Course Overview
Our location in Carmarthen offers a range of unique opportunities to filmmakers. Stunning coastal and rural landscapes provide ideal locations for filming of the natural environment, wildlife or sporting events. The degree in Film and Visual Culture offers students the ability to shape their studies to the area of industry that they want to work in, while providing an analytical understanding of the creation of film and related media.
Theory and practice are closely linked, and technical skills are related to artistic and creative choices, producing students that are able to work independently and creatively. Over the course of the degree, you will address the needs of the contemporary and future creative industries in compelling new ways. The course team is working with Creative Skillset to ensure that the degree meets the current and future needs of industry and to give students access to industry leaders during their studies.
On completion of their studies students will have gained experience of working in groups on productions, created their own individual projects, networked with industry professionals, had the opportunity to attend film and media festivals, and developed discipline, professionalism and confidence while working for external clients. This extensive range of experience, including life skills that are highly valued by employers, will give students a head start in gaining fulfilling employment.
Key Features
The programme has been conceived with an emphasis upon vocational skills and employability; over the course of their studies, students will assemble a portfolio of work to enable them to compete for employment in their chosen field of the film industry.
Emphasis has been given to entrepreneurial skills, and to the skills required to publish and exhibit work to audiences beyond the university.
Students will be invited to engage with a broad range of contemporary media (such as film, television, novels, photography, the internet and mobile publishing, interactive media and gaming), and to focus their major projects upon the areas of their choice.
Over the course of the programme, students will be able to combine the theoretical and academic analysis of film and visual media with practical and creative approaches. Students will have the opportunity to engage in all stages of filmmaking, from conception, through pre-production and production, and on to publication and/or exhibition.
Over the course of these processes, students will gain an insight into those areas that they would wish to specialise in. By their final year, students will be able to opt for a major creative project in a production area of their choice; this could take the form of screenwriting, filmmaking, animation or game design, to name some of the options open to students.
Key Features
- A wide-ranging programme covering cinema from its origins to the latest developments of the art form
- Expert tuition from research-active staff who are experts in their field
- Access to high level production facilities
- To liaise with Creative Industry personnel
The School of Film and Digital Media is committed to ensuring that National Vocational Standards are built into its degree pathways.
Modules
Year 1 includes six core modules, concentrating on core skills. Year 2 combines five core modules and a practical project for a creative business, concentrating on the needs of the film and media industry. Year 3 combines four core modules and an extended Creative Project, concentrating on the student's career progression. There are also many extra-curricular opportunities to engage in practical filmmaking production work and to attend industry events and festivals.
Typical modules:
- Script to Screen
- Adaptation
- Film History
- Digital Film Production
- Entrepreneurship in Film and Media
International
Additional opportunities are available to students in the form of a year at our partner institution in Kuala Lumpur, the International University of Malaya-Wales. This University has partnered with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David to deliver a range of contemporary media industry focused modules that enable students to move between campuses in their final year of study.
Course Tutor(s)
- Dr Susan Drake
- Brett Aggersberg
Career Opportunities
Many of our students have been successful in gaining employment in the creative and cultural industries both in the UK and overseas, while others have enrolled in specialist post-graduate courses in film or gone on to study for research degrees.
Career and employment opportunities include:
- Filmmaker
- Cinematographer
- Film Editor
- Media Archivist
- Arts Administrator
- Screenwriter
- Advertising
- Creative Media
Further Information
This course offers students an opportunity to study all aspects of film production, and to develop the ability to work independently and creatively in the film industry.
Students will be taught in a new state-of-the-art facility, opened in September 2013, with fantastic views across open countryside. They will have their own Macintosh computer lab, dedicated lecture room and a green screen room with facilities for screening their work. With an equipment store and a support technician available just a few doors away the set up is very accessible and student friendly.
Students will be able to shape their studies to reflect their areas of interest and expertise, and by the time of graduation will have created a portfolio of work to reflect their skills.
The degree has been designed to reflect the requirements of the industry today and to give students experience of working for clients. Alongside their formal studies students will engage in film festivals, including partnering with the Celtic Media Festival, as well as undertake production work for partners such as the Cube Interactive, the National Trust in Wales and the Cardigan Bay Marine Conservation centre.
- The National Trust in Wales
- S4C
- Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
- Celtic Media Festival
- Cube Interactive
- Bay Studios
- Lab Class
- Cube Interactive
- Carmarthen Bay Film Festival
- Boom Cymru
Related Courses
- BA New Media Production
- BA Digital Film & Television Production
- Diploma in Foundation Studies - Art and Design
Additional Costs
Our students have access to a diverse range of equipment and resources, which in most cases are sufficient to complete their programme of study. We provide the basic materials necessary for students to develop their practical work within our extensive workshop and studio facilities. However, it is likely that art and design students will incur some additional costs to extend their investigation of their personal practice. For example, purchasing their own specialised materials and equipment, joining in optional study trips, and printing.
