Back to School: Course Highlight

Well, hello there Blogosphere! Remember me? 🙂 It feels good to be back and writing for the FIT Admissions Blog. It’s almost been a full year, can you believe it?

School has swung back into session, almost like we never left. Students have refilled every crevice of FIT’s campus and the spirit of a new school year is among us. In between classes, the quad is covered with students basking in the warm sun of September’s indian summer. Friends perch on the ledges surrounding each building, as they laugh and reconnect over their lunches. There’s a wonderful energy to campus at the beginning of Fall semester. Excitement, passion and creativity – qualities of each FIT student that kickstart the semester.

I personally feel wonderful being back in the city and on campus again. I am now a college Junior (what?!?) beginning my bachelor’s program in Advertising and Marketing Communications. Which means I now have an Associates degree in Advertising and Marketing. I feel super cool being able to say that 😉 I’m excited for these next two years at FIT and what it has in store for me.

With new semester’s come new courses, DUH! Moreover, with a new program comes new courses. Some student’s decide to try a new major when they enter their bachelor program. However, I’ve really enjoyed my major over the past two years. The courses that are offered in the bachelors program really excite me! For today’s post I’m going to focus on one of the courses that I’m very much looking forward to this semester – Video Studio Production.

You may be thinking, “but he’s a marketing major, why is he learning how to be a camera operator?” Well, it takes more than a camera operator to produce a television show. In this course we learn professional studio techniques for video, journalism and communications. We learn to understand what it takes to put on a show not only behind the cameras, but in front of the cameras as well as in the control room. 

I’ve actually be interested in the “behind the scenes” of television production as a career for awhile and this class is the perfect introduction. FIT actually has a state of the art TV studio and control room in the A building, and those two rooms are my classroom! The TV studio has three cameras, a set, proper lighting and everything a legit studio would have. The control room does exactly what it says, controls what’s going on in the studio. It’s complete with multiple monitors, sound boards and computer systems.

I’ve had three classes so far, and in each one different students are able to take on different roles. For example, one class I was the Technical Director, camera operator and director and in another class I was the host of our mock talk show. Working my way from behind camera to in front! It’s very interesting to me to learn how talk shows are made (obviously on a much smaller scale and less pressure.) This semester we will be producing and filming a talk show, an instructional video and a PSA! With each project, the students in the group will be able to rotate roles so that we can learn different aspects of the process.

This class is different from others I’ve taken here at FIT because we’re not just sitting listening to a professor for 3 hours. It’s very hands on and exciting, and the perfect start to my Monday morning. I am able to see a different avenue that my major could take me down and it’s very informing.

Sometimes when we’re in the midst of a program, we may have our sights set on one specific job. Or we may have no idea what we want to focus on. The great thing about FIT, and my major specifically, is that it covers all bases. When you leave a course at the end of a semester, you’re able to check one more aspect of your industry off your imaginary list. I’m definitely learning where my skills could be applied in the future job market. I personally like to see where my major is applicable in the real world because I’m still not certain what industry I will enter after I graduate. I know I’m not the only one!!

I can’t wait to update you readers on this class as it progresses this semester! I hope you all have had as a successful back to school as I have. Go out and enjoy this beautiful weather!! Finally feeling like fall 🙂

xx, Brendan