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Filmmaking BA (Hons)

UCAS code: W600

Start year

Information for 2025

About this course

This exciting new degree has been created in response to the global success of the UK film and screen industries.

On this practical course, you'll explore all aspects of filmmaking to set yourself up for a successful career in producing, directing, writing and other key creative roles in the industry.

With guidance from our expert staff, you will develop a deep understanding of the art of filmmaking and create original, entertaining and innovative films. You will gain skills across a range of filmmaking disciplines while making drama, documentary, commercial, music video and experimental projects leading to the production of a final industry facing short film.

Throughout the course you will work on live briefs with our industry partners, learning the technical and artistic abilities required to produce a professional portfolio tailored to your career goals.

During your time here, you will be given the opportunity to showcase your work to members of the creative industries. You can view our graduating students’ showcase here.

  • You’ll have the opportunity to complete a work experience placement of up to a year in length. Dependent on the duration of your placement, you could gain an additional Diploma or Certificate in Professional Practice.
  • Optional European study trips to renowned film festivals and events. You’ll also have the chance to apply for a European or international exchange to one of our partner institutions, such as Northern Arizona University in the USA.
  • Learn in a professional studio environment, using industry-standard facilities such as high-end camera equipment and software such as the Adobe Creative suite and Davinci Resolve.
  • Course design approved by the International Moving Image Society, recognising the quality and relevance of our teaching content.

Accreditation

  • ALBERT
Top
20
In the UK for Art and Design in Complete University Guide 2025

What you’ll study

Thanks to our New Design & Digital Arts Building, you’ll benefit from a wide range of industry-standard facilities and equipment to support your study.

There is an opportunity for students to undertake a placement year, and transfer to the Sandwich route, please see further details in the ‘Year Three’ section below.

Craft Skills and Technologies

(40 credit points)

Your introduction to digital film production equipment and techniques, with a special focus on the basics of sound, camera, and editing through practical demonstration and experimentation. You will gain both practical experience and an opportunity to explore the tools which will underpin work in successive modules running throughout the course. Alongside this, you will focus on the application of film language and grammar through technology in the creation of three short film projects in a range of genres.

Approaches to Film

(20 credit points)

Explore a range of theoretical and critical approaches to engaging with film and film cultures. Through this module, you will develop an awareness of different approaches to filmmaking and how social, cultural and political landscapes affect the filmmaker. You will do this by viewing and discussing a range of films, directors and practitioners and examining a breadth of theoretical approaches to writing about and engaging with film.

Storytelling and Production

(40 credit points)

This module focuses on storytelling and building filmmaking skills and knowledge using a variety of creative forms and technologies. Storytelling is a fundamental building block within the creative industries, critical to content-making for big and small screens. In this module, you will be introduced to the fundamentals of content development and learn how ideas are generated, refined and pitched in professional contexts.

You will progressively hone your storytelling skills and will work intensely and intensively in two key areas of film production. First,  an individual documentary project with themes selected using the 17 Sustainable Development Goals drawn up by the United Nations reflecting local and global challenges of our time, and second a short drama group project.

Experimental Film

(20 credit points)

Experimental Film is designed for you to experiment with the film medium and to broaden your knowledge of avant-garde cinema. You will be introduced to alternative filmmaking approaches through a historical discussion of various movements and styles of experimentation. This module puts emphasis on filmmaking as a process, involving a dialogue between experimentation, taking risks, and critical reflection, which will be facilitated with lectures and practical workshops.

Film Production 1

(40 credit points)

Stretch your creative boundaries and self-determine your approach and output from your film production practice. You will develop confidence in self-managing your own learning and creative decision-making. This project can be an individual or small group project.

You will have the chance to develop and produce a film project by selecting from a range of briefs, encompassing fiction, documentary, or experimental genres. Through the creation of your negotiated film production, you will undertake comprehensive research and enquiry into your chosen filmmaking field, using your findings to inform your creative, technical, and practical decision-making.

Film Production 2

(40 credit points)

This module requires you to innovate and engage in cutting-edge filmmaking practice, extending your professional skillset and portfolio in preparation for the final year of your studies. This self-initiated film production project challenges you to further advance the knowledge, skills and experience gained during Film Production 1 and produce student festival standard work.

