Tristan Gibson - BA (Hons) Film & Moving Image production

When his older brother asked for help with filming for his A Levels, 15 year old Tristan Gibson got straight behind the camera. He says: “It was pretty amateur, but from then on I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I love watching films – now I just want to be behind the camera making them.”

Following this introduction, Tristan subsequently chose Film & Moving Image Production at Leeds Met, and hasn’t looked back since.

As well as equipping Tristan with the skills needed to go out into industry, Leeds Met has set him on the path to some life-changing experiences which have improved his employability and given him access to the world stage as a starting point for his career.

During his first year at our University Tristan found out about our Study Abroad scheme while researching a visit to the States: “I was looking at all the different partners, then I saw ‘Apply now to study abroad’ – doing a semester overseas seemed like a great idea as it would enable me to see what my career could look like in other countries. It was a toss-up between America, the Czech Republic and Australia. In the end I chose Australia.”

This step saw Tristan take his first flight – all the way from London to Melbourne. Once there he worked and studied at Victoria University, where he gained confidence speaking in big groups, worked in interactive programming, Flash and communication-based research; made contacts in industry, travelled and experienced life Down Under.

Since returning from his travels, Tristan has been on a high and he says he owes it all to this University: “It’s all because I came to Leeds Met that I got the opportunity to do something different and improve my prospects. If I hadn’t come here, if I hadn’t been in the city I love, with the people that I now like, with lecturers that are absolutely fantastic, I wouldn’t have been able to go to Australia and have such incredible experiences.”

“I’ve had more life experience in that one year than I had in my entire life before then and it’s all because of my university.” Tristan is already making plans for his future with a view to getting on the Disney Talent Programme after he graduates, before applying for the Pixar Graduation Programme.

Find out more about our studying abroad as part of your degree at Leeds Metropolitan by visiting our International Exchanges and Erasmus pages.