BA (Hons) Film Production & Cinematography

(Wiltshire College and University Centre, Salisbury Campus)

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UCAS Code:
PW36
Institution:
B50
Delivery:
Full time according to Funding Council definitions

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This course, delivered at Wiltshire College and University Centre’s Salisbury campus, is the perfect blend of academic study and practical assignments. It will prepare you for work in the film or TV industries as it gives you the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, from music videos and adverts to dramas and documentaries.

As well as getting the opportunity to produce, direct and edit a host of projects both on your own and as part of a team, your lecturers will encourage you to evaluate and critique film and TV productions, to develop your understanding of key concepts and ideas within the contemporary media environment.

As a result, you’ll graduate with a wealth of experience in the area of film production, allowing you to go on to work in a variety of exciting roles within the industry.

Visit us

Open Days for this course are held at Wiltshire College and University Centre, Salisbury, where this course is delivered. Visit their website to book onto an Open Day.

Visit the course Vimeo channel to have a look at some of the student work produced throughout the degree, including The Manor, produced as an ‘end of year’ non-assessed project by students:

Shot on 35mm film, The Manor was produced by students from all three years and has won a number of awards.

Image description — Wiltshire College students collect their Student Drama award for The Manor at Royal Television Society’s Professional and Student Awards 2018

Key information

Next start date:

September 2019, September 2020

Location:

Wiltshire College and University Centre, Salisbury

Duration:

3 years (with a 4 week work placement) or 4 years (with a 30 week work placement) full-time

Required subjects:

All subjects considered

Entry requirements:

For September 2019 and September 2020 entry: 112-128 UCAS tariff points from 2 A-levels or equivalent qualifications. BTEC Extended Diploma: DMM. For more information check out our full entry requirements.

International entry requirements:

For September 2019 entry: If English is not your first language you'll need IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with minimum 6.0 in each component or equivalent. For more information check out our International entry requirements.

For September 2020 entry: If English is not your first language you'll need IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with minimum 5.5 in each component or equivalent. For more information check out our International entry requirements.

All statistics shown throughout this page are taken from Unistats, Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE), BU institutional data and Ipsos MORI (National Student Survey) unless otherwise stated.

Course details

On this course you will be taught by staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This will include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners, demonstrators, technicians and research students. You will also benefit from regular guest lectures from industry.

How you will be assessed

You will be assessed by coursework culminating in your final year research project, and you will also undertake group work and written exams. The assessment methods for each unit can be found in the programme specification for your course.

Download the programme specification (pdf 704kb)

Year 1

Media Concepts and Contexts: You'll produce a self-authored, narrative film, whilst demonstrating an interest and an understanding of images, narratives and audiences as applied to film production.
Professional Development Plan: You will research a particular area of industry practice, with a view to developing your own individual career path.
Introduction to Production Skills: You will learn the fundamentals of film making - sound, lighting, camera and production management. Working on location, you will work in small groups developing key production and technical skills.
Applied Production Skills 1: Working on location, you will apply key production and technical skills to a range of production projects.
Collaborative Project: In a group you'll create a production of a narrative film through which you'll develop an understanding of a wide range of technical and production skills.

Year 2

Professional Studies: It's intended that industry contacts will be developed by you throughout the remainder of your course and can then be used as an on-going link upon graduation.
Media Theory: Critical study of film form with particular emphasis on the centrality and importance of narrative. You'll be asked to focus in on one key media theory and reflect upon the implications of the theory in your practice.
Applied Production Skills 2: This unit centres on the production of an individually authored documentary or fiction film. You will develop your own creative voice and demonstrate a flair and ability for film making.
Research Methods: Here you'll hone your research skills, drawing upon various methods to carry out your own piece of independent research.
Film Production and Cinematography Project: Press, media, new media and photography; you'll discover the impact of the full range of new and traditional media on the production, distribution and marketing of film.

Placement year

Final year

Concept Development: Development of a film project and accompanying marketing and distribution strategies. This experience will initially grow through a work placement you will undertake.
Graduate Project: Production of a film including the implementation of marketing and distribution strategies. You will need to demonstrate knowledge of industry-standard production techniques and cinematography skills, you will also need to recruit and manage a team of people to produce a minor film project.
Dissertation: You'll produce a significant piece of written academic critical work, the subject matter of the dissertation will be decided through consultation with your course tutor and will relate in some way to the genre or style of the practical work undertaken throughout the course.

Programme specification

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry.

