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Media Production BA (Hons)

Start date

  • Level(s) of Study: Undergraduate
  • Typical Offer: 104 - 112 UCAS tariff points
  • UCAS Code(s): P312
  • Start Date(s): September 2024
  • Duration: Three years full-time, part-time options available
  • Study Mode(s): Full-time / Part-time
  • Campus: City Campus
Information for 2024

Introduction:

  • 92% of BA (Hons) Media Production students would recommend studying at NTU to others (NTU Student survey 2023)
  • Opportunities to get involved in award winning student TV and radio, gaining experience along the way.
  • You'll be working in brand new media labs, using industry standard equipment.

This course will develop your skills in digital media production, technology and media analysis, supporting your development as a creative media professional.

This hands-on course inspires your passion for media. You’ll produce a portfolio of work using the latest production techniques and new media developments, working in industry-standard facilities. You’ll work on creative projects across a variety of media platforms, including promotional and informational video; creative documentary practice; experimental video; multimedia design; screenwriting; photography and sound work.  Live company briefs will enable you to work with media organisations, providing valuable work experience and supporting your development as a creative media professional. You’ll specialise in elements such as audio / visual content creation or writing for the screen. Through theoretical and historical insight, you’ll understand the changing economic, social and cultural elements that define media.

Our newly refurbished media labs

We have recently moved our media labs from our Clifton campus to the City. Our newly refurbished labs are close to the Centre for Broadcasting and Journalism and offer all the same industry-standard equipment which is available for our students to hire out.

We are proud to be part of the BAFTA Albert education partnership

Interested in media and podcasting?

Get involved with a summer course specially designed for 15 - 17 year olds.

Browse courses for 15-17 year olds

What you’ll study

The course covers a range of convergent media including emerging media platforms, social media, sound production and digital film production. You’ll engage with theoretical areas such as representation, authenticity, ethics and screen writing. You’ll develop debating, presentation and pitching skills as well as understanding personal branding and freelancing.

During your first year you’ll be introduced to the four core modules which will develop your theoretical understanding of the Media and progress your technical and creative skills.

The second year builds on your understanding of media production, as you learn to work across media platforms. You’ll study core modules and select three optional modules based on the specialisms that interests you. There’s also an opportunity to spend the second half of the year on international exchange at one of the partner universities.

In your final year you’ll undertake a dissertation on a topic of your choice and select a number of optional modules designed to prepare you for a career in the media industry.

Core Modules:

Media Techniques

This module explores the principal elements of creating media content -  narrative, still and moving image and sound, and the practical and theoretical relationship between those elements. It will equip you with a knowledge of practical production, and provide you with a solid platform from which to develop more complex and challenging project work in years two and three of your degree

Sound Production

A series of lectures and practical workshops will introduce you to various types of sound design and its uses. Practical tasks and workshops on this module include sound recording, sound editing, sound enhancement, constructing genre through sound, composing music such as jingles for branding, podcasting and creating sound effects.

Analysing Media Texts

An introduction to classic and contemporary techniques and methods of critical textual analysis of media forms including class, sexuality, gender, age, identity/ies and their intersections. The module will draw on examples of texts from across the popular cultural field (film, television, video games, music, social media etc.), and you will also explore how audiences, users and prosumers consume those texts.

Writing for Media Production

This module introduces forms of writing across a broad range of media, exploring the principles of writing for creative and professional practice in screenwriting, audio writing, websites, and content creation.

Collaborative Media Production

Working as part of a team is a key skill in the media and creative industries. This module offers you the opportunity to explore and practice your media production skills in the form of a group video project. You will work collaboratively as part of a team to research, plan, and produce a short video. The production process will be recorded and administrated in a group production log.

Networking for the Media Industry

Networking and working within media 'departments' is a key area within media production. Through this module you will be introduced to networking skills that will enable your first steps in collaborative productions. You will engage with student productions taking place in higher levels of the course and explore external opportunities to enhance your confidence and begin to gain production credits.

Some optional modules may be studied on the Clifton campus.

Core modules:

Media Techniques 2

Building on your prior knowledge and skills, this module presents a series of practical challenges designed to hone your craft skills in media production. A series of mini-briefs in areas such as camera operation, sound design, production design, directing, and post-production will enhance your skillset in preparation for larger scale productions in the future.

Branding for Media Production

This module focuses on the development and production of brand assets and treatment in contemporary media production. It gives you the opportunity to produce a portfolio of varied visual and interactive material in support of a brand. Building on your existing technical skills, you will be encouraged to use new and advanced software features in production of branding assets and will be introduced to new areas of exploration to enhance your portfolio and CV.

