Visit to Maidstone TV Studios - 24th November 2021
- 2011545
- Nov 30, 2021
- 5 min read
On the 24th November I went to Maidstone TV studios to have a look at the 3 year (or 4 depending if you chose a placement year) degree course on offer there. I thought that it would be a very interesting experience to have a look around a live TV studio which was used by British TV programmes we hear about every day such as Take Me Out, Homes Under The Hammer and EastEnders. The building layout itself as you might expect was very different to a conventional university, and from a usual educational institution but that was something I liked about it. It was very work-driven and although maybe not the most accommodating place to learn in as it had a definite corporate feel to it; it felt rather like an office so for me, personally, it would feel like I am rather grown up and professional which is something I really liked.
The course was very focused on the industry and there were a lot of opportunities for work experience as you were likely to meet and network with others in the industry that come in for talks, airing live shows or TV production. These same people in the industry can also offer students there jobs in film which is something I am excited about. This is something we learned from the presentation we were given. I also learned that since the rise of streaming platforms such as Netflix in 2014, there has been an industry boom and the film and TV industry is now worth around £3.75 billion in the UK. This surge in demand is creating many opportunities for jobs in the industry as well as massive investments for TV Studios in the South East; and expansions of the current studios in use. The effect of COVID-19 on the film industry was vast too; as numbers of people visiting cinemas significantly dropped; but streaming services such as Netflix profited from this period as the vast majority of people were at home. Since the film and TV industry is rebuilding and redeveloping following the plummet of box office sales. It is also the only course in the country being offered at real-life TV studios which is unique in itself. Not only education-wise but also as an overall experience.
Following the presentation we had some lunch in our groups (there was only 5 of us from our Rochester campus) and were shown around the main building; including the computer areas, lecture halls and screen rooms; however the vast majority of studios were in use by clients. One of the things I picked up on when I was there too was how secretive TV production was. Not even the other admin staff at Maidstone Studios knew what they were filming in those spaces, nor was anybody involved in production allowed to tell anyone at all; even their own family members (including the actors'/producers' wife and kids) what was being filmed. I imagine they would have signed a non-disclosure agreement of some sort. The course director didn't know himself what was going on in the studios, although he heard from the production team that it was 'something exciting'. Which was of course, very vague.
Workshop Task/Activity
Following this we had a task set where we were split into groups (picked by the former student giving us a presentation - I can't remember his name unfortunately) to create our own short film. I was with Natasha (from our Rochester campus), and two new people named Jordan and Max from Canterbury. He organised the groups this way because in industry; you don't pick who you work with; you meet a bunch of people you are made to work with. The film brief we got was to make literally anything; it could be entertaining, informative, humorous, scary etc; however we had to use 1 random setting to use (out of the computer rooms, the bar and green screen room; ours was the green screen room) and 2 props we picked out of a box filled with all sorts of stuff (we picked a wooden sword as well as a leather jacket). The final rule he said was; no deleting footage. Leave in the mistakes. We could take multiple shots but we would have to put them all together.
Overall I had a very good experience working with my group. I of course didn't know two people, but we all seemed to be comfortable with each other as if we had known each other for ages. It was never awkward, as Natasha and I knew each other of course so we talked about and got to know a bit about Jordan and Max who also were creative people with their own ideas. All four of us had plenty of ideas but we managed to work cohesively so that every idea was listened to and and incorporated into our final film.
Personally when we were given the green screen room; my mind was totally blank. I hadn't got a plotline or any ideas, and when we had selected our props (a wooden sword and leather jacket) I was even more dumbstruck. Unfortunately I had saved all my ideas for the bar scene. Max initially came up with a light-hearted Horrible Histories-style mini documentary about how to use a sword; which was intended to be humorous rather than factual; for obvious reasons. We all went along with this idea, which was interesting because the idea of what we were filming had absolutely nothing to do with the green screen room itself. Thinking outside the box!
We came up with about 6 different main shots presented as a storyboard to base our film off of. There was the opening shot with being presented the sword (thrown on), and me showing how the sword can be used with Max as the victim or 'dier' as we called him and Natasha narrating what technique was being shown (the slash, the stab, the walking stick, as well as betrayal). In the final shot Natasha makes a joke about terms and conditions. I throughly enjoyed the acting part of it; perhaps a bit too much; as shown in the film below. I didn't actually expect to enjoy it as much as I did though I remembered a quote said by Johnny Depp which is something like; 'if there's not a part of you in it when you're acting, it's not acting. It's lying.' In other words I felt like I was able to express myself in a new, comedic way.
Reference list Sibley Pares. (2021). Maidstone Studios - Suites F13, F15, F20, S8a, S8b, Vinters Business Park, New Cut Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 5NZ. [online] Available at: https://sibleypares.co.uk/property/maidstone-studios-suites-f13-f15-f20-s8a-s8b-vinters-business-park-new-cut-road-maidstone-kent-me14-5nz/ [Accessed 30 Nov. 2021].
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