Overview
The BA (Hons) Film Production course is aimed at future film makers. You will gain practical hands on experience in making films and learn to understand the contextual setting they are working in.
You will become part of a community of practitioners, making films as you would in the film and media industries, learning a range technical and craft skill as well as developing critical thinking and contextual understanding.
A key focus is developing your technical, creative and professional skills in a variety of roles from location sound recording to camera work and post-production to directing and producing. You will become familiar with industry practices while collaborating on creative film projects, learning to work in an ethical and sustainable manner.
You will have access to a range of digital film cameras, lighting, audio recording equipment and software, as well as the use of TV and Radio studios, to enable the production of high-quality films.
Why Coventry University?
An award-winning university, we are committed to providing our students with the best possible experience. We continue to invest in both our facilities and our innovative approach to education. Our students benefit from industry-relevant teaching, and resources and support designed to help them succeed. These range from our modern library and computing facilities to dedicated careers advice and our impressive Students’ Union activities.
To ensure an optimised and continual student experience, the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via emerging online technologies and methods across all courses.
Global ready
An international outlook, with global opportunitiesEmployability
Career-ready graduates, with the skills to succeedTeaching Excellence
Taught by lecturers who are experts in their fieldCourse essentials
A degree which offers you more, at no extra costRelated Links
Building Redevelopment
We are currently in the process of a major redevelopment of our Faculty of Arts and Humanities buildings. The building will be open to the public as well as students, and will feature an expansive gallery space.
Creative Community Hub
We hope that you are all staying safe in these uncertain times. Creative activities can really help fill the days, while we are spending more time at home and we have some ideas to keep you busy.
Employability
We are at the forefront of delivering enterprise and employability as part of our undergraduate programme and our employability unit co-ordinates the delivery of this for all students.
Course information
The BA (Hons) in Film Production is a course designed for those wishing to gain an academic qualification which will enable them work in a range of professional settings utilising film production skills. These include, but are not limited to, feature film production, drama and documentary production for television and streaming providers, online video, corporate video and video art. The ‘Film Production’ title incorporates an openness to accommodate a range of theoretical, conceptual and practical approaches, as well emerging formats like VR and interactive film. The course is designed for those wishing to work for either an established company or as a freelancer.
A key focus of the course is developing your technical, creative and professional skills in a variety of roles. Students will become familiar with industry practices while collaborating on creative film projects, learning to work in an ethical and sustainable manner. Students’ practices are further developed through critical evaluation of their own practice, contextualised by current research and debate in the creative sector and a sophisticated understanding of industry trends in an historical and global context.
The course is distinctive not only through its creative project-based delivery, but it is underpinned by our transformative learning strategy and the interwoven pillars supporting that. As a course it focuses on the development of passionate, creative, entrepreneurial graduates who are confident collaborators and communicators with industry-led skills to maximise the opportunities for employment in a variety of roles upon graduation.
You will become part of a community of practitioners, making films as they would in the film and media industries, learning a range technical and craft skill as well as developing critical thinking and contextual understanding. The course is rooted in a community-based approach, where participants are actively contributing and co-creating the learning experience. Delivery is built around a model of reflective practice in a supportive environment, encouraging and supporting individual development and enhancement of students’ creative and professional identities, empowering students to become outward looking creatives who are able to collaborate and network effectively.
Successful completion of the course will not only help you to gain skills in a wide variety of film production roles but also help you to start developing further skills in specific area of film production and start building your own professional identity.
Top 5
for Film Production and Photography
Guardian University Guide 2020
Modules
In more detail...
The BA (Hons) Film Production course is aimed at future film makers. You will gain practical hands on experience in making films and learn to understand the contextual setting you are working in.
The course is practice based, with aspects of critical media theory integrated into practical modules.
We aim to develop curious mind-sets, asking ‘why?’ at every point: as students research, as they make both narrative and documentary films and as they reflect upon them.
You will become part of a community of practitioners, making films as you will in the mode of the film and media industries, learning a range technical and craft skill as well as developing critical thinking and contextual understanding.
A key focus of the course is developing your technical, creative and professional skills in a variety of roles: location sound recording, camera work, post-production editing and post-production sound design, directing and producing. You will become familiar with industry practices while collaborating on creative film projects, learning to work in an ethical and sustainable manner.
