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4th in the UK for research power 

Please note: Last year of entry for this course was September 2023. For September 2024 entry, please see BA (Hons) Film.

Do you have a passion for film and TV and a desire to bring stories to life on screen? Are you looking for a flexible course with the opportunity to specialise in production or screenwriting? 

Taught by lecturers who are filmmakers and screenwriters, this film and TV course takes a ‘learn by doing’ approach. You will write scripts, research concepts and make your own films and TV programmes. The strong practical element, coupled with a work placement ensure you will graduate with a diverse portfolio and the creative knowledge to take you into the broadcasting industry and beyond. Previous students have done work placements with companies such as Third Films, Arcus Studios, Twenty Six 03 and Candle & Bell Productions.

Why choose Northumbria to study Film and TV Production?

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

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

  • 100% of students studying Media Studies at Northumbria felt free to express their ideas, opinions, and beliefs (NSS, 2023).

  • 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.

Alternatively, you can check out our theatre courses that provides students with a comprehensive understanding of dramatic arts, enabling them to explore the intricacies of performance, stagecraft, and storytelling in a dynamic and creative learning environment.

REGISTER FOR FILM & TV PRODUCTION COURSE UPDATES



Our alumni credits include on Mandella: Long Walk to Freedom, Four Lions, Game of Thrones and Vera.

 

Northumbria University is ranked top 20 in the UK for Communication & Media Studies (Times Good University Guide, Subject League Table 2023).

Course Information

UCAS Code
P310

Level of Study
Undergraduate

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

Department
Arts

Location
City Campus, Northumbria University

City
Newcastle

Fees
Fee Information

Modules
Module Information

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Book an Open Day / Experience Film and TV Production BA (Hons)

Visit an Open Day to get an insight into what it's like to study Film and TV Production. Speak to staff and students from the course and get a tour of the facilities.

Entry Requirements 2024/25

Standard Entry

120 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

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: TBC

* 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: TBC


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

 


ADDITIONAL COSTS

There are no Additional Costs

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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.

MI4001 -

Film & TV Production 1 (Core,20 Credits)

Film & TV Production 1 introduces you to the methods and approaches used to make effective practical media productions.

Developing towards the production of a short documentary project, this module introduces you to the relevant production techniques required to create all film projects. It pursues an understanding of film making conventions while learning 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 parallel module Screenwriting 1 and the chosen 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 to completion.

More information

MI4002 -

Experimental Film 1 (Core,20 Credits)

Robin Blaetz says; ”Experimental and avant-garde film is cinema made outside of the film industry on an artisanal basis, largely without regard to the struc-tures and demands of traditional narrative film. While experimental film as a separate mode of film practice is international, it’s most prevalent manifesta-tions were in western Europe before World War II and North America and Britain in the postwar period. Avant-garde film is often produced in the context of the larger art world, particularly in relation to the visual arts and literature. It is also frequently produced as a critique of dominant, classical Hollywood cinema and functions in relation to political movements and strategies, such as feminism.”

Here you articulate the conceptualisation of ideas informed by historical, cultural and critical contexts that are derived from the avant-garde, in forms that challenge and subvert traditional filmmaking approaches.

You will demonstrate your understanding either by researching and writing an essay on an aspect of experimental filmmaking or by making your own personal response to the critical ideas presented in the lectures and seminars.

More information

MI4003 -

Screenwriting 1 (Core,20 Credits)

This module will introduce you to the main principles of screenwriting theory and encourage you to deploy these in practical exercises that allow you to write strong and coherent proposals and scripts based on intensive research. These will be considered through discussion within an informed and supportive environment. You will also be
introduced to the history and development of screenwriting.
Lectures set out the aims and learning outcomes of each session and are followed by screenwriting workshops where you develop and pitch ideas and work on drafts.
Summative assessment comprises a documentary project that is assessed on proposal (30% - 1500 words equivalent) and a screenplay development and production theory exercise, which is assessed by small group visual script projects (70% - 1500 words equivalent).

The indicative content of the module includes:
1. The historical development of screenwriting.
2. Characterisation.
3. Narrative structure and storytelling.
4. Analysis of film structures as narrative vehicles.
5. Dialogue writing for the screen.
6. Documentary research and screenplay development.

More information

MI4004 -

Professional Practice 1 (Core,20 Credits)

The professional media industry employs a wide range of standard tools, mechanisms, forms and regulatory procedures to make sure media productions run smoothly, safely, legally, ethically, on time, and under budget. Employers tell us that graduates who know and can apply these techniques- as well as demonstrate a cultural overview of their craft - are extremely valuable to them at entry level and can play a genuinely useful role in supporting real industry productions.

