Film Production BA (Hons)
Farnham
Course overview
If you want to work on major movies and TV shows, then our BA (Hons) Film Production course at UCA Farnham will you the tools, knowledge and confidence you need to forge an exciting career behind the camera.
Graduates have gone on to work on the Harry Potter and Mission Impossible series’, as well as prestigious TV shows like Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan and Disney+ series Loki.
Our course is predominantly practice-based – we believe in learning through doing. As you study, you’ll get the chance to have your coursework screened at national and international competitions and festivals and graduate with the strong portfolio of work, sought-after specialist skills and practical filmmaking experience that employers really want.
Right from the outset, you’ll be part of a close-knit creative team, making films on digital and 16mm cameras just as you will in the film industry. You'll learn about the business of film, explore the production process from beginning to end, and develop networking and communication skills that will set you up for your career.
You have the option to complete a Professional Practice Year as part of this course. This will give you the opportunity to develop your professional, academic and personal potential, equipping you to be confident and engaged in creative workplaces. Employers widely recognise these qualities, and a significant proportion of placement students are offered graduate-level jobs or go onto postgraduate study.
Our standard three year undergraduate degree for those who meet the entry requirements for higher education.
UCAS Code for 3 year/standard: W600
A four year degree programme, including a foundation year to help develop your creativity before you embark on year one of a degree.
UCAS Code for course with Integrated Foundation Year: W60F
A four year course, specifically designed to provide international students with the English language and creative skills before they embark on year one of a degree.
UCAS Code for course with Integrated International Foundation Year: W60H
A four year programme, which sees you spend an entire year gaining valuable industry experience prior to your final year of study.
UCAS Code for course with Professional Practice: W601
A five year course, including a foundation year to help develop your creativity before you embark on year one of a degree, and a year on a professional placement gaining valuable industry experience prior to your final year of study.
UCAS Code for course with Integrated Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year: W60G
A five year course, including an international foundation year concentrating on English language and core creative skills before you embark on year one of a degree, and a year on a professional placement gaining valuable industry experience prior to your final year of study.
UCAS Code for course with Integrated International Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year: W60J
Accredited by:
Course Details
The content of the course may be subject to change. Curriculum content is provided as a guide.
UCA’s Integrated Foundation Year is designed to give you the skills you’ll need to start your degree in the best possible way – with confidence, solid knowledge of creative practice, study skills and more.
You’ll explore a range of creative techniques and develop your portfolio, with your chosen subject in mind. We’ll work with you throughout the year to ensure you’re on the right track and give you the tools to achieve your highest potential on your degree.
For our students coming from a non-UK educational background, UCA has launched an Integrated International Foundation Year, based at UCA Farnham to bring students from around the world to one hub of creativity.
This year of preparatory study is designed to give you the skills you’ll need to start your degree in the best possible way – with confidence, solid knowledge of creative practice, study skills and the English speaking and writing skills you’ll need to succeed.
You’ll explore a range of creative techniques and develop your portfolio, with your chosen subject in mind. We’ll work with you throughout the year to ensure you’re on the right track and give you the tools to achieve your highest potential on your degree.
Launch Week
You’ll begin by taking part in a series of interdisciplinary workshops and seminars based around ideas generation, creative practice, and development. This week will help students develop their understanding of creativity and different sources of inspiration via different approaches, concepts, and mediums.
Encounters: Screen Fundamentals
You’ll learn the essential skills of documentary film production and go outside of your familiar surroundings to encounter new people and places. You’ll explore different approaches to factual filmmaking while investigating the ethical and practical issues of the representation of people. Working in a small group, you will undertake research leading to the production of a short film that presents a portrait of an individual or a group.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
The unit provides an opportunity for you to explore what is meant by equality, diversity, and inclusion and the implications of these concepts for creative practice. It will equip students to understand how our social identities (such as gender, race/ethnicity, class, disability, sexual orientation, and religion) contribute to the inclusion and/or exclusion of individuals in creative spaces.
Screen Storytelling
In this unit, you’ll explore the practice of screen storytelling, addressing the fundamental question: how do filmmakers go about telling stories on screen? At the core of this module is the analysis of fiction film to gain familiarity with core components of screen fiction storytelling - character, goal, journey, conflict and resolution. You’ll be challenged to write a detailed treatment for a short film, and make a short video essay that reworks an existing fiction film, to demonstrate your familiarity with the grammar of screen fiction.
Opportunity Week
This week will help you develop your understanding and appreciation for fast-paced idea generation while working within a team. You’ll work to create an idea, develop your concept and produce a short film in 24 hours.
Narrative Film
Working within a group, you’ll create an imaginative non–sync narrative fiction film, through the entire production process, beginning with the development of story and script, creating characters through writing and working with actors, and creating an appropriate story world through camera, production design and sound. Between you, you’ll also run an online blog that will be used to share the research that will inform the project.
