 2022 should fill in the ballot (not Media 1).

It is not ‘first in, first served’ so take your time to read the studio descriptions before filling in the form.

The ballot closes Tuesday 25 Jan (11.59pm)
(If you miss the ballot you will be allocated to a studio where places remain available).

Please ensure you select a different studio for each of your three preferences. If you select the same studio more than once you will be placed in a different studio at the Studio Coordinator’s discretion.

This is not a guaranteed *selection* but an indication of preference – you may not get your first or second choice. Don’t sweat it – all of the studios are great and missing out on a particular one this semester won’t ruin your degree experience or CV.

In semester 1 we will run:
5 studios taught ONLINE ONLY
12 studios taught ON CAMPUS (these will combine face-to-face and online sessions)

You should not preference any of the ON CAMPUS studios if you will not be in Melbourne for any part of semester 1 or do not want to attend campus.

Here is the Media Studios description book: STUDIO DESCRIPTIONS SEM 1 2022

Here is the timetable – each studio has two classes per week (3 hour + 2 hour) and you need to be available to attend both of them:

Studio	prac1	time	room	prac2	time	room
DIRECTING PERFORMANCE Investigating acting performance as a core component on screen – ONLINE	Tue	11.30- 2.30 (3hr)	Online	Thu	1.30-3.30 (2hrs)	Online
DOING MOBILE MEDIA Practice, Placemaking and Performativity – ONLINE	Tue	1.30-4.30 (3hrs)	Online	Wed	1.30-3.30 (2hrs)	Online
FIX THE APP Understanding platforms with social theories; designing apps to make them better to live with – ONLINE	Mon	1.30-4.30 (3hrs)	Online	Thu	1.30-3.30 (2hrs)	Online
FUTURE MACHINA Creating Contemporary Futurology with Film, Video, Audio & Immersive Art – ONLINE	Tue	1.30-4.30 (3hrs)	Online	Thu	1.30-3. 30 (2hrs)	Online
PRODUCTION ON A SHOESTRING How financial constraints enable distinct creative solutions – ONLINE	Tue	1.30-4.30 (3hrs)	Online	Thu	1.30-3.30 (2hrs)	Online
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEDIA Making media art about the internet and the self – ON CAMPUS	Tue	2.30-5.30 (3hrs)	010.02.062	Fri	11.30-1.30 (2hrs)	010.02.062
ECO VIDEO Crafting ecological intimacy – ON CAMPUS	Mon	9.30-12.30 (3hrs)	010.02.062	Fri	11.30-1.30 (2hrs)	012.02.104
MAKE HASTE! FILM WASTE! – Communicating the circular economy – ON CAMPUS	Wed	12.30-2.30 (2hrs)	010.02.062	Fri	2.30-5.30 (3hrs)	012.02.104
MEDIA BODIES Exploring film and sound with technology, place and the body – ON CAMPUS	Tue	9.30-12.30 (3hrs)	012.02.104	Thu	11.30-1.30 (2hrs)	010.02.062
READY CAMERA ONE Multi-camera studio production – ON CAMPUS	Mon	12.30-2.30 (2hrs)	010.02.062	Thu	12.30-3.30 (3hrs)	012.02.104
REAL TO REEL Self directed non-fiction project – ON CAMPUS	Tue	12.30-2.30 (2hrs)	012.02.104	Thu	2.30-5.30 (3hrs)	010.02.062
ROOM WITH A VIEW Broadcast radio as a collaborative space and enduring audio medium – ON CAMPUS	Mon	12.30-3.30 (3hrs)	012.02.104	Thu	3.30-5.30 (2hrs)	012.02.104
SOCIAL VIDEO Designing and producing social video for art galleries – ON CAMPUS	Tue	9.30-12.30 (3hrs)	010.02.062	Wed	3.30-5.30 (2hrs)	012.02.104
THE FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE Conceiving and mounting a film festival – ON CAMPUS	Wed	9.30-12.30 (3hrs)	010.02.062	Fri	9.30-11.30 (2hrs)	010.02.062
THE SCENE IN CINEMA Studies in camera coverage – ON CAMPUS	Mon	9.30-12.30 (3hrs)	012.02.104	Thu	9.30-11.30 (2hrs)	010.02.062
THINKING WITH PICTURES The personal essay film – ON CAMPUS	Tue	2.30-5.30 (3hrs)	012.02.104	Fri	1.30-3.30 (2hrs)	010.02.062
TO BE AT SEA Making site-responsive media in uncertain times – ON CAMPUS	Wed	2.30-5.30 (3hrs)	010.02.062	Fri	3.30-5.30 (2hrs)	010.02.062

 

 

Allocations will be finalised and posted on the Mediafactory site on Friday 28th Jan (5pm) (apologies – running a day late)

Don’t preference tutorial times for your other courses (context and electives) that take place at the same times as your studio. Your studio class times will automatically be entered for you in your timetable (but possibly not until after the preferencing period).

Do not try to select your studio in timetable preferencing –  the media studio ballot process happens outside of, and is separate to this. You are not permitted/able to change your studio in myTimetable. 