If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

Placements

We recognise that placements are extremely valuable and can give you a head start when it comes to your future career; therefore we now offer every new student the opportunity to undertake a work placement as part of their course.

Find out about BU students’ experiences on placements All you need to know about placements

How placements benefit you

Placements provide a great opportunity to make your first career steps and enhance your employability while you’re completing your studies. You’ll get the opportunity to:

Put the theory learnt throughout the course into professional practice
Enhance your study and help you decide on subject options (where appropriate)
Learn a wide range of skills such as time management, problem solving and team work (all of these are important to succeed in any career)
Make contacts, as it is not uncommon for our students to be offered permanent positions to return to after graduating
Gain a real insight into how the industry operates in roles that would be almost impossible to achieve for an outsider
Many of our students, during their placement, are given responsibilities normally associated with graduate trainees.

How long will your placement be?

Your application

This course will suit applicants who:

Demonstrate both intellectual and creative abilities
Show an understanding of film making principles
Have an appreciation of cinematography
Possess a strong awareness of different film genres and histories
Demonstrate good written and oral communication skills.

How to apply BU Academic Excellence Scholarship

What we’re looking for

Students on this course will typically have a creative background and either qualifications or experience related to film and cinematography. Students will also be media aware and have a proven ability to work creatively, in groups and individually.

We look for creative and innovative thinkers who are familiar with current film making practice and want to apply it. We would encourage applicants who are interested in new ideas, can express themselves well in writing, work well in groups and can demonstrate a wide range of interests.

Selection methods

How we assess your application

We look at individual applications and make a tailored offer based on your potential to succeed on the course considering a range of factors, including your academic achievements, work and other experience, reference and personal statement, and in some cases, your performance at an interview or a portfolio review.

Typically, we make an offer at the bottom of the tariff range. If you meet one or more of our contextual data indicators for educational disadvantage (such as being in care, having a disability, being a refugee, living in a low participation neighbourhood or in an area with less advantaged socio-economic characteristics), your offer could be between 8-16 UCAS tariff points below the published tariff.

Our offer making process

Our offer-making will typically be based on your most recent qualifications, including any required subjects where applicable. We'll consider all qualifications when assessing your application, although these may not be part of our offer.

If you do not meet the criteria of your original offer, we may still offer you a place. We will review your whole application and consider all academic qualifications (including those not in the offer) to see if you have the academic potential to succeed on the course. If we feel the answer is yes, we will confirm your place.

Our Unconditional Offer Scheme (2019 entry)

Applicants who are predicted to achieve strong academic results will be eligible for BU’s Unconditional Offer Scheme in recognition of their academic performance and potential to succeed at university. If you are selected for the scheme and commit to us as your firm choice of university, then we will match this commitment by making your offer unconditional, which will guarantee your place at BU.

You will receive a standard conditional offer based on the entry requirements for your course via UCAS Track and your offer letter – it will advise that you are eligible for the Unconditional Offer Scheme. We will then update your offer to unconditional should you choose BU as your firm choice on UCAS Track.

We believe that unconditional offers reduce pressure on applicants who will continue to strive to achieve the best grades possible. If you achieve ABB or above at A-level or equivalent, you’ll also be eligible for our Academic Excellence Scholarship.

Visit our Unconditional Offer Scheme FAQ page

Entry requirements

We use the UCAS Tariff in our entry requirements and will accept a combination of grades and qualifications to meet the overall tariff requirement. You can use the UCAS calculator to see how your qualifications equate to UCAS tariff points.

We have outlined our entry requirements below using the most common qualifications that we consider for this course. If your qualification is not listed, please contact our Future Students Enquiry Team who can advise accordingly. You can also find out more about how we consider your application in our offer-making process section.

For September 2019 and September 2020 entry: 112 - 128 UCAS tariff points including a minimum of two A-levels or equivalent.

Numeracy and Literacy requirement: GCSE English and Mathematics grade 4 (or grade C in the old grading system). We also accept iGCSEs, Key Skills and Functional Skills and other qualifications at Level 2 of the National Qualifications Framework.

A-level and AS levels: 112 – 128 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of two A-levels.

Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate – Skills Challenge Certificate: We accept this qualification, but it must be accompanied by an A-level sized qualification to meet the overall UCAS tariff.

Access to HE Diploma: 112 – 128 UCAS tariff points with any combination of Distinction, Merit, Pass grades.