Industry Presence
You’ll reflect on your learning throughout the first year of the course, beginning to prepare you for the world beyond university and in readiness for the second year of your degree. You will begin to build the foundation for your CV and online presence and to develop your confidence in presenting yourself and your work to the industry. You’ll work with the careers department, and undertake training in areas such as interview skills, sustainability in production and further your awareness of equality and diversity in film and television production.
Experimental Film
You’ll be introduced to key works, ideas and debates in experimental film, from the historical up to the present day. An emphasis is placed on the critical contribution this expressive filmmaking form offers to contemporary ideas in visual and material screen cultures. You’ll be challenged to produce a short experimental film with a research portfolio of visual material and the recording of the creative process informing this production.
ATOM Activities
ATOM activities are tiny pieces of individual learning that facilitate interdisciplinary exposure across the university. Collectively they form a small fraction of your curriculum that is determined through your own personal choice and interest.
PLE Digital Outcome
In this unit you will collate a digital record, reflecting on your learning journey through the first year of your degree. You will be identifying key points and developments within all units undertaken. We are interested in seeing a detailed account of your academic, technical and creative progress and development.
Launch week
A series of interdisciplinary seminars and workshops on how to evaluate your own work and recognise your points of strength. This week will investigate how creative risk-taking, invention and experimentation helps to develop your work.
Fiction Filmmaking
You’ll take on responsibility for a crew role in the development and production of a short fiction film to a given brief. You’ll be required to engage with research, script and production development, to engage with potential festival strategies, identify your potential audience and participate at a professional level with onset protocols and project management.
You will also begin to develop collaboration and negotiation skills outside of the university environment through such activities as fundraising and securing locations as well as developing creative relationships with collaborators such as actors and composers.
The Conscious Practitioner
This unit aims to promote progressive values and attitudes to diversity and inclusion in creative practice. Students will have the opportunity to explore global perspectives and influences on creative practice, drawing upon interactions with varied identities, cultures, politics, and histories. The unit will explore how beliefs, values and attitudes drive behaviour and practices. Students will reflect on the development of their own creative influences, perspectives, practices, and sense of belonging as developing creative professionals in global and contemporary spaces.
Elective unit
There are a range of elective units you can undertake as part of this course. Choose between Audio World Building, Film Production, Theatre Production, Shakespeare Festival or Applied Music.
Opportunity Week – Game Jam
This week consists of a series of interdisciplinary seminars, screenings, and workshops on creative game-building subjects through the lens of a ‘Games Jam’ event. You’ll see the possibilities and potential of what you could create in a short space of time, with the influence of their individual practises and subjects.
You’ll explore further innovation, technique, and technology in production, distribution and exhibition of a fully functioning and playable video game.
Documentary
You’ll undertake a documentary journey that reveals unexpected realities about the world we live in. Integral to this is the exploration of cultural, critical, theoretical and historical contexts in which selected filmmakers from a variety of international contexts have responded to real-life events. Working in groups you will research and produce an original documentary project. You’ll develop your documentary understanding through a variety of camera, editing, idea and research lectures. Before your production is greenlit, you’ll pitch your idea in front of a panel and produce a sizzle reel that shows proof of concept of your film idea.
Live Brief
From a set industry brief from either a commercial client or a charitable organisation, you'll work alone or in small production teams to understand and identify the needs of the brief, plan all aspects of the project and its unique needs, and fully address the requirements of the client.
Elective unit
There are a range of elective units you can undertake at this stage – if you’ve already chosen film or theatre production in the first term, you’ll need to pick something new at this stage. Your choices include: Showreels Creative Industries, Film Production, Theatre Production, Individual Performance Project, Applied Music, Verbatim.
ATOM Activities
This unit is an extension of your Year 1 ATOM Activities.
PLE Digital Outcome
You’ll build your industry community and professional networking footprint, creating a digital folder evidencing that you are actively engaging in sustainable professional development. You’ll showcase current and newly established professional networks and identify common interests.
If you opt to complete a professional practice year, this will take place in year three. You will undertake a placement within the creative industries to further develop your skills and CV.
While on your Professional Practice Year, you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee for that year. This fee will be determined using government funding regulations. Based on current regulations, we expect this to be a maximum of 20% of the tuition fee rate that you are charged for your second year of study. You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during this year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this as you approach your Professional Practice Year.
Please note: If you are an international applicant, you will need to enrol onto the course ‘with Professional Practice Year’. It will not be possible to transfer onto the Professional Practice Year after enrolment
Launch
Through interdisciplinary seminars, screenings and workshops, Launch Week focuses on ground-breaking, creative work that has had surprised, shocked, and changed the way we view the world. This will help you see the possibilities and potential of what you could create and achieve in your final year.
