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Practical. Critical. Creative.

Do you want to combine practical filmmaking skills with the ability to critically analyse film in a range of contexts?

From filmmaking to film criticism, digital content creation, film festival programming, archival curation, and more, this BA (Hons) Film degree provides you with the comprehensive knowledge and skills needed for employment in the screen industries, and beyond.

Formerly known as ‘BA Film and TV Production’, this degree is taught by Northumbria’s leading film practitioners, theoreticians, and historians – all bringing research to life in your workshops, lectures, and seminars.

The BA Film combines theory and practice: you will make your own film projects, from dramas and documentaries to music and experimental films, while also exploring the impact of film on society and culture. See student work from across the years here.

This degree is dynamic, interdisciplinary, and addresses real world challenges, all while equipping you for your career in industry.

Why choose Northumbria to study BA (Hons) Film?

Top Department – Northumbria is ranked 2nd in the UK for Film, Production & Photography (Guardian University League Table, 2024).

Award Winning – You will be taught by award winning film producers/writers such as Len Collin and Johnny Walker.

Taking on Tomorrow – This course is contemporary, future-facing, and critically rigorous, preparing you to make positive impact in the world.

Research Powerhouse – Art and Design at Northumbria is ranked 4th in the UK for research power (REF, 2021). This is a rise of 6 places compared to 2014.

Student Rated – Communication & Media Studies at Northumbria is ranked 9th in the UK for overall Student Experience (Times Good University Guide, 2024).

Your Learning Experience

This course is delivered through a mix of classroom, studio-based learning, and engagement with cultural centres such as the BFI partnership, to further enhance your learning.

Modules will be taught through lectures, seminars, practical sessions and workshops. You’ll be assessed using a range of methods, including practical project submissions, essays, and presentations.

In second year, there is the opportunity to undertake a professional placement where you can gain real-world, practical experience. Alternatively, you can extend your studies, either taking an additional placement year between second and final year, or even taking a year to study abroad in the likes of mainland Europe or North America.

In your final year, you will embark on a Dissertation or a Practical Filmmaking Project (called 'Practice-Based Research Project') which is an opportunity to focus on what interests you most while developing your portfolio and academic skills.

What is a ‘cultural partnership’ and how will it support my learning?

Cultural partnerships are when institutions work together to promote art, traditions, or values. At Northumbria, this includes museums, charities, and other education partners teaming up to create an enhanced curriculum designed to support your learning experience and employability. These partnerships help you:

  • Showcase talent and innovation
  • Attend events such as masterclasses and workshops
  • Access specialist facilities and archives
  • Gain experiential learning opportunities, such as working on live briefs.
  • Immerse yourself in real-world settings, working directly within the community.
  • Network with key employers
  • Unlock potential placement opportunities, during or beyond your studies.

Students studying BA Film benefit directly from our cultural education partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI).

Our partnership with BFI means you will have access to masterclasses, workshops, Q&As, and ‘industry ready skills development’ sessions. You may also have an opportunity to work on a live brief alongside the BFI, gaining hands-on experience.

All students and staff at Northumbria also have access to BFI Player, to stream critically acclaimed films for free!

How does this course enhance my employability?

From the very start of your studies, you are supported as you begin to develop transferable skills, such as critical thinking, communication, team working, and confidence.

On the course, you’ll learn how to use industry-standard video/sound editing software, identify the key elements of screenwriting, and understand the logistics and planning required pre- and post-production.

An invaluable opportunity for first-hand employability skills will be your Professional Placement. Here, you will be immersed in the industry, getting to grips with exactly how your knowledge can be applied, and gaining confidence, professionalism, and skills which will stay with you for life.

Many modules have been specifically designed to enhance your employability and encourage you to consider how your interests align with potential future career routes after graduation. For example, the final year module, ‘Event Cultures’, explores events planning, management, and media promotion, while ‘Film Across Media: Transmedia Storytelling and Marketing’ introduces you to how the media industry utilises world-building, to spread traditional context across media platforms.

See other similar courses you may be interested in: BA Media and Communications or BA Theatre and Performance

Practical. Critical. Creative.

Do you want to combine practical filmmaking skills with the ability to critically analyse film in a range of contexts?

From filmmaking to film criticism, digital content creation, film festival programming, archival curation, and more, this BA (Hons) Film degree provides you with the comprehensive knowledge and skills needed for employment in the screen industries, and beyond.

Formerly known as ‘BA Film and TV Production’, this degree is taught by Northumbria’s leading film practitioners, theoreticians, and historians – all bringing research to life in your workshops, lectures, and seminars.

The BA Film combines theory and practice: you will make your own film projects, from dramas and documentaries to music and experimental films, while also exploring the impact of film on society and culture. See student work from across the years here.

This degree is dynamic, interdisciplinary, and addresses real world challenges, all while equipping you for your career in industry.

Why choose Northumbria to study BA (Hons) Film?

Top Department – Northumbria is ranked 2nd in the UK for Film, Production & Photography (Guardian University League Table, 2024).

Award Winning – You will be taught by award winning film producers/writers such as Len Collin and Johnny Walker.

Taking on Tomorrow – This course is contemporary, future-facing, and critically rigorous, preparing you to make positive impact in the world.

Research Powerhouse – Art and Design at Northumbria is ranked 4th in the UK for research power (REF, 2021). This is a rise of 6 places compared to 2014.

Student Rated – Communication & Media Studies at Northumbria is ranked 9th in the UK for overall Student Experience (Times Good University Guide, 2024).

Your Learning Experience

This course is delivered through a mix of classroom, studio-based learning, and engagement with cultural centres such as the BFI partnership, to further enhance your learning.

Modules will be taught through lectures, seminars, practical sessions and workshops. You’ll be assessed using a range of methods, including practical project submissions, essays, and presentations.

In second year, there is the opportunity to undertake a professional placement where you can gain real-world, practical experience. Alternatively, you can extend your studies, either taking an additional placement year between second and final year, or even taking a year to study abroad in the likes of mainland Europe or North America.

In your final year, you will embark on a Dissertation or a Practical Filmmaking Project (called 'Practice-Based Research Project') which is an opportunity to focus on what interests you most while developing your portfolio and academic skills.

What is a ‘cultural partnership’ and how will it support my learning?

Cultural partnerships are when institutions work together to promote art, traditions, or values. At Northumbria, this includes museums, charities, and other education partners teaming up to create an enhanced curriculum designed to support your learning experience and employability. These partnerships help you:

  • Showcase talent and innovation
  • Attend events such as masterclasses and workshops
  • Access specialist facilities and archives
  • Gain experiential learning opportunities, such as working on live briefs.
  • Immerse yourself in real-world settings, working directly within the community.
  • Network with key employers
  • Unlock potential placement opportunities, during or beyond your studies.