Students are taught in lectures, seminars, skills workshops and masterclasses as well as in production meetings, where you will operate within defined, professionally-informed production roles, and in screenings, where you will gain contextual understanding of your own work and the work of others.
You will have access to a range of digital film cameras, lighting, audio recording equipment and industry-standard software, as well as the use of TV and Radio studios, to enable you to produce high-quality film productions. Students on the Film Production course work closely with students on other courses in the School of Media and Performing Arts, building their own professional identities and portfolios of work.
The course is focused on the development of passionate, creative, entrepreneurial graduates who are confident collaborators and communicators with industry-led skills to maximise the opportunities for employment in a variety of roles in film production upon graduation.
You will graduate with practical filmmaking experience, with a strong portfolio of work and the skills, knowledge and capabilities of not only working in today’s film and media industry, but also playing a part in shaping its future.
- High levels of student satisfaction – 91% overall and 92% for the quality of teaching in the National Student Survey (NSS) 2016.
- Our Film Production and Photography courses are ranked 4th in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2020) • Dedicated and flexible creative learning environments, media spaces and industry-focused studios, featuring the newly built TV studio, The Tank.
- Access to high standard professional media equipment via our Media Loan Shop, including media equipment, such as Blackmagic and Canon cameras. (subject to availability)
- You will have opportunities for professional experience and live projects, which have, in the past, included student-industry collaboration with Regional BBC, Creative City, Rolls-Royce and BBC3 (subject to availability, application and additional costs).
- Meet experts in new media and traditional media at our series of screenings and masterclasses with past guest speakers including media practitioners from the UK Saskia Sutton and USA Reed O’Beirne, Seattle based plus international artists such as Dan Hett, Alison Grade from Screen Skills (subject to availability).
- You will have opportunity to study abroad at one of our many international partners during a placement year, which include Zhejiang University of Media and Communications (ZUMC) in China and Jean Moulin University, Lyon, France (subject to availability, competitive application, meeting visa requirements and additional costs).
The BA (Hons) Film Production course embraces innovative methods of teaching and learning that correspond to the needs of the creative industries and replicate the practice within them where possible but that also encourage students to research, play and experiment across the wider curriculum.
Innovation and digital fluency:
As a creative course, you have the opportunity to study and practice a myriad new film making practices. Digital fluency is a vital part of our student experience on this course and embedded throughout the modules in the way teaching is delivered, in online community building as well as in production and professional practices. Furthermore, a second year module, Exploring New Forms of Film Practices (5048MAPA), is dedicated to innovative film making practices: This module includes knowledge and skills in innovative film production tools and techniques, including 360 filming, interactive storytelling as well as augmented and virtual realities. The ability to innovate is a strong part of the course ethos and students are encouraged to experiment across a range of dynamic and fluid digital platforms.
Embedded employability: The course embeds employability throughout: from industry specific skills and practices being taught, to careers development, work experience, personal development planning and the development of your own outward-facing professional portfolios and professional networks. All students have the opportunity to engage in a Professional Enhancement Year between the 2nd and 3rd year of the course. In the final years practice-based film projects, we aim for you to produce high-quality, significant work that can be shown to prospective employers. The course seeks to minimise barriers which may hold you back and arrange opportunities for networking and industry experiences in all three years
Research-inspired teaching: Course content is influenced by staff members’ research, both traditional and practice as research. Staff members from across the University with relevant research will be invited to deliver teaching and students will be encouraged to attend appropriate conferences, symposiums and film festivals, both internally and outside of the University. You will have opportunities to engage with ongoing projects which will bring an added dimension to student learning. The course will have an emphasis on experiential and participatory learning which enhances students’ curiosity as well as research and communication skills.
Intercultural and International engagement: Students are encouraged to engage with global issues, with course content showcasing global work from different film traditions and genres and demonstrating differences in global practice, preparing students for global careers. Gaining intercultural awareness is inherent on this course as students will work in diverse groups, work with peers on this course who come from many parts of the world, have the opportunity to participate in international field trips in all three years (subject to availability), have the opportunity to engage in an an International Enhancement Year and engage in Collaborative Online International Learning.
Creativity and Enterprise: Creativity is inherent to this course as you gain greater knowledge of how to develop their own creative practice, it is embedded particularly throughout the practice-based production modules. Creativity will also be an aspect of course delivery, which is community focused and based around working together as a community of practice. You are also encouraged to think outside the box, be entrepreneurial and engage in bold initiatives. The Professional Practice focused modules will also cover issues around entrepreneurship.
