what field do you study and where?
I study at the Film and Television Faculty of the College of Performing Arts, the specific field of study is called Film Studies, which actually falls under the science of culture and history.
why did you decide to stay in Slovakia?
Since I had the impression that I belonged to an art school, the choice was either to go to the difficult and, from the point of view of how many people apply, inaccessible school – FAMU in Prague, or to stay in Slovakia. My beloved girlfriend is also keeping me here, so the long-term relationship also weighed in this choice.
do you like it?
I can’t unequivocally say yes, as with other matters in life, this too can be looked at from several perspectives. I liked some of what we have at school, it also depends a lot on the teacher. However, in general, I would say that I expected more, and these expectations of mine caused me to not enjoy it as much and enjoy it as much as it could have.
what exactly do you dislike?
Not connecting with practice is very frustrating. We work independently as such a separate department, we have no connection with colleagues from other practical fields, such as camera, editing or directing. And as for subjects, it’s very much a matter of personal preference. I was not moved much by subjects such as film speech, where the curriculum was not clearly structured. Or the introduction to audio-visual studies is a very shallow subject, where one reads a few books, which in my opinion would be enough to list as a reference or required reading and not take up two semesters.
and vice versa, which subjects did you enjoy the most?
History of film theories, which may sound boring, but the content extends to other fields such as linguistics, philosophy and, of course, film, film history, filmology, philology and so on. It is an interdisciplinary subject, where a lot of the unknown is taken over, which one does not just come to.
what will this field give you in life?
What this study gives a person is not practice or any specific skills, but critical thinking. And I emphasize that. This department offers an expansion of the reference framework mainly from the point of view of media, philosophical or historical knowledge. Analyzing movies really makes you think. It is critical work on another level, where one has to handle one’s arguments and present them correctly.
Can you think of something more specific?
There is such an interesting, somewhat journalistic subject, the culture of the written word, where one must learn to express one’s thoughts so as not to reveal too much. For example, the review must not reveal what will happen in the entire film so that the reader still wants to see it.
what are the job opportunities after graduating from this field?
There are professions that you cannot earn a living in Slovakia, such as a film critic, but you can do any professional activity at the Slovak Film Institute, you are ready for it, because you know the history of films, processing techniques and so on. And then, because there is a certain touch with dramaturgy, you can be a program manager, for example at RTVS, or a project manager of various cultural institutions, or then a teacher with a focus on culture. Our graduates are, for example, leaders in the Audiovisual Fund or select programs in cinemas such as Lumière or Úsmevo in Košice.
what type of person would like your field?
Film studies students are focused, of course, on the artistic side, they are a little quieter, more thoughtful people who have a talent for writing reviews or short stories, just writers. They are mostly introverts, although we have a few extroverts who we also really need to talk more and spread awareness. Of course, it should be a person who is influenced by either Slovak or world cinema.
would you recommend Film Studies?
Not at their current stage at our faculty. The field is very interesting, I would definitely recommend trying it in the Czech Republic or elsewhere abroad. On the other hand, no other school in Slovakia can offer you the amount we study and dedicate to films.
daniela Ivančáková she is a member of the newly established young editorial staff of the week and a student of Media Studies – Journalism at the University of Groningen.
As part of the young editorial team, we decided to launch the project “WHAT WILL YOU BECOME?” aimed at bringing popular and lesser-known fields of study closer together through the eyes of their students and graduates. We want to help decided or hesitating high school students get real information and personal experiences of young people from studies at universities in Slovakia and abroad. Short interviews, or parts of this series, will be published almost every other day during the following weeks, in the category .young. We would be grateful for any recommendations of trades that we should process or specific aspects that you would be interested in as part of the interviews.
young editor of the week
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