Students studying BA Film benefit directly from our cultural education partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI).

Our partnership with BFI means you will have access to masterclasses, workshops, Q&As, and ‘industry ready skills development’ sessions. You may also have an opportunity to work on a live brief alongside the BFI, gaining hands-on experience.

All students and staff at Northumbria also have access to BFI Player, to stream critically acclaimed films for free!

How does this course enhance my employability?

From the very start of your studies, you are supported as you begin to develop transferable skills, such as critical thinking, communication, team working, and confidence.

On the course, you’ll learn how to use industry-standard video/sound editing software, identify the key elements of screenwriting, and understand the logistics and planning required pre- and post-production.

An invaluable opportunity for first-hand employability skills will be your Professional Placement. Here, you will be immersed in the industry, getting to grips with exactly how your knowledge can be applied, and gaining confidence, professionalism, and skills which will stay with you for life.

Many modules have been specifically designed to enhance your employability and encourage you to consider how your interests align with potential future career routes after graduation. For example, the final year module, ‘Event Cultures’, explores events planning, management, and media promotion, while ‘Film Across Media: Transmedia Storytelling and Marketing’ introduces you to how the media industry utilises world-building, to spread traditional context across media platforms.

See other similar courses you may be interested in: BA Media and Communications or BA Theatre and Performance

Course Information

UCAS Code
P315

Level of Study
Undergraduate

Mode of Study
3 years Full Time or 4 years with a placement (sandwich)/study abroad

Department
Northumbria School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries, Arts

Location
City Campus, Northumbria University

City
Newcastle

Start
September 2025

Fees
Fee Information

Modules
Module Information

Student work / Film

Discover what kind of work students have done on the Film course.

Discover more / Film

Find out more about what we've been getting up to.

Entry Requirements 2024/25

Standard Entry

112 UCAS Tariff points

From a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications which may include: A-level, T Level, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas, or the International Baccalaureate.

Find out how many points your qualifications are worth by using the UCAS Tariff calculator: www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator

Northumbria University is committed to supporting all individuals to achieve their ambitions. We have a range of schemes and alternative offers to make sure as many individuals as possible are given an opportunity to study at our University regardless of personal circumstances or background. To find out more, review our Northumbria Entry Requirement Essential Information page for further details www.northumbria.ac.uk/entryrequirementsinfo

Subject Requirements:

There are no specific subject requirements for this course.

GCSE Requirements:

Applicants will need Maths and English Language at minimum grade 4/C, or an equivalent.

Additional Requirements:

There are no additional requirements for this course.

International Qualifications:

We welcome applicants with a range of qualifications which may not match those shown above.

If you have qualifications from outside the UK, find out what you need by visiting www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry

English Language Requirements:

International applicants should have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (or an approved equivalent*).

*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades in our English Language section: www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications

Entry Requirements 2025/26

Standard Entry

112 UCAS Tariff points

From a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications which may include: A-level, T Level, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas, or the International Baccalaureate.

Find out how many points your qualifications are worth by using the UCAS Tariff calculator: www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator

Northumbria University is committed to supporting all individuals to achieve their ambitions. We have a range of schemes and alternative offers to make sure as many individuals as possible are given an opportunity to study at our University regardless of personal circumstances or background. To find out more, review our Northumbria Entry Requirement Essential Information page for further details www.northumbria.ac.uk/entryrequirementsinfo

Subject Requirements:

There are no specific subject requirements for this course.

GCSE Requirements:

Applicants will need Maths and English Language at minimum grade 4/C, or an equivalent.

Additional Requirements:

There are no additional requirements for this course.

International Qualifications:

We welcome applicants with a range of qualifications which may not match those shown above.

If you have qualifications from outside the UK, find out what you need by visiting www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry

English Language Requirements:

International applicants should have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (or an approved equivalent*).

*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades in our English Language section: www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications

Fees and Funding 2024/25 Entry

UK Fee in Year 1: £9,250

* The maximum tuition fee that we are permitted to charge for UK students is set by government. Tuition fees may increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, these are subject to government regulations and in line with inflation.


International Fee in Year 1: £18,250


Please see the main Funding Pages for 24/25 scholarship information.

 


ADDITIONAL COSTS

There are no Additional Costs

Fees and Funding 2025/26 Entry

UK Fee in Year 1*: TBC

* Government has yet to announce 25/26 tuition fee levels. As a guide, 24/25 fees were £9,250 per year. 



International Fee in Year 1: £19,350

ADDITIONAL COSTS

There are no Additional Costs

If you’d like to receive the latest updates from Northumbria about our courses, events, finance & funding then enter your details below.

* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here

How to Apply

Please use the Apply Now button at the top of this page to submit your application.

Certain applications may need to be submitted via an external application system, such as UCAS, Lawcabs or DfE Apply.

The Apply Now button will redirect you to the relevant website if this is the case.

You can find further application advice, such as what to include in your application and what happens after you apply, on our Admissions Hub Admissions | Northumbria University



Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

MI4007 -

Film History (Core,20 Credits)

The module introduces you to key developments in the history of cinema, from its origin in the 1890s to the present day. It engages with a range of national cinemas and historical periods in order to provide you with an understanding of some of the ways in which films have been manufactured, received and discussed. It covers topics such as the following:

• Early Cinema
• Hollywood cinema: classical narrative cinema, the studio system, technology
• European cinema challenging the mainstream: Surrealism, German Expressionism, Italian Neo-Realism, Soviet Cinema
• Movements in Post-1945 cinema: European Art Cinema, the French New Wave, British New Wave, New German Cinema, Underground US cinema, the British Heritage Film, Dogme 95
• Post-Classical Cinema: New Hollywood Cinema, the Blockbuster, Digital Cinema, Popular East Asian cinema

More information

MP4021 -

Approaches to Documentary (Core,20 Credits)

Approaches to Documentary introduces you to the methods and approaches used to make effective practical media productions, specifically documentary film projects. Developing towards the production of a short factual film project, this module introduces you to the relevant critical contexts and production techniques required to create all film projects. It pursues an understanding of film-making history, theory and conventions, while you learn how to articulate a film idea from script to screen. The module will introduce you to ideas for structuring and organising your film to the best creative and narrative effect. The documentary script treatments are generated and developed in the Semester 1 module, Approaches to Storytelling and these treatments are then produced in this module to make a short documentary film with the theme ‘Portrait of a Person’. The Module takes 11 weeks, with the first half of the semester dedicated to exploring the concepts and techniques required and the second half to the planning and production of the film work to completion.