Media in the Workplace: Experiencing Work

This module focuses on self-employment, entrepreneurship and your potential future career. Seminar and workshop exercises will enable you to plan for your future career and build a career development portfolio. In the second half of the module you’ll undertake a work experience placement.

Optional pathways

Pathway 1: Extended work-like experience

Get the experience you need for after you graduate, and really understand how the things you study translate into the world of work with a work placement. Your highly experienced Employability Team will help you find a placement to suit your career goals from our huge network of companies, charities, institutions, and beyond.

Pathway 2: An international exchange

Travel the world, meet new friends, and have experiences you will remember for the rest of your life.

Our flexible curriculum has been designed to allow some amazing opportunities for you. Your second year of study is divided into two semesters, giving you the opportunity to take part in an international exchange. You could study with one of international exchange partners in Australia, Europe, USA, Canada, Thailand and many, many more.

Our dedicated team will support you in finding and arranging a suitable exchange. And don't worry about the cost, they will help you apply for any grants or loans you may need, as no one should miss out on the chance to broaden their horizons.

Learn a new language

The University Language Programme (ULP) gives you the option of learning a totally new language or improving the skills you already have. Learning a new language can enhance your communication skills, enrich your experience when travelling abroad and boost your career prospects. Find out more about the University Language Programme.

Pathway 3: Taught modules

Creative Documentary

This module will encourage you to examine the key critical issues of documentary production such as authenticity and ethics. To prepare you for your dissertation in Year Three, you'll create a 5-10 minute documentary as a group (or individually) and be encouraged to creatively and critically engage with the given styles and genres of documentary.

Short Film Production and Exhibition

Enhance your production skills through the creation of a short film. You will use a range of equipment and practical craft techniques to your idea from creation, through professional planning, filming, and editing to promotion and festival entry. You will be supported in a variety of roles in your team with professional advice from practice-based academic tutors and our technical team.

Fictional Storytelling in Audio Production

This module offers you intermediate skills in audio design and production. A series of interactive classes will enable you to analyse how sound design can be used to construct genre, and create a sense of time and space. The expressive and emotive qualities of sound will be explored, as well as an understanding of how sound communicates with its audience. You will work in groups to write, record, edit and share an audio piece that includes elements such as dialogue, sound effects and music.

Talking Media: Arguing, Debating, Speaking, Performing

This module looks at argument, speech and debate within media forms (e.g. TED talks, panel shows, radio phone-ins, blogs and vlogs). Using examples from different forms, it examines both the format of media debates (e.g. issues of ‘balance’ and notions of a ‘centre’; questions of expertise; managing hostile, angry and heckling voices) and successful techniques for making an argument and ‘pitching’ ideas.

Some optional modules may be studied on the Clifton campus.

Core module:

Media Production Major Project

This module enables you to undertake a sustained, single piece of independently researched and produced production work on a subject of your choice, under the supervision of a tutor.  It allows you to build on, consolidate and refine advanced skills and interests in media production. Alongside the practical project and developmental work you will produce a critically reflective contextual essay that discusses your major project.

Client-Led Media Practice and Production

During this module you'll be able to focus on the development of skills in media production by completing a media project that will be set to a 'real brief'. This is an opportunity for you to enhance your employability options by participating in live projects with a real purpose. This module will encourage you to make connections between theory and practice.

Optional modules typically available include:

Non-fiction Storytelling in Audio Production

You will work in small production teams to write, record, edit and exhibit a piece of non- fiction audio, which can include elements such as presenting, interviewing, music and soundscape.

Experimental Media Production

Explore a different perspective on creating and producing media content. Explore how film, video, photography and sound can be generated through non-traditional and experimental processes. You will have the opportunity to produce a portfolio of audio-visual pieces, which complement your work in other areas of the course.

Getting Noticed: Media Production Futures

Getting Noticed is a negotiated module where you will work as a team to develop, execute and review a self and community promoting event. Through collaboration with appropriate stakeholders and fellow students you will devise supporting marketing materials, gather funding and deliver a celebratory showcase event.

Media Production and Tourism

This module enables students to explore and analyse media representations of tourism by the tourist industry and in popular culture such as film and TV. The module provides an historical, theoretical, and critical overview of the major debates which relate media and tourism. The 'gazes' theorised in the disciplines of media consumption and tourism studies are examined and compared, and the role media plays in terms of global access is explored.

