Filmmaking with a Foundation Year - BA (Hons) drafted

Program Overview

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Our cutting edge BA (Hons) Filmmaking with Foundation degree course will develop your skills across key filmmaking debates and practice conventions. You will be taught by noted film scholars and established practitioners, who will provide their knowledge of international film criticism and filmmaking perspectives.

The course is part of Birmingham City University’s Film Futures suite, designed to develop graduates with the theory, practice and industry trends that will enable them to succeed in a rapidly changing film environment.

About foundation courses

This four year programme has been specifically designed to allow you to undertake additional level 3 study, to ensure you are successful on your chosen degree course. The foundation year helps you to develop skills such as academic writing, referencing and researching, as well as important transferable skills such as project management and team work.

After successful completion of your foundation year, you will have the flexibility to either complete the undergraduate degree programme in the School of Games, Film and Animation, or switch (should you wish to change direction) onto a number of related undergraduate degree programmes within

Birmingham School of Media

.

This course is

open

to

International

students.

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What's covered in this course?

The course considers of a wide range of filmmaking conventions, from theory, practice and industry perspectives. Not only will you gain an understanding of Hollywood cinema conventions (from silent cinema to modern blockbuster spectaculars), but you will apply these storytelling techniques to a variety of production scenarios. As well as looking at American filmmaking conventions, you will also be introduced to other international traditions of cinema that range from European perspectives of documentary to Bollywood film and beyond.

A key focus of the course will be on the aesthetic and creative aspects of filmmaking, with consideration being given to both mainstream and experimental modes of film creation, as well as how these traditions are mediated by differing production and postproduction techniques. Whilst theoretical and practice based considerations of filmmaking techniques remains a central focus to the the award, the course also provides modules on on film festival programming and film entrepreneurship, which help provide core skills relevant to the film industry.

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How you will learn

You will be taught in a range of lectures, seminars, writing workshops and production sessions, while regular film screenings help you contextualise cinema traditions against your own script creations.

Your formal studies will be enriched by the possibility to work on a range of external events, such as the Cine-Excess International Film Festival. This annual event attracts visiting international filmmakers, as well as hosting UK theatrical premieres on a regular basis. Having previously operated in London’s West End and Brighton, Cine-Excess has now relocated to BCU to operate as a central resource for the course.

Create cutting edge cinema productions with BCU’s new Filmmaking programme.

Xavier Mendik, Course Director

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Why Choose Us?

The course combines practice, theory and industry approaches to filmmaking,  alongside training in film festival programming techniques.

You will be taught by noted film professors, cinema scholars and established screenwriters. Staff on the programme work together to ensure that you receive a balanced understanding of theory, practice and industry skilling relevant to the field.

You will be taught at the city centre campus, home to an impressive range of media resources, studios and edit suites.

You’ll have the opportunity to enhance your industry awareness by getting involved with our

Curzon Street Studios

team in a wide range of production and film projects, including working on gigs and commercials for professional football clubs and high-profile industry giants such as Sony, Disney and Microsoft.

You will also have the opportunity to work on film projects completed for the Cine-Excess festival. One recent production completed by BCU students and staff was the award-winning documentary Tax Shelter Terrors (2017).

You will have access to film collections that will enrich your course of studies. These include the Cult Film Archive, a collection of 4,000+ resources (including films, screenplays and promotional materials) that have been donated directly from leading filmmakers and distribution companies in the field.

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Studying with us during the Covid-19 pandemic

The University has put in place

measures in response to Covid-19

to allow us to safely deliver our courses. Should the impact of the pandemic continue in future years, any additional or alternative arrangements put in place by the University will be in accordance with the latest government public health advice, health and safety legislation, and the terms and conditions of the

student contract

.

Program Outline

Foundation year

Year one

Year two

Year three

Foundation year

In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits):

Cross Media Production 1 20 credits

The purpose of this practical production module is to explore media production techniques in film, online video, television and immersive media. The module is designed to recognise that many media professionals no longer work in specialised areas and are often asked to make use of a range of skills and platforms across different media in order to reach their audiences. Throughout the module you will be supported to develop industry-level practical skills through a range of production activities and workshops.

