This course allows you to combine practice, critical and creative work. You will acquire advanced knowledge and skills in digital production, screenwriting, directing and develop your understanding of film, moving image and broader film culture. You will analyse and reflect on film and documentary. Practice-based learning framed by the study of film concepts and current industrial practices will encourage you to become creative and critical practitioners with highly developed audio-visual literacy – valuable employability skills for the media and creative industries sector.

If you’re always wanted to turn that film that’s in your head into a reality, or develop a deeper understanding about how films tell our stories, then this is the degree for you. This exciting course will provide you with all the tools and knowledge that you will need to make a profession of your passion and forge a career in film.

Our Film degree will provide a theoretical grounding and historical understanding of visual culture, as well as equip you with a broad range of production skills within different areas of the media, including documentary filmmaking, screenwriting and short film production.

This course will also equip you with a solid grounding in the technical and practical skills required to make you a sought-after professional in these fields.

Lecturers who teach on the Film Studies degree have a range of interests including American Cinema, British and European film, gender, the body and film, film and history, digital technology and film, screenwriting, film-making, media and film in Wales, acting and performing, language and film, blogging and podcasting, computer games and film, film stars and film on television. Many members of staff in the School are practising professionals and consultants.

The school is also home to a dynamic and vibrant community of professionals and students who want to make and study films. Nestled in a breath-taking location between the Snowdonia National Park and the Irish Sea, Bangor’s location has brought HBO, Netflix, the BBC, S4C and a host of a major film companies to shoot here. Recent productions include Watchmen at Penrhyn Castle or The Crown in Caernarfon Castle.

Bangor is the site for a range of Creative Industries conferences, video conferences and events. It is a regular site for visiting creative writers, film-makers, journalists, designers, dramatists, new media makers and more.

Why choose Bangor University for this course?

• A flexible degree structure balancing subject breadth with opportunities to specialise in film history, theory, screenwriting, film music or film production.
• A dynamic, creative and professional learning experience - working closely with world-leading scholars and practising industry professionals and consultants.
• Excellent facilities, including a fully equipped media centre with editing suites and the latest 4K digital filmmaking equipment.
• Opportunities to gain practical experience helping organising events, including screenings, film festivals and special events.

Film studies at Bangor is unique in its close integration of academic and theoretical approaches with hands-on creative practice, giving students in the School the opportunity at all levels to combine a study of their chosen field with practice-based outcomes in film and media/digital media production. Film Studies at Bangor offers a balance of practical and analytical tasks, so as well as lectures, seminars, and essays, practical modules will give you a chance to get out of the classroom and into the field.

The aim of this course is to give you the confidence, critical skills, strategic acumen, adaptability and potential to thrive in a range of media work environments, as well as the opportunity to perform a wide variety of creative tasks and build a broad production portfolio.

Media Practice modules concentrate on three key areas: studio production, single camera filming and editing, and radio production. Practical modules will be assessed both on the practical output and on the individual’s ability to reflect critically on their practice. Modules on film theory, film and culture, visual culture, analysing film and documentary are assessed by exam and assignment and frequently also offer the opportunity to submit practical work as an element of assessment.

As you progress through the degree, much of your study will be done in small teaching groups with an emphasis on learning both group work skills and the ability to carry a piece of work through yourself from initial concept to completion.

The skills you will learn on these module will give you the confidence and self-reliance to succeed in a competitive field.

Studying film and theatre at Bangor can be your launchpad to a great career. We have excellent links with theatre companies, newspapers and the television industry.

Bangor film graduates work in the development and production of feature films and television, with credits like HBO (Watchmen Series), Doctor Dolittle, BBC, SKY, ITV, S4C, Channel 4 and international independent productions. Their has been recognised by awards from BAFTA and the Royal Television Society and has screened at world-class festivals, secured development from the BFI and BAFTA, and been published in titles like DETAILS, The Guardian. Student placements have included BBC, S4C, International Feature Films, Wales International Documentary Festival, Sheffield Documentary Festival, and Llangollen International Festival.

Our graduates have gone on to work in a range of roles, including: performance and the theatre (both on and behind the stage); creative writing; professional writing and publishing; print and/or broadcast journalism; as actors, presenters and in television programme production; advertising and marketing; radio (as presenters as well as in programme production); digital, web and new media production; multi-media industries; teaching; lecturing; and public relations.

All of our media programmes combine academic study with practical experience, meaning that you acquire the skills you need while developing your creativity.