Personal Statement Of Film, Television and New Media

film as a universal form of communication

If I could choose one medium to use as a universal form of communication, one with the power to provoke and unite, Film is the first option I would come up with. It's the way they portray emotion and subtly address big issues captured so effectively and vividly yet also provide the entertainment and the excitement that I find infinitely fascinating. From a young age film and television programs have been two big parts of my life-though my mother described what I did as "goofing around" -from shooting silly films using an old Sony Cyber-shot my father bought in my younger years to writing detailed scripts for micro films with my college friends.

Producing for Film, Television and New Media would be an ideal program for me to pursue further study as it contains both the practical side to planning, producing, managing contents within the three fields as well as backing it up with theoretical elements. Being able to know the ins and outs of planning and managing the whole process is as significant as pure to command the cameras. Having studied media-related subjects such as Photography and Video, Advertising Planning and Creation and Public Relations I've had plenty of opportunities to get to know films, television programs and new media contents producing both practically and theoretically. There are a few shelves in my home that are dedicated to my ever-growing film collection, from classics like 'The Pianist' to cult ones like 'No Country for Old Men'. Furthering my dedication to films and TV programs I often visit a popular and authoritative rotten tomatoes named 'Douban Movie' with which helps me to keep up with the latest, plus there is a micro film associate run by our department which I attend regularly to experience quality micro films and original videos making.

Although I have been using a video camera from the age of twelve, my interest in media academically was only spurred when the time had come to pick my subjects for university studies, realizing, in time, that I had an undiscovered enthusiasm for the related subjects. Since then I've been hooked. In the third academic year of university I signed up for taking an internship at one of the most influential TV station in Chinese mainland which would give me a first-hand experience of television program and advertisement producing. My capabilities to manage time, budget, negotiate and to work as a team have been greatly improved under work pressure and unexpected situation. I've got the chance to view the delicate inner workings of a professional producing system. Working as a member of the New Media Studio of my university to produce contents and attending a 7-day film-making course at Hong Kong Baptist University have given me an idea of how to critically analyze films but also to appreciate the work that goes into creating them.

When I found the time I kept active in a range of other interests and activities. Playing piano and Ukulele gave me a chance to explore within the realms of music, which played such an important role in film. In the 2nd semester of my junior year, I had deeper understanding that movie songs were inextricably interwoven with the plots and the characters after numerous case studies I had done in the elective course Movie Music Appreciation. My passion for photography, especially film photography was what always cheered up my spirit though people wondered why I would be so obsessed with film in the era of digital camera. I learned knowledge about film and film photographing by myself and bought my first old but classic film camera. I even tried to imitate the style of Karwai Wang's and Christopher Doyle's movies in my own works. This hobby developed my ability of aesthetic and my perception of picture. I'm sure all these passion and experience will inspire me in my later study and career.

Chasing our passion is a rewarding process. I am willing to go the extra mile to let this passion go on with my life and to see what I am able to achieve. After finishing my postgraduate study, I would like to start my career in television program and movie making studios or public relations firms for publicity. I will be extremely grateful if my application could be carefully considered.

Li, this is an extremely long personal statement. It manages to cover the history of your interest in Film, Television, and Media. However, I wonder if this length is the right approach to the essay. Were you given a prompt requirement to respond to? I wish you had added it along with your maximum word count so that I could better asses your statement. In my opinion, the most interesting part of the essay comes in with the 3rd paragraph. This is the most focused and directly informative presentation that would be of keen interest to the reviewer. Being a foreign student, the examiner needs to be able to assess if your activities and classes (that you took) in your home country are applicable to their course syllabus and fulfills their expectations of their students. Perhaps you would like to consider revising the essay so that it would reflect more of your in-country influence rather than your international influence. The in-country entertainment media is the entire basis of your desire to become a part of this world. The international influence should be given a spotlight towards the end of your essay because the media from the foreign land isn't really what sparked your interest. It was the activities and exposure to entertainment media that you had when you younger.

@Holt
Thanks a lot for your advices which I need urgently and I will make some changes according to that.