BA (Hons) in Film Studies and Screenwriting
University of Winchester
Key Information
Campus location
Winchester, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 - 6 years
Pace
Full time, Part time
Tuition fees
GBP 14,700 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
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* international students
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
*Subject to revalidation
- Develop as a critical film scholar and gain a solid grounding for careers in TV, film and media
- Enjoy the freedom to study your favourite genres and periods of cinema while discovering lots of new forms, faces and fields within the film
- Watch a lot of terrific films – and discuss and debate them at lively, interactive seminars
- Hone your creative writing skills and deepen your understanding of the craft of scriptwriting and screenplay development
- Take advantage of outstanding industry-standard facilities to learn practical film techniques and skills at our on-campus Multimedia Centre
Behind every film and TV programme is the creative mind that wrote the screenplay. Could that person be you? Is your dream to pen a Hollywood blockbuster, a BAFTA-winning TV drama, or a quirky, independent film? Our Film Studies and Screenwriting course is ideal for you if you are passionate about film and determined to produce creative work within the industry.
In our three-year degree programme, you acquire the foundational knowledge with which to analyse film and film scripts within relevant and informing historical, cultural, national and institutional contexts.
Watching, discussing and studying a wide spectrum of film genres, from Hollywood blockbusters to French art-house classics, gives you a deep appreciation of the creative process. By engaging critically with film texts, you deepen your appreciation of narrative structure, technique and aesthetics, and your understanding of how filmmakers represent class, race and sexuality. At the same time, analysing the art and practice of screenwriting develops your writing skills and capacity to critique the quality of your own work.
You undertake practical work which develops integrated knowledge of a wide range of theoretical concepts. It also gives you the ability to employ methodological skills and tools relevant to careers in scriptwriting, screenplay development and other creative text production roles in the media/film industry.
You are taught by a team of film specialists and industry professionals with different backgrounds, whose diverse research expertise is reflected in the breadth and scope of the curriculum.
In the first year, you take core academic Film Studies modules, such as Reading Film and Film Criticism, as well as core Screenwriting modules, including Creating Short Screenplays and Script Report Writing.
By Year 2, you are ready to deepen your understanding of the writing process with core modules on research skills, Screenwriting, and Scriptwriting for Mainstream Television. You also have the flexibility to choose five optional modules which may include Telling True Stories, Science Fiction and Fantasy, and Contemporary European Cinemas.
In the last year, you choose at least three Film Studies and three Screenwriting optional modules, as well as a subject for your dissertation. Film Studies options may include Film and the City, and Cult Film and Art Cinema. Screenwriting options may include Film Script Development and Advanced Screenwriting.
Many of our graduates go on to creative careers in film or television, as writers and script editors. Others find work in production, journalism, teaching, and other professions requiring advanced communication skills.
*This course is subject to revalidation. 'Revalidation' is the process by which the University refreshes its existing provision. Revalidation assesses the quality and standards of the programme to ensure it continues to provide a distinct, high-quality academic experience for students, enabling them to acquire the necessary academic knowledge, understanding, and general and subject-specific skills required to pursue a graduate-level career.
Admissions
Curriculum
Year 1 (Level 4)
- Film Form, History and Culture 15
- Film Criticism 15
- Creating Short Screenplays 15
- Genre Filmmaking 15
- Film Narrative 15
- The Director: Auteur Filmmaking 15
- Script Report Writing
Year 2 (Level 5)
- Approaches to Film 15
- Screenwriting 15
- Scriptwriting for Mainstream Television
- Researching Film Studies 15
Optional Modules
- Myths, Dreams & Creative Writing 15 Credits
- Telling True Stories 15 Credits
- Classical Hollywood Cinema 15 Credits
- Post-Classical Hollywood Cinema 15 Credits
- Contemporary European Cinema 15 Credits
- Music and Film 15 Credits
- Gangster and Crime Film 15 Credits
- British Cinema - Comedy, Realism and the Imaginary 15 Credits
- Science Fiction and Fantasy 15 Credits
- Film Cultures and Globalization 15 Credits
- Literature and Film
- Literary Adaptations for Film and Television 15 Credits
- Volunteering for Film and Television
Year 3 (Level 6)
- Extended Independent Study – Writing Project 30
- Extended Independent Study - Dissertation 30
Optional Modules
- Melodrama and Film 15 Credits
- Film and the City 15 Credits
- Film and Reality: Modernity, Modernism and Postmodernism 15 Credits
- Advanced Screenwriting: Adaptations 15 Credits
- Scriptwriting: innovating within popular forms 15 Credits
- Creative Visions 15 Credits
- Adapting Crime Fictions 15 Credits
- Science Fictions & Fantasies 15 Credits
- Authorship and Film 15 Credits
- Stars 15 Credits
- Cult Film and Art Cinema 15 Credits
- Gothic Film 15 Credits
- Killer Films 15 Credits
- Identity and Contemporary American Film 15 Credits
- Film Script Development 15 Credits
Career Opportunities
Graduates pursue careers in the film- and television-related industries as professional writers, and script editors or in production, journalism, teaching, or other professions requiring advanced communication skills.
The University of Winchester ranks in the top 10 in the UK for graduates in employment or further study according to the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2021, HESA.
Pre-approved for a Master's
If you study for a Bachelor's Honours Degree with us, you will be pre-approved to start a Master's degree at Winchester. To be eligible, you will need to apply by the end of March in the final year of your degree and meet the entry requirements of your chosen Master's degree.