Program Overview

BA (Hons) Media Production

Why study this course with LJMU?

• To turn your creativity and passions into a Content Creator career
• 95% of students surveyed said the teaching staff on our media courses were good at explaining things (National Student Survey 2024)
• Designed with students in collaboration with practitioners and industry
• As well as the traditional media formats, explore the foundations and boundaries of Mixed Realities Production enabling you to innovate and inspire using hands-on, active learning
• Build the toolkit and adaptable attitude to gain employment in the highly competitive and rewarding creative industries

About your course

This BA (Hons) Media Production degree at Liverpool John Moores University is next generation focused.

• The course is a creative industries training ground with an emphasis on both the traditional craft skills and studio models as well as the emerging crafts of mixed realities.
• We are a hands-on, active learning programme. We show, then you do.
• You will use various hardware and software solutions in response to the creative, theoretical, and critical challenges set.
• You will learn the traditional preproduction, production and postproduction skills of Moving Image and Audio Fiction and Non-fiction shorts.
• You will also explore Audio podcasting and live environments.
• You have the option of a TV Studio project in your second year, culminating in a live broadcast of a show you develop from scratch with your team.
• The newest strand of the design champions Digital Workflows and explores areas such as Immersive/Interactive storytelling, 360, VR and AR.

Course modules

Year 1

• Digital Workflows (20 credits)
  • Through a series of workshops blending theory and practice, practical sessions and targeted briefs you will gain an understanding of contemporary workflows within the creative industries.
  • You will also gain theoretical and practical experience of creating and manipulating various forms of digital media with the purpose of conveying information and stories.
• Moving Image (20 credits)
  • This module introduces you to the grammar of moving image production and allows you to acquire a range of technical and organisational skills.
  • Through a series of workshops, you will acquire a basic competency in production techniques.
  • In the group portfolio students will experience the development and production of both a non-fiction and a fictional film.
  • In the Individual play piece students can express their individuality.
• Storytelling (20 credits)
  • Lectures will provide introductions to narrative theories which will then be applied to group work and discussions in seminars.
  • The workshop series will develop scholarship skills including Microsoft Office Tools, Harvard Referencing, using appendices and layout features.
  • The tone of Essays, Reports and Reflective Essays will also be explored.
• Audio (20 credits)
  • This module will help you to demonstrate the acquired skills in interviewing, recording, editing and sound design.
  • During the module, you will produce a well-crafted audio artefact with an engaging story.
  • You will be able to do so by reflecting upon audio and its importance in creative industries, informed by knowledge and history of the radio/podcast industry.
  • Completion of the module will instil an awareness of professionalism and communication skills.
• Industries Portfolio 1 (20 credits)
  • This module will introduce internal and industry guests to your lectures.
  • Each two-hour seminar will require you to engage in tasks and blog about your experiences weekly.
  • As part of your portfolio, you will also engage with future focus and career planning e-learning tools.
  • The presentations give the group a chance to practice this important skill and to express their insights and learning journey.
• Project Management (20 credits)
  • This module will explore the methods of effectively managing creative projects.
  • You will work as part of a creative team in developing and presenting outputs in response to a brief.
  • This will help you to maintain, record and communicate project management workflows and creative decisions.
  • Alongside engaging with meaningful peer review processes.

Year 2

• Mixed Realities (20 credits)
  • You will collaboratively explore hardware and software that can engage an audience in mixed, merged, augmented, extended, and virtual realities; for utility and/or entertainment.
  • Platforms for delivery might include any screen based technology and you will explore terms and realms such as; AR; MR; XR; VR; web.
  • To develop a range of possible narrative worlds that might be; location-based; participatory; playful; and informed by UX and UI considerations.
  • Students, in small teams will negotiate and then implement a mixed reality artefact.
  • Seminar Crit will provide a space for peer to peer project development feedback and discussion.
  • You will individually evaluate the research that informed, and the outcomes of, your group project.
• Postproduction (20 credits)
  • Through a series of lectures and practical workshops you will learn the various ways in which post-production techniques can be used to enhance narrative and add depth to moving image material.
  • You will follow typical industry workflows in the development of personal projects; experimenting with concepts and techniques whilst ensuring that creative decisions are justified and fit the requirements of the brief.
• Digital Marketing (20 credits)
  • This module will equip you with the skills and understanding necessary to explore the creative process in building successful online brands.
  • You will analyse the relationship between enterprises and advertising agencies and discover how to create innovative concepts that are appropriate for a given creative brief.
  • The lecture series will introduce key concepts including:
    • STP (Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning)
    • 7 p's of marketing
    • Performance tracking – platform engagement, mobile vs web click through etc
    • Analytics – using media data sets to inform strategy
    • The Seminar Crit will encourage peer to peer learning and feedback on campaign plans.
    • Workshops will support technical needs.
• Fiction (20 credits)
  • In this module students work in teams to produce a short film drama following a series of lectures, master classes, workshops and tutorials.
  • Pre-production, casting, rehearsals, research, filming and editing will be undertaken as independent study.
  • You will choose either the Moving Image or Audio output in the first session, then be grouped accordingly.
• Industries Portfolio 2 (20 credits)
  • This module will introduce guest experts and agency members.
  • The workshops are a blend of seminar and practical to support portfolio generation.
  • You will be invited to creatively respond to the brief in groups, then you will choose one area of industry from the syllabus to highlight.
  • You may create a single, self-contained Moving Image or Audio output, alternatively you may create an interactive experience online, or a "pack" containing many short, but related artefacts.
  • You will be invited to present your plan formatively for feedback and approval.

