BA (Hons) Film and Screenwriting with Foundation Year Bachelor's degree at Birmingham City University

This module will introduce you to the underlying principles required to understand media audiences. Audiences are diverse in their make-up and in their motivations for engaging with media. To explore this diversity you will learn a range of techniques for researching audience behaviour, such as survey work, focus groups and online ethnography. Alongside these methods you will explore key concepts to help you to interpret and understand this research data. You will engage with theories of identif

The purpose of this module is to assist you in developing the academic skills needed to succeed in higher education, and the professional skills required to support your ambitions to be a media worker. You will be introduced to the wide range of academic and practical support that the university offers.

Students will plan and produce a media artifact that will evidence their competence in media production to create a meaningful media artifact. The focus in this module is about understanding how image and sound is edited together to create meaningful narratives. In the module students will develop an idea and implement it as a short audio or video piece. Central to creating this piece is learning how to use relevant portable video and sound production equipment and software. The ability to effec

This module is focused on collaborative work in a media production context. Through a group production activity students will learn about media production hierarchies and how to behave within a team context in order to produce a successful outcome. The module will explore what makes for successful teamwork in the media. The module will further develop the understanding of media production practice.

Identifying and understanding the connections between media theory, culture, and production is an essential skill for students to develop. Understanding how these concepts and practises interlink is key to succeeding at university and working as effective media workers. This module will introduce basic research practise methods and media theory and will enable students to gain insights into the role these concepts play in underpinning media production and culture. The module offers an opportunit

The media project module will present students with the opportunity to consolidate their learning whilst on the Foundation Media course. Students will be invited to devise, plan, and deliver a practical piece of work focused on their area of media interest. Students will draw from their experience and knowledge gained from their engagement with the course and creativity that evidences their ability to produce effective media artifacts.

Screenwriting for Film Genres is aimed at emerging screenwriters. The course will focus on the popular, commercial end of the film industry market, paying particular attention to audiences and the demands and expectations of the marketplace.

This module provides an introductory course in film narrative and the principles of storytelling. The emphasis is on developing an understanding of narrative cinema. To do this the module will engage with theoretical models of storytelling and examples from narrative cinema.

This module looks beyond Hollywood and America to examine notable film movements from across the globe that influenced cinema on a worldwide scale and left an enduring legacy, continuing to shape contemporary filmmaking. The aim is to develop your appreciation of films rich cultural and social heritage, and the social drivers and rebellious characteristics of the filmmakers leading the charge. You will examine the social, political and artistic drivers behind key works, and the mastery and innov

Screenwriting Primer will introduce you to the essential skills of, and principles behind, writing for the screen. You will study a number of freely available short guides to industry standard screenplay layout and formatting and apply that learning to the practical application of screenplay formatting software. You will create a portfolio of short screenplays, given as writing exercises through the learning schedule, and receive detailed formative feedback on the scripts, which you can use to i

Looking at forms in films, students will learn how visual languages are being used and how to compose shots that are translatable to other mediums such as animation. You will learn to storyboard and create effective animatics and to succinctly convey ideas and vision to produce short a film(s) as a group and individually. Expect to pitch your ideas individually and as a team.

Writing for TV is designed to help students build on the fundamental skills of writing for the screen and direct that skillset to writing for the multi-format world of television. You will demonstrate an understanding of how to structure scripts for 30-minute and 1-hour slots, for drama series, sitcom, continuing and serial dramas, while presenting an adherence to industry-standard TV screenplay convention, and demonstrating expertise in the presentation of marketing documentation. You will also

This module is designed to help you develop the skills to read and evaluate scripts for the film and television industry. By the end of this course, you will have the skills and knowledge to assess and evaluate scripts according to industry standards. You will be able to read treatments, identify elements of a script, and write comprehensive script reports and 'coverage' that will be useful to film and television producers.

The module is an opportunity to learn and critically reflect on the skills of collaboration by enabling you to create an interdisciplinary project with students from complementary disciplines, or with academic staff. Collaboration is a vital employability skill within the Creative Industries and this module allows you to develop these skills, making use of University facilities and with the support of academic staff. Within this module framework, several kinds of collaborative opportunities are