Lucy's ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Experience
Name: Lucy Davies
Course: BA (Hons) Adventure Filmmaking
Previous Studies: A-level: Photography, psychology, and physical education
Hometown: Mumbles, Gower
Lucy's BA (Hons) Adventure Filmmaking Experience
What was your favourite thing about the Carmarthen campus?
The location – the campus is not too far away from Gower or Pembrokeshire which are great locations for surfing and climbing and for shooting projects for this degree. The campus has loads of great facilities like the Mac labs and editing suites as well as the immersive room. It is also right next door to the S4C building which has provided us with loads of opportunities.
Why did you choose ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø?
I chose ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø for its unique degree. This university offered the only adventure filmmaking course I could find or the closest degree to the sort of career path I want to head down. I also like the fact that it is not a huge campus where you’re 1 of 300 in a class. You get a lot of help from lecturers and it feels like a tight-knit university where the lecturers can really give a lot of their time in lectures to help you.
What did you enjoy outside your studies?
Working with the outdoor adventure education degree students on lectures was great. I found people who also loved surfing and people who loved climbing. We would go out to places like Rhossili and abseil through caves or spend the day coasteering when we had spare time. I really enjoyed going out surfing and photographing my friends in the water.
The expeditions were also amazing. There were opportunities to go on expeditions outside of lectures. We went on a climbing expedition to Spain in 2023 where we spent the week sport climbing and ascending cliffs with my camera to take photos of people climbing. We also went on a climbing expedition to Pembrokeshire and worked on our trad climbing skills and climbed multi-pitch trad routes overhanging the sea.
What are you doing now, how did you get to where you are and how has your course helped you in your career?
 The dream would be to make surf films or become a surf photographer but I would be really happy working in any areas related to adventure filmmaking. Working for the BBC Natural History Unit would be a dream come true or even National Geographic as a camera woman.
I am currently working as a freelancer making documentaries for a nature reserve. I also work as a coasteering guide and rock-climbing instructor. In October or November, I will be flying out to Kalymnos, Greece to shoot an exciting project which will involve a bunch of rock climbers, riggers and a circus artist and stunt performer. I will likely be hanging 100ft off an overhanging cliff in my harness filming this stunt which I am really excited to do.
What was your favourite thing about your course?
The practical lectures. Some lectures we would be filming red kites with massive telephoto lenses and learning how to track them in flight and keep them in focus. Other lectures would be focusing on macro photography learning or learning how to focus stack. Some of our lectures were up in North Wales in December so we had opportunities to photograph people mountaineering in up to 6ft of snow up Crib Goch in Eryri.
We also had opportunities to film and photograph the Pembrokeshire fire spinners multiple times, one of those times using RED cameras that cost up to £50,000. The practical lectures with the outdoor adventure education degree were also a highlight of this degree. We would go anywhere and everywhere either climbing, kayaking, mountaineering, or gaining first aid and catastrophic bleed qualifications.
Would you recommend ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø and why?
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø feels like a close-knit university. The lecturers go above and beyond to help in any way they can. There are unique opportunities at this university like climbing expeditions abroad or filming and learning from some really successful people in the adventure filmmaking industry. The location of the campus is perfect for someone doing an adventure filmmaking degree. There is so much to offer in this part of the world for adrenaline junkies or wildlife photographers or anyone who loves the outdoors.