Year 3

• Development and Distribution (20 credits)
  • The aim of the module is to develop and critically analyse an original concept for a media production.
  • This module prepares you for your final independent production module in semester two.
  • The media project you design and pitch in this module will be produced as your final independent project.
• Digital Disruption (20 credits)
  • Weekly lectures will expose you to new industry trends and innovations through guest speakers and new technology demonstrations.
  • This will encourage exploration and disruption in terms of using familiar process in new ways and impacting society.
  • In the workshops, you will identify areas to focus your disruptive response to the brief with peer input and testing.
  • You will present project progress weekly while workshops also offer technical support.
• Specialisms (20 credits)
  • In week one of the module, you will identify areas for development in your chosen skillset and plan for key milestones.
  • Weekly workshops will support hardware or software progression in your chosen specialism.
  • Then, every two weeks, you will present progress and confirm further development stages with your tutor in seminars.
  • If you fall behind or move ahead of milestones, the learning plan will be negotiated accordingly with tutor approval.
• Independent Project (40 credits)
  • The module provides a concentrated opportunity to contribute to the origination, research, development, and production of a media artefact as a culmination of your degree experience.
  • This module will provide an opportunity for you to produce work that reflects your skills and positions you in the job market, providing you with valuable practical experience and a portfolio piece of work.
• Industries Portfolio 3 (20 credits)
  • This module is designed to facilitate students entering the workplace after graduation, providing further professional development by engaging with professionals in your chosen fields.
  • You will design a real career action plan with realistic next steps.
  • Your weekly lectures will introduce guests and internal specialists working in creative industries recruitment.
  • This will support you on your final trajectory to employment.
  • Five two-hour workshops, delivered in the second half of the module, will blend as tutorial and feedback sessions on portfolio elements towards your final submission.

Professional accreditation

The Liverpool Screen School is a BAFTA albert Education Partner and proud to be working with albert to arm students with the sustainability knowledge they’ll need when joining the screen industries. BAFTA albert is the leading screen industry organisation for environmental sustainability.

Your Learning Experience

• Teaching Support Assessment
• Excellent facilities and learning resources
• We adopt an active blended learning approach, meaning you will experience a combination of face-to-face and online learning during your time at LJMU.
• This enables you to experience a rich and diverse learning experience and engage fully with your studies.
• Our approach ensures that you can easily access support from your personal tutor, either by meeting them on-campus or via a video call to suit your needs.
• Teaching is delivered via a combination of practical and workshop classes, lectures, seminars, online activities and individual tutorials.
• Private study, individual and group production work as well as academic writing and research is an important aspect of degree-level study and so you will be expected to spend about 40% of your time working independently, when producing media, preparing essays, reports or presentations.
• Plus you will be expected to complete independent study and group work and participate in online activities and discussions using our virtual learning environment, Canvas.

Career paths

• You will be encouraged to take advantage of the wealth of work experience available via the School’s Production Unit.
• This unique aspect of the course offers you the opportunity to undertake paid and unpaid work for professional clients, helping you build up a genuine CV of media work experience to present to potential employers.
• Graduates from Media Production have an excellent employment record, particularly in professional broadcast media, ranging from television researchers and assistant producers, camera assistants, designers, press officers, technical directors, producers of new media and online content.

Tuition fees and funding

• Home: £9,535
• International: £17,750
• The fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as library membership and student IT support with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources including programme-appropriate software and on campus Wi-Fi.
• The University offers a range of scholarships to support students through their studies.
• You'll find all the information you need on our specialist funding pages, including details of the Student Support Fund and other activities to support with the cost of living.

Entry requirements

• GCSEs and equivalents
  • Grade 4 or grade C or above in English Language and Mathematics/Numeracy.
• A levels
  • BCC
  • Minimum Number of A Levels: 2
  • Maximum AS UCAS Points: 20
• BTECs
  • Extended Diploma: DMM
• Access awards
  • Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications
• International Baccalaureate
  • Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications
• OCR Cambridge Technical
  • Extended Diploma: DMM
• Irish awards
  • Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications
• T levels
  • Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications.
• IELTS
  • 6.0 overall with no component below 5.5, taken within two years of the course start date.

How to apply

• UCAS is the official application route for our full-time undergraduate courses.
• Further information on the UCAS application process can be found here
• The essential skills that should be included on your application form are:
  • Applicants should display an enthusiasm and aptitude for studying this area
  • Applicants should show evidence of extracurricular activities in this field of study
  • Applicants must be team players and your application must reflect this
  • Applicants should demonstrate their qualities as creative practitioners