In this module, you will learn a range of basic production management techniques which will equip you to run all your student productions (as well as future professional productions) more successfully and you will be introduced to techniques of creative thinking, group working strategies, legal/ ethical considerations and risk assessment techniques. Tutors also devote time on this module to supporting and developing your academic and practical study skills that will underpin a successful completion of the Film & TV Production programme, as well as provide you with an overview of the key social, historical and stylistic contexts of the film and television industry in order to gear you towards careers in a wide variety of media production sectors. The module will teach you up-to-date methods for safe filming practices, and familiarise you with the regulations and advice currently in force in the industry. You’ll also learn how to build a media CV, develop transferable skills, and build confidence to approach industry contacts; you’ll research and submit a plan for your second year professional practice module portfolio – such as a work placement or programme of interviews with industry professionals.

In essence the module considers what it is to become a filmmaker, in terms of not only practical considerations but also a cultural mindset which will allow you to enter into creative discussions with your professional peers and potential employers as a more fully rounded and informed practitioner.

More information

MI4005 -

Sound and Post Production 1 (Core,20 Credits)

Sound and Post Production 1 aims to introduce you to the considerations and definitions surrounding sound and post production 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, it covers technical sound theory 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.

More information

MI4017 -

Films for Filmmakers 1: Critical Concepts in Film and Television Studies (Core,20 Credits)

This module will introduce you analysing films critically, in order to provide you with an understanding of some of the key ways in which films are constructed and how they communicate information and express ideas. Through learning about a variety of critical approaches to film and television, you will develop academic research skills and analytical techniques that will deepen your understanding of your own creative practice. Topic covered will include: mise-en-scene, sound,, narrative, and editing. We will look at a variety of clips that range across different types of film productions.

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

AD5022 -

Arts Study Abroad (60 credit) Semester 1 (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

MI5001 -

Film Production 2 - Documentary (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn about narrative and storytelling in film and TV documentaries. This will include learning about the history, theory and practice of existing influential documentaries, developing your skills in identifying a strong factual storyline, and then learning how to 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: the key elements of narrative documentary, 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.

More information

MI5002 -

Screenwriting 2 - Writer's Room (Optional,20 Credits)

This is the second module in the Screenwriting pathway and this time allows you to take part in the TV Writer’s Room.

The TV writer’s room is a unique environment where lead by your tutor, you will work on a serialised television series from initial idea through to final draft stage of the script development process. This process uses the creativity of the whole class to break story’, create compelling characters, and structure a multi-episodic scripted drama. You will work on an individual script, from treatment stage through to first, and second draft stage with a final third draft polish. You will respond to notes, learn how to write believable dialogue and credible screen directions, you will also learn how to write to deadlines, construct an episodic treatment, and how to take creative direction from the series Showrunner – your module tutor. Each individual episode will have a twenty four minute runtime. This is an intense and advanced experience, essential for all students interested in a screenwriting or script editing career. It is also very useful for potential writer/directors, or creative producers.

More information

MI5005 -

Screenwriting 2 - Screenplay Workshop (Optional,20 Credits)

This is the first module in the Screenwriting pathway.

The module aims to enable you to develop the potential of ideas into a realised screenplay work. Tutors will facilitate and encourage critical discussion of the screenplay work within an informed and supportive environment and also support you to develop your ability to use the techniques and processes of screenplay writing to create strong and coherent stories. You will also be enabled to develop screenplays within an appropriate format to a professional standard such as writing for the screen in two specific areas: short films and serialised screenwriting for television. This module builds upon the skills learned in Screenwriting 1 at Level 4 and allows you to follow this specialist pathway in Screenwriting on the programme.

You will be expected to have demonstrated an understanding and practical application of how to structure a story in both short scripts and longer form scripts to maximum dramatic effect. You will have completed a practical demonstration of how to delineate and develop characters and how to write screen dialogue.

More information

MI5006 -

Professional Practice 2 (Core,20 Credits)

This module provides a two-fold approach to your professional practice within a real world context. Firstly, it foregrounds the importance of a work placement or equivalent project in you gaining understanding of the operations of the media industries. Classes will focus on you developing a wide range of skills to equip you for a media career, ranging from the expertise needed to set up and operate 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 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 learn career development and entrepreneurial skills; you will be supported in the research, development and writing of a detailed career development plan, and the achievement of a negotiated ‘smart’ target in the pursuit of the first stages of that plan – such as updating a CV, increasing industry contacts, or researching industry roles. Secondly, you will be supported in the search for and undertaking of a work placement or brief equivalent negotiated project giving you exposure to professional practice within the media industry, which you will carry out and evaluate within the scope of the module, negotiated and agreed within the parameters dictated by the production environment and the opportunities available at the time of the module.

More information

MI5020 -

Film & TV Production 2 - Drama (Optional,20 Credits)

This is the second module on the Level 5 Film & TV Production pathway and this time allows you to learn about Drama, building on your knowledge gained in the Documentary module.

This module focuses on current film and TV industry practices in content production for fiction with a wider creative and critical awareness. It encourages independent and innovative thinking alongside an increased ability to organise for drama production in ways relevant to current practices.

