Challenges faced by the media in the Czech Republic have been explored on a week-long #DMUglobal trip to Prague.
Media Production students from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) also gained insights into industry practices, both at home and abroad, while enjoying the capital’s rich architecture and vibrant cultural history.
Highlights included visits to the USA-funded broadcasting organisation Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFERL), the nation’s main public television broadcaster Česká Televise and Hafan Film, one of the country’s most important stop-motion studios.
Second-year student Leanne Faben, who works for De Montfort Students’ Union’s Demon Media magazine and TV station, said: “I’d never been abroad before but Prague was lovely, the people were all really nice and we learned so much.
“My highlight was watching a TV show being filmed and having a go with the cameras. It was a lot of fun, but also very familiar because it’s so similar to the amazing studio we’ve got at DMU. It was great to see the equipment in use and watch the theory put into practice.”
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Ben Harbisher, senior lecturer in Media Production who organised the trip, said: “Radio journalist Shahida Tulaganova explained RFERL’s role during the fall of the Eastern Bloc in the 1980s and its continuing libertarian remit to provide independent news coverage, often using encrypted mobile telecommunications, in places such as Aleppo and the Ukraine, where media content is heavily censored.
“We also spent an afternoon with Česká Televise to learn about the development of the Czech TV industry, especially following Soviet occupation, and to see rehearsals for a live show and studio set-ups, including for their main prime-time programmes.”
During an afternoon at the Karel Zeman Museum, dedicated to the “father of modern special effects”, students learned more about FX techniques and their development.
At Hafan Film, animation artist Filip Pošivač explained the design process, from storyboarding to creating characters and animating on set, and the software and digital equipment used in stop-motion.
There was also time for trips to see the Sedlec Ossuary beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption (a UNESCO World Heritage site), the medieval silver mining town Kutná Hora, and the Terezin Holocaust Memorial and Jewish Ghetto.
Winning the Times Higher Education Leadership Management Award for Outstanding International Strategy in June 2016, #DMUglobal is designed to equip the graduates of tomorrow with the skills which global employers are looking for, including cultural awareness, resilience and adaptability.
Posted on Wednesday 7 December 2016