Tine Jensen

I come from a documentary and journalism background and wanted to advance my skills further in terms of directing for drama productions.

Directing for documentary with real-life situations is very different to staged drama productions, where the direction of actors and production team often is more complex and controlled.

The Master of Arts in Media Arts and Production gives me a hands-on course that teaches me the essential skills of drama productions from script writing, film design, staging of productions to advanced post production.

I’m currently writing a film combining fiction and documentary. When finishing this degree I will know the best from both worlds!

What I really like about Media Arts and Production is how artistic and practical the course is. I have already had great opportunities to be creative and produce films that are experimental in the subject “Moving Image”, and I just loved the theory behind the visual style of films in the subject “Mise-en-scene”. The subject “Sound and Interaction” gave me a sneak peak into the future with theory about Virtual Reality, which I find essential to know and keep your eyes on as a media producer.

My Danish background — and working in the field

In Denmark I completed my bachelor degree in TV, producing and working at the National Danish Broadcaster (DR). There I directed factual documentaries and live shows as part of my studies.

I have also worked in the media industry as a video journalist, producing documentaries for organisations, government departments and companies, and have worked independently in my own production company, Lumuma Films.

Denmark is progressive and innovative in terms of film and TV content. I wish to take my knowledge from the Danish media culture and reach a larger audience in Australia. I find the possibilities of producing stories in Australia extremely big. The multicultural society in Australia helps interesting stories to unfold, so I’m happy being here, producing from my outlook on the Australian country, society and people.

A typical day in the life of a Postgraduate Media Arts and Production student

Every day is different since the course is so project-based. It’s super flexible, so you can arrange yourself when to work. A normal day for me is preparing a film or media project, producing or post-producing. The classes help me get feedback from lecturers and peers and gain inspiration for my projects to unfold.

On the side [of my studies] I run my own production company, Lumuma Films. And currently I’m producing a documentary for the Danish Ministry of Education.

Advice to UTS students currently studying Media Arts and Production

This is your chance to produce whatever you want. Have courage to take risks, and don’t be afraid of making mistakes. The real reward is also meeting other students with the same interests to collaborate on projects in the future.