Event Production FdSc
- Level(s) of Study: Foundation degree / Undergraduate
- Typical Offer: 64 UCAS tariff points
- UCAS Code(s): J910
- Start Date(s): September
- Duration: Two years, full-time
- Study Mode(s): Full-time
- Campus: Confetti Nottingham
Introduction:
This course sees you study in a real live event venue, working with industry-standard hardware and software and alongside well-connected tutors and guest speakers. By the end of the course you’ll have gained the technical, organisational, creative and professional skills needed to work successfully in the technical events industry.
This course is taught at Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies in Nottingham.
Key features
- This course will equip you with a broad set of technical and practical skills.
- Employability is a key element of the course with the curriculum shaped around live professional experience project briefs.
- Study in a real-world commercial live event venue and learn industry-relevant practical skills and techniques.
- Benefit from hearing from industry speakers working in the live events sector, helping you contextualise your learning.
- Undertake an 'Industry' based module in each year. This is designed to introduce you to the pressures and complexities of working in the live events sector through live client projects and self-directed project management assignments.
- Learn from course staff with industry experience.
- Benefit from access to industry-standard equipment.
- Work on a variety of live events.
What you’ll study
This cutting-edge course will give you the opportunity to study in a real-world live event venue, training with professionals and working with industry-standard hardware and software.
This industry-focused course will give you the chance to learn about a broad range of disciplines in the live and technical events sector, including:
- Lighting and stage design
- Live sound reinforcement
- Sound theory and acoustics
- Electrical principles
- Equipment maintenance and repair
- Visual Effects (VFX)
- Live event planning
Lighting Technology (40 credit points)
Stage lighting is one of the most fundamental technologies in use to enhance the audience experience and support the performance of live events. This module will introduce you to the application of a diverse range of technologies in use, and their underlying scientific principles.
You will study the use of generic and intelligent lighting fixtures from a range of manufacturers, whilst also developing a working knowledge of distribution, dimming and control hardware and software. You will investigate current health and safety legislation and implement practical skills during industry practice focused workshops and live events. You will also gain knowledge of the historical developments in lighting technology and how that informs current industry standards and working practices.
Sound Technology (40 credit points)
This module aims to develop your understanding of sound reinforcement through the study of the theoretical and practical aspects of live sound. You will study the physical properties of sound and how they relate to sound reinforcement and will explore analogue and digital technologies. You'll put your knowledge into practice in practical live sound settings throughout the year.
Equipment, Maintenance and Repair (20 credit points)
An understanding of the principles of electrical systems is fundamental to anyone working within technical roles within the live event sector. It is of paramount importance that work in industry is carried out with electrical safety at the forefront. This module aims to equip you with a range of practical skills for fault finding, maintenance and repair of event technology. You will learn the fundamental principles of electronics, practical soldering techniques and investigate recognised industry standards and practices.
The Live Events Industry (20 credit points)
Working in the live event industry requires an awareness of the various types of job roles and career paths, and the historical, cultural and legislative changes that have helped shape the live event sector. This module encourages you to carry out research into the live event industry and analyse current trends and legislation, in order to gain a thorough understanding of your chosen sector. You will also develop your future employment prospects by engaging in basic work-related activities.
Production Design and Technology (60 credit points)
Production design focuses on all visual elements of an event, incorporating lighting and video technology, and often set design. With the continuous development of lighting and video technology, the roles of lighting or video designer often merge and the requirement to have skills in both areas of the industry is expected. In this module you will explore all aspects of production design and technology.
You will develop skills in lighting programming, video distribution systems, use of projection and LED screen technology, as well as looking at the design process, skills in 3D visualisation and the socio economic responsibilities of a designer.
You will also explore advanced lighting skills included the use of rigging and lifting equipment and calculating safe working practice when designing systems. You will develop a portfolio of skills in various different lighting and video design and operation software, which will then be put into practice in a final design project.
Advanced Sound Technology (40 credit points)
You will further your knowledge of sound theory and audio technology through the application of the design of different sound reinforcement systems. You will look at the connection between mathematical data to study the behaviour of sound in live venues, investigate loudspeaker designs and carry out sound measurements and calculations.
This module also has a strong emphasis on practical live sound engineering skills, and you will have the opportunity to develop and hone your skills in the live sound environment using industry-standard software and hardware.
Future You (20 credit points)
You are are the key to your own success! In this module you will investigate and develop your professional identity in terms of attributes, beliefs, values, motives, and experiences. You will develop professional integrity and a career identity.
This module encourages you to carry out research into employability and entrepreneurship and analyse current industry practices, job roles and technical skills required in order to gain a thorough understanding of the events sector. Throughout and during the assessment process you will actively partake in transformative practice, effective review and evaluation of yourself.