This module explores fictional forms including feature film practices in the contemporary film & television industries. The module develops key entry-level skills for the fiction film industry, delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials, and independent viewing. It also specifically develops skills in developing and pitching ideas.

Small self-motivated production teams will produce one fictional production of six minutes in length during the module based on a script created by the group.

More information

MI5021 -

Directing Actors (Optional,20 Credits)

Directing actors for the screen focuses on the skills and practices used by directors when working with actors in film and television. This module will explore the craft of the director through a series of lessons leading to a short fictional production. Aspects of drama production for the screen such as casting, rehearsal and textural interpretation are covered in this module. Directing Actors will develop your understanding of key skills such as camera placement, the principles of using different shot sizes, and how to work with text. The module will provide insight into the creative and critical contexts that underpin processes such as casting. It will allow you to explore and critically reflect on carious ethical concerns raised by working with actors. The module will also provide opportunities to demonstrate your creativity and imagination via the creation of a short fiction film in which one actor/character is the key focus.

More information

MI5023 -

Creative Development (Optional,20 Credits)

This Creative Development module is where you get the opportunity to develop stories, approaches and creative deportments with a range of creative activities in preparation for your 3rd year work.

The module is designed to enable you to investigate and explore the potential of stories by employing alternative creative techniques &/or oblique strategies. It should stimulate new approaches to storytelling for you, in-part challenging pre-conceived notions of narrative, and stimulating original ideas/practice. You are required to evidence critical engagement within your work, demonstrating a progression of ideas to reach your final submitted piece. You will learn how to challenge conformity in films and stories, research into work that is created through personal history and responses, apply creative approaches and techniques to stimulate the imagination, explore the possibility of a story through a place, use objects to stimulate story ideas and approaches, find stories in the creation and manipulation of images, stimulate ideas through the creation and manipulation of sound and communicate your ideas through a film manifesto.

More information

MI5024 -

Cinematography & Post Production (Optional,20 Credits)

This Module further develops and embeds concepts introduced in Film Production 1, building on your knowledge of specialist camera equipment and visual language. Cinematography describes the art of photography and camerawork in film making, not just capturing pretty pictures. The camera is a cinematic tool and its use should inform audience perception of plot and character. Cinematic storytelling manipulates our emotions, revealing character and plot - sometimes without our immediate knowledge. The audience may not be consciously aware – but can feel it has 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 a creative design to make your audience ‘feel’.
• Camera Placement
• Lens Selection
• Movement
• Composition
• Lighting
• Colour palette

IN terms of post-production, you will develop your editing skills in Avid and also progress to grading and sound mixing exercises using industry-standard software; you will also consider the theory and craft of editing in its creative and editorial context, regardless of the platform used.

More information

MP5022 -

Cultural Identities on Screen (Optional,20 Credits)

The module will focus on the televisual representation and articulation of cultural identities in Britain and the US. We will look at how gender, ethnicity, national and regional identities are constructed through an examination of different genres and areas of screen media, such as drama, comedy and current affairs. We will explore issues such as class, gender and racial stereotypes, visibility of minority groups and integration. Throughout the course we will also consider the function of television, considering what its role might be in the construction of cultural identities.

More information

MP5024 -

Media Events (Core,20 Credits)

Following a case study approach, you will investigate the idea of media events 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 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 media 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 media 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).

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

MI6001 -

Film and TV Production 3 (Optional,40 Credits)

Film and TV Production 3 is the concluding module of your chosen specialist pathway in Film & TV Production, where depending on your specific interests you get the opportunity to produce a portfolio of work that is the culmination and demonstration of all that you have learned in the programme modules but specifically follows submission to your chosen pathway.

You propose your own portfolio of work appropriate to your production specialism and project interests. This work is effectively your ‘graduation’ material and you can propose to be project instigators such as, but not limited to, directors, producers or animators. Alternatively, you may create a portfolio as a project facilitator, based on providing the all important craft skills such as camera, sound and editing roles.

You propose and present your project(s) in an industry style ‘pitch’ and spend the bulk of the module carrying out the work supervised by appropriate tutors who will support and advise the work in a dissertation model of delivery.

Whilst it is you that articulates the relevant processes and approaches in a coherent portfolio of film production work, you are also required to reflect and critically engage with the ideas and materials of your portfolio, in order to show analytical thinking and add value to the work.

More information

MI6002 -

Screenwriting 3 (Optional,40 Credits)

Screenwriting 3 is the concluding module of your chosen specialist pathway in Film & TV Production, where you get the opportunity to produce a practical project portfolio of work that is the culmination and demonstration of all that you have learned in the programme modules, but specifically follows submission to your chosen pathway.

