Film Production BA (Hons)

UCAS code W600

Duration

3 Years

Location

Stoke-on-Trent campus

Do you want to see your story ideas on the big screen or produce inspiring content for your favourite brands or musicians? Our intensive film production course will give you the expertise to influence and inspire future audience and turn your passion for film production into a successful career.

Our multi award winning film production course aims to develop your creative, practical, and technical filmmaking skills and enable you to link theory to your practice. This course is practice focused, so you’ll learn about film production by making films. Working as a multi-disciplinary practitioner your will learn how to research, develop, write, produce, direct, shoot, edit and promote your own short films.

You’ll engage with practical film production projects and build a portfolio of creative work that supports your future career aspirations. You’ll join a creative community of students who are passionate about developing careers in the film production industry. You’ll work collaboratively across the Department of Media Performance and Communication, fulfilling key crew roles on creative projects and broadening your film making experience. You can tailor your filmmaking practice and specialise on a chosen field including short drama and documentary films, music videos, experimental films, branded content, and client based commercial projects.

You’ll get hands on with industry leading film production equipment right from your first week of your course. Much of your time will be spent working on location or in our professional film production studios and post-production facilities.

To enrich your academic and practical studies you can engage with field trips to art galleries, film screening and leading UK film festivals. You will have the opportunity to visit some of the UK's leading production facilities and attend a residential film shoot in places such as the Lake District.

You can gain a range of additional certification during your studies to support your career aspirations. You can gain official certification in Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop as well as AVID and DaVinci Resolve. The course is also members of the BAFTA ALBERT+ partnership, which is developing the tools and techniques the screen industry is employing to address the environmental emergency and make production more sustainable. As a BAFTA ALBERT+ Grad, you will be trained in the software and process required by productions to meet their sustainability requirements.

The course is also a member of NAHEMI (National Association in Higher Education of the Moving Image), a group of leading educators, who organises the exhibition of our student work at places such as the British Film Institute’s cinema in London and Aesthetica Film Festival in York.

Students studying this course are also eligible to apply for Royal Television Society bursaries which pay £1000 (terms and conditions apply) per year to support with living and study expenses as well as providing the recipient with networking opportunities, masterclasses, and access to an industry mentor.

Graduates from this course go on to become directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, sound designers across a wide range of film and media productions. Our graduates worked on productions such as Harry Potter, Avengers, James Bond, Mission Impossible and TV shows such as Game of Thrones, Black Mirror and Dr. Who as well as music videos for people such as Ed Sheeran, Aitch, Stormzy and Little Mix.

Check out our YouTube Channel to watch over 100 films that have been made by students during their time studying this course. Many of these films have won awards and screen at film festivals all over the world.


We also offer a Foundation Year in Creative Media Production that is a progression route to BA (Hons) Film Production, for those who might not have attained the entry requirements for direct entry onto the degree.  The Foundation Year in Creative Media Production will prepare you for Level 4 study, and allow you to work on BA (Hons) Film Production related projects.  Contact our advisors for more information about our Foundation Year entry.

 

 

Course content

Our aim is to develop your knowledge, confidence and skills through encouragement and professional practice, and enable you to communicate effectively and creatively through sound and vision.'

This course integrates theoretical, technical, practical, and creative modes of learning. Every semester you’ll be making films. Theoretical underpinning and knowledge are taught alongside technical instruction and craft skills, and the creative practice-based elements of filmmaking. You’ll engage in intellectual dialogue throughout your studies, linking together theoretical, historical, and contemporary film production expertise through critically informed reflective practice.

Year 1: Teamwork – Learning to collaborate
Make films from day one of your course. You’ll learn to listen, be influenced, and develop your skills working with staff, your peers, and from Industry. You’ll develop creative and organisation skills through the application of fundamental filmmaking practices such as directing, producing, cinematography, sound design, and post-production. You’ll study both theoretical and practical elements of film/media production to explore your future career direction and influence your creative output.

Year 2: Individuality - Finding a voice
Having gained an understanding of process and teamwork you’ll develop your skills and creativity as a filmmaker by formulating innovative ideas ensuring you have something to say to an audience. You’ll acquire advanced filmmaking skills and experiment with alternative/future filmmaking practices to develop your creativity. You’ll have opportunities to tailor your studies to include theoretical and contextual understanding of creative film production processes and techniques that align to your future career aspirations.

Year 3: Professionalism – Making your voice heard
Having gained confidence and competence as a filmmaker you’ll continue to develop your chosen area of expertise, applying your knowledge and skills to individual and collaborative projects. Your production work will be underpinned by critically informed research, and you will identify where your work and practice exist in relation to other filmmakers. You will demonstrate professionalism through establishing a network of industry contacts and promoting your skills to employers via your portfolio.