Extended Research Project
Emphasising the personal development of critical writing, you’ll research and complete an independently generated and illustrated Extended Research Project.
Final Major Project: Pre-Production
You’ll take on pre-production tasks relevant to your crew roles for the Final Major Project unit. You will also successfully contextualise these roles and the projects for life after graduation, building on technical, collaborative and professional skills you have learned so far.
Opportunity Week
This week comprises a series of interdisciplinary lectures, seminars and workshops centred around life after graduation. This week will help students develop their understanding of the creative industries, working professional environment and what they can expect after graduation.
Final Major Project: Realisation
You’ll further develop your chosen role(s) and complete the projects started in the Final Major Project: Pre-Production unit through production and into post-production and final screening. You are expected to work with a high degree of professionalism in a crew role(s,) and be challenged to further your technical and creative skills throughout.
For the assessment you will be expected to complement the on-screen work with an individual portfolio containing a critical reflection, documenting the strengths and weaknesses of the project work and your contribution, demonstrating the ability to contextualise your work in wider screen culture, and a contextual, creative and technical research folder.
This course offers the opportunity to study abroad for part of your second year. To find out more about studying abroad as part of your course please see the Study Abroad section:
Tuition fees
2022 course fees for Year 1 entry and Integrated Foundation Year:
- UK students - £9,250
- EU students - £9,250 (see fee discount information)
- International students - £16,950
If you opt to study the Professional Practice Year, for 2022 you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee of £1,850 (UK students) and £3,390 (International students). You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during your Professional Practice year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this.
Additional course costs
In addition to the tuition fees there may be other costs for your course. The things that you are likely to need to budget for to get the most out of a creative arts education will include books, printing costs, occasional or optional study trips and/or project materials. These costs will vary according to the nature of your project work and the individual choices that you make. Please see the Additional Course Costs section of your Course Information for details of the costs you may incur.
Further information
For more detailed information about our course fees and any financial support you may be entitled to please see our fees and finance pages.
The fees listed here are correct for the stated academic year only. Costs may increase each year during a student’s period of continued registration on course in line with inflation (subject to any maximum regulated tuition fee limit). Any adjustment for continuing students will be at or below the RPI-X forecast rate.
Industry placement
offer
Preparing graduates for successful careers underpins everything we do, and all students on this course will be offered an industry placement anywhere between two weeks and a year in length, depending on their individual needs. We’ll draw on our wide range of contacts within the creative industries to ensure you’re offered opportunities that align with your interests and future career aspirations.
Course specifications
Please note, syllabus content indicated is provided as a guide. The content of the course may be subject to change in line with our Student Terms and Conditions for example, as required by external professional bodies or to improve the quality of the course.
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Facilities
Facilities include two purpose-built film studios with dedicated technical support; sound editing, 7.1.2 surround sound mixing as well as digital and analogue editing suites. Software includes Avid Media Composer, Symphony, Baselight, Nitris and Pro Tools. Production kit also includes high end cameras, lighting and sound kit, which is available on campus from the Equipment Hire Department on site.
Film studio, UCA Farnham
Foley sound studio, UCA Farnham
Film editing suite, UCA Farnham
Film and performance studio, UCA Farnham
Course connections
Our industry connections include:
- Avid
- Kodak
- BKSTS
- BECTU
- NAHEM
- Envy
- The Royal Television Society
- The Guild of Television Cameramen
- Tangram Post Production
- Warp Films
- Working Title
- BBC
- Picture Productions
- Paramount Pictures
- ITN
- Mainframe
- Big Minded TV.
We've hosted a number of visiting lecturers, including:
- Alex Garland, novelist, screenwriter, film producer and director with titles including The Beach, Ex Machina, Dredd, Sunshine and 28 Days Later
- Barrie Vince, editor of Get Real, A Private Function and Moonlighting
- Gustavo Costantini, Argentinian sound designer, musician and Professor of Sound Design at the University of Buenos Aires
- Joe Martin and Danielle Clarke, director and producer of documentaries Win a Baby, Going Straight, Scientologists at War and Britain's Young Soldiers
- Julie Noon/One World Media, Julie made Syria's Torture Machine, The TA and the Taliban, and Cooking in the Danger Zone
- Philip Ilson, directs the London Short Film Festival
- Sean Bobbitt, cinematographer of 12 Years a Slave (amongst many others).
As well as coursework, our students are supported in external projects and have made professional level film work for organisations including:
- Alive & Well
- London Life
- Royal Marsden Hospital
- Sailability
- The March Foundation
- Who Needs Heroes.
Our students have undertaken work experience on major blockbuster films and award-winning features, such as:
- Lilting
- The Favourite
- Snow White and the Huntsman
- Thor: The Dark World
- Anna Karenina
- Game of Thrones.