Do It For Real at Splendour
How you’re taught
At Confetti our classrooms are unique. As part of their course, our students get the chance to go out into industry and Do It For Real at locations across the UK!
Classes are a mixture of practical workshops, classroom sessions, seminars and tutorials. Practical workshops take place in our live event production space, giving you a significant amount of regular, weekly hands-on practical time. During these sessions you’ll develop your expertise, working alongside Confetti’s expert tutors who are active professionals.
Our live events students are regularly out working on productions at venues across the region, including:
- Nottingham Splendour Festival
- Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
- The Hockley Hustle Festival
- The Bodega
- Nottingham Castle
Assessment
There is a varied range of assessment methods throughout the course, which includes:
- practical observations
- portfolio work
- technical reports
- critical evaluations
- visual and verbal presentations.
To progress through the course you must achieve 120 credit points each year. Your final degree mark will be based on your final year work.
Industry Week
As an events production degree student, you’ll take part in Confetti’s Industry Week – a unique event that brings top names from the creative industries to Confetti for workshops, masterclasses, lectures and seminars. From event organisers to stage managers, Industry Week is your chance to be inspired, make contacts and learn from the pros.
Our students have had the opportunity to meet and receive advice from established names, such as Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis and artists, such as Professor Green and Will Kennard.
Our live events students not only get to attend the talks, but they’re also running all of the lights, sound and staging for all of the events throughout Industry Week, adding a list of production credits to their CV.
Check out our talks OnDemand here.
Degree Show
In your final year you will exhibit your work as part of Confetti's Degree Show. This event includes all final year students across Confetti's courses and is a great platform for you to showcase your work to key influencers across the creative industries.
Contact hours
- Year 1 lectures/seminars/workshops (30%), independent study (70%).
- Year 2 lectures/seminars/workshops (28%), independent study (72%).
How you’re assessed
- Year 1 coursework (22%) and practical (78%).
- Year 2 coursework (67%), written (10%) and practical (23%).
Careers and employability
Employability is a key focus of this course, with modules focusing specifically on enhancing your employability.
This course will prepare you to work in the live events sector, in areas such as lighting design, sound engineering, VFX, equipment technicians and event management.
Connecting with industry
Industry professionals will visit the course to guest lecture and share their experiences. Live projects will help you to gain real experience of the industry, make contacts and build your portfolio and CV.
Through the Confetti Media Group Head of Talent Development, you'll be offered a range of real work opportunities to help build your portfolio of experience.
Work placement and internship opportunities
You will be actively encouraged and supported to undertake informal work experience and professional practice in addition to your studies.
Our teaching staff, including part-time lecturers who are professionally active, help and support students in directing them towards work placement and professional practice opportunities.
Campus and facilities
Whether you’re a songwriter, performer, producer or someone who wants to get into the live events industry, you’ll study and learn in the heart of a world-class venue – Metronome.
By day, it’s an incredible place to study music performance, live events and audio technology. By night, Metronome transforms into a live events venue, hosting sell-out music gigs, comedy nights, theatre productions, esports tournaments, spoken word – the list goes on!
For our students, we can offer unrivalled facilities which include:
- 400 capacity live music venue
- 14 rehearsal spaces
- 10 recording studios
- Mastering, surround sound and post-production studio
- Critical listening seminar room
- Live events production workspace
- Vinyl cutting room
- A custom-built live production workshop
- Digital and analogue live sound consoles
- A large selection of microphones from leading manufacturers such as Shure, AKG, Neumann, Audio Technica.
- Extensive backline equipment including Gretsch and Yamaha drum kits, Vox, Fender and Marshall amplifiers
- Lighting consoles and software from Avolites and MA
- A range of intelligent and generic lighting fixtures from Chauvet
- Chauvet LED video wall
- Avid Pro Tools based live sound recording rigs
Entry requirements
- 64 UCAS Tariff points; and
- GCSE - English and Maths Grade C / 4
To find out what qualifications have tariff points, please use our tariff calculator.
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.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form
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
This course is not suitable for International applicants.
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
This course is not suitable for International applicants.
How to apply
Application for this course is through the UCAS application form.
Ready to join us? Then apply as soon as you can. Just click the Apply button at the top of the page and follow the instructions for applying. Make sure you check the entry requirements above carefully before you do.
Selection for this course takes place through UCAS application form.
Application deadline
This course starts in September and applications should be submitted by the UCAS deadline.
Applications received after this date will only be considered if places are still available, after all applications received by the deadline have been assessed.
Mature students
We welcome applications from mature students (over the age of 21) for this course. We will assess applicants of this nature on an individual basis.
If you are a mature student, you will still need to apply to us by UCAS form, but you don't necessarily need to meet our minimum entry requirements.
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.
Getting in touch
If you need any more help or information, please email our Admissions Team or call on +44 (0)115 848 4200.
This course is not suitable for International applicants.