More information

MP4022 -

Approaches to Storytelling (Core,20 Credits)

‘Approaches to Storytelling’ asks you to consider what a story is and how storytelling works on screen. You will develop your knowledge and understanding of storytelling as well as the processes behind it. This module is an opportunity to test ideas out, experiment and take risks in the development of a detailed concept for a short film. Through a series of lectures, seminars and practical tasks this module introduces you to a range of narrative concepts and approaches both critical and creative. This module will introduce the fundamentals of storytelling and screenwriting, as well as historical development of screenwriting, scripted and non-scripted approaches to film making, representation and ethics in screenwriting. During the module, you will have the opportunity to develop practical skills including writing, production research, storyboarding. You will also acquire critical and reflective skills, as you respond to your own work and that of others. Furthermore, this module enables you to develop transferable personal skills to support your future study and employability.

More information

MP4024 -

Sound and Editing (Core,20 Credits)

'Sound and Editing' aims to introduce you to the considerations and definitions surrounding sound and editing in film production.

Sound is an often-overlooked aspect of film production, but it is a powerful tool in adding resonance to productions and also needs to be technically precise. This introductory module looks at the place of sound in your understanding of film projects and engages with the practicalities of effective sound recording and basic mixing.

Editing is one of the key skills in delivering projects and this module introduces you to non-linear editing platforms, in workshops that include the architecture of the platforms, workflows, basic editing techniques and delivery formats.

You will make a ‘soundscape’ to discover the potential of sound and also attend editing workshops to become conversant with the processes of editing. You will learn about the importance of critical context to add value to your work

More information

MP4025 -

The Audiovisual Essay (Core,20 Credits)

The Audiovisual Essay module incorporates research into film and/or other media through the production of an audiovisual essay or video essay. So, for example, you could make an argument about the use of lighting in Star Wars, by cutting up shots of Star Wars alongside some other elements, such as text onscreen, voice over, split screen, etc. The module allows you to develop your critical, theoretical, and/or historical knowledge of film and/or other media through reading, close textual analysis, and video editing. This module requires you to work and research independently and realise a project that interests you. The practical realisation of these projects will be through the use of technology enhanced learning tools, that is, hardware and software that are instrumental to film production and post-production, combining theory and practice in the creation of an authentic (real world) assessment. The module will be run through a Lecture and Workshop/Seminar format. You will be assessed and provided summative feedback on three components: a short-written proposal; an audiovisual essay, and research informed critical reflection. You will also be provided with verbal formative feedback each week in class based on weekly homework exercises produced. The module will encourage you to develop your critical thinking skills alongside their practical competency in making an audiovisual essay. Audiovisual essays are very popular formats online and you will have the opportunity to produce work that can speak to an extensive online community of makers and audiences.

More information

MP4026 -

Analysing Media and Film (Core,20 Credits)

This module will introduce students to analysing media texts critically, in order to provide them with an understanding of some of the key ways in which media texts are constructed and how they communicate information and express ideas. Through learning about a variety of critical approaches to media analysis, students will develop analytical techniques that will deepen their critical skills and understanding of their own creative practice. Topics covered will include, for example, image composition, signs and symbols, mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound, and narrative, as well as an exploration of terms such as intertextuality, genre and authorship. The module will look at a variety of examples that range across different types of media, including film, television, advertising and so forth, and students will develop a range of skills in order to critically analyse media texts in relation to institutional, technological, aesthetic and cultural contexts.

More information

YA5001 -

Academic Language Skills for Arts (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

More information

AD5003 -

Arts Study Abroad (60 credit) (Optional,60 Credits)

The Study Abroad module is a semester based 60 credit module which is available on degree courses which facilitate study abroad within the programme. You will undertake a semester abroad at a partner university equivalent to 60 UK credits. This gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. The course of study abroad will be constructed to meet the learning outcomes for the programme for the semester in question, dependent on suitable modules from the partner and will be recorded for an individual student on the learning agreement signed by the host University, the student, and the home University (Northumbria). The module will be assessed by conversion of graded marks from the host University.

Learning outcomes on the year-long modules on which the student is unable to attend the home institution must be met at the host institution, and marks from the host are incorporated into the modules as part of the overall assessment.

More information

MP5027 -

Cinematography (Core,20 Credits)

This Module further develops and embeds concepts introduced at Level 4, building on your knowledge of visual language. Cinematography describes the art of photography and camerawork in filmmaking, not just capturing pretty pictures. Cinematic storytelling manipulates our emotions, revealing character and plot - sometimes without our immediate knowledge. An audience may not be consciously aware of the cinematography techniques being employed – but can feel they have meaning. Cinematography exists in context and its only purpose is to serve the material at hand. There are 6 main components related to Cinematography. As well as being technical, these can be used as part of an aesthetic and creative design, to make your audience ‘feel’ and experience films in a deeper way.

• Camera Placement
• Lens Selection
• Movement
• Composition
• Lighting
• Colour palette
These components are all inter-related and the possibilities are infinite – but all fall within this framework. This module will explore and explain how to incorporate these components in aesthetic terms, with a view to enhancing your visual work. This knowledge can then be applied to enhance all your subsequent films.

More information

MP5028 -

Advanced Approaches to Documentary (Core,20 Credits)

Building on skills and knowledge learned at Level 4, you will examine narrative and storytelling in film and TV documentaries. This will include learning about the history, theory, and practice of existing influential documentaries, developing skills in identifying a strong factual storyline, and then learning how to research, pitch, plan, and produce a short documentary film. You will also learn how to reflect critically on your own film and those of others. The module includes sessions on, for example: the key elements of narrative documentary, researching your subject, observational filming techniques, establishing the documentary idea and creating a successful proposal or pitch, building a relationship with your contributor and planning a successful shoot, shooting script development and scheduling a creative documentary – and the blurred line with fiction, critiquing a documentary and writing a reflective commentary, editing for story and truth, and tracking and recording your own insights and learning. How to work in a team.

More information

MP5029 -

Film Professional Placement (Core,20 Credits)

This module provides a two-fold approach to your professional practice within a real world context. Classes will focus on developing a wide range of skills and knowledge to equip you for a media career, from setting up as a freelancer, through negotiating and networking skills, to employment rights and idea development. This contextual section of the module also aims to introduce you to the requirements and considerations facing graduates about to enter the media and creative industries, in order to help you start to bridge the gap between education and post-graduation employment. During this section you will develop greater awareness and first-hand experience of the industries in which you hope to work as well as hone your professional attitude, etiquette and employability skills. You will critically consider ethical dilemmas of unpaid work, and barriers to diversity, equality and career sustainability. Throughout the module, and in the lead-up to it, you will be supported in the search for a work placement or equivalent project in the media industry, which you will carry out and evaluate within the scope of the module.

