BA (Hons) in Film and Television

This full-time 3-year degree in film and TV production has been designed to ensure that you not only graduate with writing, shooting, and editing technical skills but also as a creative practitioner with your own unique voice. Each year will build on the skills you developed in the previous year as you take on more challenging projects on a bigger scale.

We see your time with us as an opportunity to embark upon a voyage of discovery. One where you are given the freedom and confidence to discover yourself, who you are and who you wish to become. One where you are guided through and towards possibilities that you never even considered were options for you. Whether that be in the creation of new ideas to developing a love for technical proficiencies. A discovery where you stand at the very centre of your education and you get to choose your direction of travel with confidence and all fully guided by the core principles of the course and the academic team.

Year One

You are introduced to a broad range of skills which will benefit your future projects, including TV studio production, script-writing, lighting, camera operation, shot choice, composition, location sound recording, producing, directing and a host of other relevant skills and techniques.

• Media Craft Skills - Develop an understanding and working knowledge of a range of key technical skills in the media production-making process
• Lens and Edit Craft- Introduction to projects and tasks that give you a focused working knowledge of key technical skills in film and TV, and professional photographic production, postproduction, and disciplinary practices and processes
• Cultural Contexts - Introduction to the cultural, historical, and social contexts in which creative work from a range of disciplines will be discussed, examined, and analysed
• Applied Storytelling - Introduction to the technologies and production processes involved in Film and Television production, promoting an understanding of the research techniques underpinning dramatic scripted fictional and non-scripted factual productions
• Collaborative Practice - Explore professional scenarios through problem-solving and project-based learning

Year Two

You will start to specialise and build on your technical & creative skill set through a range of production and large-scale projects, including advanced script-writing, TV production, cinematography, experimental film, documentary, and short film.

• On Set - Work on a series of full Film & TV productions to study single and multi-camera work
• Scene Craft - Tackle creative and professional challenges with space for experimentation and production of visual work, narrative, ideas, and concepts
• Script and Narrative - Introduction to the concepts and techniques employed in writing for a variety of media forms
• Unscripted TV Idea and Concept - Explore the creative and professional challenges in designing ideas, presentations, and pitches for unscripted television, factual programming, documentary films and digital production commissions
• Professional Development - Explore career attributes, ambitions, and trajectories within the context of an evolving ‘professional development portfolio’

Year Three

All your acquired knowledge, creative technique, and skills will be focused on professional production, putting into practice all you have learned in the creation and exhibiting of award-winning, festival-ready work.

• Research Portfolio
• Promotion and Pitch - Prepare to engage with creative industries and external audiences through the promotion of media professionalism, self-confidence, collaboration, and team strategies
• Graduate Project - Consolidate the practical and conceptual skills developed throughout the course into one final project
• Festival and Exhibition - Perfect the skills necessary to identify and successfully engage with media industries post-graduation

How You Will Be Assessed

The range of assessment modes used by Film and Television include:

• Critical Reflection
• Group Work
• Individual Presentations
• Practical Productions
• Essays
• Graduate Project
• Research Portfolios
• Reflection of Creative Actions

Our Film & TV programme will use an innovative model of combining industry-proven Mentors with experienced academics. Online academic sessions will be available for you to access at a time that suits you, while others will be at set times, offering the benefits of face-to-face learning with online learning. The range of assessments is used because this enables different aspects of your learning to be tested.

On This Course You Will...

• Study within a safe, creative and vibrant environment that allows for individual approaches to filmmaking. There is an emphasis on practical learning with practical tasks and collaborative work
• Develop close but meaningful working relationships with industry partners and critical friends to enhance learning and experiences for our students
• Benefit from a flexible programme that reacts to industry/market needs when shaping the course
• Have access to industry-standard equipment with managed access to kits where individual personal projects are encouraged
• Prepare for the employment of tomorrow by learning future-proof, broader skill base, transferable skills and adaptation – learners must show resilience, confidence, and ingenuity
• Collaborate with expert lecturers such as course leader and Directors UK member Clive Tonge.

How You Will Learn

To succeed in the creative professions, individuals need to be highly skilled, competitive, and independent. As well as developing the knowledge and skills necessary to enter their chosen discipline, the programme seeks, from day one, to inculcate a strong professional ethos and values which make University of Cumbria graduates stand out in the workplace.

BA (Hons) Film and Television use a range of learning approaches such as lectures, demonstrations, seminars, workshops, critique reviews, pitching, and one-to-one feedback tutorials to monitor the progress of various projects, all with a bespoke VLE.

You will also undertake self-directed research and within the VLE environment, participate in forums, seminars, and lectures. As an undergraduate, you are continually involved in the assessment of your own work and that of your peers. You are required to develop interpersonal and team working skills within this context. You will also receive formative critical feedback from tutors.

A distinct feature of studying at the University of Cumbria is that in your first year, you will study two modules alongside other first-year students within the Institute of Art. These modules are Cultural Contexts and Collaborative Practice. Additionally, you will work alongside Wildlife Media and Animation students for your first year 'Media Craft Skills' module.

Going into your second year, you will begin to specialise in Film & TV. However, you will still study alongside other Art students for modules like 'Professional Development' which explores professional skills and presentation in screen-based industries.

Learning will take place in person, online, and in the field.