{"id":2009,"date":"2025-06-03T16:32:27","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T15:32:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/studioinsider\/?p=2009"},"modified":"2025-06-06T14:54:23","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T13:54:23","slug":"i-like-making-people-think-how-and-why-to-get-into-production","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/studioinsider\/2025\/06\/03\/i-like-making-people-think-how-and-why-to-get-into-production\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I like making people think’: How and why to get into production"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Tom Wealthy working\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Have no clue where to start when getting into the industry? Tom Wealthy shares what it takes to start working on your own, what going to university for production is really like, and what inspired him to go down this path.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is university worth it? <\/h1>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did a two year accelerated course at SAE for film production. We did hands-on stuff quite frequently, there were 4 lectures a week, but then a lot of the time we were off doing our own scripts or we were off getting to know the cameras or audio equipment, the lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had to do things like a 3 minute VNF (visual narrative film), that was the first thing we ever did. I had no clue what I was doing, I couldn\u2019t find an actor to play a musician so I just had to do it myself in the end.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though working alone is sometimes a problem, university is the perfect place to hone your skills through working with others and making mistakes without backlash. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cEverything we did, we had to pitch in front of the class, our lecturers and sometimes the head of campus.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCarl and Ste our lecturers would give us areas to build on if they saw areas in the presentation that there was something we hadn\u2019t fully thought out yet, they\u2019d say \u2018\u2019maybe do this, this sort of style might work for it.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though some people choose not to attend university if they intend to go into TV or film production, for Tom it\u2019s shown to be a valuable asset that\u2019s only built upon his knowledge. We asked him if he\u2019d recommend going to university for a practical course like this and we got a resounding yes. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven just getting the insider knowledge of how stuff works before you go out and do anything so you can just get the initial f*** ups out the way so you don\u2019t embarrass yourself. I mean you still will, God knows I did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlso, the people as well. You\u2019ll meet a lot of people who will give you new ideas, people that will work with you and your ideas. They\u2019ll work as your editor, your DOP and they\u2019ll help you with locations sometimes. You just workshop stuff with the people you want to work with to get the best result, it works better than if you\u2019d have done it entirely on your own.\u201d\u00a0
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Tom filming <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Equipment<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not just the people or the knowledge that make university worthwhile.

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely worth doing, even for the equipment alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Realistically the nine grand is paid off in small sums, to buy the cameras ends up being the same amount as a year at uni, and then you\u2019re at least getting instructions on how to use them along with everything else so it\u2019s worth it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People at the university would also consider what was capable, even in terms of equipment in relation to what was best to use and what was realistic.

\u201cYou’d get given the basics and the knowledge of what equipment was best to use and what you could handle. We workshopped how we\u2019d get a Steadicam up the stairs and do a full 180 on the staircase in a pretty small house, Ste (a lecturer\/ technician) helped us figure all that out. We got a pretty good rundown of the Steadicam as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were also times where cameras would be too heavy for one person to hold for such a long period of time, all of this was taken into consideration and changes made, something that wouldn\u2019t be possible without working with others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inspirations <\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

When asked what made him want to get into this line of work, Tom\u2019s answer could be summed up in two words: \u201cSam Witcher.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When looking at what A Levels to do, Tom ended up choosing a media course. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I thought \u2018media seems chill, I could look at stuff like that\u2019. I\u2019d always liked making videos and telling stories when I was a kid, but I’d never really tried telling stories through a different form.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI like stories and getting stuff across, making people laugh and making people think. You never hear enough people saying: I like making people think.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

After choosing media as an A Level, Sam Witcher became Tom\u2019s teacher for the subject. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHis constant ability to be absolutely lovely. His passion for film and TV and the indepth-ness that he would talk about stuff was impressive. I think he just sees things that other people don\u2019t.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The course and the teachers seemed to have a large impact on Tom as at the end, he ended up going to his university course to study film production.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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