In addition to the placement, the module also provides an opportunity for you to consider the skills and attributes considered most important by employers (both in the media industries and other sectors) and to set targets to address your skills gaps and boost your employability before you enter your graduation year. You will learn career development and entrepreneurial skills and will be encouraged to make a career development plan – a route map to give you a focused plan of action through your final year and well into your desired career.

More information

MP5030 -

Hollywood (Core,20 Credits)

This module will allow students to explore key aesthetic, economic, ideological and historical issues in relation to Hollywood cinema. These include analysing the formation of the studio system and how this led to Hollywood becoming a global, dominant force; how Hollywood representations can be linked to broader ideologies; how aesthetics and representations are influenced by censorship; and how Hollywood has changed historically in relation to social and technological factors. The focus on these issues throughout the module will lead to a critically-informed understanding of: periodisation (particularly in relation to the ideas of classical and post-classical Hollywood); technical innovations and their impacts (such as the introduction of sound and CGI); the changing nature of stardom and popular film genres; the increasing acceptance of Hollywood as an art form; and the ways in which Hollywood has absorbed international trends and personnel.

More information

MP5031 -

From Script to Screen: Drama production (Core,20 Credits)

You will learn about narrative and storytelling in film and television fiction. This will include learning about the history, theory, and practice of existing fiction films, developing skills in identifying an original storyline, and then learning how to research, pitch, plan, and produce a short drama film. You will also learn how to reflect critically on your practice and the practices of others.

Indicatively, the module will explore: key elements of narrative film, genre, writing three dimensional characters, researching your subject, filming techniques, plot and establishing the narrative arc, creating a successful proposal or pitch, casting and planning a successful shoot, script development, working with actors, budget and scheduling, critiquing existing film, writing a reflective commentary, editing for story, and tracking and recording your own insights and learning.

More information

MP5039 -

Methodologies (Media and Film) (Core,20 Credits)

The purpose of this module is to introduce you to key methods and approaches employed when researching a variety of media and provide you with the practical skills needed to undertake a major independent research project. As such, it critically engages with a number of research methods, outlining their key characteristics and demonstrating how they are most effectively mobilised. Academic experts will provide sessions on a number of methodological approaches, such as analysing media texts, archival research and practice-based creative methods. During the module, you will engage with the key processes involved in designing an academic research project, undertaking the research work and analysis, and presenting the results. In the process, you will be shown how to critically position your work in relation to an intellectual context, construct research questions that are practical and realistic, implement appropriate methodologies, write research proposals and structure longer written projects (such as dissertations or practice-based research).

More information

YA5001 -

Academic Language Skills for Arts (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

More information

AD5001 -

Arts Work Placement Year (Optional,120 Credits)

The Work Placement Year module is a 120 credit year-long module available on degree courses which include a work placement year, taken as an additional year of study at level 5 and before level 6 (the length of the placement(s) will be determined by your programme but it can be no less than 30 weeks). You will undertake a guided work placement at a host organisation. This is a Pass/Fail module and so does not contribute to classification. When taken and passed, however, the Placement Year is recognised in your transcript as a 120 credit Work Placement Module and on your degree certificate in the format – “Degree title (with Work Placement Year)”. The learning and teaching on your placement will be recorded in the work placement agreement signed by the placement provider, the student, and the University.

Specific learning will depend on the nature of the employer and the placement secured. In general terms, this module is an opportunity to gain significant experience of industry practice, and to learn professional, role-specific skills ‘on the job’. It’s also a great opportunity to improve transferable skills such as communication, interpersonal skills, personal organisation, time management, presentation, commercial awareness, entrepreneurial skills, branding, and professional conduct generally; and to enhance your CV and personal portfolio. Students who have carried out placements in previous years often describe it as a transformative experience; they report greatly increased personal confidence both in terms of launching their future careers, and in returning to their final year of study. Your employer will agree in advance what your learning is likely to include, and will help you reflect on this learning at the end of your placement.

Note: Subject to placement clearance; this is a competitive process and a place on the module cannot be guaranteed.

More information

AD5002 -

Arts Study Abroad Year (Optional,120 Credits)

The Study Abroad Year module is a full year 120 credit module which is available on degree courses which include a study abroad year which is taken as an additional year of study at level 5 and before level 6. You will undertake a year abroad at a partner university equivalent to 120 UK credits. This gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. The course of study abroad will be dependent on the partner and will be recorded for an individual student on the learning agreement signed by the host University, the student, and the home University (Northumbria). Your study abroad year will be assessed on a pass/fail basis. It will not count towards your final degree classification but, if you pass, it is recognised in your transcript as a 120 credit Study Abroad Module and on your degree certificate in the format – “Degree title (with Study Abroad Year)”.

Note: Subject to placement clearance; this is a competitive process and a place on the module cannot be guaranteed.

More information

MP6040 -

Experimental Film (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will introduce students to experimental filmmaking and encourage them to explore modes of creativity beyond the mainstream. It will provide critical overviews of selected experimental filmmakers and movements and encourage students to combine practice and theory through critical evaluation of their own productions. The module will alternate critical and historical sessions with practical sessions that will encourage students to produce critically informed work that challenges prevailing conventions. Students will also explore different types of experimentation and interrogate the boundaries between experimental and mainstream film.

More information

MP6041 -

Film Across Media - Transmedia Storytelling (Core,20 Credits)

In a landscape of abundant media platforms and fragmented viewing habits, how can traditional media content be reconfigured to take advantage of the potentials offered by transmedia storytelling? The 360-degree commissioning process is part of the media production landscape, meaning traditional forms of film and TV routinely extend their range and interact with audiences across multiple platforms, screens and formats. Although transmedia storytelling plays an important part in film marketing, it also allows filmmakers to expand the core content of their narratives, offering opportunities to create resonant and 'deep' (Rose) media experiences that engages audiences and adds value to the traditional standalone filmic content. In this module, you will learn how to develop your own transmedia portfolio, as well as critically evaluating the potentials of expanded storytelling via (for example) web and mobile content. You will learn techniques for expanding the narrative universe of your core film content across wider platforms. Working from Henry Jenkins’s (2010) idea that the non-repeating spreadability of transmedia entertainment, means that it “is increasingly prominent in our conversations about how media operates in a digital era", in the taught sessions we will critically examine the power of mythmaking, the importance of fan-cultures, and the pleasures of digital archival research, all of which are key to telling stories across media.