Cash bursaries help filmmakers broaden horizons

News

A trio of budding filmmakers have been awarded cash bursaries after impressing a local film company

Modules

The tables provide an indicative list of the modules that make up the course for the current academic year. Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Our teaching is informed by research, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline. We aim to ensure that all modules run as scheduled. If for any reason a module cannot be run we will advise you as soon as possible and will provide guidance on selecting an appropriate alternative module where available.

Year 1 compulsory modules
Creative Film Contexts 20 credits
Fiction Filmmaking 40 credits
Film And Media Professional Development 20 credits
Non-Fiction Filmmaking 40 credits
Year 2 compulsory modules
Client Filmmaking 20 credits
Creative Filmmaking 40 credits
Professional Filmmaking Practice 40 credits
Show 3 optional modules
Year 3 compulsory modules
Filmmaking Project 1 40 credits
Filmmaking Project 2 40 credits
Industry Research Project 20 credits
Media Employment Project 20 credits

Entry requirements

We use UCAS points in our offer-making and welcome a wide range of qualifications.

112-120 UCAS Tariff points

  • GCE A Levels - grades BBC or equivalent
  • Pearson BTEC National Extended Diploma - grade DMM
  • Access to HE Diploma - Pass Access with a minimum of 80 UCAS tariff points. Applicants to Staffs who are taking the Access to HE Diploma receive a reduced tariff point offer as part of our access and participation plan activity
  • UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma - grade of Merit overall
  • OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma - grade DMM
  • T Levels - Eligible T Level applications will be asked to achieve a minimum overall grade of P (A*-C) or Higher Pass as a condition of offer

International and mature students with different qualifications and experience are also encouraged to apply.

We offer a Foundation Year in Creative Media Production that is a progression route to BA (Hons) Film Production.  The Foundation Year in Creative Media Production will prepare you for Level 4 study, and allow you to work on projects that directly relate to the degree level study you wish to progress onto.  Contact our advisors for more information about our Foundation Year entry.

We understand that you might have experienced a challenging run up to higher education and may have not met the entry requirements as listed. If this is the case don’t worry, contact us and our team of expert advisors can guide you through the next stages of application, or help you find the perfect course for your needs.

For equivalent entry requirements in your home country, please see the information on our country pages.

Choose your country

Check our entry and English language requirements for your country.

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Facilities

Careers

Graduates from our BA (hons) Film Media Production will be equipped to study in roles including:

  • Production Assistant
  • Assistant Director
  • Screenwriter
  • Production Manager
  • Line Producer
  • Script Co-ordinator
  • Location Assistant
  • Camera Operator
  • Loader
  • Camera Production

All students have access to Career Connect, our dedicated careers team.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

Teaching approaches can include for example theoretical structure, group work, practical workshops, seminars, tutor-led and self-managed study, research projects, and guest lectures. Each of these will be used on your modules so you get the chance to learn as effectively as possible.

Assessment

Assessment is based on experiential learning and the submission of coursework, the nature of which is determined by the project/s or assignment/s set within a module, but which may consist of any one or combination of the following components:

  • An essay or report, written according to given guidelines as to word-count and illustrated as required by the assignment
  • The script for a seminar presentation, or the presentation itself
  • Ideas books, photo study books, sketchbooks or visual diaries, documenting the process of generating, developing and resolving thoughts or ideas, and demonstrating the influence of research on practical work
  • Production files, Research books, folders, or dossiers, documenting the gathering, sorting and presentation of research material based on the production process
  • Finished Media/Film based artefacts, professionally presented in the format required by the assignment, project or brief

Learning support

In addition to the excellent support you will receive from your course teaching team, our central Academic Skills team provides group and one-to-one help to support your learning in a number of areas. These include:

  • study skills such as reading, note-taking and presentation skills
  • written English, including punctuation and grammatical accuracy
  • academic writing and how to reference
  • research skills
  • critical thinking and understanding arguments
  • revision, assessment and examination skills
  • time management

Additional support

Our Student Inclusion Services support students with additional needs such as sensory impairment, or learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

Feedback

Your course will provide you with opportunities to test your understanding of your subject informally (through formative feedback) before you complete the formal assessments. Each module normally includes practice or 'formative' assessments for which you receive feedback from your tutor.

Practice assessments are developmental and any grades you receive for them do not count towards your module mark but are essential for you to develop academically as a student. There is a formal or 'summative' assessment at the end of each module and the grades from formal assessments count towards your module mark.

You will normally receive feedback on coursework assessments within 20 working days following the date of submission. The feedback you receive will help to focus you to achieve better grades on the next set of modules you study.

Year 1

36% of time in lectures, seminars or similar
64% of time in independent study
0% of time in work based learning

Year 2

27% of time in lectures, seminars or similar
73% of time in independent study
0% of time in work based learning

Year 3

11% of time in lectures, seminars or similar
90% of time in independent study
0% of time in work based learning

Year 1

45% practical assessments
55% coursework
0% written exams

Year 2

43% practical assessments
57% coursework
0% written exams

Year 3

55% practical assessments
45% coursework
0% written exams

Staff

Our industry experienced and research-focused academic team draw on a wealth of knowledge and practical experience in order to create an ambitious and innovative learning environment.

