Course details
On this course you will usually be taught by a range of staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This will include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners and research students. You will also benefit from regular guest lectures from industry.
How you will be assessed
You will be assessed by coursework culminating in your final year research project, and you will also undertake group work and written exams. The assessment methods for each unit can be found in the programme specification for your course.
Foundation Year
Core units
Academic & Professional Practice: You will build your confidence in both academic and professional skills. This unit will cover the academic skills which will be required at degree level study and you’ll practice them throughout the unit with support from key university services including the library and study skills team. There will also be the opportunity for you to reflect on and develop your own professional skills through interactions with employers, careers services and online resources.
Collaborative Communication Project: The unit focuses on the centrality of communicaiton, both as a process and as a project. Through the collaborative development of a communication solution to a specific communication problem, the unit aims to promote the principles and practices of team-based iterative project work.
Media & Current Debates: You will be introduced to a) the important role and responsibilities of the news media within democratic societies and b) the varied nature of reporting of key events, issues and debates within the contemporary 24/7 news cycle. You will gain an essential level of understanding of what constitues news and what the work of journalists entails. You will also develop an awareness and appreciation of differing coverage of particular stories by a range of news organisations.
Media Work: You will become familiar with a range of profiles and career paths in the communication and media industries and be inspired to reflect on and develop your own professional identity. Through case studies of seminal campaigns, programmes and artefacts, profiles of ground-breaking personalities, masterclasses from industry professionals, and guest talks from BU staff who have worked or currently work in marketing, PR, media production, journalism and communications, you will encounter and interact with diverse role models, career trajectories, and types of profressional practice.
Year 1
Core units
Film Language: You will investigate the fundamental components of film production, the shots and edits, from both a critical and a practical perspective. You will explore film texts and film languages from across a range of historical, social and geographical contexts, to discover the potential of cinematic language to transcend national and political boundaries.
The Film Industries: The purpose behind this unit is to encourage you to explore filmmaking as a process of manufacturing. You will look at the organisational structures of people and businesses, and explore the historical motivations behind why the industries are arranged the way they are today. This will include world cinema markets, such as Nollywood and Bollywood to improve global awareness.
Principles of Storytelling: In an era when people are watching cats on Youtube or sharing six-second Vines on Twitter, this unit aims to empower you with the skills to identify and utilise various tools to construct and deconstruct stories through various mediums.
Film Language 2: In this unit you will explore some of the concepts within the language of film, including intertextuality and ideology, as well as introductions to theories of realism, structuralism and spectatorship, from both a critical and a practical perspective. You will also explore film texts and film languages from across a range of historical, social and geographical contexts, to discover the potential of cinematic language to transcend national and political boundaries.
Creative Collaboration: You will be introduced to the process of effective collaboration through a series of exercises and workshops designed to explore and examine how creative people work together.
Understanding Experimental Film: This unit aims to encourage you to actively question the existing language of film, and develop a culture of ‘testing’. You will learn about certain research methods and conduct an experiment into filmmaking practice.
Year 2
Core units
Film Business: During this unit you will explore film from the perspective of intellectual 'property' - the idea, the script, the film and the merchandise. You will learn about licensing, marketing, the historical development of intellectual property and contemporary issues such as piracy.
Film Story Structures: This unit aims to address the fundamentals of film genre, and encourage you to recognise the skills and techniques that can be used to create effective storytelling in film.
Option units (choose one):
List A (semester one):
Documentary Practice: Explore the different modes of documentary and the relationship between fact and fiction. This unit is designed to give a different perspective on the filmmaking process.
Media Perspectives: This unit aims to further develop your academic and analytical skills, relative to methodologies and approaches. These options foreground transferable ideas within media theory, and whilst they are not film-specific, will encourage you to reflect upon the implications of such theories for your practice.
You will choose an option from list B and C and a third from either list:
List B (semester two):
Production Management: You will explore the management of the production phase of filmmaking, from scheduling to budgeting via location scouting and resource management.
Production Design: This unit focuses on the specialist field of production design including, but not exclusively, costume, props mastering and the principles of set design.
Location & Post Sound: You will explore the specialist field of location and post sound, including, but not exclusively, sound design, sound acquisition, mixing and mastering.
Acting: This unit explores the process of screen performance within filmmaking. You will engage in professional practices and demonstrate your understanding with a portfolio that showcases your ability to effectively manage productions.
List C (semester two):
Directing: You will explore the principle of directing on both sides of the camera. You will explore techniques and approaches to motivating and negotiating with creative collaborators and encouraging conditions that are conducive to creativity.
Camera & Lighting: You will explore the specialist field of camera and lighting, including, but not exclusively, camera technology, grip and the principles of lighting.
Editing: You will explore the specialist field of editing, including, but not exclusively, post-production workflow, advanced editing techniques and principles of grading.
Script Skills: The unit aims to explore techniques and approaches to script writing, script editing and script supervising.
Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.
Optional Placement Year
You'll have the option to complete either a short 20 day placement or a 30-week work placement during the course, working in a professional environment. The placement provides you with an opportunity to enhance your personal development and future employability.
Final Year
Core units
Project Development for Graduate Film: During this unit you will prepare and develop the plans for your graduate film.
Entrepreneurship for the Creative Industries: The cultural and creative industries are increasingly dependent on new forms of economic engagement, while creative individuals increasingly expect to have ‘portfolio careers’. The aim of this unit is to explore some of the tools, skills and strategies that can be utilised to build a career as an independent producer or freelance worker in the contemporary creative industries.
Graduate Film Project: You will have the opportunity to work together or individually to produce a film of your choice, package it appropriately and develop a critical analysis of its strengths and weaknesses.
Option units semester one (choose one):
Independent Research Project: This unit aims to give you the opportunity to critically examine a research question of your choice, using original primary research. The aim is for you to engage with a question that is pertinent to you, and learn the skills of how to research it effectively.
Understanding Distribution: Specifically focusing on film distribution, you will explore the issues around marketing, theatrical exhibition, festivals and the available platforms for filmmakers.
Option units semester two (choose one):
Career Pathways: During this unit you will learn about pitches, presentations and promoting yourself properly in front of industry.
Film Festivals for Makers & Curators: Arguably the first step for many graduates in the marketplace will be a film festival. This unit aims to inform you of the role of the festival and the strategies for succeeding at them.
Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.
Schedules Learning and teaching activities
Contact hours
The hours below give an indication of how you can expect to spend your time during each year of this course. You will learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops and practical sessions.
Your independent learning could include reading books and journal articles, working on group projects, preparing presentations, conducting library research and writing your assignments.
Year 1 – 30% of your time will be spent in timetabled learning & teaching activities
Learning and teaching: 360 hours
Independent learning: 840 hours
Year 2 – 30% of your time will be spent in timetabled learning & teaching activities
Learning and teaching: 360 hours
Independent learning: 684 hours
Placement: 156 hours
Year 3 - 25% of your time will be spent in timetabled learning & teaching activities
Learning and teaching: 300 hours
Independent learning: 900 hours
