Course description

The highlights

• You will be taught by tutors who are still successful in the film and TV industry today. They have worked on feature films, TV dramas, promotional videos and sports broadcasts
• You will work with the best digital cameras, just like those used for Hollywood blockbusters
• There’s the option to work with traditional celluloid film (35mm), which is what most blockbuster productions use. Few UK film degrees offer this
• Our film students have a track record of winning high-profile industry competitions, such as the Royal Television Society Awards and the NAHEMI Kodak Student Commercial Awards
• You will have many opportunities to gain experience on real film and TV sets, plus we offer a career-making six-month placement with Malta Production Hub.

For ambitious and creative film-makers

Explore the most exciting and challenging areas of contemporary film and high-end TV-making on a course designed to get you noticed in an intensely competitive industry. If you aspire to make big-budget productions for cinemas or small-screen streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon, this course will suit you. You’ll need to be highly creative, passionate and dedicated.

This degree is based on our long-established and successful BA (Hons) Film Production, and has been updated and renamed to be relevant to the media industry of the 2020s. We recognise that students today will want to make productions for streaming platforms just as much as for the big screen, so our course content has been updated to reflect this. We also give you the chance to experiment with other forms of media-making — such as apps, web video, podcasts and other digital content — so that you are prepared for the ‘multiplatform’ nature of the media industry today.

How you will learn

We use a variety of teaching methods, including:

• Practical work and production projects
• Lectures, seminars and tutorials
• Studio practice
• Film screenings
• Presentations
• Essay or blog writing
• Web-portfolios
• Discussion groups and critiques
• Study trips to places like Prague, New York, Portugal and Malta.

How you will be assessed

It’s 100% coursework. This usually includes tasks like:

• Making films and other media
• Writing reflective journals or essays
• Keeping production folders of concepts and developments
• Giving presentations.

Who you'll meet

Every single member of our teaching team is actively involved in the film and television industry. They include:

• Barry Squires: A Focus Puller for the film and broadcast industry, who has worked on Peter Kay’s Car Share and for CBBC children’s drama, BBC Match of the Day and BT Sport
• Nigel Douglas: A BAFTA-winning producer/director with extensive broadcast television experience, including on This Life, Holby City and Bad Girls
• Russell Cherrington: A filmmaker and music video director specialising in 8mm, 16mm and 35mm film, with experience working in Hollywood with Seraphim Films
• Stephen Watson: A Cinematographer and Digital Cinema Production Consultant, who has worked on British cult classic Dead Man’s Shoes and on numerous commercial and promotional films for clients such as Disney Junior Channel, Channel 4, ITV and Warp Films
• Tom Craig: Programme Leader for this course and also a writer, producer and specialist in film financing. Working with the Malta Film Commission, he has helped finance over thirty short films, features and documentaries

Degree Show

Every year students from the School of Arts celebrate their time at University by showcasing their work at an end of year Degree Show at Markeaton Street and across the City of Derby. The Show usually runs throughout June. It is a fantastic opportunity for potential employers, friends, family, industry and members of the public to see exciting creations by the next generation of artists, designers, creators and makers from Derby. The Show takes the form of:

• An exhibition at Markeaton Street
• A Fashion and Textiles catwalk (usually at Derby Theatre)
• A Film Premiere (usually at QUAD)
• Theatre Performances (usually at Derby Theatre)
• A Music show at a variety of venues

Take a look at highlights from the 2019 Degree Show.