You will learn how to develop a feature film script from idea to final draft, or a TV pilot and series bible from idea to final draft . Through this module you will learn advanced methodologies for creating compelling characters, strong narrative structures, believable dialogue, whilst maintaining the author’s original voice. You may choose to work independently, or as part of a creative team through writer’s room sessions. You will build on what you have already learned in relation to modern screenwriting theories. You will develop a professional attitude to your work, enabling you to take notes and apply them to the script, hit draft deadlines and self-motivate. You will be able to work to a structured delivery pattern and to initiate and resolve your own research. This final screenwriting module, should be regarded as the capstone of your study in the form, it relies on full participation from each student, who is required to attend all lectures, tutorials and any associated writer’s room sessions.

More information

MI6005 -

Popular Music on Film and Television (Optional,20 Credits)

This module is concerned with popular music culture and its relationship to film, an area much neglected in academic film studies, television studies and popular music studies. As such, it seeks to address this absence by looking at a number of key junctures where popular music culture, the cinema and television inter-relate, exploring debates about gender representation, authorship, genre and music in performance, as well as how the films studied relate to context of their production and reception. The module, therefore, covers topics such as the following in a largely chronological fashion. An indicative syllabus is as follows:
1. Early moments: The significance of the early Elvis Films: King Creole
2. Punk rock on film: The Great Rock n’ Roll Swindle
3. The revisionist musical: Von Trier, Lhurmann et al
4. Popular Music and national identity: The Commitments
5. Popular Music and ‘Race’ representation: 8 Mile
6. Gender play: Velvet Goldmine, In Bed with Madonna
7. The popular music / rock documentary
8. Dance and the male body: Saturday Night Fever
9. The concert film" from Wadleigh's Woodstock to Godard's One plus One.
10. Critical approaches to music video: Corbijn, Cunningham et al.
11. Nostalgia and the popular musical biopic: Control

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MI6007 -

Cult Film and Television (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn to understand how the term ‘cult’ has been applied to film and television programmes in different ways, and how the concept has developed across history. The module will enable you to critically examine the ways that cult has been theorised both in relation to films and television programmes, and some of the key differences between cult television and cult film. You will understand how cult can be applied to both films, the reception of films, as well as how it has increasingly infiltrated marketing discourses. Case studies on the module include midnight movies, authorship and cult, fandom, telefantasy, censorship and controversy, exploitation cinema and global cult cinema.

More information

MI6010 -

Adaptations on Film and TV (Optional,20 Credits)

In ‘Adaptations on Film and TV’ 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, Doom, The Walking Dead, Band of Brothers, Star Trek amongst others.

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MI6017 -

Professional Practice 3 (Core,20 Credits)

The Professional Practice 3 module introduces you to media marketing, distribution, exhibition and financing the development and production of films. The module includes a basic understanding of financial agreements and their importance in funding films.

The module introduces you to the notion and practices of media marketing through developing a marketing portfolio for an actual project you are associated with or a craft skill that you wish to promote (for example; yourself as a cinematographer, screenwriter, producer etc).
It will show you the various approaches and contexts of distribution with regard to both traditional forms and the potential for new exhibition platforms. The module also introduces you to various forms of film finance available both in the UK and the rest of the world, covering such aspects as related legal issues with the development and production of film.

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MI6019 -

Storyworlds (Optional,20 Credits)

In a landscape of ubiquitous media platforms and fragmented viewing habits, how can traditional media content be reconfigured to take advantage of the potential for transmedia?
The 360 degree commissioning process is now an accepted part of the media production landscape. Films and TV programmes exist in traditional forms, but they also extend their range and interact with audiences across multiple platforms, screens and formats. Practitioners need to become aware of the transmedia landscape, as well as the strategies and techniques used for adding value and resonance to their content and story ideas across multi-platforms.

‘Storyworlds’ aims to explore the place of transmedia as a marketing opportunity in non-traditional media locations, as a narrative tool to expand the core content’s story universe, and as a way to engage with the concept of ‘the never ending story’ that is characteristic of transmedia production.

You will learn how to develop your own transmedia portfolio for a practical project of your choice, as well as engaging in discussions about the potentials of web and mobile content. You will learn techniques for expanding the narrative universe of your core content across wider platforms.

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MI6022 -

The Modern Horror Film (Optional,20 Credits)

The modern period in horror cinema is generally seen as beginning in 1968 with the release of Night of the Living Dead. This module explores the wide range of horror films produced since that date, primarily in the US but also considering the development and influence of horror film production in Italy, Japan and the UK. Through this exploration, the module will identify key themes, formats and cycles, and engages with the relation of the horror genre to changes in the film industry and to broader social and historical change. It also explores the aesthetic innovations and challenges offered by a range of forms of horror, and the creative ways in which the genre has experimented with film form and style. In taking the module, you will acquire an understanding of the critical and cultural issues raised by this important area of American and global culture and you will develop your own critical and analytic insights into a range of iconic horror films produced between 1968 and the present.