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MP6042 -

Horror Film Cultures (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will give students the opportunity to explore the history and development of the horror film - perhaps the most consistently popular and stylistically experimental of film genres. The module will engage with the ways in which horror has been defined not only through its textual qualities (particularly its uses of sound, music, mise en scene, acting styles and special effects) but also through a variety of production and marketing strategies. The module will therefore enable students to identify and critically explore the film and media cultures through which horror films are made, distributed and understood.

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MP6043 -

Practice-based Research Project (Optional,40 Credits)

This module is the capstone project in your degree and enables you to concentrate on an area of film practice that is of great interest to you. The module invites you to conduct significant practice-based research utilising your creative skills. Your choice of topic may arise from a specific interest developed through theoretical and/or practical experience on the degree in previous years and/or from extra-curricular or professional contexts. The module is flexible to your interests, passions and future directions: tutors will work with you to help you develop topics that are exciting and innovative. Your in-depth research skills will translate into polished final outputs, equipping you with knowledge of contemporary film practice, technological insight and a professional and employable skill set and expertise relevant to further study at MA and PhD level.

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MP6044 -

Screen Adaptations (Optional,20 Credits)

In Screen Adaptations you will examine the practical and theoretical debates around the translation of a variety of ‘texts’ into films and television programmes. A broad-range of case studies is covered, from adaptations of ‘high art’ such as Shakespeare and literary fiction, to the conversion of popular fiction, comic-books and supposedly ‘unfilmable’ sources. As well as considering issues of authorship and originality, you will consider the complex relationship between film, television and other media forms, from music and video-gaming to theme-park rides. Films and programmes under discussion are likely to include examples such as Adaptation, William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, Sherlock, The Last of Us, The Walking Dead, Band of Brothers, and The Lord of the Rings franchise amongst others

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MP6045 -

Transnational Cinemas (Core,20 Credits)

This module will introduce students to transnational cinema with an aim to help them understand creative practices and filmmaking contexts beyond Europe and North America. It will provide critical overviews of transnational cinema, migration and diaspora, national and anticolonial positionalities in relation to film movements, and production and distribution contexts. The module will enable students to critically engage not only with films beyond the western mainstream or arthouse cinema but also with how globalisation necessitates transnational collaborations as a survival strategy to counter Hollywood’s dominance in the global market. Students will also engage with debates and discussion on, for example, Transnational vs Global/World cinema, First/Second/Third Cinema, Imperfect Cinema/Aesthetics of Hunger and film manifestoes from the Global South. Through critical, historical, and productional sessions along with screenings of films, the module will enable students to produce critically informed work that challenges prevailing understanding about cinema furthering the goal of decolonising the film curriculum.

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MP6050 -

Event Cultures (Optional,20 Credits)

Following a case study approach, you will investigate the idea of event cultures in historical, conceptual and organisational terms. The module will explore how particular events (e.g. media festivals and award ceremonies) are developed, structured and organised. The aim is to consider how we, as scholars of film, media and culture, might conceptualise events and in so doing gain a clearer understanding of their dynamics, practices and their impact upon industry and society. In this way, the module will illustrate the key ways in which specific events have been framed in scholarship and how these ideas might begin to be applied in the real world. As such, the module encourages you to develop a critical response to filmic events and, in so doing, reflect upon their broader historical, cultural and socio-political significance. The lectures will introduce key concepts that will be explored in the seminars. The main part of each seminar will focus upon group tasks and discussion of the theme, specific event or set texts. Seminar discussions are also intended to develop your communication skills and your ability to develop and respond to ideas in a collaborative environment. You are expected to prepare for the sessions by studying the set text(s) for each week, and also by carrying out additional recommended reading/viewing (which will be indicated in the module guide and on the e–Learning Portal).

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MP6051 -

Dissertation (Media & Film) (Optional,40 Credits)

This module involves researching and writing an 8,000-10,000 word dissertation on a topic of your own choosing. The module offers you the opportunity to engage with a contemporary topic and a set of case studies that you are personally invested in. The learning materials for this module will guide you through the fundamental requirements of preparing and researching a dissertation. Our supervisory team will also share their research experiences and tips on overcoming research problems. You will also be assigned to a supervisor who will offer guidance on how to shape your particular idea into a sustained argument. As the culmination of your degree programme, the dissertation allows you demonstrate your individual engagement with your subject area, and to display the critical skills that you have developed while studying within the Media & Film subject group.

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MP6052 -

Media, Gender and Sexualities (Optional,20 Credits)

Through critical and theoretical study of gender, sex and sexualities across a wide range of media this module untangles the relationships of community, entertainment, identity, pleasure and media technologies. It explores key theoretical approaches to gender and sexuality and engages with the heated social, cultural and political debates over how gender, sex and sexuality ‘should be’ represented. We examine framings of masculinity and femininity, and explore gender beyond the binary, building on both developments in queer and transgender studies, as well as on the long history of different understandings of gender in cultures around the world. This module thus takes a broad and transnational approach to questions of gender, sexuality, media and human rights, and works to decolonise understandings of these concepts. Similarly, questions of sex and sexuality – recognised as more than effects or questions of biology – will be interrogated. Exploring ideas about, and attitudes to, gender and sexuality and the role(s) that media of various kinds have played in making meanings about intimate life students will examine contemporary media texts and the conceptual framings of ‘the sexualisation of culture’, alongside social media practices and experiences in order to investigate identity politics, sexual subcultures and theories of mediated representations and practices. Our analyses will trace the ways dominant discourses of sexuality from the past jostle for position in contemporary media particularly about gendered and 'normal' vs 'transgressive' sexualities. Gendered relations within media industries themselves are also explored. As we engage with the ways people have moved beyond ‘simple’ consumption of media, to become producers of their own representations via social media platforms, digital technologies and other media artefacts we also explore the possibilities for subverting traditional understandings of what it means to gendered and/or sexed in the 21st Century.

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YA6001 -

Academic Language Skills for Arts (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

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Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

MI4007 -

Film History (Core,20 Credits)

The module introduces you to key developments in the history of cinema, from its origin in the 1890s to the present day. It engages with a range of national cinemas and historical periods in order to provide you with an understanding of some of the ways in which films have been manufactured, received and discussed. It covers topics such as the following:

• Early Cinema
• Hollywood cinema: classical narrative cinema, the studio system, technology
• European cinema challenging the mainstream: Surrealism, German Expressionism, Italian Neo-Realism, Soviet Cinema
• Movements in Post-1945 cinema: European Art Cinema, the French New Wave, British New Wave, New German Cinema, Underground US cinema, the British Heritage Film, Dogme 95
• Post-Classical Cinema: New Hollywood Cinema, the Blockbuster, Digital Cinema, Popular East Asian cinema

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MP4021 -

Approaches to Documentary (Core,20 Credits)

Approaches to Documentary introduces you to the methods and approaches used to make effective practical media productions, specifically documentary film projects. Developing towards the production of a short factual film project, this module introduces you to the relevant critical contexts and production techniques required to create all film projects. It pursues an understanding of film-making history, theory and conventions, while you learn how to articulate a film idea from script to screen. The module will introduce you to ideas for structuring and organising your film to the best creative and narrative effect. The documentary script treatments are generated and developed in the Semester 1 module, Approaches to Storytelling and these treatments are then produced in this module to make a short documentary film with the theme ‘Portrait of a Person’. The Module takes 11 weeks, with the first half of the semester dedicated to exploring the concepts and techniques required and the second half to the planning and production of the film work to completion.

