BA (Hons) Production Design (Screen and Stage) with Foundation Year

Why study this subject?

As a set, production or stage designer, you'll need the expertise, technical skills and creativity to help turn scripts into 3 dimensional environments for stage and screen.

Working in film, theatre or live performance you could take on a number of roles from production designer to model maker, art director to production design co-ordinator, stylist or illustrator.  

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

We have links with industry specialists based at various studios all over the country as well as teaching staff with ample industry experience. This means you will have the opportunity to gain current knowledge and understanding of the design processes of working within tv, film and theatre. The University also has a base at the iconic Pinewood Studios, which means there could be opportunities to engage with the community there.

What facilities can I use?

We have been awarded £1.6m to fund new development for a range of courses, so you have access to industry-standard kit to undertake your course at our campus at High Wycombe.

You'll benefit from creating sets within a studio environment, complete with props stores and excellent workshop facilities, working with a variety of materials such as wood, metal and plastic. You will also acquire skills in 3D printing with Autodesk Fusion 360.

What will I study?

At the beginning of the course you will be taught basic techniques of drafting by hand then digitally transferred over to CAD to produce 3D printed models. You'll experiment with materials and see how they perform within your design concepts. Learn about materials that are appropriate for prop and model making through to set construction. This will incorporate learning about the craft of the industry and relevant health and safety procedures.

Once you feel confident with the basics, we will show you how production design works as a discipline and collaborates with other departments within filmmaking. You'll analyse scripts and learn how to interpret and work from a brief, demonstrating a professional understanding of the design process.

As you move on to your second year, learning will become more detailed. Your skills will be applied to more complex briefs, involving concepts for sets, and developing them into the final construction stage and learning how to work the set as an assistant art director. This will run along-side the preparation of your cv and understanding professional contexts.

In your last year at Bucks, you will spend the year working on your final project. This will be a project of your choice. It might be a series of props for a particular show, or the design for a historic theatre/film design. You will be asked to write a dissertation to support the project and justify your design concept.

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.

Here at Buckinghamshire New University, as well as the industry experts, we have an experienced team to run workshops and build your technical knowledge. You'll be taught by professionals from industry who have worked in product and set design.

The following assessment activities are used on this programme:

• Presentations
• Written assignments (essays, blogs, contextual reports)
• Sketchbooks
• Workshop exercises and material experiments
• Drawings and CAD work
• Finished pieces in studio
• Portfolios
• Essay/presentation/digital assessment drafts
• On-going studio work.

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.