Community contribution and engagement: Creative practitioners often work in the community and with the community and you will be encouraged to do so as well. Students are required to collaborate on university and wider community projects in various ways, but particularly in the production of visual media for those projects. The course also enables you to understand the social responsibilities of working in the media industries and how this can impact on the wider public as well as diverse and minority groups in society. Ethics training to understand, and be responsive to, working with people and in a diversity of settings is a valuable part of the student learning on the course.
In terms of discipline specific elements of personal development planning, you will embark on a skills training programme which spans all years of the course. You will only get access to equipment from the Media Loan Shop as and when they have attended workshops and are able to demonstrate enough knowledge and skills to operate the equipment safely. Furthermore, the Professional Practice modules at each level will encourage and enable you to start considering their own personal development goals, their specialist interests and the sectors of the industry they are particularly interested in. These modules will offer one-to-one and/or small group tutorials, where students can discuss their own career goals and strategies for meeting these goals with tutors. Workshops offering personal development training are part of our wider curriculum through the University’s Talent Team. This is further supported by visiting speakers from industry.
The course normally lasts three years when studied full-time and four to six years part-time, though full-time students have the option to extend the course by taking a sandwich year between the second and third years on placement or study abroad. You can start in September or January.
The course is delivered though project-based ‘hands-on’ learning, with a great emphasis on location work, live projects and practice activities, all with ongoing feedback. Your personal tutor will review and discuss your progress with you and will be available for advice throughout the course.
Our current excellent industry links enable us to host an exciting programme of guest speakers covering topics such as film production, scriptwriting, distribution and curation of moving images (subject to availability). You will also have the opportunity to take part in industry visits at home and abroad, where you will be able to develop your knowledge and skills through fieldwork and group projects. Previous students have visited the Berlin Film Festival, as well as the Aesthetical Film Festival held in York and several of the major galleries in London.
(All industry visits are subject to availability, competitive application, meeting visa requirements where applicable and additional costs).
Teaching methods include: lectures, with associated seminars, workshops and practical classes in areas such as contemporary film practice, experimental film, scriptwriting and cinematography.
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will could vary depending upon the module. Assessment methods include practical or project work, coursework, tests, essays and presentations/posters.
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes. Assessments may include exams, individual assignments or group work elements.
On successful completion of the course, you will be able to:
- Deploy the use of professional roles and collaborative working practices within film production and gain knowledge of different approaches across a range of global film production practices
- Apply key insights gained through your own production processes to support your own career development and professional networking within the sector
- Critically assess theoretical and contextual knowledge, including of a diverse range of screen-based texts and a wide range of historical and contemporary production and narrative techniques
- Engage with the work of local, national and international communities of practice to evaluate current and future industry trends in order to be informed by, and place your own work within, them
- Accurately deploy established and innovative techniques when using technical equipment and creative skills in various stages of film production
- Produce a highly creative portfolio of work within a contemporary global context that articulates their professional voice in an ethical and sustainable manner
In a typical teaching week, you will have up to 15 'contact' hours of teaching.
This generally breaks down into:
Personal tutorial/small group teaching
Medium group teaching
Large group teaching
The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials
Our course is designed to reflect the increasingly international context of media production; this is reflected strongly in the course curriculum through international trips which provide an insight into other cultures and societies throughout the world.
We strongly encourage you to broaden your theoretical, cultural and practical references, providing opportunities to broaden your horizons by living, studying or working abroad on a sandwich year (a sandwich year is subject to availability, competitive application, meeting visa requirements and additional costs).
You will have opportunities to take part in international trips where you will be able to develop your knowledge and skills through the production of individual and group media projects. Reviewed annually, recent field trips have included: Cyprus, Hangzhou, Kenya, Los Angeles, New York, Norway, Paris, Prague, Sierra Leone and Tenerife. On all trips, you will be engaging in production projects, assisting on a local film production or making your own films using local crew (subject to availability, competitive application, meeting visa requirements and additional costs).
In May 2019 a group of Media Production students visited New York City to engage with the City culturally and sample a film festival in Montclair State. Alongside the creation their own independent film projects the students visited Montclair State University and attended the opening night of the Montclair Film Festival. They spent the rest of the trip exploring one if the greatest cities in the world and learning what it means to be an international media maker.