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MP4022 -

Approaches to Storytelling (Core,20 Credits)

‘Approaches to Storytelling’ asks you to consider what a story is and how storytelling works on screen. You will develop your knowledge and understanding of storytelling as well as the processes behind it. This module is an opportunity to test ideas out, experiment and take risks in the development of a detailed concept for a short film. Through a series of lectures, seminars and practical tasks this module introduces you to a range of narrative concepts and approaches both critical and creative. This module will introduce the fundamentals of storytelling and screenwriting, as well as historical development of screenwriting, scripted and non-scripted approaches to film making, representation and ethics in screenwriting. During the module, you will have the opportunity to develop practical skills including writing, production research, storyboarding. You will also acquire critical and reflective skills, as you respond to your own work and that of others. Furthermore, this module enables you to develop transferable personal skills to support your future study and employability.

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MP4024 -

Sound and Editing (Core,20 Credits)

'Sound and Editing' aims to introduce you to the considerations and definitions surrounding sound and editing in film production.

Sound is an often-overlooked aspect of film production, but it is a powerful tool in adding resonance to productions and also needs to be technically precise. This introductory module looks at the place of sound in your understanding of film projects and engages with the practicalities of effective sound recording and basic mixing.

Editing is one of the key skills in delivering projects and this module introduces you to non-linear editing platforms, in workshops that include the architecture of the platforms, workflows, basic editing techniques and delivery formats.

You will make a ‘soundscape’ to discover the potential of sound and also attend editing workshops to become conversant with the processes of editing. You will learn about the importance of critical context to add value to your work

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MP4025 -

The Audiovisual Essay (Core,20 Credits)

The Audiovisual Essay module incorporates research into film and/or other media through the production of an audiovisual essay or video essay. So, for example, you could make an argument about the use of lighting in Star Wars, by cutting up shots of Star Wars alongside some other elements, such as text onscreen, voice over, split screen, etc. The module allows you to develop your critical, theoretical, and/or historical knowledge of film and/or other media through reading, close textual analysis, and video editing. This module requires you to work and research independently and realise a project that interests you. The practical realisation of these projects will be through the use of technology enhanced learning tools, that is, hardware and software that are instrumental to film production and post-production, combining theory and practice in the creation of an authentic (real world) assessment. The module will be run through a Lecture and Workshop/Seminar format. You will be assessed and provided summative feedback on three components: a short-written proposal; an audiovisual essay, and research informed critical reflection. You will also be provided with verbal formative feedback each week in class based on weekly homework exercises produced. The module will encourage you to develop your critical thinking skills alongside their practical competency in making an audiovisual essay. Audiovisual essays are very popular formats online and you will have the opportunity to produce work that can speak to an extensive online community of makers and audiences.

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MP4026 -

Analysing Media and Film (Core,20 Credits)

This module will introduce students to analysing media texts critically, in order to provide them with an understanding of some of the key ways in which media texts are constructed and how they communicate information and express ideas. Through learning about a variety of critical approaches to media analysis, students will develop analytical techniques that will deepen their critical skills and understanding of their own creative practice. Topics covered will include, for example, image composition, signs and symbols, mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound, and narrative, as well as an exploration of terms such as intertextuality, genre and authorship. The module will look at a variety of examples that range across different types of media, including film, television, advertising and so forth, and students will develop a range of skills in order to critically analyse media texts in relation to institutional, technological, aesthetic and cultural contexts.

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YA5001 -

Academic Language Skills for Arts (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

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AD5003 -

Arts Study Abroad (60 credit) (Optional,60 Credits)

The Study Abroad module is a semester based 60 credit module which is available on degree courses which facilitate study abroad within the programme. You will undertake a semester abroad at a partner university equivalent to 60 UK credits. This gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. The course of study abroad will be constructed to meet the learning outcomes for the programme for the semester in question, dependent on suitable modules from the partner and will be recorded for an individual student on the learning agreement signed by the host University, the student, and the home University (Northumbria). The module will be assessed by conversion of graded marks from the host University.

Learning outcomes on the year-long modules on which the student is unable to attend the home institution must be met at the host institution, and marks from the host are incorporated into the modules as part of the overall assessment.

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MP5027 -

Cinematography (Core,20 Credits)

This Module further develops and embeds concepts introduced at Level 4, building on your knowledge of visual language. Cinematography describes the art of photography and camerawork in filmmaking, not just capturing pretty pictures. Cinematic storytelling manipulates our emotions, revealing character and plot - sometimes without our immediate knowledge. An audience may not be consciously aware of the cinematography techniques being employed – but can feel they have meaning. Cinematography exists in context and its only purpose is to serve the material at hand. There are 6 main components related to Cinematography. As well as being technical, these can be used as part of an aesthetic and creative design, to make your audience ‘feel’ and experience films in a deeper way.

• Camera Placement
• Lens Selection
• Movement
• Composition
• Lighting
• Colour palette
These components are all inter-related and the possibilities are infinite – but all fall within this framework. This module will explore and explain how to incorporate these components in aesthetic terms, with a view to enhancing your visual work. This knowledge can then be applied to enhance all your subsequent films.

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MP5028 -

Advanced Approaches to Documentary (Core,20 Credits)

Building on skills and knowledge learned at Level 4, you will examine narrative and storytelling in film and TV documentaries. This will include learning about the history, theory, and practice of existing influential documentaries, developing skills in identifying a strong factual storyline, and then learning how to research, pitch, plan, and produce a short documentary film. You will also learn how to reflect critically on your own film and those of others. The module includes sessions on, for example: the key elements of narrative documentary, researching your subject, observational filming techniques, establishing the documentary idea and creating a successful proposal or pitch, building a relationship with your contributor and planning a successful shoot, shooting script development and scheduling a creative documentary – and the blurred line with fiction, critiquing a documentary and writing a reflective commentary, editing for story and truth, and tracking and recording your own insights and learning. How to work in a team.

