University of Salford in Manchester is our oldest international partner. The intense and variform cooperation has however mainly involved film and television studies. But now the cooperation will be broader; the relations were extended to include digital design and game design during the visit by TAMK School of Art, Music and Media Dean Ari Koivumäki and me to University of Salford end of February.

D4DM is in the light and open Centenary Building. old campus

I had a very inspiring and useful meeting with School of Art and Design Desing for Digital Media Programme (D4DM)  Programme Leader Mark Scargill and lecturer Mick Lockwood, also met Graphics & Media Divisional Director Roy Chilvers. We agreed on initiating student exchange and developing other forms of cooperation. D4DM looks and feels very much like our new Degree Programme in Media with the exception that Game Design is not one of their main focus areas.

But for Game Design I was adviced to visit the Computer and Video Games Programme of the School of Media, Music and Performance - the school our Film and Television people interact with. So I went to Media City Campus and met the Computer & Video Games Programme Leader Yuwei Lin, and we very soon realized that we must exchange students and cooperate in other areas, too. We had so much to discuss about, we had to schedule a second meeting the following day.

Computer and Video Games Programme can be found at Media City Campus on right hand, BBC Studios on left hand and the student apartments where Amir and Johanna stay in the middle

The Degree Programme in Media has two exchange students at the School of Media, Music and Performance, Amir Abdi and Johanna Peltola. They invited me to their cosy student apartment at Media City for a cup of tea. They were very pleased with their exchange period and they have learned a lot. Both Amir and Johanna told me that University of Salford is a very flexible place; the exchange students can choose modules from different schools and programmes, exactly like exchange students coming to us can do. So they were familiar not only with the School of Media, Music and Performance, but also with School of Art and Design and D4DM.

For a rails and public transport addict like me one of the highlights was the tram line from city centre to the Media City Campus entrance

More inspiring reading: 
Amir Abdi's exchange report
"The website managed by the undergraduate students enrolled in Salford Universities most fantastic Design For Digital Media Program"

Kissed with a fist - our newest collaborative film (Premiere at Media City official opening in Marcjh
The Electrician, our collaborative film awarded all around the globe
Our joint Masters in Screenwriting

Story and photos: Cai Melakoski
Programme leader of Media