20
Filmmaking BA (Hons)
- Level(s) of Study: Undergraduate
- Typical Offer: 104 - 112 UCAS tariff points
- UCAS Code(s): W600 /
- Start Date(s): September 2024
- Duration: 3 / 4 year(s)
- Study Mode(s): Full-time / Sandwich
- Campus: City Campus
Introduction:
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.
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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.
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Course design approved by the International Moving Image Society, recognising the quality and relevance of our teaching content.
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.
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
- Experimental Animation
- Motion Graphics
- Responding to the Visual World
- Digital Matte Painting
- Music Video
- Sound Art & Design
- Web3 & Creative Autonomy
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.
* 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.
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.
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.
Contact hours
- Year 1 lectures/seminars/workshops (28%), independent study (72%).
- Year 2 lectures/seminars/workshops (26%), independent study (74%).
- Year 3 lectures/seminars/workshops (25%), independent study (75%).
How you’re assessed
- Year 1 coursework (100%).
- Year 2 coursework (100%).
- Year 3 coursework (100%).
Assessment is 100% coursework. You’ll be assessed at the end of each module and awarded a grade, receiving feedback throughout.
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).
People excel in different ways, and we want everybody to have the best possible chance of success. On this course you will be assessed on a range of individual and group presentations, and your final year project. Your work in Year Two accounts for 20% of your final degree mark, and your work in your final year accounts for the other 80%
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.
Opening for 2024 admission, 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.
Entry requirements
BA (Hons) Filmmaking
- Standard offer: 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications
- Contextual offer: 104 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications
Other requirements
Contextual offers
A lower offer may be made based on a range of factors, including your background (such as where you live and the school or college you attended), your experiences and individual circumstances (you may have been in care, for example). This is called a contextual offer and we get data from UCAS to make these decisions. NTU offers a student experience like no other and this approach helps us to find students who have the potential to succeed here but who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university. Find out how we assess your application.
Other qualifications and experience
We may also consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or beyond the beginning of a course where applicable, for example, into year 2. Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route.
Meeting our entry requirements
Hundreds of qualifications in the UK have UCAS tariff points attached to specific grades, including A levels, BTECs, T Levels and many more. You can use your grades and points from up to four different qualifications to meet our criteria. Enter your predicted or achieved grades into our tariff calculator to find out how many points your qualifications are worth.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form
BA (Hons) Filmmaking
- 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications
Other requirements
International qualifications
We accept qualifications from all over the world – check yours here:
Undergraduate preparation courses (Foundation)
If you don’t yet meet our entry requirements, we offer Foundation courses through our partner Nottingham Trent International College (NTIC), based on our City Campus:
English language requirements
You can meet our language requirements by successfully completing our pre-sessional English course for an agreed length of time, or by submitting the required grade in one of our accepted English language tests, such as IELTS:
Advanced standing (starting your undergraduate degree in year 2 or 3
You may be able to start your undergraduate course in year 2 or 3 based on what you have studied before. This decision would be made in accordance with our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy.
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.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
Fees and funding
Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but there's no need to feel anxious and confused about it. We hope that our fees and funding pages will answer all your questions.
Getting in touch
For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service.
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2494
What's included in the course fees?
The annual fee for our undergraduate degree courses includes a number of items. In addition to expert tuition and access to our first-class workshop and IT resources, you'll receive:
- mandatory field trips, exhibitions and events required as part of your core studies
- materials for induction workshops and activities within the workshops and laboratories
- professional body course accreditation (where applicable)
- infrastructure costs for final year Degree Showcases within Nottingham (where applicable).
You are expected to purchase your own books, standard drawing and writing equipment, and consumables.
Where optional study visits are offered, you will need to meet the cost of these.
Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but there's no need to feel anxious and confused about it. We hope that our fees and funding pages will answer all your questions.
You might be able to get a scholarship to help fund your studies. We award scholarships to those international students who can demonstrate excellent achievement, passion, and dedication to their studies.
Please take a look at our International students page for information about fees, scholarships for international students, visas and much more.
Getting in touch
For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service.
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2494
What's included in the course fees?
The annual fee for our undergraduate degree courses includes a number of items. In addition to expert tuition and access to our first-class workshop and IT resources, you'll receive:
- mandatory field trips, exhibitions and events required as part of your core studies
- materials for induction workshops and activities within the workshops and laboratories
- professional body course accreditation (where applicable)
- infrastructure costs for final year Degree Showcases within Nottingham (where applicable).
You are expected to purchase your own books, standard drawing and writing equipment, and consumables.
Where optional study visits are offered, you will need to meet the cost of these.
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.
Getting in touch
If you need any more help or information, please email our Admissions team or call +44 (0)115 848 4200.
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.
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.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
The University's commitment to delivering the educational services advertised.