Cross Media Production 2 20 credits

The purpose of this practical production module is to explore media production techniques in journalism, public relations, music industries, radio and audio production. The module draws together the skills needed for writing and producing content for print and online, as well as developing communications campaigns that connect with audiences dispersed across digital platforms. The module is designed to recognise that many media professionals no longer work in specialised areas and are often asked to make use of a range of skills and platforms across different media in order to reach their audiences.

Practice Project 40 credits

The purpose of the module is to enable you to undertake a production project in the subject specialism of your choosing, exploring an area that is of personal interest to you. The outcome can take the form of a written or a practice-based outcome. You will be able to evaluate and reflect critically on your work. Your final work will be a key step in your progression as a student of the media and as a media worker. You will be expected to work independently for the most part but you will receive one-to-one support from a supervisor as well as being able to connect with wider support within the School’s academic team.

Media Context and Production 20 credits

The purpose of this module is to introduce you to the key concepts aligned to studying media and communication. The module will focus on making connections between theory and practice and will support your wider understanding of the media industry and the context of your own work. You will have the opportunity to engage with theoretical perspectives that focus on the political economy of the media which will enable you to see how media texts are shaped by the organisation, ownership and regulation of the media industry. You will identify and reflect on political, moral and ethical issues raised by the relationships between the media, culture and ideas of power in local, national and international contexts.

Professional and Academic Skills 20 credits

The purpose of this module is to assist you in developing the academic skills needed to succeed in higher education, and the professional skills required to support your ambitions to be a media worker. You will be introduced to the wide range of academic and practical support that the university offers.

Year one

In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits):

Hollywood: Early Film to Blockbusters 40 credits

This module introduces you to Hollywood film through its early, classical and post-classical traditions. The module is structured around the examination of these three stages of development, with a range of debates that also allow you to evaluate American cinema through its stylistic, generic, industrial and historical features.

Film Industry Primer 20 credits

This module reviews today’s global film marketplace, examining the scale, scope and structure of this multi-billion dollar industry. The aim is to help you navigate the current and emerging landscape for film, in a rapidly evolving industry, developing your appreciation of key players, the impact of the global market on the value chain and sustainability of the sector in consideration of social, cultural, economic and political influences.

Foundations of Filmmaking 20 credits

A key aspect to understanding filmmaking, is the actual process. This module will provide you with an introduction to conventional filmmaking techniques, such as lighting, camerawork and sound recording. This also includes an introduction to pre-production operations. This will be in the form of visual and sound acquisition techniques, as well as strategies to plan for this. You will be expected to operate a range of equipment, reflecting typical processes to do with narrative and documentary filmmaking. This foundation can be built upon to support future production endeavours.

Documentary: Theory and Practice 40 credits

In this module you will explore the development of the film and television documentary by critically investigating the medium through a range of lectures, readings and screenings, and applying this to produce your own short documentary. We will consider different genres of documentary, such as direct cinema, mockumentary, investigative, ethnographic, docu-soap, experimental, docu-drama, reconstruction and the music documentary, as well as some of the contemporary issues facing documentary film makers. We will engage with a variety of academic debates that relate to the documentary, which include realism, representation, ethics and ideology, and the social, political, economic and technological contexts in which documentary can be critically located.

Year two

In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 80 credits):

Film Festivals 20 credits

This module will examine the role film festivals play in garnering critical acclaim, enabling audience access and acting as a trade hub for film, playing a part in the financing, distribution and marketing of independent titles. The aim is to unpack the culture of film festivals from the lavish, major international affairs through to grassroots events. You will examine the drivers, objectives and investment that underpins them and their strategic importance for relationship building, launching and generating PR for film.