You will demonstrate your skills and understanding in this field by working on your own media and tourism production. Clients that NTU have worked with previously include Nottingham City Council, Nottingham County Council and the National Trust.

Media in the Workplace: Becoming Career Ready

This module focuses on becoming career ready. It will focus on a broad range of careers (not just those in the media and creative sector). The module will give you the opportunity to start your careers search and it aims to give you some of the practical skills, knowledge and tools to equip you for beginning that search and becoming career ready.

The Body and Popular Culture

How is the body represented in popular culture? Examine key ideas such as how we might understand the various meanings surrounding the body across a range of media and cultural forms. By studying a selection of case studies, you'll explore the way that the body is addressed and located within popular culture, for example, from music to sport.

Lifestyle and Consumer Culture

Explore key approaches to understanding lifestyle and the culture of consumption. You'll be introduced to many important theoretical approaches to understand lifestyle and consumer culture and you'll use many case studies such as travel and tourism to evaluate these.

Cultural Policy

Explore a range of debates within the developing field of policy study, which relate to the development of media. You'll examine some of the key institutions within which policies relating to film, television, the visual arts, heritage and other creative industries are determined. You'll explore questions such as: what is cultural value and how important are the cultural and creative industries?

DJ Cultures: History, Theory and Technique

From obscure roots, the art of DJing has in recent decades exploded into the limelight as a major form of popular culture. No prior experience of DJing is required to take this module, which combines a basic ‘taster’ introduction to DJ technology and the practical techniques of DJ performance with a theoretical consideration of various styles of DJing, their histories, their related musical experiences and their wider cultural significance and influence.

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

Student Profiles

Brandon Boyd

Overall, the staff have been incredibly helpful with both the learning and support aspect of the course. The tutor sessions helped me to understand my strengths and weaknesses and how to focus on those to develop my learning and studying techniques.

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How you’re taught

How you're taught

The creative process is at the heart of how you’ll be taught. You’ll experience interactive lectures; technical, skills and production workshops; demonstrations and screenings; group and individual project work; tutorials and supervisions; production practice; tutor-led, student-led and independent learning sessions. You'll also undertake a work experience placement.

Work experience

The Media in the Workplace module requires you to undertake a period of work experience for your career development portfolio and placement report. We work closely with media companies to provide relevant work placement opportunities to add to your CV.

More student opportunities

International exchange

You’ll also have the option to take part in an international exchange at a partner university. Or you could source work placements abroad. These options will enable you to gain impressive international experience, and broaden your perspective and career ambitions.

You’ll experience other cultures, travel the globe and open your eyes to a world of opportunities. Our exchange partnership with a number of international universities enables you to live and study in another country in your second year.

Learn a new language

Alongside your study you also have the opportunity to learn a new language. The University Language Programme (ULP) is available to all students and gives you the option of learning a totally new language or improving the skills you already have.

Learning a new language can enhance your communication skills, enrich your experience when travelling abroad and boost your career prospects. Find out more about the University Language Programme.

Creative industries in Nottingham

Nottingham has a thriving creative arts scene which feeds the local creative industries. Many successful TV production, digital design and marketing agencies have chosen to base themselves in Nottingham.

The creative industries in Nottingham include organisations like Nottingham Contemporary, Broadway Cinema and Media Centre, Antenna Media Centre and LeftLion.

Contact hours

  • Year 1 lectures/seminars/workshops (25%) and independent study (75%).
  • Year 2 lectures/seminars/workshops (20%), independent study (80%)
  • Year 3 lectures/seminars/workshops (21%) and independent study (79%).

All Arts and Humanities students will complete a minimum of 240 hours of work like experience over the three years of the course

Staff Profiles

Matthew Kerry - Senior Lecturer

School of Arts & Humanities

Matthew Kerry’s research interests combine British film and popular representations of leisure. He is the author of the monograph The Holiday and British Film (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), and several journal…

Catherine Adams - Senior Lecturer

School of Arts & Humanities

Catherine Adams

Nigel Edley - Senior Lecturer

School of Arts & Humanities

Nigel Edley

Colin Alexander (Dr) - Senior Lecturer

School of Arts & Humanities

Dr. Colin Alexander is Senior Lecturer in Political Communications within the Communication and Society subject team at the School of Arts and Humanities

Ben Taylor - Principal Lecturer

School of Arts & Humanities

Ben Taylor

Simon Cross - Senior Lecturer

School of Arts & Humanities

Simon Cross

How you’re assessed

  • Year 1 coursework (100%)
  • Year 2 coursework (100%)
  • Year 3 coursework (100%)

Careers and employability

Your career development

As one of our graduates you’ll possess many of the attributes demanded in today’s world of work including skills in research; organisation; content production; team-working; communication and time-management. You’ll be articulate, confident in your ability to make informed judgements, and capable of processing complex information.

