Some courses teach you about film-making while others concentrate on the theory and history of film. At UEL, we’ll give you a thorough, expert grounding in both.

We combine theory and practice, teaching you not just how to make films and videos but throwing you into every aspect of the film world, from screenwriting to cinema history.

Each year, you’ll make your own films, from fiction to documentaries. And in your last year, your final piece of work will be screened at a special show at a London cinema, attended by film industry executives.

Throughout your course, you’ll get the opportunity to develop your production skills by studying modules focused on documentary, fiction, screenwriting and avant-garde filmmaking.

We’ll give you the skills to work in all film-related fields. Our graduates have gone into a variety of rewarding careers, from film production to festival administration to film journalism.

If you don’t meet the entry requirements for a BA, you have the option of taking an ‘extended’ version of this course.

You’ll begin with a foundation year that will prepare you for the BA course, giving you the academic and personal skills you need for successful degree-level study.

In our video-dominated world, we offer one of the few remaining courses in the country that gives you the chance to learn how to make films with actual celluloid on 16mm cameras.

There are three strands to our three-year course – film history, film theory and film practice. In your first year, that means you’ll make short documentary and fiction films, while learning how to analyse films and studying the history of Hollywood cinema.

In year two, you’ll explore screenwriting and you’ll also be encouraged to experiment – looking closely, for instance, at avant-garde cinema. You’ll have the chance to go on a highly sought-after work placement in a film production company, and you’ll make films for a particular client outside the University, such as a local charity.

In your third year, you’ll study different film genres and the history of cinemas from different parts of the world, including European, Asian and Bollywood cinema. At the end of the course you’ll have the chance to make a longer film for a prestigious screening of our students’ work at a London cinema.

.Who teaches on this course:

• Dr Johannes Maier
• Dr Lindsay Hallam
• Dr David Chapman
• Jo Shoop
• Professor Valentina Vitali
• Dr Jill Daniels

Some courses teach you about film-making while others concentrate on the theory and history of film. At UEL, we’ll give you a thorough, expert grounding in both.

We combine practice with crticial analysis, teaching you not just how to make films but throwing you into every aspect of the film world, from screenwriting to cinema history.

Each year, you’ll make your own films, from fiction to documentaries. And in your last year, your final piece of work will be screened at a special show at a London cinema.

Throughout your course, you’ll get the opportunity to develop your production skills by studying modules focused on documentary, fiction, screenwriting, avant-garde filmmaking.

We’ll give you the skills to work in all film-related fields. Our graduates have gone into a variety of rewarding careers, from film production to festival administration to film journalism.

If you don’t meet the entry requirements for a BA, you have the option of taking an ‘extended’ version of this course.

You’ll begin with a foundation year that will prepare you for the BA course, giving you the academic and personal skills you need for successful degree-level study.

Guided independent study

When not attending timetabled lectures or workshops, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This will typically involve skills development through online study, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects and preparing coursework assignments and presentations.

Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, specialist facilities, such as edit suites, the library, the full Microsoft Office software, including MS Teams, and Moodle: our Virtual Learning Environment.

Academic support

Our academic support team provides help in a range of areas – including learning and disability support

Dedicated personal tutor / academic advisor

When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal tutor. This is the member of the academic course team who will provide academic guidance, be a support throughout your time at UEL and who will show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer.

Workload

Each year you will spend around 280 hours of timetabled learning and teaching activities. These may be lectures, workshops, seminars and individual and group tutorials. Contact hours may vary depending on each module.
The approximate workloads for this course per year are:
Scheduled teaching – 284 hours;
Guided independent study – 916 hours.

Your timetable

Your individualised timetable is normally available within 48 hours of enrolment. Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week between 9.00am and 6.00pm. For undergraduate students, Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities, but there may be occasions when this is not possible. Timetables for part-time students will depend on the modules selected.

Class sizes

To give you an indication of class sizes, this course normally attracts 40–50 students a year. Lecture sizes are normally 40 plus students.
In workshops you will be taught in groups of 12 - 15 students. However, this can vary by academic year.

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, it’s the students who throw themselves most wholeheartedly into the many opportunities our course offers that end up landing the best positions in the competitive world of film. We have a terrific track record of success here.

One of our students recently finished her course and landed a job as a producer with a film company within the space of a couple of months. Another student returned home to Denmark where he has become a successful TV documentary maker.

Last year, we were visited by a leading filmmaker from Chicago, who set up a screening project where 16 films run simultaneously, all controlled by a single computer. He taught one of our students how to run this extraordinarily complex project and she ran it for the next three weeks when he returned to America.

After graduating, some of you may choose to continue your studies with us by studying for an MA in Film or moving on to film school. You can take advantage of our close connections with the British Film Institute, Film London and the capital’s film festivals throughout your course.

You’ll also have a great opportunity to showcase your talents when your third-year film is shown at a special screening at a London cinema attended by film industry executives.

As well as opportunities in the film and video industries, our graduates have gone on to work in a variety of other related areas in the media and culture industries such as television, advertising, journalism and teaching.