Digital Film & Television Production, BA

About Digital Film & Television Production, BA - at University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Course Overview

The course has been designed to provide graduates with the necessary technical skills, creative abilities and professional attitude relevant to those wishing to work in the film and television industries.

The course is highly practical, with 80% being practice-based and 20% theoretical. The course provides training and guidance in the fundamental technical skills of current digital film and television production from camerawork and sound recording to editing and post-production. The course also provides students with an understanding of the many roles in the production process by taking a multi-skilled approach while also giving students the opportunity to specialise later on. As an established Avid academic partner with an in-house Avid certified instructor, we are able to offer students the opportunity to gain certification in professional editing packages for those preparing for careers in high-end film and television editing.

You will be encouraged to develop your personal voice within digital filmmaking through the continual production of short film projects throughout the degree course. To support this, you will be provided with formal tuition and guidance to help develop your writing and directing skills. You will also have the opportunity to undertake placements on professional productions. In the past year, for example, selected students have had work experience on major US TV drama Da Vinci's Demons, on several features, including the films The Machine and The Convenience, as well as on documentary productions for the BBC. In addition, students also have the opportunity to attend film and television festivals where they can network with directors, producers and other industry figures.

The course has also been carefully developed in parallel with related programmes within the School of Film & Digital Media (SFDM), the Faculty of Art & Design, and UWTSD as a whole. Within SFDM all courses have a Creative Practice module that is timetabled at the same time, allowing for productive collaborations with courses in Music Technology, 3D Computer Animation and Visual Effects. Within the Faculty, students from Digital Film & Television Production work collaboratively with those from BA Advertising & Brand Design on live briefs, such as those provided by D&AD, and with students from BA Graphic Design on posters and design work for film and television projects. In the wider University, there is an ongoing connection with the BA Performing Arts course whose students frequently work on projects with our Digital Film & Television Production students.

Key Features

The course has excellent facilities and equipment for digital film & television production and post-production. A fully equipped TV studio, with a production control room and green screen facility, gives students the opportunity to shoot anything from news and documentary interviews to drama, music video and special effects. For location production, students can use a wide range of HD, HD DSLR, XD-CAM and 4K camera kits, including Canon and RED cameras, with prime lens kits, along with Kino, Arri and Dedo lighting kits and sound recording equipment. Professional camera sliders, shoulder rigs, track & dolly and Steadicam systems can also be used to create fluid camera movements.

For post-production, computers across the Faculty are equipped with industry-standard film and television production software including Adobe Creative Suite (including Premiere, Photoshop, After Effects), ProTools and DaVinci Resolve. The Faculty is also an official Avid Learning Partner and has 24 Avid Media Composer seats. These editing systems deal with uncompressed high definition footage in real time. In addition, many computers are equipped with other industry-standard film and television production software including Final Draft, MovieMagic Scheduling and MovieMagic Budgeting. The department also has large plasma and 3D LED screen TVs and digital projectors for screenings.

Modules

Year 1

Students learn primarily through lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials, and there is an emphasis on the teaching and acquisition of key skills. The modules Film & TV Production 1 and Post Production 1 introduce key concepts and begin developing craft skills in these areas. In addition, a module in Scriptwriting provides an understanding of storytelling for the screen as well as the craft of writing in this form. In Visual Studies for Film & Digital Media, students learn fundamentals of visual grammar including composition, lighting, mise en scene, together with important underlying ideas that will inform your practice. Having two semester-long Creative Practice modules allow students to create their own pieces of work under the guidance and supervision of Faculty staff. Two semester-long Contextual Studies modules provide students with wider knowledge of relevant philosophical, historical and theoretical themes that feed into students' practical work.

Year 2

While the continuing teaching and acquisition of keys skills remains important, students will be expected to take greater responsibility in directing their learning as their knowledge increases. The modules Film & TV Production 2 and Post Production 2 continue the development of key skills in these areas through a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops and exercises. A module on Entrepreneurship gives students an understanding of business and professional issues related to working in the film and TV industries. The Commercial & Commissioned Filmmaking module, gives students the opportunity to make works such as music videos, title sequences, fashion films, idents and advertisements and gain an understanding of these different forms. Having two semester-long Creative Practice modules allows students to create their own pieces of work under the guidance and supervision of Faculty staff. Two semester-long Contextual Studies modules provide students with skills in research practices, in preparation for dissertation work and the major project in the third year.

Year 3

Students will continue to work increasingly under their own direction, discussing the development and creation of projects with advice and guidance from Faculty staff. In the first semester, the Advanced Film & TV Production module, students will work on projects that are aimed at industry, such as creating a short film targeting festivals, a teaser for a film or TV project or live briefs for student awards, while honing their specialisms. In addition, students will commence their Major Project, work originated by them, with support and guidance from Faculty staff. Also in the first semester, students will write a Dissertation related to their practical work. In the second semester, students continue and complete their Major Project and write a Critical Review, reflecting on their work.

Professional Accreditations

We are an ALP (Avid Learning Partner) with an in-house ACI (Avid Certified Instructor) and we are therefore able to provide qualifying students with Avid editing accreditation.

International

Erasmus

During your time with us you will have the opportunity to study abroad with the Erasmus exchange programmes currently running with Universities in Norway, Barcelona and Sweden.

Study Abroad

Students can also take up the opportunity to study a semester in the USA and Canada.

For more information please click here.

Course Tutor(s)

• Rob Jones
• Manolo Lozano
• Chris Buxton
• Timi O'Neill
• John Hill

Assessment

Feedback on project work takes place throughout the course in the form of frequent tutorials (both individual and group), seminars and critiques. This process is integral to the course and provides a continuous verbal commentary to the students on their practical work and associated research throughout the development of all of their projects.

Final assessment in the form of visual portfolio, exhibition, research/ideas book/blog, or presentation is used at the end of each module to provide the students with a formal mark.

All assessment is based on 100% coursework. Students are expected to demonstrate their understanding in the form of practical project work. All practical work is project-based. Historical & Contextual Studies is also assessed on coursework in the form of essays and constitutes 20% of your coursework during years 1 & 2, with the dissertation constituting 25% of your final year marks.

Students have the option to sit an additional examination to gain Avid Media Composer Certified User certification.

Career Opportunities

We have strong links to Bay Studios, which is Europe's largest independent production studio. This is where they film Da Vinci's Demons.

Many of our graduates now work across various areas of the film and TV sector around the world.

Students can take an editing exam to become an Avid certified user, a qualification that has led directly to previous graduates gaining employment opportunities in the film and TV industries.

One month after graduating from the Digital Film & Television Production course in 2013, Laura O'Callaghan had already landed herself a job on a popular TV show in Cardiff. She is currently working as a floor runner on 'stella', a Sky1 show written by and starring Ruth Jones of Gavin & Stacey. The series was filming its third series, which went to air in early 2014.

Since graduating from the university in 2012, Josie Morgan has worked on several feature films including Mission Impossible 5 and Fury.

Siri V