Let’s make a movie! – Media project – group mobility
During these five days we were able to learn a lot. The topic “MEDIA” was super exciting, the French and Hungarian students were working in three mixed groups. The productions were different: at the end there was a clip, a documentary and a fiction movie, which were presented on the last afternoon. In the first day we finalized the script writing, on the second and third day the groups were shooting in different locations around the ninth district. During these two days we had absolute freedom about the realization of the short films: we could work in the morning and in the afternoon too. We quickly had to learn how to work together smoothly. The last two days were for editing, but because it’s not necessarily a work for more than two people, two productions were created in a group, so everyone could work on something in these two days. After we finished the mandatory parts of the program at school, every day around three-four o’clock, the Hungarian group arranged outside programs, because fortunately the weather was brilliant all week. And every outside program was followed by sitting outside in some bars and talk. I feel like we could show a lot of aspects of Budapest to them, and we arranged pretty interesting and enjoyable programs for them. They saw the Buda and Pest sides too, had been to the inner city, and could receive Poli students’ perspectives of the capital city, because we took them to places, where we usually go to.
Maros Rozália
I found the project extremely interesting and an excellent opportunity to learn about and experience cinematography. During the project, I made friends and visited places that I wouldn’t otherwise. I rediscovered places of high culture that I have lost my connection with over the years. I had the chance to try positions of filmmaking, like scriptwriting, filming, framing, editing. I took part in adventures and organizing a team. Every day I connected even more with the French and Hungarian students as well. I enjoyed filming the most, but watching the editing process and brainstorming about artistic ideas was a useful and interesting experience. I think the fact that we always ate together helped our connection blossom as well. For example, I always chatted away during dinner with the person staying at my house and it was generally a really nice experience. I am thankful for the friends and acquaintance made along the way.
Schneider Mihály
For me this project was like a dream come true, because during another project me and a Bulgarian teacher had an idea about an Erasmus where we could make films and learn about cinematography, and from the moment I saw the application I knew that this project would be a lot of fun. As a teenager who is interested in photography and cinematography, it was fascinating to be able to work with professional equipment and with people who also love this profession and cinema. It was also a really good experience to work with the French. There were three groups and each group had a genre of film, documentary, music clip and fiction. I was in the documentary group and our topic was the current situation of the Great Market Hall, which I think was an interesting topic. So we spent the first two days filming in and around the market hall. Those two days were great because we had so much freedom about how to make a film, we could work freely on our projects by listening some advices from the media teacher. Making a film is always stressful, and of course we had little problems, but if I look at those two days objectively, the teamwork was smooth! The last two days were for editing, which was a bit boring for me as a cameraman because I had already done my work when we were shooting. But I have to say I have a lot of respect for the two French guys who did the editing because they did a really good job! After the programs in the afternoon we went out every night, we tried to show the French guys the places and the spots where we usually spent our everyday life. We were lucky enough to have great weather during the week so we spent a lot of time outside which was great. There were wonderful people in both teams, the French were very kind and nice people, and the Hungarian team was also great. For me this project as my third Erasmus was really great, the topic is good, the people are good, so I am looking forward to go to France and meet again!
Peer Zsombor
During the 5 days we spent with the MEDIA Erasmus students, I experienced plenty of new and interesting things. I was nervous at first about how well the French could speak English, but after they arrived, I was relieved because it was a positive shock for me—they spoke great English!
During the week, I had the opportunity to work as the director of our film, which was something I had never done before but found fascinating. Coordinating our filming group, making decisions about the location, setting, and actors, and using professional camera gear were all new experiences that I learned to really enjoy. We were filming a fictional short film with multiple locations, both outside and inside. We had two days for editing, which was also something I hadn’t done before, but I was able to help my host with it and gained some knowledge about the world of editing as well. I was really happy because our group was very professional, and everyone wanted to make the best movie possible—I think we achieved that with our final product.
My host and I became really great friends by the end of Erasmus; we truly connected, and I especially enjoyed our bus rides home where we talked about all kinds of topics. The weather was amazing all week, so we could show our city to the French by walking a lot. We went to Buda Castle, Gellért Hill, Margaret Island, and Városliget. We always combined our walks with sitting in a café or bar afterward, which gave us a great opportunity to connect with the French and Hungarian students.
Overall, I really enjoyed this week—I gained a lot of new friends, knowledge, and appreciation for filmmaking.