Filmmaking Practices 40 credits

This module follows on from the year one module and helps move you further towards your professionalism. Whereas introduced you to fundamental operations, this module introduces you to ways in which you can utilise filmmaking equipment to consider and enhance the aesthetics of production. Through the study of Light, Colour, Area, Depth, Time, Movement and Sound, you will be expected to consider these as a way to further enhance your production skills.

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. Within this module framework, several kinds of collaborative opportunities are available. For example, with the approval of your supervisor, you can determine a project based on your own interests; your supervisor may set you a predetermined project to enable you to work with other students in a way that is appropriate to your subject area; or there may be opportunities for you to collaborate with staff on research projects. In all cases, you must apply your subject skills to an interdisciplinary project which will be agreed in advance with your supervisor.

In order to complete this course you must successfully complete at least 40 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules:

Cinema of the Seventies 20 credits

This module will provide students with an overview of the cultural relevancy of 1970s cinema. Initially exploring the context of the decade and the fragmented nature of film narratives at the time the module will discuss the emergence and demise of ‘American New Wave/New Hollywood’ but also explore further the style, substance and aesthetics of the varying sub-genres of the time as well as the cultural and creative impact they had on both cinematic presentation and other aspects of the media industry.

Film Music 20 credits

This module builds on the work you have been doing on other areas of the course by expanding your knowledge on the details of film and film production. It will explore the concept of film music as an integral part of film, including how music is used in film to guide audience perceptions and emotions and as an interpretive layer. The module will also continue the work of integrating the theory and practice of film. Through a range of teaching approaches, which include lectures, workshops, and practical exercises, you will investigate the techniques, processes and practices of film music. Each week will also include viewing examples of scoring appropriate to the week’s theme.

Cinematography 20 credits

This module follows on from Foundations of Filmmaking, but introduces you to the key elements of cinematography in greater detail. Whereas Foundations of Filmmaking introduced you to fundamental, wider aspect of production and associated operations, this builds upon these, yet purely focusses on the duties within the field of cinematography.

Foundations of Screenwriting 20 credits

This module will teach you the essential skills of, and principles behind, the writing of short films. Although these principles apply primarily to screenwriting for film and television, this module will instead be concerned with the writing of short films. You will study a number of freely available short guides to screenplay layout and formatting and be trained in the practical application of screenplay formatting software. You will write three short scripts, given as fortnightly writing exercises, and receive detailed formative feedback on one of the scripts, which you can use to improve and develop your work for your final portfolio. You will focus on visual storytelling, layout conventions, and the issue of writing to scale (budget). You will also be encouraged to analyse, but also critique, dramatic construction in terms of character function, motivation and genre.

Core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.

Year three

In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 80 credits):

Postproduction Techniques 20 credits

This Module focuses on the post production element of filmmaking. Specifically areas concerning editing techniques, colour correction and grading to aid narrative. Students 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.

Major Project 60 credits

The purpose of the module is to enable you to undertake a sustained, in-depth and theoretically informed research project exploring an area that is of personal interest to you. It is important that we can support you appropriately, so you will be guided towards choosing a research topic which is relevant to your discipline and in which your lecturers have expertise. The outcome may take the form of a written dissertation or a practice-based portfolio.

In order to complete this course you must successfully complete at least 40 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules.

Professional Practice 40 credits

Professional Practice

Bollywood Film: Culture, Diaspora and Globalization 20 credits

This module builds on previous film textual analytical skills and theoretical studies undertaken at previous levels of the course and applies them to the critical, historical and theoretical study of Bollywood cinema (aka popular Hindi cinema) and related cultural industries. This is an option module for all students with an academic interest in the analytical and theoretical field of reading films closely, and will prepare students who wish to develop expertise and knowledge in areas that focus on historical and contemporary issues of culture, diaspora and globalization.

Cult Film 20 credits

The module introduces you to the key debates related to the discipline of cult film studies, which has emerged over the last twenty years as a distinct aspect of critical interest within film and media theory.

Film Entrepreneurship 20 credits

Gaining a working knowledge of current film business trends and practices is at the core of this module. It combines taught seminars dedicated to current film employment practices with an industry guest speaker programme in order to provide a crucial toolkit that will assist in working within the contemporary film sector.