Timetable preferencing is open for your other courses from Friday 28 Jan (and, again, is not ‘first in, first served’ so there is no rush).

 

Remember that all lectures are online and/or recorded so those kinds of clashes shouldn’t be an issue.

Requests for studio swaps are only possible in genuinely exceptional circumstances – and these do not include clashes with paid work, internship opportunities, wanting to reduce days in and/or travel time and so on. We appreciate these things are important and real issues but the numbers of students involved in the studios make post-allocation swaps unfeasible and the current system is as equitable as we can get it.

Any questions about particular studios should be sent in the first instance to Studio Co-Coordinators (please address to both):

Dan Binns, daniel.binns@rmit.edu.au

Paul Ritchard, paul.ritchard@rmit.edu.au

Thanks for reading to the (almost) end!

>>>THIS IS THE LINK TO THE BALLOT FORM where you should enter your preferences.

Studio Co-Coordinators

*This post is only relevant to students enrolled/enrolling in either COMM2625 Media 3 or COMM2627 Media 5 in semester 1, 2022. It does not apply to students enrolling in COMM2624 Media 1]

Allocation to media studios (for Media 3 and Media 5 courses) in Semester One 2022 will be determined by a balloting process in January. Your studio will be your Media 3 or 5 course. There will be around 17 studios on offer and you make your preference selection based on the studios description book available when the ballot opens.

Communication about the ballot will be via student email to correctly enrolled Media 3 and Media 5 students but also posted here on the MediaFactory studios page.

We’re planning for the majority of studios to be taught face-to-face on RMIT’s city campus. There will also be a small number of studios that are offered as online only. You will need to identify which you are available for at the time of balloting.

PLEASE FILL OUT THIS BRIEF FORM to give us an idea of whether you are planning to study face to face on campus or online in 2022 – even if you aren’t completely certain at the moment it helps our planning if we have some idea of what issues students are currently weighing up in relation to this.

It is crucial to note that the ballot process is completely separate to myTimetable – you can not select studios via Timetable preferencing. The Studio Co-Coordinators determine allocations and advise students of these and also arrange for that allocation to be entered in myTimetable (where it cannot be changed).

If you miss completing the ballot you can still do a studio but will be automatically allocated to one where there is a space. It will not be possible to change that allocation.

Balloting will only be accepted for students correctly enrolled at the time in COMM2626 Media 3 and COMM2628 Media 5 in semester one, 2022.

These are the relevant dates for this process for semester one in 2022:

• Wed 19 Jan (5pm) – Studio Description Book and Media studio timetable sent/available and BALLOT OPENS
  
• Tues 25 Jan (11.59pm) – Ballot closes
  
• Fri 28 Jan (11.59pm) – Students advised of studio allocations 
  • Note: The allocations will be automatically entered in your myTimetable but this may not happen straight away. Remember to preference your other courses around your allocation]
    
• Fri 28 Jan (10am)– Timetable preferencing for your OTHER COURSES opens
  

Don’t forget to occasionally check in on your RMIT emails over the break.

For any questions please email direct both of the current Studio Co-Coordinators
paul.ritchard@rmit.edu.au
brian.morris@rmit.edu.au

Over in the Media Factory

SEMESTER TWO 2021 EXHIBITION SITES

All semesters are good semesters but this semester was quite remarkable. It’s important to avoid words like agile, flexible or pivoting but what came out of the changes we all had to make for the fourth semester running is quite remarkable.

Check each studios’ site listed below to see the range of excellent work that was produced. 

A CAPITOL IDEA!
Arts-based placemaking and filmmaking 

ALTERNATIVE MOBILE MEDIA
Exploring alternative media technology through analysis and making experiments 

CANON FODDER
Creating media manifestos that interrogate cinema canons

COLLECTING EMBODIMENT
Making media collections through, with and about the sensing body

COOKING UP A STORM
Food and food culture on the small screen (Links to an external site.)

DELIBERATE FILM
The learning of filmmaking guided by prompts and constraints

DESIGNING DRAMA 
The practice of narrative film production

EXPERIMENT.SCREEN.SENSATION
Screen art and film workshop

INFINITE LISTS
Poetic approaches to media production 

INSTAGRAM VIDEO
Designing and producing Instagram video for art galleries 

OK ZOOMER
Podcast production foregrounding Gen Z voices

REAL TO REEL
Self directed non-fiction project

SCREEN LAB
Educating and engaging through cinematic experiments

SOCIAL SCRIPTWRITING
Writing narrative scripts in collaboration

THE NEWS IS A JOKE
Investigating news satire and parody in a post-broadcast era 

Studios described here (broken into online and face to face although all had to be  online):
ONLINE Media studios sem 2_2021
ON CAMPUS Media studios sem 2_2021

 

Over in the Media Factory

STUDIO WEBSITE SHOWCASES

OK ZOOMER
CHECK THE SITE

COOKING UP A STORM      
CHECK THE SITE

INSTAGRAM VIDEO
CHECK THE SITE  The five project groups in the studio will be discussing with the client the final improvements needed to take their 5 x 60-second video edits towards publishing on the art gallery Instagram feed. Guests are welcome to attend anytime. 