You will collaborate with peers, developing a supportive community of practice where you will challenge each other’s ideas and provide a critical sounding board for the development of innovative creative practice. To enable your complex and ambitious projects to move from inception to distribution you will professionally engage in crewing roles for each other, applying near industry-standard skills.

Co Lab: Research, Exploration and Risk-taking

(20 credit points)

Through active participation with team-based problem-solving, you will work together in mixed teams on a project where you will use your creative ideas to generate solutions to the challenge or brief. Your project will allow you to explore how creativity can make an impact in society, as you choose a theme of sustainability, social justice, enterprise and innovation or community. This collaborative learning experience will expose you to a range of new processes and approaches that will develop your creative thinking.

Optional module

You will also choose one optional 20-credit module from:

  • Storyboarding
  • Motion Graphics
  • Responding to the Visual World
  • Digital Matte Painting
  • Music Video
  • Sound Art & Design
  • Virtual Production
  • Prop Making

Optional Placement Year (Sandwich)*

We have an option for all of our students to undertake a placement year (Sandwich) and allow you to decide whether this is right for you once you have completed years 1 and 2 of your course. This time spent working in industry provides our students with crucial work experience, which is highly prized and much sought after by employers upon graduation. If you are successful in securing a placement you will have the chance to gain an additional Certificate or Diploma in Professional Practice, dependent on duration.

The additional placement year incurs a fee.  For international students considering the transfer to the 4-yr SW route it’s important to seek advice from the International Student Support team and the Home Office regarding any potential visa implications and costs. For UK students, advice should also be sought regarding SLC eligibility, if applicable.

* If you choose to take the sandwich route option, you will still need to apply for this course with the full-time UCAS code: W600.

Film Crew Collaboration

(60 credit points)

This is a collaborative major project where you will work with students from BSc Film Technology to make a short film to professional standards and take on a role with an emphasis on their chosen field.

Film Professional Futures

(20 credit points)

Build on the creative work from your degree up to this point and the strategic planning completed in previous modules. You are expected to enhance your career prospects by producing creative artefacts that align your skills with their commercial and professional objectives. Industry speakers drawn from key creative sectors will offer their perspectives, helping you to make informed decisions about current employment routes.

Film Personal Project

(40 credit points)

This module provides you with the opportunity to undertake a sustained investigation into a specific area of filmmaking that builds on your previous knowledge, experience and skills acquired during levels 4 and 5. This is your opportunity to critically explore a specific issue or area of personal interest within your chosen field, allowing you to investigate individual lines of enquiry connected to your career goals.

You will achieve this by undertaking a self-initiated research project with a  creative output, which is supported by tutor supervision.

We regularly review and update our course content based on student and employer feedback, ensuring that all of our courses remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or module availability in future years.

Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves

Student Profiles

BA- Filmmaking - Dionysios Tantele

Filmmaking

I know that wherever I go, the impression NTU has left for me will always stay, and will be a wonderful chapter that I will get to look back on once I pave my way further into the entertainment industry.

Filmmaking, BA - Carolina Cordeiro

We have very good professional tutors to teach us, from whom we can learn a lot. They make us work really hard and they are very supportive.

Filmmaking, BA - Ellen Olsson

Every single lecturer is extremely committed to their work and to their students.

Filmmaking, BA - Maia Gouveia

In a nutshell, this course is amazing. If you like practical work, and working with industry-experienced tutors, then this course is for you.

Video Gallery

 

How you're taught

Teaching and learning experiences will include:

  • film screenings
  • lectures and briefings
  • studio workshops
  • seminars
  • tutorials
  • masterclasses
  • verbal and visual presentations
  • individual work
  • teamwork
  • live projects
  • study trips
  • personal development planning.

Co Lab

Want real-world experience alongside your degree? Co Lab is your opportunity to work with peers from different disciplines on live projects set by industry partners. Embrace collaborative practice as you explore how creativity can make an impact in society and develop the skills employers want to see in the creative industries.

Find out more

International exchanges and study trips

If you’re thinking about studying part of your degree abroad, the Nottingham School of Art & Design has exchange agreements with a number of institutions around the world.

Exchanges take place in Year Two of the course. You’ll receive guidance from the University about where you can study, and help in completing your application and arranging your exchange.