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MP5029 -

Film Professional Placement (Core,20 Credits)

This module provides a two-fold approach to your professional practice within a real world context. Classes will focus on developing a wide range of skills and knowledge to equip you for a media career, from setting up as a freelancer, through negotiating and networking skills, to employment rights and idea development. This contextual section of the module also aims to introduce you to the requirements and considerations facing graduates about to enter the media and creative industries, in order to help you start to bridge the gap between education and post-graduation employment. During this section you will develop greater awareness and first-hand experience of the industries in which you hope to work as well as hone your professional attitude, etiquette and employability skills. You will critically consider ethical dilemmas of unpaid work, and barriers to diversity, equality and career sustainability. Throughout the module, and in the lead-up to it, you will be supported in the search for a work placement or equivalent project in the media industry, which you will carry out and evaluate within the scope of the module.

In addition to the placement, the module also provides an opportunity for you to consider the skills and attributes considered most important by employers (both in the media industries and other sectors) and to set targets to address your skills gaps and boost your employability before you enter your graduation year. You will learn career development and entrepreneurial skills and will be encouraged to make a career development plan – a route map to give you a focused plan of action through your final year and well into your desired career.

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MP5030 -

Hollywood (Core,20 Credits)

This module will allow students to explore key aesthetic, economic, ideological and historical issues in relation to Hollywood cinema. These include analysing the formation of the studio system and how this led to Hollywood becoming a global, dominant force; how Hollywood representations can be linked to broader ideologies; how aesthetics and representations are influenced by censorship; and how Hollywood has changed historically in relation to social and technological factors. The focus on these issues throughout the module will lead to a critically-informed understanding of: periodisation (particularly in relation to the ideas of classical and post-classical Hollywood); technical innovations and their impacts (such as the introduction of sound and CGI); the changing nature of stardom and popular film genres; the increasing acceptance of Hollywood as an art form; and the ways in which Hollywood has absorbed international trends and personnel.

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MP5031 -

From Script to Screen: Drama production (Core,20 Credits)

You will learn about narrative and storytelling in film and television fiction. This will include learning about the history, theory, and practice of existing fiction films, developing skills in identifying an original storyline, and then learning how to research, pitch, plan, and produce a short drama film. You will also learn how to reflect critically on your practice and the practices of others.

Indicatively, the module will explore: key elements of narrative film, genre, writing three dimensional characters, researching your subject, filming techniques, plot and establishing the narrative arc, creating a successful proposal or pitch, casting and planning a successful shoot, script development, working with actors, budget and scheduling, critiquing existing film, writing a reflective commentary, editing for story, and tracking and recording your own insights and learning.

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MP5039 -

Methodologies (Media and Film) (Core,20 Credits)

The purpose of this module is to introduce you to key methods and approaches employed when researching a variety of media and provide you with the practical skills needed to undertake a major independent research project. As such, it critically engages with a number of research methods, outlining their key characteristics and demonstrating how they are most effectively mobilised. Academic experts will provide sessions on a number of methodological approaches, such as analysing media texts, archival research and practice-based creative methods. During the module, you will engage with the key processes involved in designing an academic research project, undertaking the research work and analysis, and presenting the results. In the process, you will be shown how to critically position your work in relation to an intellectual context, construct research questions that are practical and realistic, implement appropriate methodologies, write research proposals and structure longer written projects (such as dissertations or practice-based research).

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YA5001 -

Academic Language Skills for Arts (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

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AD5001 -

Arts Work Placement Year (Optional,120 Credits)

The Work Placement Year module is a 120 credit year-long module available on degree courses which include a work placement year, taken as an additional year of study at level 5 and before level 6 (the length of the placement(s) will be determined by your programme but it can be no less than 30 weeks). You will undertake a guided work placement at a host organisation. This is a Pass/Fail module and so does not contribute to classification. When taken and passed, however, the Placement Year is recognised in your transcript as a 120 credit Work Placement Module and on your degree certificate in the format – “Degree title (with Work Placement Year)”. The learning and teaching on your placement will be recorded in the work placement agreement signed by the placement provider, the student, and the University.

Specific learning will depend on the nature of the employer and the placement secured. In general terms, this module is an opportunity to gain significant experience of industry practice, and to learn professional, role-specific skills ‘on the job’. It’s also a great opportunity to improve transferable skills such as communication, interpersonal skills, personal organisation, time management, presentation, commercial awareness, entrepreneurial skills, branding, and professional conduct generally; and to enhance your CV and personal portfolio. Students who have carried out placements in previous years often describe it as a transformative experience; they report greatly increased personal confidence both in terms of launching their future careers, and in returning to their final year of study. Your employer will agree in advance what your learning is likely to include, and will help you reflect on this learning at the end of your placement.

Note: Subject to placement clearance; this is a competitive process and a place on the module cannot be guaranteed.

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AD5002 -

Arts Study Abroad Year (Optional,120 Credits)

The Study Abroad Year module is a full year 120 credit module which is available on degree courses which include a study abroad year which is taken as an additional year of study at level 5 and before level 6. You will undertake a year abroad at a partner university equivalent to 120 UK credits. This gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. The course of study abroad will be dependent on the partner and will be recorded for an individual student on the learning agreement signed by the host University, the student, and the home University (Northumbria). Your study abroad year will be assessed on a pass/fail basis. It will not count towards your final degree classification but, if you pass, it is recognised in your transcript as a 120 credit Study Abroad Module and on your degree certificate in the format – “Degree title (with Study Abroad Year)”.

Note: Subject to placement clearance; this is a competitive process and a place on the module cannot be guaranteed.

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MP6040 -

Experimental Film (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will introduce students to experimental filmmaking and encourage them to explore modes of creativity beyond the mainstream. It will provide critical overviews of selected experimental filmmakers and movements and encourage students to combine practice and theory through critical evaluation of their own productions. The module will alternate critical and historical sessions with practical sessions that will encourage students to produce critically informed work that challenges prevailing conventions. Students will also explore different types of experimentation and interrogate the boundaries between experimental and mainstream film.

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MP6041 -

Film Across Media - Transmedia Storytelling (Core,20 Credits)

In a landscape of abundant media platforms and fragmented viewing habits, how can traditional media content be reconfigured to take advantage of the potentials offered by transmedia storytelling? The 360-degree commissioning process is part of the media production landscape, meaning traditional forms of film and TV routinely extend their range and interact with audiences across multiple platforms, screens and formats. Although transmedia storytelling plays an important part in film marketing, it also allows filmmakers to expand the core content of their narratives, offering opportunities to create resonant and 'deep' (Rose) media experiences that engages audiences and adds value to the traditional standalone filmic content. In this module, you will learn how to develop your own transmedia portfolio, as well as critically evaluating the potentials of expanded storytelling via (for example) web and mobile content. You will learn techniques for expanding the narrative universe of your core film content across wider platforms. Working from Henry Jenkins’s (2010) idea that the non-repeating spreadability of transmedia entertainment, means that it “is increasingly prominent in our conversations about how media operates in a digital era", in the taught sessions we will critically examine the power of mythmaking, the importance of fan-cultures, and the pleasures of digital archival research, all of which are key to telling stories across media.

