Film and Television Production

BA (Hons)

Intermediate award(s): CertHE, DipHE
Full-Time

This course is available in Clearing, call us on 0845 271 3333 for more information

Staff teaching on this course are leading practitioners. Senior Lecturer, Tim Sidell worked on two major film projects in 2012 as Director of Photography Berberian Sound Studio and Storage 24.
Our working studio set

Course overview

Our BA (Hons) Film and Television Production course is designed to equip you with a range of skills that enable you to operate effectively in the professional environment of television and film production. Guided by our highly experienced teaching staff, many of whom are practising professionals in the industry, you will explore a range of styles and genres in documentary and film-fiction production.

The course maintains a balance between providing you with the essential theoretical background and giving you the skills and techniques required for practice. You will develop your talents in production management, cinematography and post-production. A wide range of module options in screenwriting, directing, producing and multi-camera studio operations will allow you to delve deeper into areas of particular interest or perhaps to prepare for a favoured career path. Key to this course is a focus on vocational training. The techniques you will learn are used in television and film production today. With access to the excellent on-campus facilities, you will shoot film and video, from high-definition through to domestic digital. Post-production is usually non-linear, which offers the opportunity to produce a Dolby 5:1 stereo soundtrack.

This course is very much about providing you with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the film and television industries, but it is also about giving you the opportunity to enjoy the dynamic and stimulating environment offered by Cambridge School of Art.

Additional course information

Students in this discipline develop knowledge and understanding of a range of genres in documentary and fiction film-making and a range of modes of production operated in the various sectors of the contemporary film and television industry. Additional specialist learning in directing, producing, and multi-camera studio operation are also included in the course provision.

Student coursework is project based and reflects the technological skills required for employability in this sector. Practical work is combined with written analytical work to provide students with good communication skills and an independent approach to their creative work.

Level 1 (Year 1) and Level 2 (Year 2)
In the first two years, you discover a range of styles and genres in factual programming, documentaries and fiction production. You develop skills in production management, cinematography and post-production before selecting your chosen specialisms. There are specialist modules in directing, cinematography, editing, producing and multi-camera studio operations. Group production dominates the schedule, though there are formal and informal opportunities for personal and experimental productions. We shoot on both film (16mm) and HD.

Level 3 (Year 3)
The final year is devoted solely to the production of a series of group projects that will be screened publicly at the Arts Picturehouse in Cambridge.

Module guide

Year one core modules
  • Editing and Structures

    This module is designed to offer the student a practical and theoretical introduction to editing and its role in the storytelling process. The module will take your technical skills in editing, and apply them to structuring of programmes in ways which will develop your skills in narrative, plot structure, exposition, pace, rhythm, and the grammar and syntax of various program types. You will learn how editing can effect viewers' perception of time and how compression and expansion play important parts in the ways in which stories are unfolded. You will see how tension can be created through the use of editing techniques, and you will acquire skills in combining visuals with music and effects. The module will introduce you to Final Cut Pro promoting a familiarity with the technology and the terminology employed by the media production industry.

  • Factual Programming

    There is no hard and fast definition of Factual Programming and indeed it encompasses programs as diverse as Coast, Dragons Den, and Snog Marry Avoid? The key factor that links the programs is that you involve an informative aspect. The sector extends beyond broadcasting to corporate, training, campaigning and educational productions and as such is one of the major areas of employment in the film, television and media industries. This module is designed to introduce you to the disciplines involved in producing factual programs through the application of creative, technical and critical skills in film and television production.

  • Screen Drama

    This module offers drama production opportunities and builds on the skills acquired in Editing and Structures. It introduces you to creative, practical and theoretical issues surrounding drama production, and provides grounding for further study in the level two module Short Fiction Film. Emphasis is placed on exercising a balance between the creative and logistic requirements of drama production. Through practical workshops you explore story structure, visual storytelling techniques and creative use of soundtrack as well as crew functions and responsibilities, management of time and resources, production methods and risk management.

  • TV Studio Practices

    This module introduces you to the operations of the multi-camera television studio. You will make 10 programmes, which increase in length and complexity over the course of the semester, culminating in an as-live magazine which combines at least 4 of the programme types you have already made. The categories of programming are:The talk show; The interview; The demonstration programme; The music show; The studio magazine.The emphasis of the module will be on the planning, preparation and rehearsal that are essential to make best use of valuable studio time; on the roles and responsibilities of all those engaged in studio production; on the preparation of running orders, studio

Year two core modules
  • Directing Studies
  • Documentary
  • Short Fiction Film
Year three core modules
  • Major Project
  • Personal Project
  • Research Project

Assessment

You will be assessed through the films and TV programmes you produce, written analyses of your work, in which you will discuss the contexts of the programming you have made, the lessons you have learned whilst producing it, and evaluate your programme -with your peers - in terms of its success in reaching your defined audiences.

As much of your production will be in groups, where each student performs a defined role, you will also be assessed in terms of your contributions to each other's production.

Alisha Hasan

Graduated 2011

“I am extremely pleased that I chose to study film and TV production at Anglia Ruskin University. All of the teachers and staff members were highly encouraging throughout the three years and went out of their way to help students reach their potential. Looking back I also feel very lucky to have had all the technical facilities available for professional standard, hands-on practice.

Furthermore, I have recently noticed how well planned the curriculum for my course actually was. Having learnt the breadth and dept of what the film and TV field contains and knowing what to look for in each production has been extremely useful in real life. For a producer, it is not only important to acquire the funding for the film but also to devote time and passion for the story and characters.

During my last year, I had the opportunity to attend the Sheffield Documentary Film Festival with a delegation of students from Anglia Ruskin. I met a representative of a film distribution company in New York who invited me for a summer internship.