Pohly Bora
This week has been an incredibly enriching and memorable experience for me. Before this, I had never had the chance to work with such high-quality film equipment or collaborate with professionals who are so dedicated and skilled in the field of filmmaking. Everything was entirely new to me, which made me feel both excited and a bit scared. I have always wanted to learn more about filmmaking, and through this Erasmus project, I was lucky enough to be part of a team that offered me this amazing opportunity to grow and explore this field in a hands-on way. At the beginning of the week, I was honestly a little nervous because I thought that everyone else would already have extensive knowledge about filmmaking techniques, such as shooting, editing, and acting. However, my worries quickly disappeared thanks to the incredibly supportive and friendly atmosphere among the students. I especially enjoyed the experience of filming amidst the busy energy of the city. Working in such an environment was challenging, yet it brought out the best in our team. We collaborated efficiently, maintained a positive attitude, and supported each other throughout the process. When problems came up, we handled them calmly and found quick solutions together. From the first day, we got along well, sharing not just tasks but also laughter and memorable moments. Everyone was open-minded and genuinely interested in getting to know one another, which created a strong sense of unity and teamwork. Despite the long days and the physical exhaustion that came with intense work, we always found motivation to explore the city afterward. The Hungarian team did an excellent job selecting places to show the French students, and I believe we managed to present almost all of Budapest’s most significant sights. Overall, this week was a wonderful blend of learning, teamwork, and cultural exchange. I am truly grateful for this experience, and I’m very excited to continue this journey in France, where I hope to keep learning and creating within the world of filmmaking.
Radó-Kovács Flóra
I really enjoyed the Erasmus program because it was so diverse. Finally, I got to work on a topic that truly interests me, I learned a lot of new things, and I made new friends. For five days, six of us worked together to create a music video. We wrote the script as a team and then went out filming Tuesday and Wednesday, mostly around Fővám Square and Gellért Square. It was really exciting to work with both Hungarians and French students, especially since we had to communicate in English. Every afternoon, after working on the films, we took the French students sightseeing, but in the evenings, we avoided the usual tourist spots. We walked a lot, and the days were exhausting, but totally worth it. I think we were great hosts, we made sure they had everything they needed and showed them the best parts of the city. I got really close to my French partner, and I loved showing them around. I truly enjoyed these five days, and now I can’t wait for our turn to visit them!
Járdány Bori
I have never been in an Erasmus project before and I think this media themed one was the perfect for a first time. We were assigned into three groups and each group made their own short film. With my group we started working on the script and the roles at least a week before they arrived, we also had a video conference with the teachers where we could share our ideas with them. On the first day we talked about the script and the shooting in details: exactly how, where and when we would do everything. The next two days were all about the shooting. It was really free, the teachers didn’t tell us how we should proceed, however they supported us whenever it was needed. We had the opportunity to learn through our experience and try to implement all our ideas creatively.
It was a very special experience for me because we had professional cameras and microphones so it really felt like we were shooting a real movie. The last two days we did the editing. For me it was a bit hard at first, I have never done anything like this before but after a while when we got the hang of it, was a lot of fun and I learned a lot of new thing during this part. At the end of our last day we watched all the movies and we could tell our opinions on everything and share our working experience.
I had a lot of fun that week, and if I had the chance I would apply again. All the French were so nice and from the first moment, they were easy to work with. We could do everything very smoothly, it’s crazy we could do such a professional short film in just 5 days.
Kremlicska Csenge
I learnt a lot of useful things about filmmaking during this project, I really liked the media theme and enjoyed the whole process. Our group could work together really well, and I think the film turned out good.
In the first night, after the French student’s arrival, we started the project with a joint cooking. By the help of the icebreaking games, we got to know each other better, and the cooking was fun too, so the gulyas soup, and the mákosguba turned out delicious. We started the next day with the icebreaking games, after that we showed the students the school. In the afternoon we discussed the future works in the groups, and we went to see the places, where we would film the scenes. Aelya also recorded some sounds too. On the afternoons I tried to show her the city, and the most famous places, but this didn’t take long, because usually we were very tired. The second day we prepared the tools and finally went out for shooting. Unfortunately, we encountered an obstacle, because we didn’t have the permission to record in the metro. Because of that we needed to film the outdoor scenes first. But we needed to bring up a new location for the metro scenes. We choose an underpass on Ferenciek square, and in the next day we travelled there, and record what we couldn’t in the subway. When we came back, we organised everything, and the next day the editors started the editing. Thursday and Friday were spent cutting, and editing. In the beginning only the half of the group worked in the film, but later we got some jobs too, like making a different version, or a poster. On the end of the week, we watched the products, and I was really amazed how the films turned out. We escorted the French students to the train and said goodbye to them.
