We can't wait to welcome you to Andover College!
We have created this interactive page to give you a sense of what studying Lens Based & Digital subjects, including Film Making, Photography and Digital Content Creation, at Andover College is like.
If you have any questions please get in touch, email - AskCreative@sparsholt.ac.uk
Make sure you also take a look at all the additional support we can provide for you at Andover College through our experienced Careers and Wellbeing teams.
Meet your lecturers!
About the Course!
Welcome to Lens Based Media! Both Charmaine & Pete will be setting weekly tasks as a taster of what it is like to study subjects within this area. Lens Based Media includes A Level Film Making, A Level Photography, Digital Media and our exciting new commercial course, BTEC Digital Content Creation.
A Level Film Making – want to make films, and be a part of one of the biggest growth areas in the UK, then this course is designed to help you. Understand the importance of cinematography, storytelling through imagery, the technical know how that goes with all of this, and begin to create dynamic visual storytelling through the use of colour, light, props, people and beyond.
A Level Photography – a dynamic and highly varied creative course which explores all genres of photography from Portraiture to Fashion, Documentary to Food Photography. The course relies on your individuality to decide the type of photographer you want to be. You will develop your visual understanding, explore issues, concepts and problems. You will have the opportunity to experiment with wet room, digital and surface materials.
BTEC Digital Content Creation – in the ever-changing creative industries, people are looking to enter the world of media and the commercial market in a number of different ways. From promotion of brands to promoting yourself as a viable brand we have designed a course just for you.
Digital Media – our Technical qualification in Digital Media develops students’ core skills and understanding of the requirements of the digital media sector. Students gain hands-on experience of the production process, developing their ideas from planning, through editing and post-production, to final presentation.
Pete & Charmaine will be setting a weekly task – this will alternate between film and photo challenges. What we hope is that it will spark your interest and develop your eye – the very best visual artists and creators are constantly looking for and making work, each step taking them closer to finding out how to make visuals work!
Be practical and inventive and have some fun with your creativity!
5 x 5 Challenge File Downloads
-
5 x 5's Week 1 FILM task.docx Details
Download 5 x 5's Week 1 FILM task.docx [27.8KB]} -
5x5 Tasks Intro.pptx Details
Download 5x5 Tasks Intro.pptx [1.2MB]} -
Lens Based Media food....pptx Details
Download Lens Based Media food....pptx [6.4MB]} -
Lens Based Media wk3.pptx Details
Download Lens Based Media wk3.pptx [624.4KB]}
Additional Resources
Take a look at the American Film Institute web page for interesting and informative discussions around some of the most influential films across the pond and internationally!
We have also included their guide and 'Basic Tool Kit & Resource Guide for Young Filmmakers' below!
Further Resources
Interested in learning more about the various topics you could study at Andover College? Please take a look at the resources collected by our lecturers below.
Videos, documentaries and interesting commentary pieces;
- Trailers From Hell: online archive of past film trailers featuring commentary and analysis from a variety of familiar names! Here.
- Every Frame a Painting: online essays about film making - here.
- Edgar Wright in conversation - here.
- VDF x Zoomed In present live lecture with photographer Iñigo Bujedo Aguirre - here.
- Abstract: The Art of Design – Netflix – Series 1 Ep 7 Platon: Photography
- Faces Places – Documentary following muralist JR
Prefer to read? Take a look at these resources;
- 22 Rules of Pixar - here.
- Strongly recommended 'Hitchcock/Truffaut' a must for ANY wannabe filmmaker - here.
- Unexpected stories about creativity - here.
- Modes of Documentary - here.
Book recommendations:
- Read this if you want to take great photographs – Henry Carroll - here.
- Photography: The Whole Story – Juliet Hacking - here.
Looking for more! Our lecturers have put together these two additional activities to get started with!
Find an inspirational photographer or director – explore their work, what do you discover, how do you connect, and what do they make you want to try in your own work?
Explore manual settings on your camera – experiment with exposure – make work changing the shutter speed, aperture and ISO – learn to control how your camera functions.
Take a look at this user guide - here.
The Open University has a variety of free online courses available. Full catalogue available here.
Future Learn and Coursera also have a variety of courses available.
In particular we recommend the following:
- Explore Film making: from Script to Screen - here.
- Writing the Short: Write a shootable short screenplay in 5 weeks: Here.
Ready for more...