Colin Mottram

Senior Lecturer

Combining extensive filmmaking experience and passion for learning and teaching, Colin challenges, supports and motivates students to turn their passion into a career.

Colin's profile

Dr Agata Lulkowska

Associate Professor

Dr Agata Lulkowska is a Senior Lecturer in Film Production in the Department of Film, Media and Journalism. Agata’s background is in film practice, installations and photography.

Agata's profile

Stephen Griffiths

Course Director

Stephen's teaching centres on broadcast programme histories and media performance, especially acting on television. His research interests include broadcast light entertainment and comedy, television drama, and children's programming.

Stephen's profile

Edward Stone

P/T Lecturer (Hrly) - Media Production

Edward is an award winning cinematographer specialising in feature documentary, short films, and corporate productions.

Edward's profile

Dr Andrew Stubbs-Lacy

Senior Lecturer

Dr. Andrew Stubbs is Senior Lecturer of Film Industries and Studies in the Department of Creative Industries where he leads on the critical, contextual and employability strands and produces high-quality research into the screen media industries.

Andrew's profile

Dr Mark Mckenna

Associate Professor

Dr Mark McKenna is a lecturer in Film, Television & Radio. His teaching is focused on the theoretical and critical underpinnings of film production and draws upon his research which is focused on the film and media industries.

Mark's profile

Fees

For the course starting on 22 September 2025 the tuition fees are:

Study option UK / Channel Islands International
Full-time £9,250 per year of study £16,750 per year of study

UK and Channel Island students: This tuition fee is agreed subject to UK government policy and parliamentary regulation. If the UK government passes appropriate legislation, the fee for subsequent years of study may increase in each academic year. But this increase will not exceed the rate of inflation as measured by RPIX**. Any change in fees will apply to both new and continuing students. The University will notify students of any change as early as possible. Further information about fee changes would be posted on the University’s website once this becomes available.

**RPIX is a measure of inflation equivalent to all the items in the Retail Price Index (RPI) excluding mortgage interest payments.

Included in the fees:

Travel, and accommodation costs incurred by compulsory trips and visits away from the University that are directly linked to the learning requirements of a specific module.

The use of all workshops, studios and specialist technical facilities and hire of equipment relating to the course of study.
Not included in the fees:

The estimated cost of text books over the duration of the course. All essential text books are available from the library, but some students chose to purchase their own copies.

Travel, subsistence, entrance fees etc. incurred by optional trips and visits away from the University related to the course.

The cost of materials for the development of a student’s individual practice and work. Additional costs vary dependent upon student’s own choice of materials and approach to their practice.

Optional personal insurance when borrowing equipment such as cameras, lighting equipment etc. for extended period of use off campus [Approx £50-£100]. It may be possible to add some items to home contents insurance.

Additional software certification courses
Accommodation and living costs

Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees. 

Sources of financial support

If you receive funding from Student Finance you may be eligible to apply for additional benefits. Details can be obtained by reading our additional funding web pages, or visiting www.gov.uk.

Scholarships and additional funding

As an undergraduate student at Staffordshire, you may be eligible for additional financial support through one of our scholarships and bursaries. You can visit our funding page to find out more and check your eligibility.

Our students

Filming on location in the Lake District

Creating special effects

Our TV Studio

Our TV Studio and Green Screen

Film Theatre

Shooting on location

It feels really good having a credit with such a prestigious company like the BBC, especially before we’ve even finished university. I don’t think many students in other universities get that chance – and I think it’s really showing to how the lecturers at Staffs help us out getting these opportunities and putting us in touch with the right people in the industry.

 

 

Nat Argent

Film and Media student

Since leaving Staffordshire, I have worked with the Asia Times, in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia to produce and direct video content. Using my interpersonal skills and experience that I gained during university helped me advanced through common challenges really quickly and boldly. The practices I had in university really reflect the film industry that I am in now. I am happy to be under the guidance of the staff at Staffordshire University film production courses. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to achieve what I set out to achieve, now and the future.

Winston Lim

Film and Media graduate

I just wanted to make a film that says it's ok to be different. My lecturers were completely supportive throughout the course and really helped me make the film I wanted to.

Sophie Piggot

Media Film Production Award Winner

Apply

Location Award Study option Start date
Stoke-on-Trent campus BA (Hons) Full-time, Stoke-on-Trent campus 22 September 2025 Apply now

Rules and regulations

If you are offered a place at University of Staffordshire, your offer will be subject to our rules, regulations and enrolment conditions, which may vary from time to time.

Students of University of Staffordshire enter into a contract with us and are bound by these rules and regulations, which are subject to change. For more information, please see: University Policies and Regulations.

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