Film & Television Studies Degree

W620 - 3 years (English)

w621 - 3 Years (Welsh)

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Film and Television Studies degree

The Aberystwyth Film and Television Studies degree provides a rigorous and challenging programme of study, combining practical and theoretical approaches to the examination of Film and Television productions, institutions and audiences. The Department enjoys productive working partnerships with the BBC, S4C, and Boomerang Group and benefits from close proximity to the National Library of Wales' Sound and Screen Archive, so that students on this Film and Television Studies degree are introduced to both the technical and commercial aspects of the discipline. As a graduate of the Aberystwyth degree in Film and Television studies you will be ideally placed to grasp an exciting range of opportunities in these media.

Film and Television Studies degree structure

Year 1

The first year of the Film and Television Studies degree introduces you to the study of film and television by developing your practical skills in all stages of the production process: scriptwriting; shooting; directing; final editing. This is combined with other areas of study designed to introduce you to the critical examination of the structure of screen forms and understanding their social significance.

Years 2+3

The central spine of years 2 and 3 of your Film and Television Studies degree will be a combination of the further development of your production skills alongside critical research into the specific histories and roles of each medium. On the production side, you can build up expertise in key production techniques:

• scriptwriting for radio, television and film;
• production research;
• factual and fictional production;
• studio production.

In your final year of the Film and Television Studies degree you will be challenged to produce, direct or edit a video short which can be experimental, documentary or narrative fiction. The best works will be entered for the Royal Television Society Student Video Awards.

Alongside your practical work, you will be offered a range of core and optional modules which allow you to choose your degree of specialisation. These include:

• Classical and Contemporary Hollywood;
• Radio and Television Drama;
• Documentary Film and Television;
• Cinema and Cultural Identities;
• Alternative Cinema.

During the final year of your Film and Television Studies degree you also get a chance to choose and develop your own research topic.

Detailed Course Structure

Film and Television Studies degree - Facilities

The Department provides extensive specialist equipment and facilities, including 36 digital and HD editing suites, over 40 industry standard HD and digital cameras, viewing areas and practical work spaces. Lecture theatres on the Penglais Campus are designed for film and television screenings. Since June 2006 the Department has been a recognised AVID academy, and is part of a consortium of university departments bidding for Skillset accreditation.

Film and Television Studies degree - Assessment

The assessment methods for Film and Television Studies degree include group-devised production, individual film and video projects, research projects, practical analyses, production diaries and creative scriptwriting as well as formal essays and examinations. The teaching methods for this scheme are guided largely by the nature of each module, and range from formal lectures supplemented by screenings and seminars to small group work and supervised practical exploration. In addition, supplementary assessment methods, such as storyboards, screenplays, pitches, treatments, films etc, are designed to generate a working portfolio of material which students are able to present to potential employers.

Film and Television Studies degree - Professional Links and Visits

Film and Television Studies degree provides you with an appreciation of working conditions and practices as well as up-to-date knowledge of professional techniques and technological facilities. As a student at  Aberystwyth you will have the advantage of access to the National Screen & Sound Archive for Wales (which is part of the National Library of Wales, and within walking distance of the main campus). The Department also attracts guest speakers from the broadcasting industries. In recent years, for instance, students have heard from a scriptwriter on Brookside, a director of Father Ted, and a current affairs executive producer. Among the staff working in the Department are a former BBC documentary producer, a former BBC journalist and Radio Producer, and a current Radio dramatist and former scriptwriter on Hollyoaks.

Film and Television Studies degree - Careers

The Film and Television Studies degree has a track record of enabling students to enter a range of media professions. Amongst past students are researchers for BBC television and radio, two of S4C's commissioning editors, a producer with Talkback Production and several others producing independent radio and television. Other graduates have found employment with BBC Television Centre, BBC External Services, BBC Wales, ITV and smaller independent television companies as researchers, floor managers, camera operators, sound technicians and directors; many have gained places within the industry's schemes for training as camera persons and editors. Just as relevantly, other graduates have used their course and the skills it offers to enter professions including teaching, research, marketing, the computing industries, and public relations. Others have set up entrepreneurial initiatives and developed University spin-out companies.