Ram Anad, Malaysia

I have dreamt about becoming a filmmaker since the age of 16 and that was 14 years ago. As I was doing other things I had to put my dream to one side and left it dormant for eight years until I decided to study at Bournemouth University.  This was not a decision that I arrived at lightly.

Earlier this year, I made a drastic decision to quit my eight-year career as a journalist back home in Malaysia, to give myself the opportunity to pursue my filmmaking ambitions something that had always dominated my thoughts over the years.

I was taking a big risk, I had a mortgage to pay and I was leaving behind a reasonably rewarding career that had given me great opportunities. I sold some of my assets, got together every little bit of money I had and decided that the only way to become a film maker was to update my skills as my film undergraduate degree was now almost 10 years old.

The UK was the best choice for me

I surveyed universities in several different countries, including United States and Australia, in a process that took me over a year. Ultimately, I decided to do my Masters in the United Kingdom due to the shorter course duration, which is priceless for me as an experienced working adult and also because of the good reputation that some of the British universities have when it comes to teaching film.

My fellow students

High up on that list was BU, where the course framework was regarded as one of the biggest in Europe, let alone the United Kingdom. To my surprise, however, despite its reputation, BU proved to be a cheaper alternative in terms of costs compared to other universities and institutes of similar repute.  Living in Bournemouth also meant that I could escape the need to live in an expensive city such as London, whilst at the same time not being too far away from it.

Finally I have reached my destination and am able to make films with the best equipment and equally talented future professionals without having to pay a premium for it.