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MP6029 -

Cinema and Society (Core,20 Credits)

In this module, you will critically examine the relationship between US filmic institutions (films and industrial bodies – hereafter “cinema”) and different social contexts, including, for example: changes to the Hollywood Studio System (and the birthing of the “New Hollywood”), cinema’s responses to war and global trauma, and cinema’s engagement with issues surrounding race, gender and sexuality. Taught through lectures, demonstrations (film screenings) and student-led seminars, the course explores many of the ways cinema has engaged with key societal concerns.

You will be required to read and reflect on specific theoretical and empirical academic work by leading scholars and commentators and, using your analytical and interpretive skills, relate this work to the issues raised in class and by the accompanying film screenings. The module is assessed by a written essay or equivalent video essay, which is designed to test your knowledge of film history and industry (one of the world's major mass communications industries), to evidence a sophisticated understanding of the issues under scrutiny, and your ability to work to a deadline. Ultimately, the module asks you to consider: What is the significance of studying cinema as a mass communications industry, an outlet for personal expression, and as a political tool? What can cinema tells us about history? What can cinema tell us about ourselves?

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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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Modules

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

MI4001 -

Film & TV Production 1 (Core,20 Credits)

Film & TV Production 1 introduces you to the methods and approaches used to make effective practical media productions.

Developing towards the production of a short documentary project, this module introduces you to the relevant production techniques required to create all film projects. It pursues an understanding of film making conventions while learning 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 parallel module Screenwriting 1 and the chosen 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 to completion.

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MI4002 -

Experimental Film 1 (Core,20 Credits)

Robin Blaetz says; ”Experimental and avant-garde film is cinema made outside of the film industry on an artisanal basis, largely without regard to the struc-tures and demands of traditional narrative film. While experimental film as a separate mode of film practice is international, it’s most prevalent manifesta-tions were in western Europe before World War II and North America and Britain in the postwar period. Avant-garde film is often produced in the context of the larger art world, particularly in relation to the visual arts and literature. It is also frequently produced as a critique of dominant, classical Hollywood cinema and functions in relation to political movements and strategies, such as feminism.”

Here you articulate the conceptualisation of ideas informed by historical, cultural and critical contexts that are derived from the avant-garde, in forms that challenge and subvert traditional filmmaking approaches.

You will demonstrate your understanding either by researching and writing an essay on an aspect of experimental filmmaking or by making your own personal response to the critical ideas presented in the lectures and seminars.

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MI4003 -

Screenwriting 1 (Core,20 Credits)

This module will introduce you to the main principles of screenwriting theory and encourage you to deploy these in practical exercises that allow you to write strong and coherent proposals and scripts based on intensive research. These will be considered through discussion within an informed and supportive environment. You will also be
introduced to the history and development of screenwriting.
Lectures set out the aims and learning outcomes of each session and are followed by screenwriting workshops where you develop and pitch ideas and work on drafts.
Summative assessment comprises a documentary project that is assessed on proposal (30% - 1500 words equivalent) and a screenplay development and production theory exercise, which is assessed by small group visual script projects (70% - 1500 words equivalent).

The indicative content of the module includes:
1. The historical development of screenwriting.
2. Characterisation.
3. Narrative structure and storytelling.
4. Analysis of film structures as narrative vehicles.
5. Dialogue writing for the screen.
6. Documentary research and screenplay development.

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MI4004 -

Professional Practice 1 (Core,20 Credits)

The professional media industry employs a wide range of standard tools, mechanisms, forms and regulatory procedures to make sure media productions run smoothly, safely, legally, ethically, on time, and under budget. Employers tell us that graduates who know and can apply these techniques- as well as demonstrate a cultural overview of their craft - are extremely valuable to them at entry level and can play a genuinely useful role in supporting real industry productions.

In this module, you will learn a range of basic production management techniques which will equip you to run all your student productions (as well as future professional productions) more successfully and you will be introduced to techniques of creative thinking, group working strategies, legal/ ethical considerations and risk assessment techniques. Tutors also devote time on this module to supporting and developing your academic and practical study skills that will underpin a successful completion of the Film & TV Production programme, as well as provide you with an overview of the key social, historical and stylistic contexts of the film and television industry in order to gear you towards careers in a wide variety of media production sectors. The module will teach you up-to-date methods for safe filming practices, and familiarise you with the regulations and advice currently in force in the industry. You’ll also learn how to build a media CV, develop transferable skills, and build confidence to approach industry contacts; you’ll research and submit a plan for your second year professional practice module portfolio – such as a work placement or programme of interviews with industry professionals.

In essence the module considers what it is to become a filmmaker, in terms of not only practical considerations but also a cultural mindset which will allow you to enter into creative discussions with your professional peers and potential employers as a more fully rounded and informed practitioner.

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MI4005 -

Sound and Post Production 1 (Core,20 Credits)

Sound and Post Production 1 aims to introduce you to the considerations and definitions surrounding sound and post production 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, it covers technical sound theory 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.