BBC Writersroom is running a free online 'Introduction to Screenwriting' course in partnership with the University of East Anglia and Future Learn. Have a look and let us know how you get on!
Our Courses:
A Level in Film Making (2 Years)
A Level in Photography (2 Years)
BTEC Level 3 National Certificate/National Extended Certificate in Digital Media (1-1 Years)
BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Digital Content Creation (2 Years)
T LEVELS ARE COMING…
T Levels are a new qualification after GCSE that will take your future to the next level.
From September 2022, the college has been selected to deliver T Levels in a range of subjects including Digital. T Levels are a new, two year qualification for students aged 16 to 19. They have been developed in collaboration with employers and providers to meet the needs of industry and to prepare students for work.
When taking a T Level qualification, you will spend 80% of your time in the classroom and the other 20% in an industry placement. Through this you will learn the skills needed in your chosen industry and then be able to put those skills into practice. You will spend at least 45 days, each year of the course, in your industry placement, giving you valuable experience to help you stand out against the rest.
T Levels are nationally recognised by universities and employers. They also hold UCAS points as they are equivalent to three A Levels.
A message from your lecturers!
"My name is Charmaine Cook, and I will be teaching across A Level Photography and BTEC Digital Content Creation. My practice and inspiration comes from the studio and figurative work, fused with contemporary print. When you join our course, we will have the opportunity to make work in the studios using a range of resources. I will be finding out about your skills and talents, in order to personalise your programme to get the very best out of your creativity!"
"My name is Pete Hearn, and I will be teaching across A Level Film making, BTEC Digital Content Creation and OCR Digital Media. My film making inspiration comes from being a filmmaker myself, having made various features, and written various screenplays over the years. When the courses begin, I will be encouraging you to find your inner Spielbergs, your inner Edgar Wrights, your inner Patty Jenkins and beyond. Creating inspiring and imaginative work, and becoming the future for Creatives!"
Charmaine Art & Design Lecturer
Pete Hearn Film Making Lecturer
Explore our campus including our Virtual Reality Suite, Photography Studio and Design Workshops!
Careers Guidance
Our careers guidance aims to expand the horizons of all students enabling you to make informed career decisions in order to progress both during and after college.
Carol is our dedicated Careers Advisor for Andover College!
We also have our Sun Progression Mentor Anna!
Anna works alongside the Southern Universities Network (SUN) to help students recognise the routes of progression available to them, and to continue their journey in education!
We recently launched the new Careers Hub located in the College library so come and say hello to Carol and Anna!
Student wellbeing and support
At Andover College we understand that starting college in these uncertain times can be daunting and we aim to make this process as simple as possible.
We have a dedicated team that provide our students with any additional support they need including;
- Counselling
- Carer support
- Childcare support
- Confidential one-to-one services
We also have at the college Romeo our therapy dog! Romeo is part of the continued effort from Andover College to consistently improve on and add to wellbeing provision for students. Romeo is based on campus with his owner throughout term.
Research has shown that students are significantly less stressed and anxious, and even have increased happiness and energy, immediately following spending time in a drop-in session with a dog present.
Social Media
We love to post about all our students on our platforms including their achievements, trips and excellent work - take a look at some of the highlights below and make sure you follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube!
In the News!
Kimvi Nguyen, Andover College Art Technician Instructor, featured in an episode of Grayson’s Art Show, on Channel 4.
The theme for the episode was ‘view from my window’.
Kimvi said: “Instead of painting the view from our window, we thought ‘what has been our window throughout the lockdown?’. We realised it had been the view inside our fridge. We went with this idea as we had been constantly opening and shutting our fridge door to reveal the ever changing landscape of our diet, illuminated every time. We worked with a time restraint of an hour to create our submission and the final piece was made from pieces of a bed frame and a bedsheet which we constructed as a curtained window inside our fridge."
Grayson announced on the show that Kimvi and Vinny’s work will be displayed in his exhibition which will be created once lockdown is over. He chose their work as he thought it was a ‘beautiful and successful gesture’. It was also a fantastic birthday present for Kimvi! The Art Club Exhibition is being put together as a lasting artistic record of how people have felt together through these strange times together.
We wish Kimvi and Vinny the best of luck with the exhibition. You can watch the full episode here.
Follow our art lecturers on Instagram to keep up with the creative content and inspiration – @kimvi_nguyen, @h_talks_creative_making, @carlie_creative_lecturer and @andovercollege_graphics