Film [with Placement year]

Explore theories and histories of film and cinema, and develop creative skills in filmmaking, screenwriting and a range of creative, practice-based modules.

Discover the history of global cinema and learn how cinema reflects and affects society by studying a range of genres, from avant-garde cinema to Hollywood blockbusters.

You’ll also explore the language of cinema from the perspective of a creative practitioner, writing screenplays and making experimental, narrative and non-fiction films using digital video as well as 8mm and 16mm film.

Use our extensive industry links to make contacts, find work placements, and take part in live briefs.

Get hands-on in our specialist film facilities, with full training from our technical team.

See your films screened at Cambridge Arts Picturehouse and take part in film festivals.

Prepare for many careers in the film industries including screenwriting, filmmaking, and journalism.

Receive support from our expert lecturers and close-knit community of students and graduates across disciplines.

Careers

Our BA (Hons) Film degree will help you prepare for a career in many film and cinema-related roles.

These include film and television production or post-production, journalism, screenwriting, programming and curation, festival management and public relations.

You'll have opportunities to show your films at the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse and work with a range of external partners. Our links with local and national organisations will help you make contacts, solve live briefs and find work placements in the industry.

Our recent students have found internships and placements with companies such as the BBC, Cambridge Festival of Ideas, Film & Video Umbrella, Cannes Film Festival, Cambridge Film Festival, Take One magazine, Watersprite Film Festival, CBBC, ITN Productions, London Studios, MTV, New York Film Academy, Pinewood Studios, StudioCanal UK (formerly Optimum Releasing) and Sight & Sound magazine.

They've taken part in live briefs with our partner organisations such as mental health charity Lifecraft, producing a series of short videos about the charity for their website and social media channels.

You might also decide to continue on to a Masters course, such as our MA Film and Television Production. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.

Teaching

You’ll start the course by discovering new ways of analysing and thinking about film from different perspectives.

You'll also learn about various aspects of filmmaking including screenwriting, cinematography, sound recording and editing.

In Year 2 you’ll explore theoretical issues around spectatorship and representation, including the changes introduced by digital cinema, and take part in critical discussions and debates around documentary cinema.

Finally you’ll bring together all you’ve learned on an individual research project and consider notions of gender in film, as well as extending your knowledge and expertise in an area of your choice.

*=optional.

Year 1: Film Language and Concepts; Creative Moving Image; Screenwriting: The Short Film; History of Global Cinema; Into ARU; Filmmaking on Film: Super 8mm *; Anglia Language Programme *.

Year 2: Theorising Spectatorship; Classical Hollywood Cinema; Documentary Film Theory; Ruskin Module; Filmmakers on Film; Independent Cinema: US and Beyond *; Filmmaking on Film: 16mm Filmmaking *; Non-Fiction Filmmaking *; Film Criticism and Reviewing *; From Script to Screen *; Anglia Language Programme *.

Year 3: Placement.

Year 4: Special Topics in Film Studies; Creative Industries Major Project; Screenwriting: Writing and Selling the Feature Film *; Experiments in Film and Moving Image *; Screen Drama Production *; Film Journalism *; Independent Film Practice *; Gender and Popular Cinema *; Narrative in Global Cinema *; Anglia Language Programme *.

You won’t take any written exams. Instead, you’ll show your learning through a portfolio of creative work (including short films and film scripts), film reviews, critical essays and oral presentations. You’ll also critically evaluate your creative work, presenting and defending your work in ‘crits’.