COURSE IN DEPTH
Year One
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits):
Video Production
20 credits
This module will develop understanding of key digital film production processes. You will be introduced to the tools of production, including sound recording equipment and video cameras. Through the application of a ‘flipped’ curriculum you will be encouraged to become an independent learner with an approach to production work that will be ‘hands on’ from the start. This creative and technical module is designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills to follow a path of further study in practical filmmaking.
Visual Design
20 credits
This module will develop your skills, knowledge and experience of key techniques within visual design industry – more specifically the art and craft of visual communication, visual design and digital asset creation.
Capture and Acquisition
20 credits
This module will develop your understanding of audio visual acquisition technologies for digital film production. The module addresses how images and audio are captured using sound and video recording equipment in a film production environment. You will understand the physical properties of sound and light and how these impact on the technology and use of film capture equipment.
Studio Production
20 credits
A great deal of film production takes place in dedicated studios or sound stages. This generally involves large teams of people working in departments within a specified hierarchy. This module introduces you to production in a controlled environment, covering both the studio equipment and working practices within a studio. You will gain practical experience through which you can familiarise yourself with the specific roles that different crew members play in the production process.
Sound for Film
20 credits
This module will introduce you to the technology, techniques and practical considerations involved in sound production for film and other visual media. The aim of the module is to familiarise you with the variety of possible procedures undertaken in the incorporation of sound with visuals to create a unified audio-visual experience.
Audio and Video Technology
20 credits
This module will develop your understanding of audio visual technologies in production. The aim of this module is to provide you with the knowledge and appreciation of fundamental principles and practices of audio visual technology.
Year Two
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits):
Production Practice
20 credits
With your crew working as an independent production team, this module seeks to develop your existing skills and further prepare you for the world of professional production. It provides an opportunity to collaborate in a negotiated screen project that will typically be (though not confined to) a single-camera drama or documentary. Designed to give you a real-world experience, you will be adopting industry-standard practices to complete your work and will be guided by industry practitioners. However the suitability of the project - and your involvement in it - is key. This will be determined by a proposal-review-approval system, where the production team (or ‘company’) will seek development advice from a team of Executive Producers in order to plan, produce and exhibit a moving image production.
Narrative Design
20 credits
This module investigates the process of screenwriting and provides opportunity for you to explore this process in preparation for your final year production. Furthermore, it contributes to development of the wider key skills required for employment, through in-class activities, assessments and background research.
Production Workflows
20 credits
The program on which this module is delivered combine the study and usage of audio visual technologies and content management systems utilized in the creation of a range of content which can be delivered to a variety of platforms. As the Film and Television industries have moved to filebased workflows, new roles and practices have come into existence to manage data in reliable and consistent ways, and ensure the safe replication, storage and migration of the ‘digital negative’. This vital link between production and post is currently filled by increasingly skilled and knowledgeable crew members, for whom the title Digital Image Technician has been officially recognised.
Collaborative Practice
20 credits
The module is an opportunity to learn and critically reflect on the skills of collaboration by enabling you to create an interdisciplinary project with students from complementary disciplines, or with academic staff. Collaboration is a vital employability skill within the Creative Industries and this module allows you to develop these skills, making use of University facilities and with the support of academic staff.
Post Production
20 credits
This module focuses on the post production element of filmmaking. Specifically areas concerning editing techniques, compositing, audio finishing, colour correction and grading to aid narrative. You will learn both the technical skills of audio and video editing as well as the grammar and structure that belong to the art in order to become better storytellers.
Research and Testing Methods
20 credits
This module will explore the fundamental concepts involved in conducting technical engineering research. It will explore the international standards and theories underpinning engineering testing and analysis. From this module you will gain knowledge to distinguish and appraise technology and understand current technical limitations, thus underpinning studies for your final year technology project and enhancing your routes into technical employment.
Year Three
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits):
Production Project
40 credits
Acting as an independent production team, this module seeks to develop these skills and further prepare you for the world of work. It provides opportunity to collaborate in a negotiated screen project that can range from a single-camera drama production, through to a small-scale film festival. However, the suitability of the project is key. This will be determined by a proposal-review-approval system, where the production ‘company’ will seek advice and development from an executive team in order to plan, organise and produce an artefact.
Individual Honours Project
40 credits
The purpose of the module is to enable you to undertake a sustained, in-depth and research informed project exploring an area that is of personal interest to you. In agreement with your supervisor, you will decide upon your topic which will take the form of a practical outcome (artefact) with accompanying contextual material. The main consideration when choosing your topic is that it must be aligned to the programme you are studying, and you should consider the relevance of this topic to your future academic or professional development.
At this level, you will be expected to work independently but you will receive additional one-to-one support from your supervisor, who will be familiar with your chosen topic area. As you progress on the module, extra support will be available and this may take the form of group seminars, workshops and online materials that will help to develop your project.
Virtual Production
20 credits
The aim of this module is to transfer and and develop your existing skills into a Virtual Production workflow. Virtual Production is an approach that uses real-time tracking and game engines to perform post-production in real-time during the production phase and has been used in many feature films including The Lion King, The Mandalorian, Avatar, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Guardians of the Galaxy, War of the Planet of the Apes and Game of Thrones, as well as numerous high-end television shows. Virtual Production is frequently referred to as the future of a certain type of filmmaking.
Professional Futures
20 credits
As you prepare to graduate and apply for work in your chosen field within the screen industries the importance of a strong Portfolio and/or Show Reel cannot be overstated. You will engage with a selection of live industry briefs to create work that meets the client's specifications and from which sections of the finished productions can be used to augment the portfolio you will have been developing since Year One. Each week a professional from the industries with which your course is aligned (or one closely adjacent) will give a guest lecture / presentation detailing a particular sector - or role within a sector - for your consideration as a possible professional future. There will also be the potential for micro-placements following successful graduation.