Showcase 

You will be given the opportunity to exhibit your work during your time at NTU to members of the creative industries. Last year we celebrated our final year students work in our ‘We are Creatives’ showcase – you can view our graduating students’ showcase here.

How you're assessed

Depending on the module, you may be assessed through:

  • design development work (prototypes, storyboards, scripts, animatics, draft edits, research)
  • final project work (e.g. film, scripts, pitch packages)
  • portfolio work
  • reports and evaluations
  • essays
  • visual and verbal presentations
  • production management documentation
  • design journals (online / offline).

Staff Profiles

Katie Dawson - Associate Lecturer

Nottingham School of Art & Design

Katie Dawson is a lecturer – Specialising in Directing craft, short form narrative, music video, experimental film, Branding and Advertising on the BA (Hons) Filmmaking.

Dr Lars Koens - Senior Lecturer

Nottingham School of Art & Design

Dr Lars Koens is the Course Leader of the MA in Filmmaking. His interest is in the exchange between creative practice and critical theory.

Christopher Cooke - Senior Lecturer

Nottingham School of Art & Design

Christopher Cooke is a Senior Lecturer. Christopher teaches on the BA (Hons) and MA Filmmaking courses.

Jamie Cash - Principal Lecturer

Nottingham School of Art & Design

As the Principal Lecturer for Film and Television, I oversee the BA (Hons) Filmmaking, BSc (Hons) Film Technology, BSc (Hons) Television Production, and BA (Hons) Design for Film and Television…

Careers and employability

Employability is a key focus of this course, with modules including initiatives such as live projects and the opportunity to exhibit your work publicly, helping to raise your profile and enhance your future career prospects.

This course will prepare you to work in the digital media field, in areas such as feature and independent film, television, heritage interpretation, advertising, music video and games production.

You will also develop transferable skills for alternative careers in media, writing, research, teaching and academia.

YouFirst – working with our Employability team

Studying a creative degree in a large university has many benefits, none more so than having access to a large employability team.

Our friendly, experienced careers consultants will work closely with you at every stage of your career planning, providing personal support and advice you won't find in a book or on the Internet. You can benefit from this at any time during your studies, and for up to three years after completing your course.

Connecting with industry and work placement opportunities

Industry professionals will visit the course to guest lecture and share their experiences. Live projects and competition briefs will help you gain real experience of the industry, make contacts, and build your portfolio and CV.

You’ll have the opportunity to complete work experience or longer placement, with the chance to gain an additional Diploma or Certificate in Professional Practice, dependent on duration. Course tutors and our Employability team are on hand to support you in applying for placement and professional practice opportunities.

Creative Industries Federation

We are members of the Creative Industries Federation (CIF), which means students in the Nottingham School of Art & Design have the opportunity to sign up to free student membership. Creative Industries Federation are an organisation that represents, champions and supports the UK’s creative industries and membership grants students exclusive access to their selection of resources and events to help advance your career and connect with industry.

The National Association for Higher Education in Moving Image Membership

Students on this course will benefit from the NAHEMI (The National Association for Higher Education in Moving Image) Membership. The membership will provide you with the opportunity to enter competitions, network with industry professionals and showcase your work at national festivals such as Encounters and Aesthetica Short Film Festival.

Campus and facilities

Our Filmmaking facilities are in the new Design and Digital Arts Building.

Our new Design & Digital Arts Building will place Nottingham as a UK hub for film, television, animation, UX design, games design, graphic design and more.

You'll have access to industry-standard facilities which include a virtual production studio, an in-camera VFX studio and a black box studio, as well as collaborative studio spaces, future technology suites and exhibition spaces.

Find out more

Entry requirements

UK students

  • Standard offer: 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications
  • Contextual offer: 104 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications

Other requirements: a portfolio.

To find out what qualifications have tariff points, please use our tariff calculator.

International students

Academic entry requirements: 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications. We accept equivalent qualifications from all over the world. Please check your international entry requirements by country.

Other requirements: a portfolio.

English language requirements: See our English language requirements page for requirements for your subject and information on alternative tests and Pre-sessional English.

Policies

We strive to make our admissions procedures as fair and clear as possible. To find out more about how we make offers, visit our admissions policies page.

