Awards

Target Award

Award Description:Bachelor of Arts with Honours - BAH

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit

Programme Offerings

Full-Time

F2F-JMU-SEP

Educational Aims of the Course

To develop students' critical and creative response to the moving image. To guide students towards a critical and historical understanding of film cultures. To familiarise students with the skills and conventions of professional film practice and the values that accompany them. To facilitate opportunities for students to develop the technical skills and the artistic and cognitive insights necessary to engage effectively in the study and practice of Film. To promote the development of graduates who are critical independent thinkers possessing a range of transferable skills, particularly the development of initiative, team, organisational and communication skills. To enrich learning and teaching by supporting staff development and research which engages theoretical and practical investigation and furthers academic and artistic discourse both within and beyond the institution. To encourage students to recognise the skills and insights they develop through the course and help them identify career opportunities. To challenge students to read and view analytically across a culturally and historically broad range of Films in relation to the ethical and social contexts of the human experience. To interact effectively with others, in team or group work, for example through collaboration or in workshop situations.

Learning Outcomes

1.
Evidence knowledge and understanding of a range of films from diverse cultural and industrial backgrounds from 1895 to the present day.
2.
Demonstrate a critical awareness of the variety of cultural and industrial contexts by which these texts are produced, disseminated and received.
3.
Produce work which demonstrates the techniques and practices involved in the production of audiovisual artefacts.
4.
Evidence knowledge and understanding of theoretical, historical and critical debates about film.
5.
Analyse: describe and interpret artistic and cultural representations with an understanding of their generic, stylistic and institutional properties.
6.
Historicise: comprehend the operation of moving image texts within history. Identify the features of historical contexts that facilitate particular cultural expressions and inform the construction of particular identities.
7.
Conceptualise: abstract from the specific conditions of a creative context in order to formulate key issues and questions.
8.
Synthesise: information, ideas, critical perspectives and media production practices.
9.
Evaluate; exercise independent judgement in the selection of material for critical and creative activities; in the assessment of critical and creative contexts; and in the articulation of informed and reasoned arguments (expressed in written, oral or audiovisual forms).
10.
Reflect: develop an understanding of the students' own subject position with reference to film-related texts and contexts.
11.
Create, research, pitch, plan, produce and post produce audiovisual artefacts.
12.
Undertake critical research: formulating a topic or hypothesis, reviewing debates and existing literature, assessing differing perspectives and constructing an argument.
13.
Locate, select and retrieve relevant material for independent or tutor-guided assignments (theoretical and/or practical).
14.
Critically evaluate developing professional skills and knowledge and formulate a personal plan for securing employment.
15.
Communicate effectively in a number of forms: group discussions, oral presentations, written work and film production.
16.
Take responsibility for your own learning, responding to feedback and practising self-evaluation.
17.
Organise and manage supervised, self-directed projects and work productively in a group or team, showing abilities at different times to listen, contribute and lead effectively.
18.
Apply effective self-management including meeting deadlines, prioritising tasks and fulfilling own roles and responsibilities.
19.
Put to use a range of IT skills from basic competences such as word-processing to more complex editing software packages.
20.
Work in flexible, creative and independent ways, showing self-discipline, self-direction and reflexivity.

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Knowledge and understanding is acquired through lectures, seminars, tutorials, screenings, group work, practical workshops, independent study and work-based learning, VLE delivery and support. Knowledge and understanding is also effected by staff demonstrations (skills and techniques and to establish the parameters of professional practice), master classes (expert workshops by visiting practitioners to familiarise students with current industrial practice), and showcases (opportunities taken to screen and discuss finished work and view work in progress).

Student are assessed by coursework, examinations and group productions of short film. Coursework includes essays of various length, literature reviews, individual and group presentations, individual and group critical self-evaluation, journals, self-reflective portfolios, research exercises, individual work-based learning reports, blogs and dissertations. Examinations include class-tests and unseen exams. Group productions of audio-visual artefacts include photo-storyboard, factual and fictional video productions Intellectual skills are promoted through lectures and applied by students in seminars, group work, tutorials, independent study and the production of assessments. Some or all of these skills may also be developed through reflection on work-based learning and production of audio visual artefacts.

Intellectual skills are assessed through the range of assessment used on the Film Studies programme. The forms of assessment are structured over the three years of the degree to allow students to develop the ability to think independently, to formulate and research their own topics, and to build on their knowledge and interests.

Professional practical skills are acquired through lectures, seminars, tutorials, group work, the production of assessments and particularly through independent study and practice. Hands on involvement with audio-visual equipment and work based learning are particularly significant in advancing those skills. All students receive initial guidance on how to use cameras, lighting and sound equipment and editing software. All students are offered guidance on how to use specialised electronic journals and databases.

