BA (Hons) Film and Television Production with Foundation Year

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

At Buckinghamshire New University we treat you like professional filmmakers. Films are analysed and deconstructed so you can apply those techniques to your work. You won’t just stop at learning about film and television, you will cover webcasting as well.

BNU is a great place to start your learning. When you’re surrounded by so many creative students and lecturers, you can’t help but be inspired to dream big. We create the industry on campus, giving you every opportunity to collaborate across courses, just like the real world. You will get the chance to collaborate with other BNU courses that make up the team that sit behind film and television production, such as audio specialists on the Audio and Music Production course and our selection of new stars in the Performing Arts course.

During your time with us you’ll learn hands-on practical skills to help you stand out to potential employers. You’ll get to grips with industry-standard equipment including cameras, lighting and sound, ensuring upon graduation you are prepared for your first role.

You’ll engage with our dynamic programme of visiting lectures and can benefit from live project briefs, master classes, and plenty of networking opportunities. You’ll also benefit from our expert-lecturers who have a wealth of knowledge and experience within the industry.

This course is industry recognised by ScreenSkills, the industry-led skills body for the UK's screen-based industries and carries the ScreenSkills quality-mark which indicates courses best suited to prepare students for a career in the screen industries.

What facilities can I use?

Film and Television is taught in our Gateway building. It’s equipped with modern suites and brand-new facilities.  We have two video studios, one with green screen and an extensive studio lighting rig, as well as a drama studio.

Our extensive range of HD broadcast camera include:

• URSA Mini Pro 4.6K
• over forty Panasonic cameras (AG-HPX301E, AG-HPX371E, AG-HPX171E and AG- Panasonic HMC41E)
• Canon XF305
• Canon 5D Mark III and Canon 60D cameras
• Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 4K cameras
• Sony A7R Mark III cameras
• and additional specialist cameras (GoPro Hero 7 cameras, a GoPro Fusion 360 camera, ZCAM E2 6K camera).

We also have a four camera live broadcast set up with Grass Valley LDK6000 cameras and industry-standard EVS action replay/asset management system with two XT3 servers.

In our individual video edit booths equipped with powerful iMac Pros and our communal editing suites and teaching rooms equipped with i9Macs, you’ll get the chance to become skilled with post-production software solutions including:

• Blackmagic Davinci Resolve
• Final Cut Pro X
• Avid Media Composer
• Adobe Creative Cloud suite

We also have an extensive lighting kit, sound studios, and sound equipment including:

• Sennheiser EW 100 radio mics
• Sound Devices 302 sound field mixers
• Sennheiser ME66 condenser microphone
• XLR microphone beach box adaptors for DSLR sound recording
• and Sennheiser ME64/K6 condenser.

What will I study?

Through a mix of lectures, seminars and practical workshops, we help you learn the skills you need in a modern media business. You’ll cover camera, lighting, sound, editing and all elements of planning and pre-production, bringing them together to produce a range of fiction and non-fiction films.

You'll regularly be given the opportunity to work with a variety of artists using our state-of-the-art facilities. During your studies you may even work in collaboration with the Audio and Music Production students. This will help develop your skills and experience working in a team like you may do in your role in the industry.

You'll also benefit from filming weeks and filming live events, all of these have different demands and require flexible and organised thinking.

Your modules offer plenty of options, so you can begin to specialise in the areas which interest you most or which might prove valuable for your chosen career. Depending which modules you choose, you will also spend time studying at our teaching base at Pinewood Studios, putting you right at the heart of the UK Film and TV industry.

How will I be taught and assessed?

This course is offered as a four-year programme, including an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate degree.

On our course the teaching will feature a variety of approaches and technology, blended together to engage your learning in class and beyond, and to encourage your full participation. The teaching and learning strategies have been designed to ensure that there is progression from formal teaching through to independent learning as you progress through the levels of the programme.

A variety of assessment vehicles will be used as appropriate to the modules you take, including assignments carried out in your own time, in-class assignments, workshops and presentations. Assessments will be appropriate to the task, achievable, motivating and vocationally focussed, forming a constructive part of your learning process.

The course team have a range of experience in the film and television industry. We teach in professional standard recording and filmmaking facilities. As well as lectures, we have professional masterclasses, guest speakers, and work experience opportunities designed to prepare you for a career in film and television.

Placements Plus

BNU is a Placements Plus university. So, whatever degree you do, you can be sure there’ll be plenty of industry-relevant opportunities on offer, to help you get into your chosen field.

We’ll also prepare you for work beforehand, with special skills for work training, further boosting your CV, and building skills employers will value. In recognition of the value we place on these skills we have incorporated this experience into your study time.

Placements Plus is all about helping you get some valuable experience under your belt while you’re a student, to increase your choices later, and help you get the graduate-level job you want.