About the Course

This is an innovative and flexible course which enables you to explore a range of film and television forms and the social and industrial contexts in which they are produced and consumed. You will develop the critical and technological vocabularies and theoretical frameworks necessary to analyse film and television texts and contexts. Up to 40% of your programme can come from practical modules, where we have benefited from new investment in cameras, editing suites with Avid and Final Cut Pro software programmes and dedicated teaching space. We also offer excellent technical support. By bringing together theory and practice, our programme encourages you to develop critical perspectives on the creation of meaning and to reflect analytically on your practical work.

You will study film and television texts from a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives and develop the critical and technological vocabularies and theoretical frameworks with which to conduct close textual and contextual analysis. From Hong Kong cinema to Hollywood and from Science Fiction to Documentary, Film and TV Studies at Brunel examines a wide range of recent and contemporary production for big screen and small. Modules focus on both mainstream and alternative practices, the latter including American Independent Cinema, Third Cinema and Alternative Film and Video Practices. Popular formats such as Horror, Comedy and Celebrity TV are studied alongside, and informed by, more theoretically oriented material.

Our range of practical modules includes Video Practice, Screenwriting, Documentary and Alternative Film and Video Practices. A new Animation module is planned for 2013-14. Students also have the option of completing a practical dissertation in their final year. All practical modules include theoretical components – this means that you are required to analyse your own practical work, as well as being assessed on the basis of the practical work itself.

 

Some samples of video production work by Film and TV students

We are committed to equipping you with skills and experience for the jobs market. We have an extensive range of range of contacts in film and television production, distribution and exhibition in London, as well as in media public relations and marketing. We are often approached by media companies looking for students to help out on specific projects and you will be encouraged to seek out work experience throughout your three years on the programme. All final year students are offered the opportunity to take a dedicated work experience module that involves a period of industry placement.

Aims

The course’s primary aim is to provide you with the conceptual and theoretical skills necessary to engage with film and television products, and to understand how they work at aesthetic, social-cultural and institutional levels. It will also provide you with key practical abilities and transferable skills vital in the contemporary jobs market.

Enquiries

Leon Hunt
Admissions Tutor

School of Arts
Brunel University
Uxbridge
Middlesex
UB8 3PH

Email leon.hunt@brunel.ac.uk
Tel +44 (0)1895 266879

Related Courses

• English and Film and TV Studies BA

Special Features

• Film and TV Studies at Brunel is strongly committed to making links between teaching and research, with most modules taught by staff who have published authoritative work in their field.

  
  
• You will be able to make extensive use of HD digital cameras and Avid edit suites in practical modules.

  
  
• We have a dedicated work experience module and students are encouraged to take advantage of our extensive range of contacts in the creative industries.


Here are just some examples of how our research expertise benefits the teaching you’ll receive in our programme:

• If you opt for our Horror module, you’ll be taught by an unrivalled team of experts including Leon Hunt and Milly Williamson, who have published widely in the field.
  
  
• If you study Media Freedom and Regulation, you’ll benefit from the expertise of Julian Petley, a renowned authority and the Chair of the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom. He has published a number of leading works on media policy and freedom that have helped to define the field, and has given evidence on the subject to Parliamentary committees and to the Leveson Inquiry.
  
  
• Our contemporary Hollywood cinema module is led by Geoff King, an internationally recognized expert on American film. He is the author of two influential books about Hollywood cinema. Geoff also teaches American Independent Cinema, on which he is a leading international authority and author of five books.
  
  
• Our video practice modules are taught by an experienced team including Alisa Lebow, Mike Wayne and Julian Savage. Alisa runs the annual Documentary Now conference, which attracts a wide range of documentary filmmakers and theorists, and is both a filmmaker and author of an influential book on the subject. Mike Wayne has an international reputation in critical, political and alternative media theory and practice, the latter including a recent feature-length documentary about the Venezuelan revolution. Julian combines his own film production with the publication of theoretical analysis. You will benefit from the experience and range of this team in every practice module.
  
  
• If you choose our Hong Kong Cinema module, you will gain from the expertise of Leon Hunt, a leading expert on Asian cinema and author of Kung Fu Cult Masters among other works on this and related topics.
  
  
• Political Cinema is taught by Mike Wayne, a leading figure in the contemporary study of film from Marxist and related political perspectives
  
  
• Our Theorising Celebrity module is taught by Milly Williamson, whose new book offers a groundbreaking study of this high-profile realm on TV and wider media culture.
  
  
• Comedy is taught by a team including Geoff King and Leon Hunt, each of whom has written influential books on the subject and are well known experts in the field.