Transferable skills are developed through seminars, group work, tutorials, independent study and work-based learning.

Students receive induction into basic IT skills at Level 4 and are encouraged to use these skills throughout the levels. Canvas is used to support students learning on the majority of modules. Extensive guides to essay writing and research are available through the Academic Achievement Canvas site

Assessment of transferable skills is through coursework at all levels. The forms of assessment are structured over the three years of the degree to allow students to develop certain transferable skills, such as those of presentation (oral or written) and communication, collaboration, self-reflection and the skills involved in learning independently.

Opportunities for work related learning

The Film Studies Programme has a vocational practice strand, which provides students with industry skillsets in film production, building vocational skills in the core Production Skills module at Level 4, Working in Film at level 5, Thesis in level 6 and the optional module Work Based learning at level 6.

The industry strand supports students in developing and articulating their career ambitions through their three-year degree. This builds from initial self-awareness and developing ambitions to explore whilst studying in L4, towards a final Graduate Pack constructed in level 5 and 6 containing an industry ready CV and career plan.

In the L4 module Production Skills students will engage with Future Focus, consider their own ambitions, and identify areas to develop in across the programme.

Students will explore employment in Film and options such as full-time, freelance and start-ups in the module, Working in Film, at level 5. They will meet employers, alumni and those who work in Film. The assessment task will be devised with input from industry and will involve students presenting to industry partners and getting feedback from them. Students complete a career plan in this module, as part of a careers pack and consider how they will develop the necessary skills and experience to achieve their ambitions, encouraging them to undertake placement and extra curricula opportunities in the final year of their study.

At level 6 students have an option to undertake either a work placement or work on a brief for an external client in the optional module Work-based Learning.

Programme Structure

Programme Structure Description

The programme is taught and assessed within the Academic Framework. Students must take 120 credits of Film Studies modules at each level of the programme (Level 4, Level 5 and Level 6). Each level of the programme should normally be completed in one academic year. Modules are of two types: … For more content click the Read More button below. All level 4 modules are core and have been designed to introduce students to the hybrid nature of our degree. They will take Film Language, British Social Realism and Film Theory, all of which are traditional theoretical modules. They will gain a foundation in practical filmmaking via the Production Skills and Post-Production Skills modules. Writing for Screen provides students with the knowledge and skills to create and format a script. This module includes elements of both practices and theory. Level 5 has three core modules. Documentary Filmmaking, Fiction Filmmaking and Working in Film. Whereas the two former modules develop student craft skills in line with specific modes of filmmaking, the latter informs students of their career options and equips them with the confidence to find and apply for jobs within the cultural industries. Optional modules include two more practical modules: Video Essay and Experimental Filmmaking and two historical modules American Cinema and European Cinema. The final option is Film Adaptation which is a blend of both theory and practice (students take an exam and write a 10 page adapted screenplay). At Level 6 there are four core modules - Final Film Pre-Production and  Final Film Production; these make up the final year filmmaking project. The other two core modules are World Cinema and Film Thesis. Students must choose 2 modules from the following: Interpretation in Film, Black American Film and Work Based Learning. All students are assigned a personal tutor when they arrive at LJMU. The personal tutor will be a member of the Film Studies teaching staff. In addition to meeting with personal tutors in induction week, students are invited to attend 2 x one-to-one meetings over the year. Students will be offered the opportunity of study abroad at Level 5. Option A: replacement of 60 credits of Level 5 with appropriate study abroad. The programme will offer the opportunity of 60 credits of study at Level 5. Students will be enrolled on a 360 credit honours with study abroad programme. A 60 credits Level 5 Study Semester Abroad module 5033FILM will normally replace the semester 2 modules on the standard programme. This study abroad should cover the same learning outcomes as the modules being replaced. The modules to be studied in the host institution must be agreed in advance. The Level 5 mean for the final award mark will be calculated based upon the 120 credits at Level 5. and/or: Option B: additional Study Year Abroad following Level 5. The programme will offer the opportunity of an additional study year abroad following Level 5. Students will be enrolled on a 480 credit honours with study abroad programme. Of those 480 credits, 120 will be taken via a Level 5 Study Year Abroad module 5034FILM. The modules to be studied in the host institution must be agreed in advance. The Level 5 mean for the final award mark will be calculated based upon the 240 credits at Level 5.

Entry Requirements

A levels

Access awards

Alternative qualifications considered

BTECs

GCSEs and equivalents

IELTS

International Baccalaureate

Interview required

Irish awards

OCR Cambridge Technical

Reduced offer scheme

T levels

UCAS points

Extra Entry Requirements

Is a DBS check required?

No

HECoS Code(s)

(CAH25-01) creative arts and design