Fees and funding

UK students

- see the fees for this course, as well as information about funding and support.

£9,535 per year

If you choose to do a placement year, you'll pay a reduced fee for that year of £1,850.

Find out about the extra support we may be able to provide to help pay for uni, including NTU bursaries and scholarships.

The School will cover the costs of any mandatory study trips.

In Final Year, the Nottingham School of Art & Design will provide infrastructure costs for final year Degree Showcases within Nottingham (where applicable).

You will need to pay tuition fees for each year that you are at university. The tuition fees, including the placement year and study abroad options are subject to government policy and may change in future years of study.

Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but we don’t want you to feel anxious or confused about it. Visit our fees and funding pages if you have any concerns.

International students

- see the fees for this course, as well as payment advice and scholarships.
  • £18,250 per year
  • If you choose to do a placement year, you'll pay a reduced fee for that year of £1,850

The School will cover the costs of any mandatory study trips.

In Final Year, the Nottingham School of Art & Design will provide infrastructure costs for final year Degree Showcases within Nottingham (where applicable).

You will need to pay tuition fees for each year that you are at university. The tuition fees might increase from the second year of your undergraduate course, in line with inflation and as specified by the UK government.

Scholarships

We offer international scholarships of up to 50% of your tuition fee. You can apply for a scholarship when you have an offer to study at NTU.

Living costs

See our advice on managing your money and the cost of living as an international student in Nottingham.

Paying fees

As an international student, you'll need to make an advance payment of £6,000 when you've accepted your offer to study at NTU. You'll then need to pay your tuition fees in full, or have an agreement to pay in two further instalments, before the start date of your course.

Find out how and when to pay your fees, including information about advance payments, instalment dates and how to make payments securely to the University.

Enquiries

If you have any queries relating to advance payments or arrangements to pay, please contact our friendly and experienced international enquiries team.

Additional costs

Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses. There are just a few additional things you may need to budget for:

Textbooks and library books

Most modules will recommend one or more core textbooks, which most students choose to purchase. Book costs vary and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential textbooks, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) - meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you might think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available for purchase from previous year students.

Printing and photocopying costs

The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the printing and photocopying information on the Library website.

Placements

If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students do earn a salary whilst on placement which can help to cover these living costs.

Field trips

All essential field trip costs will be included in your course fees. There may be the opportunity to take part in optional field trips, which do incur additional costs.

Fees and funding advice

For more advice and guidance, you can email our Student Money Team or phone us on +44 (0)115 848 2494.

Cost of living information and support

Managing your money can help you make the most of life at NTU. Here's how we can support you, and now you can make your funding go further.

How to apply

Apply through UCAS.

We will ask you to provide a digital portfolio. Visit our webpage which has some advice on what to include to help make your portfolio stand out. After you have submitted your portfolio, we may also invite you to an online interview to help us make our final decision.

Optional Placement Year (Sandwich)*

Please be aware that all enrolments onto the Course will initially be for the full time 3-year route. There is however an opportunity for you to internally transfer to the 4-year SW route if you secure a placement. The placement would need to be confirmed and transfer agreed during your 2nd year to enable you to commence the placement in year 3. It is important that you seek advice regarding any funding and financial implications before making any changes to your course structure.

You can apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not applying to any other UK universities, you can apply directly to us on our NTU applicant portal.

Application advice

Apply early so that you have enough time to prepare – processing times for Student visas can vary, for example.  After you've applied, we'll be sending you important emails throughout the application process – so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.

Writing your personal statement

Be honest, thorough, and persuasive – we can only make a decision about your application based on what you tell us:

Your portfolio 

If your initial application is successful, you may be asked to upload a portfolio of your work and you may also be asked to attend an interview.

Portfolio advice

Would you like some advice on your study plans? 

Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.

Optional Placement Year (Sandwich)*

Please be aware that you will need to apply for the three-year full-time course. There is however an opportunity for you to internally transfer to the 4-year SW route if you secure a placement. The placement would need to be confirmed and transfer agreed during your 2nd year to enable you to commence the placement in year 3. It is critical to consult with the NTU International Student Support Team and the Home Office for updated visa regulations and requirements before making any changes to your course structure.

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