BTEC National:

Extended Diploma: Distinction, Merit, Merit (112 UCAS tariff points)
Diploma: Distinction*, Distinction (104 UCAS tariff points)
Foundation Diploma/ 90-credit Diploma: We accept this qualification, but it must be accompanied by an A-level sized qualification to meet the overall UCAS tariff
Extended Certificate/ Subsidiary Diploma: We accept this qualification, but it must be accompanied by an A-level sized qualification to meet the overall UCAS tariff.

Cambridge International Pre-U Diploma: 112 - 128 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of two principal subjects.

Cambridge Technical:

Extended Diploma: Distinction, Merit, Merit (112 UCAS tariff points)
Diploma: Distinction*, Distinction* (112 UCAS tariff points)
Subsidiary Diploma: We accept this qualification, but it must be accompanied by an A-level sized qualification to meet the overall UCAS tariff
Introductory Diploma: We accept this qualification, but it must be accompanied by an A-level sized qualification to meet the overall UCAS tariff.

Extended Project Qualification: We accept this qualification, but it must be accompanied by two A-level sized qualifications to meet the overall UCAS tariff.

International Baccalaureate Certificates: 112 - 128 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of two Higher Level certificates.

International Baccalaureate (Diploma): An overall score of 30 - 32 points.

Scottish Highers: 112 - 128 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of four Scottish Highers.

Scottish Advanced Highers: 112 - 128 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of two Scottish Advanced Highers.

Other useful information

Apprenticeships: We recognise the transferable knowledge and skills gained through apprenticeships and welcome applications from students with a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship recognised by the Institute for Apprenticeships. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Mature applicants: We recognise that mature applicants may have a wealth of experience rather than formal qualifications, so we’ll consider your application on these merits if included in your application. You’ll need to apply to BU in the usual way through UCAS and you may be invited to an interview to discuss your suitability for the course based on the experience you tell us about in your application.

Deferred entry: We are happy to consider eligible applicants for deferred entry.

International entry requirements

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry onto Year 1 for September 2019 and September 2020 entry:

Диплома за средно образование (Bulgarian Diploma of Completed Secondary Education) or Диплома за средно специално образование (Bulgarian Diploma of Completed Secondary Specialised Education). Minimum score of 4.5
Hong Kong HKDSE Diploma with required scores (4,4,3 to 4,5,5. Minimum 4 in English required)
Italian Esame di Stato[AB1] with minimum 65%+
Spanish Curso de Orientaciòn Universitaria (COU) prior to 2009 or if you hold a Titulo De Bachillerato awarded from 2009 onwards with a minimum of 6.5/10+
USA High School Diploma with minimum GPA 3.0 plus SAT Reasoning (1700) or ACT (24).

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you can understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

For September 2019 entry: IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with minimum 6.0 in each component, or equivalent.

For September 2020 entry: IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with minimum 5.5 in each component, or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

If you do not meet the English language requirement for your degree then why not join our Pre-Sessional English course? Successful completion of our Pre-Sessional English course will meet your English language requirement.

Careers

Film and TV production has become ever-more sophisticated over the years and you need to be versatile with a good understanding of the industry and the latest technology to get ahead. We have an excellent reputation within this competitive industry and our graduates consistently go on to work on high-profile TV and film projects.

Our graduates have worked on productions such as The Bourne Identity, James Bond, The Blue Planet, BBC and ITN News, Alan Partridge, Eyes Wide Shut, Casualty, Formula One Motor Racing, Survivor, Dark Shadows, Avengers, Dr Who, Downton Abbey, Last Tango In Halifax and many others.

Careers advice, resources, events and job opportunities

Typical starting job roles

Industries worked in

This is a degree that’ll prepare you for roles in the areas of film, television, media and creative – but the capacities in which you can take on such positions are numerous.

You could use your passion for your work in documentaries or entertainment, original drama or marketing and campaigning. There are countless contexts in which visual storytelling can make a difference.

Further study

Costs and fees

All fees are quoted in pounds sterling and are per year. Your tuition fees will be the same for each year of your course. You can find full information about funding your studies and paying your fees in our undergraduate fees and funding section. Fees quoted are for tuition only unless stated otherwise.

Our staff

On this course you will be taught by staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This could include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners and research students, many of whom are actively engaged in research and/or professional practice which is integrated into the teaching of this course. Please note that staff can change.