As soon as my studies finished and before I left for the internship, I was asked to substitute one of the TV producers at Yellow Film and TV / Story Of..., one of the largest film and TV companies in Finland. The experience was great and everything I learnt during my studies came into good use.

Currently, I am co-producing a feature crime thriller and working on my next TV series for 2012. I feel blessed to be working for a company that could even produce my own film ideas in the near future.
”

Facilities

BA (Hons) Film & Television Production benefits from: a fully-equipped TV Studio with a full lighting rig, 'professional-standard gallery', mixer, autocue, multi-purpose scenic backdrops suitable for current affairs, magazine programmes and dramas; a large four-waller film stage with overhead lighting, tracks, dollies and green screens and sets for flats; over 30 Final Cut editing suites; Pro-Tools; a full range of HD and SD location cameras (including Steadicam,) location lighting and sound-recording equipment. The equipment is maintained and managed by a team of technical staff and full training is provided.

Libraries

Our campus libraries offer a wide range of publications and a variety of study facilities, including open-access computers, areas for quiet or group study and bookable rooms. We also have an extensive Digital Library providing on and off-site access to e-books, e-journals and databases.

We endeavour to make our libraries as accessible as possible for all our students. During Semester time, they open 24 hours a day from Monday to Thursday, until midnight on Friday and Saturday and for 12 hours on Sunday.

IT Resources

Our open access computer facilities provide free access to the internet, email, messaging services and the full Microsoft Office suite. A high speed wireless service is also available in all key areas on campus. If you are away from campus or a distant learner, our student desktop and its many applications can be accessed remotely using the internet. Your personal student email account provides free document storage, calendar facilities and social networking opportunities.

Throughout your studies you will have access to our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), providing course notes, reading materials and multi-media content to support your learning, while our e-vision system gives you instant access to your academic record and your timetable.


Special features

Taught by experienced industry professionals - producers, directors, directors of photography and a commissioning editor - we bring extensive experience from the BBC and the independent production sectors.

You will begin in your first term by making programmes, developing, through a rigorous process of producing and analysing a range of programme types, high-level skills in both factual and dramatic genres. By the final year, you will be able to produce significant programming on location, in the multi-camera studio and in the film stage. This hands-on process, coupled with group-based reflection and evaluation, produces programme makers with a very wide range of applicable skills.

Course Leader

Shreepali Patel

Ashley Cutmore

Graduated 2010

“










A year before graduating I felt the course had already given me the skills and confidence to be able to walk on to a set and make my start in the industry as a runner while continuing the BA. My graduation film received the award for Best Cinematography at the International Watersprite Film Festival. Now just over a year since then I have established myself in London as a freelance camera assistant working on feature films and commercials; with any spare time I'm left with I carry on shooting and lighting my own short films. Simply, I would not be in this position without the learning and support I received throughout the course.”

Links with industry and professional recognition

Alongside a core staff of permanent lecturers, Cambridge School of Art further consolidates its relationship with industry through the regular contribution of part-time lecturers with national reputations as practitioners. We also organise 'Wired', a series of workshops and lectures by industry professionals specifically tailored to our students' needs.

Work placements

There are informal work placements throughout the course.

Associated careers

This course will equip you with the skills and knowledge required for employment and self- employment in film and television, photographic, animation, computer and related fields.

It emphasises creativity as well as the role of the producer as a manager of time, people, resources, risk and quality. We strongly believe that this emphasis gives graduates of this degree a clear advantage in the employment market. Not only will you have a greater understanding of the real-life factors that influence programme making, you will also have a set of managerial skills that will help you to work as a freelance producer or director, or set up your own production company. You will also, in the course of the degree, learn a set of highly-valued skills including editing, camera-work, lighting, sound, production management and programme finance, any of which will help you find work in the TV and film industries.
UCAS Tariff points: 200 - 240
Additional Requirements: Non-Academic Conditions: Audition/workshop, Interviews GCSE(s) Required: English grade C or above (or equivalent)
Entry requirements listed are for September 2013 entry. Entry requirements for other intakes may differ.

Please note AS levels are acceptable only when combined with other qualifications.

Portfolio Requirements

In order to allow us to make a decision and to help the selection committee decide on your suitability for an interview workshop, you are required to submit a portfolio containing the following three elements:

  1. A critique of a documentary or drama film 600-750 words.

  1. A clear narrative represented through 10 photographic stills. These stills should be arranged on to no more than two sides of A4 as a PDF. Ensure that the PDF is no larger than 2MB.

  1. A letter of application (500 words) that answers the following questions:

  • Why have you chosen to study at Cambridge School Art?
  • Why have you chosen to study this course at Cambridge School Art?
  • What are your hopes and expectations of the course?
  • What do you see yourself doing in the industry?
  • Why should we offer you a place on the course?

If invited to interview you will receive a letter further detailing the requirements for submission of your portfolio.


International Applicants

International applicants are encouraged to host their portfolios online and provide us with the URL or submit in pdf format by email attached. CD or hardcopy formats submitted by post to our International Admissions Office are also acceptable but please note that these will not be returned to applicants.
Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

We welcome applications from International and EU students. Please select one of the links below for English language and country-specific entry requirement information.

If we have confirmed you do not meet our entry requirements you might want to consider a preparatory course at Cambridge Ruskin International College (CRIC), our partner college, based on our Cambridge campus, before coming to study with us.

How to apply

UCAS code

W612

Location

Duration

3 Years

Available starts

September

Student finance

Open Day

Saturday 22 June
Undergraduate Open Day

Advice & support

Employability

Faculty

Arts, Law & Social Sciences

Department

Cambridge School of Art

Contact us

UK and EU applicants:International applicants:
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