Our graduates have worked in various roles on big budget productions, including:
- James Bond
- Black Sheep
- Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan
- Loki
- Sex Education
- Mission: Impossible
- Rogue Nation
- Star Wars: Episode VII
- Thor: The Dark World
- Fast & Furious 6
- Anna Karenina
- Pride.
A number of our graduates are working for range of high-profile organisations, such as:
- The BBC
- ITV
- Channel 4
- RSA Films
- The Challenge Network
- Roast Beef Productions
- Art4noise
- Channel 5
- E4
- Splice Media
- Blindeye Films
- Flex Film
- Passion Pictures
- Seventh Art Productions.
The types of roles our graduates go on to achieve include:
- Director
- Editor
- Producer
- Production designer
- Camera operator
- Sound designer
- Location manager
- Location sound recordist
- Independent film maker
- Screen writer
- Distributor
- Exhibitor
- DIT operator.
You may also like to consider further study at postgraduate level.
Explore our Gradshow
Visit our 2022 grad show site to see the incredible work created by our graduating students
Visit the 2022 Gradshow
Our Staff
"The course was an amazing experience. I can’t believe how much confidence I’ve gained. To go from an incredibly shy, reserved person to standing in front of a lecture theatre and pitching an idea is an amazing achievement."
Entry requirements
BA (Hons) course
BA (Hons) course with Professional Practice Year
The standard entry requirements* for these courses are one of the following:
- 112 new UCAS tariff points, see accepted qualifications
- Pass at Foundation Diploma in Art & Design (Level 3 or 4)
- Distinction, Merit, Merit at BTEC Extended Diploma / BTEC National Extended Diploma
- Merit at UAL Extended Diploma
- 112 new UCAS tariff points from an accredited Access to Higher Education Diploma in appropriate subject
- 27-30 total points in the International Baccalaureate Diploma with at least 15 IB points at Higher level, see more information about IB entry requirements.
And four GCSE passes at grade A*-C and/or grade 4-9 including English (or Functional Skills English/Key Skills Communication Level 2).
Other relevant and equivalent Level 3 UK and international qualifications are considered on an individual basis, and we encourage students from diverse educational backgrounds to apply.
BA (Hons) course with Integrated Foundation Year
BA (Hons) course with Integrated Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year
The standard entry requirements for these courses are one of the following:
- 64 new UCAS tariff points, see accepted qualifications
- Pass at Foundation Diploma in Art & Design (Level 3 or 4)
- Merit, Pass, Pass at BTEC Extended Diploma / BTEC National Extended Diploma
- Pass at UAL Extended Diploma
- 64 new UCAS tariff points from an accredited Access to Higher Education Diploma in appropriate subject
- 24 points from the International Baccalaureate, see more information about IB entry requirements.
And four GCSE passes at grade A*-C and/or grade 4-9 including English (or Functional Skills English/Key Skills Communication Level 2).
Other relevant and equivalent Level 3 UK and international qualifications are considered on an individual basis, and we encourage students from diverse educational backgrounds to apply.
BA (Hons) course with Integrated International Foundation Year
BA (Hons) course with Integrated International Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year
For these courses you need to have completed 12 years* of schooling (with good grades) and show strong evidence of your ability to successfully complete the programme and progress onto your chosen degree.
*We occasionally make offers which are lower than the standard entry criteria, to students who have faced difficulties that have affected their performance and who were expected to achieve higher results. We consider the strength of our applicants’ portfolios, as well as their grades - in these cases, a strong portfolio is especially important.
Don't meet the international entry requirements or English language requirements?
You may be able to enter the course through the following entry pathways:
BA (Hons) course
BA (Hons) course with Professional Practice Year
For these courses, we’ll need to see your portfolio for review. We’ll invite you to attend an Applicant Day so you can have your portfolio review in person, meet the course team and learn more about your course. If you would prefer to upload a portfolio digitally, there is also the option to submit it online via your UCA Applicant Portal. Further information will be provided once you have applied.
BA (Hons) course with Integrated Foundation Year
BA (Hons) course with Integrated Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year
These courses don't require a portfolio. If you receive an offer, you’ll be invited to attend an Applicant Day where you can meet the course team and learn more about the course.
BA (Hons) course with Integrated International Foundation Year
BA (Hons) course with Integrated International Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year
These courses don't require a portfolio. If you receive an offer, you’ll be invited to attend an Applicant Day where you can meet the course team and learn more about the course.
Apply Now
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UCAS Institution
C93
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UCAS Code for 3 year/standard
W600
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UCAS Code for course with Professional Practice
W601
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UCAS Code for course with Integrated Foundation Year
W60F
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UCAS Code for course with Integrated International Foundation Year
W60H
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UCAS Code for course with Integrated Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year
W60G
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UCAS Code for course with Integrated International Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year
W60J
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