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.
Screencraft: 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.