Course summary

This four year programme has been specifically designed to allow students who do not initially meet the entry requirements for a three year degree, to undertake additional level 3 study designed to ensure they are successful on their chosen degree programme. After successful completion of your foundation year, you will have the flexibility to switch (should you wish to change direction) onto a number of related undergraduate degree programmes within Birmingham School of Media. This cutting edge new BA programme will develop your awareness of key film studies debates, production practices and industry conventions. You will be taught by noted film professors, cinema scholars and established practitioners, who will all provide you with their knowledge of international film debates and practice perspectives. The course is part of Birmingham City University’s Film Futures suite, designed to develop graduates with the theory, practice and industry trends that will enable them to succeed in a rapidly changing film environment. This course explores a wide range of debates within film studies, with the opportunity for you to apply key concepts to your own creative cinema practices. You will be taught by leading film professors and scholars in the field, who will explore cinema patterns in their generic, representational and global contexts. Not only will you gain an understanding of Hollywood cinema conventions (from the silent cinema era to modern blockbuster spectaculars), but you will be able to apply these filmic techniques to a variety of production scenarios. As well as looking at American cinema, you will also be introduced to other international trends that range from European film and TV patterns and global considerations of cult media to Bollywood film traditions and beyond. A focus of the course will be on combining film theory debates with filmmaking practices and industry conventions. As well as receiving foundational film training, you will be able to create documentary films as part of a wider examination of debates within this field. In addition, modules on film festival programming and film entrepreneurship provide key skills relevant to the film industry. You will be taught in a range of lectures, seminars, writing workshops and production sessions, while regular film screenings help you contextualise cinema traditions against your own creations. Your formal studies will be enriched by the possibility to work on a range of external events, such as the Cine-Excess International Film Festival. This annual event attracts visiting international filmmakers, as well as hosting UK theatrical premieres on a regular basis. Having previously operated in London’s West End and Brighton, the festival has relocated to BCU to operate as a central resource for the course.

Course details