Rebecca Bond - Framework Leader

Rebecca is the framework leader of the BU media degree programmes delivered at Wiltshire College and University Centre in Salisbury and a lecturer on the BA (Hons) Film Production and Cinematography course. She has a PG Cert in Education Practice from Bournemouth University and is a Fellow of the HEA (Higher Education Academy). She has a BA (Hons) in English and Italian from the University of Birmingham.

Before moving into teaching, Rebecca had a successful career in television as a Producer/Director and Series Producer of factual, documentaries and current affairs. As a Producer/Director, she worked on many award-winning (Bafta, Emmy, RTS) primetime series including Brat Camp (Channel 4), Little Angels (BBC), That’ll Teach ‘Em (BBC), A Place in Italy (Channel 4) and The Hotel Inspector (Channel 5) for which she was instrumental in creating the primetime format.

As a Series Producer at Al Jazeera, Rebecca was part of the network’s English language launch in 2006 and responsible for the channel’s flagship international current affairs and media review show. Rebecca has also worked on a number of high-profile television commercials with a documentary edge including Johnnie Walker’s Personal Journeys: Keep Walking campaign broadcast globally on CNN and Discovery and Nissan’s Adventures on the 24th Parallel campaign produced by RSA Films and broadcast alongside TV drama 24. Filming work has taken her all over the world and she has shot and edited documentaries in French, Italian, Spanish, Turkish and Arabic. Rebecca’s research interests are documentary storytelling, representation in film and TV and adaptation.

Kieron Evans - Programme Leader

Kieron is the Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Film Production and Cinematography degree programme that is delivered at Wiltshire College and University Centre’s Salisbury campus. He first gained a Higher National Diploma in 3D Computer Animation from Swansea Metropolitan University before going onto achieve a BA (Hons) in Film and TV Production from Bournemouth University. He also has a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education from Bath Spa University.

Prior to teaching on the BA (Hons) Film Production and Cinematography degree programme, Kieron first worked as a Camera Operator and Editor before moving into television commercials production working as a Visual Researcher and Director’s Assistant on high-profile TV spots.

Kieron has taught Film at Salisbury since 2008 and helped to design and create the Film Production and Cinematography degree in 2009. In addition to teaching, Kieron writes scripts and develops scripts in collaboration with other writers. He continues to develop his own projects whilst also assisting new filmmakers to produce films locally. He recently took a number of his third year film students to crew on an independently produced short film with an upcoming award-winning Director.

Dion Casey

Dion is a freelance film cameraman and Steadicam owner operator specialising in feature films and TV drama. He combines his professional work as a cameraman with teaching part time on the BA (Hons) Film Production and Cinematography course.

Dion has worked on many commercials and music videos including the seminal Verve video Bitter Sweet Symphony. His most recent film and television work includes The Dark Crystal, Gentleman Jack, Spanish Princess, Line of Duty, Silent Witness, Into the Badlands, Victoria, The Crown, Humans and Bridget Jones’s Baby.

Tim Dodd

Tim entered the film industry in 1980 as the clapper-loader on The Dark Crystal and The Great Muppet Caper working under veteran cinematographer Ossie Morris. In a subsequent career spanning nearly thirty years, he worked as a Camera Assistant on numerous feature films and TV dramas progressing to Camera Operator and, finally, Second Unit Cinematographer with Film Directors including Jonathan Lynn and Paul W S Anderson.

He has worked on films featuring many of the greats of cinema including Bette Davis, Laurence Olivier, Kirk Douglas and Sean Connery and Directors including Michael Winterbottom, James Ivory and Steven Spielberg. He has also worked on hundreds of commercials, documentaries, corporate and music videos.

Tim’s continuing strong links with the industry enable him to provide students access and trips to prime contacts and companies within the feature film community as well as the opportunity to use professional 35mm camera equipment. His main interest is the continuing use of celluloid acquisition, helping and encouraging students who are interested in a career in the camera department to develop the relevant knowledge and skills to work on film-based productions.

He continues to make films directing his own shorts and producing extra-curricular student films that have screened at festivals and won a prestigious Royal Television Society award. He is a member of The Guild of British Camera Technicians.

Dr Ieuan Franklin

Ieuan teaches film history and theory, research methods and supervises dissertation students on the BA (Hons) Film Production and Cinematography course. He was awarded a PhD from Bournemouth University in 2010 and has an MA in Film Studies from the University of East Anglia and a BA (Hons) from the University of Warwick. He is a Fellow of the HEA (Higher Education Academy) and has a PG Cert in Education Practice from Bournemouth University. Ieuan also teaches on the BA (Hons) History course at Bournemouth University.