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MI4017 -

Films for Filmmakers 1: Critical Concepts in Film and Television Studies (Core,20 Credits)

This module will introduce you analysing films critically, in order to provide you with an understanding of some of the key ways in which films are constructed and how they communicate information and express ideas. Through learning about a variety of critical approaches to film and television, you will develop academic research skills and analytical techniques that will deepen your understanding of your own creative practice. Topic covered will include: mise-en-scene, sound,, narrative, and editing. We will look at a variety of clips that range across different types of film productions.

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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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AD5022 -

Arts Study Abroad (60 credit) Semester 1 (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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MI5001 -

Film Production 2 - Documentary (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn about narrative and storytelling in film and TV documentaries. This will include learning about the history, theory and practice of existing influential documentaries, developing your skills in identifying a strong factual storyline, and then learning how to 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: the key elements of narrative documentary, 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.

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MI5002 -

Screenwriting 2 - Writer's Room (Optional,20 Credits)

This is the second module in the Screenwriting pathway and this time allows you to take part in the TV Writer’s Room.

The TV writer’s room is a unique environment where lead by your tutor, you will work on a serialised television series from initial idea through to final draft stage of the script development process. This process uses the creativity of the whole class to break story’, create compelling characters, and structure a multi-episodic scripted drama. You will work on an individual script, from treatment stage through to first, and second draft stage with a final third draft polish. You will respond to notes, learn how to write believable dialogue and credible screen directions, you will also learn how to write to deadlines, construct an episodic treatment, and how to take creative direction from the series Showrunner – your module tutor. Each individual episode will have a twenty four minute runtime. This is an intense and advanced experience, essential for all students interested in a screenwriting or script editing career. It is also very useful for potential writer/directors, or creative producers.

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MI5005 -

Screenwriting 2 - Screenplay Workshop (Optional,20 Credits)

This is the first module in the Screenwriting pathway.

The module aims to enable you to develop the potential of ideas into a realised screenplay work. Tutors will facilitate and encourage critical discussion of the screenplay work within an informed and supportive environment and also support you to develop your ability to use the techniques and processes of screenplay writing to create strong and coherent stories. You will also be enabled to develop screenplays within an appropriate format to a professional standard such as writing for the screen in two specific areas: short films and serialised screenwriting for television. This module builds upon the skills learned in Screenwriting 1 at Level 4 and allows you to follow this specialist pathway in Screenwriting on the programme.

You will be expected to have demonstrated an understanding and practical application of how to structure a story in both short scripts and longer form scripts to maximum dramatic effect. You will have completed a practical demonstration of how to delineate and develop characters and how to write screen dialogue.

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MI5006 -

Professional Practice 2 (Core,20 Credits)

This module provides a two-fold approach to your professional practice within a real world context. Firstly, it foregrounds the importance of a work placement or equivalent project in you gaining understanding of the operations of the media industries. Classes will focus on you developing a wide range of skills to equip you for a media career, ranging from the expertise needed to set up and operate 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 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 learn career development and entrepreneurial skills; you will be supported in the research, development and writing of a detailed career development plan, and the achievement of a negotiated ‘smart’ target in the pursuit of the first stages of that plan – such as updating a CV, increasing industry contacts, or researching industry roles. Secondly, you will be supported in the search for and undertaking of a work placement or brief equivalent negotiated project giving you exposure to professional practice within the media industry, which you will carry out and evaluate within the scope of the module, negotiated and agreed within the parameters dictated by the production environment and the opportunities available at the time of the module.

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MI5020 -

Film & TV Production 2 - Drama (Optional,20 Credits)

This is the second module on the Level 5 Film & TV Production pathway and this time allows you to learn about Drama, building on your knowledge gained in the Documentary module.

This module focuses on current film and TV industry practices in content production for fiction with a wider creative and critical awareness. It encourages independent and innovative thinking alongside an increased ability to organise for drama production in ways relevant to current practices.

This module explores fictional forms including feature film practices in the contemporary film & television industries. The module develops key entry-level skills for the fiction film industry, delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials, and independent viewing. It also specifically develops skills in developing and pitching ideas.

Small self-motivated production teams will produce one fictional production of six minutes in length during the module based on a script created by the group.

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MI5021 -

Directing Actors (Optional,20 Credits)

Directing actors for the screen focuses on the skills and practices used by directors when working with actors in film and television. This module will explore the craft of the director through a series of lessons leading to a short fictional production. Aspects of drama production for the screen such as casting, rehearsal and textural interpretation are covered in this module. Directing Actors will develop your understanding of key skills such as camera placement, the principles of using different shot sizes, and how to work with text. The module will provide insight into the creative and critical contexts that underpin processes such as casting. It will allow you to explore and critically reflect on carious ethical concerns raised by working with actors. The module will also provide opportunities to demonstrate your creativity and imagination via the creation of a short fiction film in which one actor/character is the key focus.

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MI5023 -

Creative Development (Optional,20 Credits)

This Creative Development module is where you get the opportunity to develop stories, approaches and creative deportments with a range of creative activities in preparation for your 3rd year work.