I’ve never been in shooting like this, so it was new for me, but I will use the things that I learnt in the future.
Csorba Alíz
So, this Erasmus week in here was amazing! I got to know a lot more people and practise my English knowledge. Only spending 5 days “really” together felt way too short. We were split into mixed groups, and we had different tasks. For me it was doing interviews and creating a short video. It was actually so fun! The first day was all about getting to know each other. We played icebreaker games, and even though it was a bit awkward at first, by the end, we were already laughing together. The first day we did a little Hungarian cooking session. The following days we had to do the shooting parts of our future films. Every day, we started with a little group meeting, but after that, we started to work on our film. The first two days, it was shooting, after we started editing and making some posters. Editing our projects was a bit tedious at times, because I do not really know how to. But we had other tasks to do so I was never bored. The final day was the best because we presented everything, and it was so cool to see what everyone had made. After that, we went to Váci utca than home, because our guests had to pack, and sadly leave. I really loved this whole experience. I made some really good friends and learned a lot. I can’t wait to go to France and meet some people again and see what the culture is like there!
Paszlavszki Luca
For me this Project was amazing. We got to experience working with professional filming gear and with very kind people. We always had something to do during the program and we were rarely bored. My favourite was obviously the shooting stage of the project. We got to express our creativity and imagination and turn it into cool videos. We also learned a lot during the interviews that we made for our movies about foreign and Hungarian culture. I also very much enjoyed the first day cooking and icebreaking games that we did. Even though it started out a bit awkward it turned out very fun and it was nice to show the French students a bit of the Hungarian culture with our national dishes. During this week we also learned a lot about the French culture by speaking to our pairs and other French students and teachers. Overall, it was a very fun week, and I can’t wait to travel to France.
Beck Simon
It was one of my biggest dreams to work on a movie and on this Erasmus it became true. I really enjoyed working with professional gear and that I could share my love for movies with other people. I think we had a great time together in Budapest. We showed the French team a lot of interesting and good places in the city, and I think they enjoyed it too. I got to meet really cool and funny guys, and I think we had a very good team when everybody started speaking and everybody enjoyed it. During the filming process I learned new and useful things and it was great that I could work on something interesting and fun. I worked in the clip group, and I enjoyed every second of it. Our theme was the Danube, and I think we did a pretty good job. We had a good time together and we shared all of our ideas, and we shared that what do we think about them. We started working in an Instagram group together. In the group we talked about our plans what do we think about this project and in general what should we do. Overall, I loved this and I’m looking forward to go to France.
Aradszki Olivér
The French team arrived on 2 March, so we got to know each other on Sunday afternoon: we cooked and baked together, and then finished the evening with playful icebreakers, socialising and dinner together.
On Monday they got to know the Poli and in the afternoon the filming started. During the week, three mixed teams shot a documentary, a fiction and a clip based on pre-developed scripts and mood boards. Thursday saw editing and other post-production work. On Friday we watched the finished films and each team gave a presentation about the creative process.
We look forward to seeing you in Paris!
Lipták Orsi
It was a pleasure to meet the French group and to work together during this week. When I was in the preparatory visit in Tournan-en-Brie in January, I was very curious about this topic because it was a little bit different due to other projects. Of course, it was another good possibility to make these short films in Budapest. Our plan was to discover the whole 9th district but most of the groups worked next to the Great Market Hall. But it was a great opportunity to see that the three groups worked at the same location but in many different ways. The cinematography students of the sending school were very talented and they brought so many technical devices.
I think that this media project was so different but very exciting. The selected types of film were very creative, like the clip, the documentary or the fiction. For the Hungarian participants, it was a big experience because they learnt how to make a storyboard, how to record shoots and how to cut the film. As a teacher, it was great to see the enthusiasm and the different ways of thinking about the same film and message. We are very curious about the program in Tournan-en-Brie.
Német Zalán