With the range of academic and transferable skills graduates have gone on to work in a variety of media industries, including film and television production, radio, and interactive games. Our graduates have found work with employers such as the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, BAFTA, and Rockstar Games. Roles include project manager, assistant producer and broadcast executive.

Campus and facilities

Here are some of the free services, student discount and benefits you'll get studying at NTU

We've carefully considered what benefits and services you need for your studies, so when you join NTU you'll get free printing and materials credits, access to our free WiFi, a copy of Microsoft Office, and even borrow a laptop if yours is out of commission.

For life outside your lectures, you'll enjoy access to over 60 sports clubs and 130 student societies, discounted travel and bike hire, free language learning, award-winning student support and an entertainment programme which is second to none.

See all the benefits and free services you will enjoy as an NTU student.

Media laboratories and equipment

We have specialist media laboratories where you will develop multimedia production skills. Equipment includes:

  • HD and 4K camcorders
  • tripods and monopods
  • lighting kit and green screen
  • DSLR cameras and 360 Fly 4K action camera
  • GoPros, stabilisers and smartphone accessories
  • audio recorders and microphones
  • iMacs
  • Adobe software suite including Premiere Pro, Photoshop, and Audition
  • DJ equipment and turntables

This equipment is supported by technical staff and is available as free hire for student project work.

IT resources

Our IT resource rooms and PC clusters are distributed across our campuses, with PCs providing access to:

  • Microsoft Office
  • email
  • web browsing
  • networked file storage
  • high-speed online printing services (with a free printing allowance for each student). Resource rooms are available 24 hours a day.

Books and library resources

In our library you’ll have access to an extensive and diverse range of books including those on your reading list.

The library's online resources and NTU Online Workspace (NOW) also provides digital access to the core resources for your modules and a wide range of specialist collections, texts, and databases

Nottingham Trent University has its own Blackwell’s Bookshop which stocks relevant academic texts plus a wide range of bestselling novels.

Societies

Current students run societies in a range of Humanities and Arts subjects including History, Medieval, Film, Filmmaking, Philosophy, Politics and International Relations, and the Book society.

There are also a number of media channels which our students get involved in such as the NTU radio station FlyLive, our student magazine Platform, and TV station TrentTV.

Find out more about student societies at the Student Union website.

Entry requirements

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

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

You will need the equivalent to:

  • 112 UCAS tariff points from four A-levels or equivalent qualifications

International qualifications

We accept qualifications from all over the world – check yours here:

English language entry 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:

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:

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.

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 on +44 (0)115 848 2494.

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.

Library books

Most study modules will recommend one or more core text books, 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 text books, 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.

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.

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.

Print and copy 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, photocopying and scanning information on the Library website.

Please see our fees page for more information.

Tuition fees are payable for each year that you are at the University. The level of tuition fees for the second and subsequent years of your undergraduate course may increase in line with inflation and as specified by the UK government.

Scholarships

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

Living costs

Get advice on the cost of living as an international student in Nottingham and how to budget:

Paying fees

Find out about advanced payments, instalment plan options and how to make payments securely to the University:

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.

How to apply

Ready to join us? Then apply as soon as you can.

For the full-time route just click the Apply button at the top of the page and follow our step-by-step guide.

If you're applying for the part-time route please apply online using the NTU Applicant Portal.

Make sure you check the entry requirements above carefully before you do.

Writing your application and personal statement

Be honest, thorough and persuasive in your application. Remember, we can only make a decision based on what you tell us. So include all of your qualifications and grades, including resits or predicted grades.

Your personal statement is a really important part of your application. It’s your chance to convince us why we should offer you a place! You've got 4,000 characters to impress us. Make sure you use them to show how your skills and qualities are relevant to the course(s) you’re applying for. For more hints and tips, take a look at our page on how to write a good personal statement.

Keeping up-to-date

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.

You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU on our Your Application page. Good luck with your application!

Need help with your application?

For admissions related enquiries please contact us:

Tel: +44 (0)115 848 4200

Ask us a question

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:

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.

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