More information

MP6042 -

Horror Film Cultures (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will give students the opportunity to explore the history and development of the horror film - perhaps the most consistently popular and stylistically experimental of film genres. The module will engage with the ways in which horror has been defined not only through its textual qualities (particularly its uses of sound, music, mise en scene, acting styles and special effects) but also through a variety of production and marketing strategies. The module will therefore enable students to identify and critically explore the film and media cultures through which horror films are made, distributed and understood.

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MP6043 -

Practice-based Research Project (Optional,40 Credits)

This module is the capstone project in your degree and enables you to concentrate on an area of film practice that is of great interest to you. The module invites you to conduct significant practice-based research utilising your creative skills. Your choice of topic may arise from a specific interest developed through theoretical and/or practical experience on the degree in previous years and/or from extra-curricular or professional contexts. The module is flexible to your interests, passions and future directions: tutors will work with you to help you develop topics that are exciting and innovative. Your in-depth research skills will translate into polished final outputs, equipping you with knowledge of contemporary film practice, technological insight and a professional and employable skill set and expertise relevant to further study at MA and PhD level.

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MP6044 -

Screen Adaptations (Optional,20 Credits)

In Screen Adaptations you will examine the practical and theoretical debates around the translation of a variety of ‘texts’ into films and television programmes. A broad-range of case studies is covered, from adaptations of ‘high art’ such as Shakespeare and literary fiction, to the conversion of popular fiction, comic-books and supposedly ‘unfilmable’ sources. As well as considering issues of authorship and originality, you will consider the complex relationship between film, television and other media forms, from music and video-gaming to theme-park rides. Films and programmes under discussion are likely to include examples such as Adaptation, William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, Sherlock, The Last of Us, The Walking Dead, Band of Brothers, and The Lord of the Rings franchise amongst others

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MP6045 -

Transnational Cinemas (Core,20 Credits)

This module will introduce students to transnational cinema with an aim to help them understand creative practices and filmmaking contexts beyond Europe and North America. It will provide critical overviews of transnational cinema, migration and diaspora, national and anticolonial positionalities in relation to film movements, and production and distribution contexts. The module will enable students to critically engage not only with films beyond the western mainstream or arthouse cinema but also with how globalisation necessitates transnational collaborations as a survival strategy to counter Hollywood’s dominance in the global market. Students will also engage with debates and discussion on, for example, Transnational vs Global/World cinema, First/Second/Third Cinema, Imperfect Cinema/Aesthetics of Hunger and film manifestoes from the Global South. Through critical, historical, and productional sessions along with screenings of films, the module will enable students to produce critically informed work that challenges prevailing understanding about cinema furthering the goal of decolonising the film curriculum.

More information

MP6050 -

Event Cultures (Optional,20 Credits)

Following a case study approach, you will investigate the idea of event cultures in historical, conceptual and organisational terms. The module will explore how particular events (e.g. media festivals and award ceremonies) are developed, structured and organised. The aim is to consider how we, as scholars of film, media and culture, might conceptualise events and in so doing gain a clearer understanding of their dynamics, practices and their impact upon industry and society. In this way, the module will illustrate the key ways in which specific events have been framed in scholarship and how these ideas might begin to be applied in the real world. As such, the module encourages you to develop a critical response to filmic events and, in so doing, reflect upon their broader historical, cultural and socio-political significance. The lectures will introduce key concepts that will be explored in the seminars. The main part of each seminar will focus upon group tasks and discussion of the theme, specific event or set texts. Seminar discussions are also intended to develop your communication skills and your ability to develop and respond to ideas in a collaborative environment. You are expected to prepare for the sessions by studying the set text(s) for each week, and also by carrying out additional recommended reading/viewing (which will be indicated in the module guide and on the e–Learning Portal).

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MP6051 -

Dissertation (Media & Film) (Optional,40 Credits)

This module involves researching and writing an 8,000-10,000 word dissertation on a topic of your own choosing. The module offers you the opportunity to engage with a contemporary topic and a set of case studies that you are personally invested in. The learning materials for this module will guide you through the fundamental requirements of preparing and researching a dissertation. Our supervisory team will also share their research experiences and tips on overcoming research problems. You will also be assigned to a supervisor who will offer guidance on how to shape your particular idea into a sustained argument. As the culmination of your degree programme, the dissertation allows you demonstrate your individual engagement with your subject area, and to display the critical skills that you have developed while studying within the Media & Film subject group.

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MP6052 -

Media, Gender and Sexualities (Optional,20 Credits)

Through critical and theoretical study of gender, sex and sexualities across a wide range of media this module untangles the relationships of community, entertainment, identity, pleasure and media technologies. It explores key theoretical approaches to gender and sexuality and engages with the heated social, cultural and political debates over how gender, sex and sexuality ‘should be’ represented. We examine framings of masculinity and femininity, and explore gender beyond the binary, building on both developments in queer and transgender studies, as well as on the long history of different understandings of gender in cultures around the world. This module thus takes a broad and transnational approach to questions of gender, sexuality, media and human rights, and works to decolonise understandings of these concepts. Similarly, questions of sex and sexuality – recognised as more than effects or questions of biology – will be interrogated. Exploring ideas about, and attitudes to, gender and sexuality and the role(s) that media of various kinds have played in making meanings about intimate life students will examine contemporary media texts and the conceptual framings of ‘the sexualisation of culture’, alongside social media practices and experiences in order to investigate identity politics, sexual subcultures and theories of mediated representations and practices. Our analyses will trace the ways dominant discourses of sexuality from the past jostle for position in contemporary media particularly about gendered and 'normal' vs 'transgressive' sexualities. Gendered relations within media industries themselves are also explored. As we engage with the ways people have moved beyond ‘simple’ consumption of media, to become producers of their own representations via social media platforms, digital technologies and other media artefacts we also explore the possibilities for subverting traditional understandings of what it means to gendered and/or sexed in the 21st Century.

More information

YA6001 -

Academic Language Skills for Arts (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

More information

To start your application, simply select the month you would like to start your course.

BA (Hons) Film

Home or EU applicants please apply through UCAS

International applicants please apply using the links below

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Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.  

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