Reclaiming the Frame 20 credits

This module provides an opportunity to engage with and consider films that explore the perspectives and experiences of minority groups in western societies. The module will consider the intersectional barriers faced by those attempting to work within the film industry (both historically and in the current context) as well as the ways in which technology has democratized the form. The core consideration of this module will be who has been excluded from mainstream cinema, or had their work overlooked, and how in the current context this can be addressed. Further to this we will also focus on experimental film and video work and how non-mainstream contexts may provide an alternative place for film practitioners to explore their ideas.

Writing Short Films 20 credits

This module will enable you to build upon your current reading and writing of short films, and to develop your range, technique and sophistication as a contemporary screenwriter, applying your knowledge to the writing of a short film script of 10 minutes in length. You will study a guide to writing short films and build on your practical application of screenplay formatting software. You will write one ‘Academy’ short screenplay of 10 pages, on which you will receive detailed formative feedback, enabling you to rewrite towards your portfolio assessment. You will focus on visual storytelling, layout conventions, the issue of writing to scale (budget) and will work collaboratively on writing, planning, shooting and editing a short film of 3-minutes’ length. While a group mark will be given for the collaborative component of the assessment, your moderator reserves the right to mark individually if it is apparent that individuals have contributed more or less than others.

Core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.

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As part of your Foundation Year you will be studying alongside Media, Journalism, Music Industries and PR students and you will be taught by staff from these disciplines.

Film as a subject requires skills from (and a critical awareness of) a wide range of media forms. By interacting with staff from different disciplines and working on projects across a wide variety of media, you will have the opportunity to develop a broader skillset going into your degree- ultimately making you a valuable team member for filmmaking and screenwriting projects, or a more informed film critic.

During the first year of the BA (Hons) Filmmaking course, you will be introduced to key film debates and production practices through modules such as

Foundations of Filmmaking.

This unit presumes no prior knowledge, and your introductory skilling here will be further expanded through the module

Hollywood: Early Film to Blockbusters

, which considers the filmmaking conventions in a range of Hollywood film formats, while the industrial practices of American cinema will be further explored complimented by a

Film Industry Primer

module that is also undertaken in this first year of study. Alongside a focus on U.S. based filmmaking practices, a

Documentary: Theory and Practice

module also undertaken in the first year offers you the opportunity to create your own short films based on documentary techniques in the field.

The second year of the course lets you expand your knowledge of filmmaking conventions through more detailed modules such

Filmmaking Practices

. As well as being able to undertake a range of optional modules around topics such as

Screen Cultures

,

Cinema of the Seventies

and

Foundations of Screenwriting

, this second year of study also provides a dedicated module on

Festival Festivals

, which outlines the key industry skills required to stage cinema events.

During the final third year of study, your knowledge of filmmaking considers both post-production techniques and national cinema traditions. A module on

Postproduction Techniques

considers a range of mainstream and experimental practices of cinema, while optional modules on

Bollywood Cinema

and

Cult Film

outline the importance of both non-Western and subcultural traditions of film. In addition, an optional module on

Film Entrepreneurship

allows you to assess key business practices that are relevant to the current cinema industry. As the culmination of your final year of study you will also undertake the

Major Project

module, which allows you to carry out an independent study of an aspect of cinema theory, film practice or an industry convention that has interested you as a result of your studies on the BA (Hons) Filmmaking course.

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Classroom projects

During your studies there will be practice-based opportunities to engage with a regional film festival such as

Cine-Excess

, an annual international film festival and conference on global cult film cultures. You will also be able to access film collections such as the Cult Film Archive during the course of your studies.

The Birmingham School of Media also has an established and inclusive research culture that promotes dialogue and collaboration between staff and students. The Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural Research (BCMCR) in the School of Media welcomes visiting researchers from across the world and holds regular research seminars which mix presentations from staff, PG students and speakers from a range of our collaborative partnerships. BCMCR welcomes all students to research seminars, which are free to attend.