The module is designed to enable you to investigate and explore the potential of stories by employing alternative creative techniques &/or oblique strategies. It should stimulate new approaches to storytelling for you, in-part challenging pre-conceived notions of narrative, and stimulating original ideas/practice. You are required to evidence critical engagement within your work, demonstrating a progression of ideas to reach your final submitted piece. You will learn how to challenge conformity in films and stories, research into work that is created through personal history and responses, apply creative approaches and techniques to stimulate the imagination, explore the possibility of a story through a place, use objects to stimulate story ideas and approaches, find stories in the creation and manipulation of images, stimulate ideas through the creation and manipulation of sound and communicate your ideas through a film manifesto.

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MI5024 -

Cinematography & Post Production (Optional,20 Credits)

This Module further develops and embeds concepts introduced in Film Production 1, building on your knowledge of specialist camera equipment and visual language. Cinematography describes the art of photography and camerawork in film making, not just capturing pretty pictures. The camera is a cinematic tool and its use should inform audience perception of plot and character. Cinematic storytelling manipulates our emotions, revealing character and plot - sometimes without our immediate knowledge. The audience may not be consciously aware – but can feel it has 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 a creative design to make your audience ‘feel’.
• Camera Placement
• Lens Selection
• Movement
• Composition
• Lighting
• Colour palette

IN terms of post-production, you will develop your editing skills in Avid and also progress to grading and sound mixing exercises using industry-standard software; you will also consider the theory and craft of editing in its creative and editorial context, regardless of the platform used.

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MP5022 -

Cultural Identities on Screen (Optional,20 Credits)

The module will focus on the televisual representation and articulation of cultural identities in Britain and the US. We will look at how gender, ethnicity, national and regional identities are constructed through an examination of different genres and areas of screen media, such as drama, comedy and current affairs. We will explore issues such as class, gender and racial stereotypes, visibility of minority groups and integration. Throughout the course we will also consider the function of television, considering what its role might be in the construction of cultural identities.

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MP5024 -

Media Events (Core,20 Credits)

Following a case study approach, you will investigate the idea of media events 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 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 media 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 media 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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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.

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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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MI6001 -

Film and TV Production 3 (Optional,40 Credits)

Film and TV Production 3 is the concluding module of your chosen specialist pathway in Film & TV Production, where depending on your specific interests you get the opportunity to produce a portfolio of work that is the culmination and demonstration of all that you have learned in the programme modules but specifically follows submission to your chosen pathway.

You propose your own portfolio of work appropriate to your production specialism and project interests. This work is effectively your ‘graduation’ material and you can propose to be project instigators such as, but not limited to, directors, producers or animators. Alternatively, you may create a portfolio as a project facilitator, based on providing the all important craft skills such as camera, sound and editing roles.

You propose and present your project(s) in an industry style ‘pitch’ and spend the bulk of the module carrying out the work supervised by appropriate tutors who will support and advise the work in a dissertation model of delivery.

Whilst it is you that articulates the relevant processes and approaches in a coherent portfolio of film production work, you are also required to reflect and critically engage with the ideas and materials of your portfolio, in order to show analytical thinking and add value to the work.

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MI6002 -

Screenwriting 3 (Optional,40 Credits)

Screenwriting 3 is the concluding module of your chosen specialist pathway in Film & TV Production, where you get the opportunity to produce a practical project portfolio of work that is the culmination and demonstration of all that you have learned in the programme modules, but specifically follows submission to your chosen pathway.

You will learn how to develop a feature film script from idea to final draft, or a TV pilot and series bible from idea to final draft . Through this module you will learn advanced methodologies for creating compelling characters, strong narrative structures, believable dialogue, whilst maintaining the author’s original voice. You may choose to work independently, or as part of a creative team through writer’s room sessions. You will build on what you have already learned in relation to modern screenwriting theories. You will develop a professional attitude to your work, enabling you to take notes and apply them to the script, hit draft deadlines and self-motivate. You will be able to work to a structured delivery pattern and to initiate and resolve your own research. This final screenwriting module, should be regarded as the capstone of your study in the form, it relies on full participation from each student, who is required to attend all lectures, tutorials and any associated writer’s room sessions.

