BA (Hons) Film

Course Title:

BA Honours Film

A joint award of the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex

Revalidation February 2010

The information contained within this programme specification is correct as at February 2010

UCAS Course Code / UCS Course Code:

P300 BA/F/Ipswich Campus (campus code I)

Course Summary

The BA in Film at University Campus Suffolk offers a range of approaches to theoretical, critical, practical and creative work in film, which are relevant to students’ futures in work and as citizens. Students engage with the analysis, theory and history of film, develop the practical, technical and conceptual skills involved in the making of digital video work, and are given the opportunity to initiate, negotiate and deliver independent research, including critical and practical projects. Students undertake a Professional Practice module in their final year and gain accredited work experience in a related area. Its special mix of thinking, making and reflecting gives the course its particular flavour. 

Entry Requirements

280 UCAS tariff points for 2012

Flexible entry requirements for ‘mature’ applicants over 21 who in the absence of traditional entry qualifications need to demonstrate that they have the necessary ability and skills.

Students may be called to attend an interview and/or to provide evidence of their suitability for the course in the form of either written or film/video work.

Course Aims

The aims of the BA (Hons) Film are to:

•  Offer an integrated perspective of theoretical, critical, practical and creative work in film, relevant to students’ futures in work or further study.
•  Offer a balanced approach to the three main components in filmmaking: screenwriting, production and theory.
•  Engage critically with the analysis, theory and history of film in ways which complement, inform and underpin creative video practice and production
•  Develop the practical, critical and conceptual skills involved in the making of creative and industry standard video work
•  Provide opportunities to initiate, negotiate, deliver and reflect upon independent research, including critical and practical projects
•  Develop a range of subject-specific and generic skills to facilitate the continuing growth of professional and personal identities and the capacity for lifelong learning

Learning Outcomes

These course aims are broken down into sets of related skills, which are known as learning outcomes.

1. Subject Knowledge and Understanding

Graduates of the BA (Hons) Film at UCS should be able to demonstrate the following:

• Knowledge and understanding of the ways in which theoretical, critical, practical and creative work in film can be combined to produce a range of artefacts and underpin ongoing professional and personal development
• Knowledge of a range of modes of film practice from different periods and places, including mainstream, alternative and oppositional forms
• An understanding of the processes linking various types of filmmaking, production, distribution, circulation and consumption
• An understanding of key crafting and production processes, professional practices relating to film (video) practice and production, including financial, market, legal, ethical, regulatory and technical contexts
• An understanding of their own creative processes and practices, through engagement with a variety of video practice and production tasks
• Knowledge of a substantial range of film movements and genres
• An understanding of the aesthetic, formal, narrative, representational and generic qualities of a wide variety of film texts
• An awareness of developments in film theory and criticism and how these are related to the development of film practices and the student’s own critical and creative practices
• An awareness of the ways in which forms of film consumption are embedded in everyday life and the contribution of film to the ways in which identities are constructed and contested
•  An insight into the social basis of aesthetic pleasures and judgements relating to various types of film
•  An appreciation of new and emergent film technologies and forms

2. Subject Specific and Practical Skills

Film graduates should be able to demonstrate the ability to:

• Analyse critically modes of film production and/or consumption, including links between types of production, distribution, circulation and consumption
• Develop creative ideas, concepts and projects informed by appropriate research and judgements of feasibility
• Produce video work which is informed by relevant economic, cultural, market, theoretical and/or critical contexts, issues and debates
• Demonstrate technical competencies in specified aspects of video practice and production

• Analyse critically a range of film movements and genres, drawing on a range of sources
• Demonstrate critical skills of analysis, interpretation and/or evaluation in the close reading of texts, including their aesthetic, formal, narrative, generic or representational qualities
• Present work in accordance with standard academic and professional conventions
• Undertake sustained independent research, drawing on a range of sources
• Show a capacity to innovate and experiment and to be adaptable, creative and self-reflexive in their work
•  Reflect critically on aspects of their work, including knowledge of their own cultural commitments and positioning
•  Demonstrate the ability to give and receive feedback constructively, and use this process to develop skills, knowledge and ideas

3. Generic and Graduate Skills

More broadly, a Film graduate should also be able to:

• Work flexibly, creatively and independently
• Carry out work in accordance with a specified or negotiated brief, including length, format and deadline
• Manage supervised, self-directed projects and apply appropriate entrepreneurial skills as appropriate to particular settings
• Demonstrate a problem solving approach to tasks
• Carry out sustained independent research
• Present ideas, treatments or arguments logically and cogently
• Communicate effectively orally in a variety of interpersonal settings
• Communicate effectively in written and other media forms
• Use a range of information communication technologies appropriate to a variety of tasks
•  Work productively in a group or team
•  Reflect on work they have undertaken, including monitoring their own learning and identifying areas of strength and weakness

4. Graduate Key Skills

Graduates in Film are also able to demonstrate and gain credit for graduate level key skills in communication, information technology; problem solving, working with others and improving own learning.

Module Framework

This is a unitary course in which students take all modules. Students take a combination of 40 credit and 20 credit modules either in yearlong or Autumn or Spring/Summer formats as follows:

Level 4

Film Studies One: Analysis and Issues (20) (Autumn)

Film Studies Two: Film History (20) (Spring/Summer)

Video Practice and Production: Introduction (40) (yearlong)

Developing Screen Ideas (20) (yearlong)

Production Sound (20) (Autumn)

Level 5

Researching Film: Theories and Methods (20) (Autumn)

Postproduction Sound (20) (Spring/Summer)

Video Practice and Production: Documentary and Drama (40) (yearlong)

Screenwriting: The Ten Minute Short (20) (Autumn)

Avant-garde and Experimental Film (20) (Spring/Summer)

Level 6

Dissertation (40) (yearlong)

Video Practice and Production (40) (yearlong)

Professional Practice (20) (Autumn)

Cityscapes: Cinema and Modernity (20) (Spring/Summer)

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Teaching and learning take place in a wide variety of modes, including lectures, screenings, seminars, practical demonstrations, workshops and tutorials, with input from visiting academics and industry professionals, as well as a variety of guided and self-directed learning. The aim is always to promote student-centred learning and to enhance students’ capacities as independent learners who can develop both professionally and personally.

Assessment on the course is continuous, with submissions both during and at the end of the modules. Feedback on progress is given informally in a number of formative exercises. Formal assessment modes include essay, reports, diaries, research papers, presentations, portfolios and practical artefacts. Greater emphasis is placed on negotiated and independent work as the student progresses through the degree, culminating in the production of a dissertation and video project at Level 6. There is currently one exam at Level 4.

Timetable

Teaching runs over 24 weeks between September and May. A full-time student is expected to complete 120 credits during each year of study, while a part-time student will take between 20 and 80 credits per year. Students can expect to attend class for between three to five hours per module per week (hours vary according to the module learning outcomes and the nature of the work being undertaken) and to study in total for approximately 200 hours per 20 credit module and 400 hours for each 40 credit module. Students will be provided with timetables when they join the course.

Course Delivery

Teaching takes place at UCS Ipswich. Lectures, screenings, seminars and tutorials currently take place in both the Waterfront and T and R blocks of Campus North; specialist video production teaching is currently located in R block of Campus North.

Placements / Work Based Learning / Work Experience

The Level 6 Professional Practice module gives students the opportunity to undertake a placement in a relevant organisation and to write a critical and reflective paper on aspects of their learning during the placement. Additionally video projects may involve working with outside agencies and students are encouraged to seek out relevant extra-curricular experience to enhance their developing profile.

Tutorial and Study Support

Students benefit from individual academic tutorial support where they can discuss their work on modules in Film and get support with coursework. The particularly supportive approach of the team enables students to work on any weaknesses and make the most of their studies. Each student is allocated a Personal Tutor who is able to give guidance on study skills and personal development and act as a referral point if more specific help is needed. UCS Student Support provides specialist help with accommodation, disability, counselling, careers and employability, study skills and welfare.

Opportunities on Completion of the Course

Graduates progress to a range of careers or other destinations including independent film and video production, research, journalism, marketing and advertising, teaching, arts administration, library work, local government, the voluntary sector and a wide variety of postgraduate courses, including teacher training.