Between 2010 and 2014, Ieuan was a post-doctoral Research Assistant on the AHRC-funded Channel 4 and British Film Culture project at the University of Portsmouth. He has published widely on a variety of topics within the area of media history and was Lead Editor of Regional Aesthetics: Mapping UK Media Cultures (Palgrave, 2015).

View Ieuan Franklin’s staff profile

Andrew Smith

With a career at the BBC spanning over thirty years, Andy has worked on some of the channel’s most iconic shows including Only Fools and Horses, Blackadder, Victoria Wood, Comic Relief and many others.

After graduating in BA (Hons) English and American Literature from the University of Warwick, he joined BBC Radio but soon moved into television production where he worked as a Production Manager, First Assistant Director, Director, Producer, Production Executive, Script Editor and Studio Manager.

He has worked with some of the UK’s leading talent in comedy, drama and entertainment including Lenny Henry, David Jason, Judi Dench, Victoria Wood, Paul Whitehouse, John Humphries, Richard Curtis, Rowan Atkinson, Tracey Ullman, David Tennant...and many more. Andy also directed a number of documentary projects including Fatfield and A Season in The Serengeti for BBC 2.

After leaving the BBC as a permanent member of staff, Andy worked with a number of independent production companies including Carlton TV, Hanrahan Media, Puppetoon and as a Freelance Producer for the BBC. Andy also led a team awarded a BAFTA for Creative and Technical Innovation.

Andy joined the staff of Wiltshire College and University Centre in 2005. As Programme Leader, he oversaw the launch of the Film Production and Cinematography BA (Hons) course. Having stepped back from his Programme Leader role in summer 2018, Andy is delighted to continue working as a part-time member of the teaching team.

Course changes

Changes in 2018

Date	Changes to this course
19/02/2018	Change: English language requirements have changed to IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component. Previous text: IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with minimum 5.5 in each component, or equivalent.

Changes in 2017

Date	Changes to this course
14/11/2017	Where the change was made: Fees Change: After an annual review of the placement year tuition fee, a price increase in line with current inflation, equating to 3% has been introduced. Previous text: £790
25/10/2017	Where the change was made: Key facts and English language requirements Change: English language requirements have changed to IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component. Previous text: IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with minimum 6.0 in each component, or equivalent.
06/09/2017	Where the change was made: Key facts and 2018 entry requirements Change: 2018 entry requirements have changed to 112 - 128 tariff points including a minimum of 2 A-levels or equivalent. BTEC Extended Diploma: DMM. Previous text: The entry requirements for this course are 120-128 tariff points from 3 A-levels. BTEC Extended Diploma: DDM.
06/09/2017	Where the change was made: 2018 entry requirements Change: 2018 GCSE entry requirements have changed to this course requires GCSE English and Mathematics grade C (or grade 4 in the reformed GCSE grading) or equivalent qualifications. Previous text: This course requires a minimum of 4 GCSEs grades A* - C (or grade 4 or above in the newly reformed GCSE grading) including Maths and English or equivalent qualifications.

What our students say

Ryan Denham

The BA (Hons) Film Production & Cinematography is not so much a course, but more a film-making community.

Hear from our staff

Andrew Smith

BU delivers industry focused TV and Film courses. All our tutorial staff have industry experience with credits ranging from ‘Game Of Thrones’ to ‘Blackadder’.

What employers think

Dave Kirkwood

...he was a joy to be with. I would willingly recommend him for further work. The job would not have been possible to do without him.

BA (Hons) Film Production & Cinematography

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Key information

Next start date:

Location:

Duration:

Required subjects:

Entry requirements:

International entry requirements:

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Planning your future

Course details

How you will be assessed

Year 1

Year 2

Placement year

Final year

Programme specification

Placements

How placements benefit you

How long will your placement be?

Your application

What we’re looking for

Selection methods

How we assess your application

Our offer making process

Our Unconditional Offer Scheme (2019 entry)

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

International entry requirements

Careers

Typical starting job roles

Industries worked in

Further study

Costs and fees

Our staff

Rebecca Bond - Framework Leader

Kieron Evans - Programme Leader

Dion Casey

Tim Dodd

Dr Ieuan Franklin

Andrew Smith

Course changes

Changes in 2018

Changes in 2017

What our students say

Ryan Denham

Hear from our staff

Andrew Smith

What employers think

Dave Kirkwood