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MI6005 -

Popular Music on Film and Television (Optional,20 Credits)

This module is concerned with popular music culture and its relationship to film, an area much neglected in academic film studies, television studies and popular music studies. As such, it seeks to address this absence by looking at a number of key junctures where popular music culture, the cinema and television inter-relate, exploring debates about gender representation, authorship, genre and music in performance, as well as how the films studied relate to context of their production and reception. The module, therefore, covers topics such as the following in a largely chronological fashion. An indicative syllabus is as follows:
1. Early moments: The significance of the early Elvis Films: King Creole
2. Punk rock on film: The Great Rock n’ Roll Swindle
3. The revisionist musical: Von Trier, Lhurmann et al
4. Popular Music and national identity: The Commitments
5. Popular Music and ‘Race’ representation: 8 Mile
6. Gender play: Velvet Goldmine, In Bed with Madonna
7. The popular music / rock documentary
8. Dance and the male body: Saturday Night Fever
9. The concert film" from Wadleigh's Woodstock to Godard's One plus One.
10. Critical approaches to music video: Corbijn, Cunningham et al.
11. Nostalgia and the popular musical biopic: Control

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MI6007 -

Cult Film and Television (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn to understand how the term ‘cult’ has been applied to film and television programmes in different ways, and how the concept has developed across history. The module will enable you to critically examine the ways that cult has been theorised both in relation to films and television programmes, and some of the key differences between cult television and cult film. You will understand how cult can be applied to both films, the reception of films, as well as how it has increasingly infiltrated marketing discourses. Case studies on the module include midnight movies, authorship and cult, fandom, telefantasy, censorship and controversy, exploitation cinema and global cult cinema.

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MI6010 -

Adaptations on Film and TV (Optional,20 Credits)

In ‘Adaptations on Film and TV’ 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, Doom, The Walking Dead, Band of Brothers, Star Trek amongst others.

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MI6017 -

Professional Practice 3 (Core,20 Credits)

The Professional Practice 3 module introduces you to media marketing, distribution, exhibition and financing the development and production of films. The module includes a basic understanding of financial agreements and their importance in funding films.

The module introduces you to the notion and practices of media marketing through developing a marketing portfolio for an actual project you are associated with or a craft skill that you wish to promote (for example; yourself as a cinematographer, screenwriter, producer etc).
It will show you the various approaches and contexts of distribution with regard to both traditional forms and the potential for new exhibition platforms. The module also introduces you to various forms of film finance available both in the UK and the rest of the world, covering such aspects as related legal issues with the development and production of film.

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MI6019 -

Storyworlds (Optional,20 Credits)

In a landscape of ubiquitous media platforms and fragmented viewing habits, how can traditional media content be reconfigured to take advantage of the potential for transmedia?
The 360 degree commissioning process is now an accepted part of the media production landscape. Films and TV programmes exist in traditional forms, but they also extend their range and interact with audiences across multiple platforms, screens and formats. Practitioners need to become aware of the transmedia landscape, as well as the strategies and techniques used for adding value and resonance to their content and story ideas across multi-platforms.

‘Storyworlds’ aims to explore the place of transmedia as a marketing opportunity in non-traditional media locations, as a narrative tool to expand the core content’s story universe, and as a way to engage with the concept of ‘the never ending story’ that is characteristic of transmedia production.

You will learn how to develop your own transmedia portfolio for a practical project of your choice, as well as engaging in discussions about the potentials of web and mobile content. You will learn techniques for expanding the narrative universe of your core content across wider platforms.

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MI6022 -

The Modern Horror Film (Optional,20 Credits)

The modern period in horror cinema is generally seen as beginning in 1968 with the release of Night of the Living Dead. This module explores the wide range of horror films produced since that date, primarily in the US but also considering the development and influence of horror film production in Italy, Japan and the UK. Through this exploration, the module will identify key themes, formats and cycles, and engages with the relation of the horror genre to changes in the film industry and to broader social and historical change. It also explores the aesthetic innovations and challenges offered by a range of forms of horror, and the creative ways in which the genre has experimented with film form and style. In taking the module, you will acquire an understanding of the critical and cultural issues raised by this important area of American and global culture and you will develop your own critical and analytic insights into a range of iconic horror films produced between 1968 and the present.

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MP6029 -

Cinema and Society (Core,20 Credits)

In this module, you will critically examine the relationship between US filmic institutions (films and industrial bodies – hereafter “cinema”) and different social contexts, including, for example: changes to the Hollywood Studio System (and the birthing of the “New Hollywood”), cinema’s responses to war and global trauma, and cinema’s engagement with issues surrounding race, gender and sexuality. Taught through lectures, demonstrations (film screenings) and student-led seminars, the course explores many of the ways cinema has engaged with key societal concerns.

You will be required to read and reflect on specific theoretical and empirical academic work by leading scholars and commentators and, using your analytical and interpretive skills, relate this work to the issues raised in class and by the accompanying film screenings. The module is assessed by a written essay or equivalent video essay, which is designed to test your knowledge of film history and industry (one of the world's major mass communications industries), to evidence a sophisticated understanding of the issues under scrutiny, and your ability to work to a deadline. Ultimately, the module asks you to consider: What is the significance of studying cinema as a mass communications industry, an outlet for personal expression, and as a political tool? What can cinema tells us about history? What can cinema tell us about ourselves?

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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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Any Questions?

Our Applicant Services team will be happy to help.  They can be contacted on 0191 406 0901 or by using our Contact Form.

 

All information is accurate at the time of sharing. 

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.  

Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.

 

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