Cameron Mozley — Acting Foundation Degree
The great thing about this course, is you gain such a broad range of skills, so it doesn’t narrow-down your career opportunities.
Cameron — Acting FdA —
Cameron, 21, has loved performing since an early age, but it wasn’t until joining College and receiving support and encouragement from his lecturers, that he really believed he could make it in the industry.
He’s now in his first year of the Level 5 Acting Foundation Degree, based at the College’s new City Hub, and hopes to work in TV or film in the future. Here’s what he told us about his course and his future plans.
“I’ve always wanted to be an actor or work within performing arts in some shape or form. I remember as a kid I loved watching films and dressing up. It’s something I’ve always been interested in, but I know it’s a competitive industry and I’ll need to work hard to make it.”
Cameron started on the College’s Acting Level 2 UAL Diploma, followed by the Acting Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma. He was able to retake his GCSE maths and English alongside the course.
“I was never very academic at school. GCSE Drama was the one subject I felt good at. I knew that if I wanted to go further, I needed to pass English and maths. Because I had a goal this time round, it was so much easier to focus on getting the pass grades I needed.
“There wasn’t many lads in my school who took drama, so when I joined the College and found myself with a group of people who all shared the same passion for performing arts, it all just seemed to fall into place.”
Rather than progressing to drama school, Cameron continued on at College to study the Level 5 Acting Foundation Degree.
“Staying in a city I know, with all my friends and family around me, felt right. I could have interviewed for drama school but I knew I could achieve the same higher-level qualification here at College. You get so much attention and support from your tutors. It made no sense to go elsewhere.”
Opportunities and industry links
“We’ve had Directors from Coronation Street come in to speak to us, actors from Emmerdale, as well as renowned vocal coach, Mark De-Lisser — it’s great! The lecturers go above and beyond too, forever finding opportunities for us, even during lockdown. They’re not just lecturers here; they’ve been in the industry themselves and have loads of experience and advice to share.”
Benefits of the course
“My heart is in TV and film, but the great thing about this course, is you gain such a broad range of skills, so it doesn’t narrow-down your career opportunities. I’m currently learning about set design, lighting and sound and I’m really enjoying it. You get a well-rounded learning experience — it’s not just about acting.”
Cameron plans to complete the Performing Arts BA (Hons) Top-up Degree at College before pursuing a job in TV/Film.
“I’ve come this far and I’d really like to top-up my qualification to a full degree when I can. At school I never thought I would end up with a university-level degree, but here I am, a step closer to making it happen.
“An FdA or Degree is a qualification you’ve got for life. If I’m going up against someone similar in a future interview and I have a higher-level qualification, it could make all the difference.”