Filmmaking (Foundation Year), BA (Hons)

Program Overview

The Filmmaking (Foundation Entry), BA (Hons) at UCLan is a four-year program designed for students lacking formal qualifications. It combines practical and theoretical aspects of filmmaking, focusing on industry practices and transferable skills. Students have access to state-of-the-art facilities and receive guidance from industry professionals. Graduates pursue careers in various aspects of film production, including management, screenwriting, and post-production.

Program Outline

It is a "hands-on" course that focuses on industry practices and conventions, developing transferable skills in the independent film markets.

Outline:

The program is structured across four years, with a Foundation Entry year followed by three years of Honours study.

Year 0 (Foundation Entry):

• FDE Introduction to Specialisms: This module introduces students to the diverse ways in which creative practitioners have shaped society and how society influences creative practice.
It focuses on developing foundational skills relevant to various specialist areas and introduces students to the wide range of choices in Arts and Media.
• FDE Specialisms: This module helps students understand the fundamental skills relevant to their chosen specialism, develop technical skills in using a range of media, and learn critical concepts related to contemporary practice in their chosen specialism.

Year 1 (Honours):

• Film, Media, Television & Culture: This module critically examines various media forms, including television, print, music, new media, and film.
Students learn about research methods such as semiotic, discourse, and content analysis.
• Production Skills: This module teaches students how to operate single-camera and audio-visual equipment.
It covers pre-production, production, and post-production techniques, as well as planning, organization, communication, and project management skills.
• Introduction to Specialist Production Skills: This module introduces students to specialist areas like multi-camera production, narrative theories, audio production, and digital production skills.
• Scripts, Treatments and Pitching: This module explores the formal features of film, TV, and new media genres.
Students learn analytical frameworks to compare and assess programs and create their own. Workshops focus on experimentation, idea generation, and active participation.

Year 2 (Honours):

• Thinking Through Film, Media and TV: This module introduces students to a particular way of understanding media that treats film, TV, and Media as a mode of thought.
Through viewing and discussion of key productions, students develop a critical awareness of how writers, directors, and creatives explore deep-seated issues and philosophical questions.
• Filmmaking: Advanced Production Skills: This module develops skills in planning, producing, synthesizing, and enhancing audio-visual sequences.
It also focuses on developing technical and creative skills in pre-production, camera, sound, lighting, production design, and post-production.
• Live Brief: This module allows students to apply their subject-specific skills and knowledge to real-world projects.
Students develop a portfolio that demonstrates their ability to function as critical and proficient practitioners in their field. It also covers project costing and enhancing interpersonal and professional skills for employability.

Year 3 (Honours):

• Filmmaking Specialist Practice: This module involves developing film production skills to research, plan, and produce short independent film projects incorporating advanced techniques and technologies.
Students develop advanced skills in production development and management and work on proposals, scripts, shot lists, and other production documents.
• Project Proposal: This module focuses on crafting and presenting a project proposal, building on course research and practice.
Students develop a project pitch/synopsis that includes essential details like workflows and crews.
• Dissertation: Students choose a dissertation topic within the Film and Media field and demonstrate a solid grasp of relevant theories, research methods, and a clear hypothesis for their research project.
• Major Project: This project takes the form of an extended period of practice within a particular area(s) of film, media, or television production.

Assessment:

The program's assessment consists largely of practical assignments. Approximately 25-30% of the assessed work is written work, such as journals, production paperwork, evaluations, and presentations.

Teaching:

Lectures are delivered by a core team supported by industry practitioners and visiting specialists from different fields of film production. Students are also involved in film screenings, tutorials, and technical workshops. The program emphasizes a "hands-on" approach, focusing on industry practices and conventions to develop directly transferable skills in the new and emerging media markets.

Careers:

Studying Filmmaking Foundation Entry could lead to a career in film production, post-production, management, screenwriting, or production design. The course offers excellent opportunities, with students employed on a variety of productions both during and immediately after graduation.

Other:

• The program is based in the School of Arts and Media at UCLan.
• Students have access to the Media Factory, which includes dedicated edit suites, a Foley Studio, a sound stage with greenscreen and motion capture facilities, recording studios, photography studios, and a television studio.
• Graduates regularly appear in the credits of major television and cinema releases and win awards at prestigious film festivals and the Royal Television Society.
• Previous guest lectures have been given by individuals such as Jan Harlan (Stanley Kubrick’s Producer), Baldwin Li (Independent Film Producer), Sarah Miller (Screenwriter), and Jonathan Stenton (Editor).
• The teaching team has specialisms in independent short film, feature film, promotional work, documentary film, experimental work, animation, post-production, sound recording, mixing, and visual effects.

| Category | Fees | Currency | |----------|------|----------| | UK | £9,250 | N/A | | UK (Full-time) | £9,250 | N/A | | International | £16,400 | N/A | | International (Full-time) | £16,500 | N/A |