For more information on this studio visit the IV webpage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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EXHIBITIONS & SCREENINGS

Monday 18 October

ALTERNATIVE MOBILE MEDIA 2:30 pm –5: 30 pm
TO ATTEND Students will present the video teasers that they have made to promote their self-developed platforms and they will present their completed platforms like tech-entrepreneurs!

 

 

 

 

Tuesday 19 October

THE NEWS IS A JOKE 12.30pm – 2.00pm
TO ATTEND Screening of student comedy news segments (satire and parody)

SOCIAL SCRIPTWRITING 4:30-5:30pm
TO ATTEND Live Readings of Scripts

Thursday 21 October

COLLECTING EMBODIMENT 4.30-6.30pm
TO ATTEND 4 groups with collections of films and audio work

REAL TO REEL 6 PM-7.30 PM
TO ATTEND 13 x 5min short doc films with a chance to socialise/chat/comment at the end

Friday 22 October

SCREEN LAB 1.30 pm
TO ATTEND Exhibition Showcase of video work for the ACMI website

Monday 25 October

EXPERIMENT.SCREEN.SENSATION 2 30pm – 5 00pm
TO ATTEND A curated playlist of the students’ work from across the semester. There is a variety including essay-films, animations, experimental narrative short films, and music videos. 

INFINITE LISTS 5-6pm
TO ATTEND End of semester celebration + screening of 2 x interactive video works & 2 x linear film works + introductions from students

Wednesday 27 October

A CAPITOL IDEA! 6.00pm
TO ATTEND 6 group project suites of media works

Thursday 28 October

CANON FODDER 6.00pm
TO ATTEND 4 group projects

Friday 29 October

DELIBERATE FILM + DESIGNING DRAMA  6.00pm
TO ATTEND A chequerboard screening of both studios’ works

Studios described here (broken into online and face to face. All had to be online):

ONLINE Media studios sem 2_2021

ON CAMPUS Media studios sem 2_2021

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Your studio times will be automatically entered into the timetable system – before the semester start.

Requests for studio swaps are only possible in genuinely exceptional circumstances – and these do not include clashes with paid work, internship opportunities, wanting to reduce days etc. We appreciate these things are important and real issues but the numbers of students involved in the studios make post-allocation swaps unfeasible and the current system is as equitable as we can get it.

Any questions about particular studios should be sent in the first instance to Studio Co-Coordinators (please address to both):
Paul Ritchard, paul.ritchard@rmit.edu.au
Brian Morris,  brian.morris@rmit.edu.au

_____________________________________
See the studio you‘ve been allocated to here.

Due to higher numbers of enrolees we have put on another studio of DECONSTRUCTING/RECONSTRUCTING GENRE

Below is the timetable. Each studio has four classes per week  2 x (3 hour + 2 hour) = 10hours. You need to be available to attend all of them:

1 DECONSTRUCTING/RECONSTRUCTING GENRE Filmic explorations in the implosion of genre
Monday 11.30-2.20 and 3.30-5.20 &
Wednesday 11.30-2.20 and 3.30-5.20

2 DECONSTRUCTING/RECONSTRUCTING GENRE Filmic explorations in the implosion of genre
Tuesday 11.30-2.20 and 3.30-5.20 &
Friday 11.30-2.20 and 3.30-5.20

DIRECTING PERFORMANCE Investigating acting performance as a core component on screen
Monday 11.30-2.20 and 3.30-5.20 &
Thursday 11.30-2.20 and 3.30-5.20

POETIC VIDEO Listing the everyday
Tuesday 11.30-2.20 and 3.30-5.20 &
Thursday 11.30-2.20 and 3.30-5.20

Please READ ALL of this to the end and take the time to digest

Due to current COVID circumstances, all three studios will be taught completely online for this flex semester

Any queries  should be sent to both Studio Co-Coordinators:
Brian Morris,  brian.morris@rmit.edu.au &
Paul Ritchard paul.ritchard@rmit.edu.au

___________________
The Studios

If you are new to studios, the allocation process to your studio is not done through timetabling, it is through the ballot below. Allocation is at the discretion of the studio coordinators Brian and Paul. Do not try to select your studio in timetable preferencing –  the media studio ballot process happens outside of and is separate to this. You are not permitted/able to change your studio in myTimetable. 

Requests for studio swaps are only possible in genuinely exceptional circumstances – and these do not include clashes with paid work, internship opportunities, wanting to reduce days etc. We appreciate these things are important and real issues but the numbers of students involved in the studios make post-allocation swaps unfeasible and the current system is as equitable as we can get it.

>>>THIS IS THE LINK TO BALLOT FORM where you should enter your preferences. Please read the studio descriptions before entering your preferences.

Thanks for reading to the end!

Media Studio Flyer – Flex 2021 for details

We are pleased to announce preliminary details of the 2021 Flex Term Media Studio courses.

Each studio course gains 24 points credit and is run intensively over six weeks (i.e. double the usual weekly contact hours) in mixed course groups