Global ready
Did you know we help more students travel internationally than any other UK university according to data from the experts in higher education data and analysis, HESA?
In 2018/19, we provided a total of 5,469 experiences abroad that lasted at least five days.
Much of this travel is made possible through our Global Leaders Programme, which enables students to prepare for the challenges of the global employment market, as well as strengthening and developing their broader personal and professional skills.
Explore our international experiences1st for
international experiences
Sending more students overseas than any other UK uni 2016/17
5,469
Student experiences
The number of student trips abroad for at least 5 days in 2018/19
12,000
and counting
The number of students we’ve helped travel internationally since 2016
12
global programmes
As well as trips, we offer other opportunities like language courses
Entry Requirements
Tuition Fees
We pride ourselves on offering competitive tuition fees which we review on an annual basis and offer a wide range of scholarships to support students with their studies. Course fees are calculated on the basis of what it costs to teach each course and we aim for total financial transparency.
For more information, please visit our Finance pages.
Course essentials at no extra cost
We're committed to communicating study costs clearly to make sure you're not faced with having to make any unexpected payments.
This is why our ‘Flying Start’ package provides you with a few course essentials. Your full-time fee for an undergraduate degree will cover the following:
UK field trips
Any mandatory site visits and trips within the United Kingdom.Key material
This can include core textbooks, software and equipment.Laser prints
1,000 A4 sides of black and white laser printing credits per year.Optional year
Pay no tuition fees for optional work placements or study abroad trips.This course may also incur additional costs associated with any international opportunities, field trips, placements, work experience, study abroad opportunities or any other opportunities. The costs could include (but are not limited to) travel, accommodation, activities and visas.
EU student fees
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year remain eligible for the same fees as home students and the same financial support. Financial support comes from Student Finance England, and covers undergraduate and postgraduate study for the duration of their course, providing they meet the residency requirement.
For tuition fee loans
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year must have resided in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland for the three years prior to the start of their course. The purpose of that three year residency should not have been mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.
For maintenance loans
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year must have resided in the UK and Islands for the five years prior to the start of their course. The purpose of that five year residency should not have been mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.
Career prospects
Graduate Immigration Route visa
Based on current information from the UK Government, international students whose study extends beyond summer 2021 may be eligible for a visa under the UK Government’s Graduate Immigration Route, which will enable students to stay and work, or look for work, in the UK at any skill level for up to two (2) years. Check the most up to date guidance available to check your eligibility and any updates from the UK Government before making an application or enrolment decision.
The ever-changing world of the creative industries demands multi-skilled media professionals, who are familiar with a range of media platforms, full of ideas and imagination, with strong ethics and levels of professionalism; these same graduate attributes our course seeks to nurture.
By studying a broad spectrum of film and media practice, the course is designed to equip you with the skills to work for large organisations like the BBC, as well as Film production companies, or to work as a freelancer or independent Film maker or producer. Throughout your course, you will develop your own professional practice portfolio to use when looking for work after graduation.
Over the years, we have developed and maintained excellent links with a wide variety of potential employers in the media and cultural industries. Our Talent Team is on hand to offer tailored career and enterprise support if you wish to gain employment or take advantage of professional practice opportunities within course specific industries. Our dedicated enterprise officers also offer valuable assistance on how to begin as a freelancer/entrepreneur.
We are committed to preparing you for your future career and giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market.
Where our graduates work
The School has a very long and impressive history of graduates who establish themselves in extremely high profile media and cultural employment, examples of which include: executive producer for many highly prestigious Hollywood films, executive producer for SYCO, director for BBC documentaries, DJs for national radio stations such as BBC Radio 6 and Virgin Radio, planners and creatives for a number prestigious London-based advertising agencies.
There is also the chance to go onto master’s level study upon successful completion of your undergraduate degree.
Disclaimer
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the 2020/21 Contract can be found here. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.
The tuition fee for the course that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For UK and EU students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation. Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, EU students should be aware that there may be a change to UK laws following the UK’s exit, this may change their student status, their eligibility to study part time, and/or their eligibility for student finance. We will act in accordance with the UK’s laws in force in relation to student tuition fees and finance from time to time.
For International students the tuition fee that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For international students, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation.
