Film Production in Prague, Czech Republic Past Review
By Yue W (International Relations and Affairs., Tufts University) for
CET Film Production at FAMU
This study abroad experience was absolutely worthwhile, I met many people who I admire greatly and will network with in the future. Basically, I am confident and equipped to make my own films. This program has given me the basic skills I need to progress further with my film career.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Generally, the university I attended was not demanding at all in terms of workload. We never had written homework or work-intensive classes. Discussions, film screenings, and consultations on our film projects occupied almost all of class time. Our only work was to make our film- writing the script, storyboarding, finding locations, actors, and props. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The CET Staff was extremely helpful and available with every interaction I had with them. During a few medical emergencies, the program director answered my calls no matter what time of day it was, they provided clear instructions with regard to getting to a hospital and forms needed to reimburse my payments. The director even accompanied us to class many times to check on our progress and even gave us tips on how to talk to our professors. She accompanied us during so many classes and events that she was more of a friend than an administrator. The other CET staff in Prague were also extremely helpful and friendly. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
No, we were provided with all appliances. We only need to buy food and other temporary items. Our apartment treated our living situation with very little rules, everyone helped out to buy needed items and we all cleaned from time to time. Each of us briefly had guests and there were no problems. |
| * Food: |
We had to buy our own food so everyone provided for their own needs. However Czech food was great, especially the beer, but I heard some students complaining that there were very few vegetarian options in the city. The CET staff gave us a nice list of vegetarian restaurants which seemed to help them. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I would say making my film was the highlight of the program and it was also the most valuable learning experience pertaining to film that I've ever had. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Like I mentioned before, the CET Staff gave me perfect directions on how to get to a hospital, what to expect, how to pay for their services, etc. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 100 dollars. Money was mostly spent on food, drinks, some clothes. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I had no unanticipated expenses. But try to buy groceries instead of eating outside all the time, this will save a lot of money. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | none |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
The program was not focused on teaching a foreign language, we only learned enough to get by in the city. Most people in Prague spoke some English anyway. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you want to learn how to make films, FAMU University is the way to go. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Film Technology and Practice |
| Course Department: | FP 510 |
| Instructor: | FAMU Faculty |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This was a course made up of five different classes: directing, script writing, film language, cinematography, film language, and acting. I found them all pretty useful and relevant except for the acting class. The professor seemed to lack any lesson plan and simply made us recite the same dialog throughout the entire semester without much feedback. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