Facts and Figures

About the School of Arts at Brunel

The School of Arts at Brunel include single and joint honours degree courses in Music and Creative Music Technology, Film and Television Studies, English and Modern Drama. Our staff are active in both research and practice, and provide expertise in a wide range of topics.

Our undergraduate programmes are designed to sharpen creative and analytical skills, develop confidence in working in teams and in problem-solving techniques. Each programme develops basic skills within its discipline but allows you to explore your own particular interests through a range of optional modules. Research conducted by staff in Film and TV, Music, English and Drama provides the basis for much of our teaching, ensuring that modules are connected to debates and issues that are current within these three interdisciplinary areas.

Our annual Open House festival showcases new performance work by students and visiting artists. We also benefit from the activities of the Arts Centre, which organises tuition, performances and exhibitions across a range of arts. The student radio station B1000 offers an additional extracurricular outlet for interested students.

With its rich mix of Drama, Music, English and Film and TV Studies, this is a vibrant, friendly and creative place to study.

View student profiles

Course Content

Major approaches to film and television offered on this course include close examination of films and television programmes – how they are shot or edited, for example – to understand the particular ways in which these media work and create meanings. All final-year students are required to complete a dissertation/project under the supervision of a member of the teaching team. This may take the form of a practice-based project with an accompanying analysis or a written piece on a subject of your choice. You will also be encouraged to prepare yourself for the job market by taking our dedicated work-experience module.

Typical Modules

Level 1

• Film Style
• Film Theory and Practice
• Critical Methodologies
• Television Genres
• Crime Fictions
• Academic Practice

Level 2

• Video Production
• TV: Forms and Meanings
• Science Fictions
• New Hollywood Cinema
• The Western
• European Cinema
• Theorising Celebrity
• Asian Cinemas
• Screenwriting
• Animation (from 2013-14)
  

Level 3

• Project (Practical or theory-based)
• Work Experience
  
• Documentary: Theory and Practice
• Gender and Sexuality
• Political Cinema
• Alternative Film and Video Production
• Horror
• American Independent Cinema
• Media Freedom and Regulation
• Hong Kong Cinema

Teaching and Learning

You will be taught using a combination of lectures, seminars, class screenings, workshops and tutorials.

Assessment

Level 1 does not count towards your final degree mark but you have to pass this level to continue with the course. Level 2 is worth a third, and Level 3 is worth the rest. The final year project is worth a third of Level 3 marks.

Assessment is by a variety of methods, including essays, projects, presentations, audiovisual production and ‘seen’ exams.

Employability

Our BA Film and Television Studies equips you with a range of creative, conceptual and related skills sought by employers. You will also learn to develop confidence and to work independently and in teams – all crucial qualities sought in the contemporary jobs market. Practical modules will also give you a number of skills more specific to the film and television industries. A key contribution to strengthening employability is offered by our final-year work experience module that takes advantage of our wide range of contacts in the film, TV and related industries.

Careers

Our graduates have taken up posts in the film and television industries and in other fields such as journalism, publishing, research, critical writing, arts administration and programming. Our programme also provides a good basis for postgraduate study and the pursuit of higher qualifications in both theoretical and practical areas.

Past students have gone on to work for companies including the BBC, Granada Television and Ridley Scott Associates in roles as diverse as casting agents, researchers, production assistants and film officers. Our programme also equips you for a much wider range of careers, offering the same kinds of strengths as those provided by other degrees in the arts and humanities.

Fees for 2013/14 entry

UK/EU students: £9,000 full-time; £6,750 part-time

International students: £12,000 full-time

We are introducing over 700 scholarships for 2013, meaning that one in five applicants who join Brunel next year will receive financial support from the University. See our fees and funding page for full details

Fees quoted are per annum and are subject to an annual increase.

Entry Requirements for 2013 Entry

• GCE A-level BBB (General Studies/Critical Thinking accepted).
• Irish Leaving Certificate ABBBB.
• Scottish Advanced Highers BBB.
• Advanced Diploma Progression Diploma Grade B in Creative and Media, including A-level at grade B for Additional and Specialist Learning.
• BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma DDM in a related subject.
• IBDP 32 points.
• Access Complete and pass a related subject Access course with 45 credits at level 3 and 15 credits at level 2 with Merits in all units.

For all of the above, 5 GCSEs or equivalent at Grade C or above are also required, to include English and Maths (please note that these must have been gained by the time you submit your UCAS application).

English Language Requirements

Brunel also offers our own BrunELT English Test and accept a range of other language courses. We also have a range of Pre-sessional English language courses, for students who do not meet these requirements, or who wish to improve their English.