Filmmaking

BA (Hons) Filmmaking is a hands-on degree for aspiring filmmakers who want to develop creative, technical, and collaborative skills for careers in the screen industries. From concept to final cut, you’ll gain practical experience across all stages of production, working on short films, documentaries, and projects throughout your studies.

You will:

• Study in our Creative Industries Building - a collaborative hub shared with BBC Wales, fostering real-world production culture and interdisciplinary exchange

• Access industry-standard equipment and spaces, including a working studio, green screen, podcasting suites, and editing labs

• Engage with guest speakers, live briefs, and extra-curricular work experience with professional clients, building real-world insight and networks

• Gain free access to certified Avid and Blackmagic Design training, supporting professional development

• Learn by doing - develop short films, documentaries, and experimental pieces

• Showcase your work through curated screenings and external festival opportunities, building visibility and confidence

• Gain access to industry-standard software including DaVinci Resolve, Avid Media Composer, and Adobe Creative Cloud

• Use dedicated spaces for sound design, voiceover, and audio post-production

• Be taught by active filmmakers and media professionals with deep sector knowledge

Course Modules

In year one, you’ll build essential production skills in camera, sound, and editing, while exploring visual storytelling, genre, and creative identity. You’ll also learn to design stock media assets and apply audio techniques in film contexts.

Modules:

• Introduction to Screen Skills: Develop core production skills across camera, sound, and editing through practical workshops.

• Screen Language: Explore how visual storytelling communicates meaning, emotion, and narrative.

• Audio Skills in Context: Learn sound recording and editing techniques for film, with a focus on creative application.

• Film and Genre: Analyse genre conventions and produce short films that play with audience expectations.

• Creative Futures: Begin shaping your creative identity and career goals through reflective practice.

• Stock Media Asset Design: Create reusable media assets and understand your role in contemporary production workflows.

Year 2 (Level 5)

In year two, you will deepen your technical and conceptual understanding through genre-based production, storytelling, and research. Additionally, industry standards and client-focused work are introduced.

Modules:

• Creative Production: Collaborate on short film projects, refining your directing, cinematography, and production skills.

• Advertising & Marketing – Selling Ideas: Learn how to pitch, promote, and position creative work in competitive media landscapes.

• Research Methods: Build research skills to support both academic inquiry and creative development.

• Filming Reality – Documentary Modes: Explore documentary styles and produce non-fiction content with ethical and aesthetic awareness.

• Storytelling Across Media: Adaptation Studies: Investigate how stories shift across formats – from page to screen and beyond.

• Project and Platform: Design and deliver a media project tailored to a specific audience and distribution platform.

Year 3 (Level 6)

In year three, you will undertake advanced creative projects and independent research, refining your voice and preparing for industry or postgraduate study.

Modules:

• Practical Project: Undertake a major film project that showcases your creative and technical strengths.

• Storytelling Across Media – Further Journeys in Adaptation: Deepen your understanding of adaptation through experimental and hybrid storytelling.

• Advanced Post-Production: Master editing, grading, and finishing techniques using industry-standard software.

• Film Movements Through History – Pivotal Moments and Iconic Directors: Examine key cinematic movements and influential filmmakers who shaped global film culture.

You’ll be taught through a mix of practical workshops, studio sessions, lectures, and seminars, with increasing independence and creative ownership as you progress through the course. Teaching is delivered through the university’s Active Learning Framework (ALF), blending face-to-face workshops with digital resources to support flexible, student-centred learning across all levels. At Level 4, you’ll build core skills through guided projects and collaborative learning. By Level 6, you’ll be leading your own productions and developing a final portfolio aligned with your career goals.

Assessment is entirely coursework-based and designed to reflect real-world creative practice. You’ll be assessed through short films, screenplays, production portfolios, critical reflections, and presentations. Feedback is iterative and embedded throughout, helping you refine your work and grow as a filmmaker.

Teaching and Learning

We offer workshops and support sessions in areas such as academic writing, effective note-making and preparing for assignments.

Students can book appointments with academic skills tutors dedicated to helping deal with the practicalities of university work. Our student support section has more information on the help available.

In terms of particular needs, the University’s Inclusion Services can provide appropriate guidance and support should any students require reasonable adjustments to be made because of a recognised prevailing disability, medical condition, or specific learning difference.