- Roehampton is ranked in the top 20 universities in the country for Film (Guardian University Guide 2019).
- 91% of students are in work or further study 6 months after graduating (Destination of Leavers of Higher Education survey 2016).
- Work with leading filmmakers, film theorists and film historians.
- Develop, shoot and exhibit your own drama and documentary films.
- Easy access to world-class facilities including the British Film Institute.
- Study in our brand-new, state-of-the-art media facilities, including film studios and a cinema – find out more.
Summary
Our leading film scholars and award-winning filmmakers will help you build a strong foundation for a career in film. You will explore film history, theory and production, and learn about the latest trends in digital and 3D cinema.
The extended degree programmes include a foundation year, which will provide you with a sound introduction to key elements needed for studying Film at degree level. Our extended degree programme will provide you with a thorough and supportive academic preparation for study. The foundation year is carefully designed to build confidence in your abilities, develop essential academic and study skills, and provide you with the subject specific knowledge essential for success.
Our Film BA is both practical and theoretical. It covers everything from fiction to documentary, experimental film to world cinema, television to the internet, as well as screenwriting, animation and cinematography. You'll look beyond the story and consider how meaning is created through film language and visual aesthetics. You'll broaden and deepen your critical awareness of the diverse formal and experiential possibilities of cinema, both as they have developed in the past and as they are transforming in the contemporary moment.
Right from your first term you'll be introduced to the use of video equipment, group work, key roles of the production team and facilities, and you will produce a short drama on digital video. As you move through the course you will be able to pick to focus on the theoretical study of film or the practical side of film. If you can't decide and enjoy both, you can continue to give both equal weighting. Students who choose the film production route have the opportunity to screen their film at the British Film Institute, Southbank (BFI) at the end of their third year.
We currently offer a module on career preparation, which will enable you to understand different career choices, refine your career interests, evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses and learn how to present a creditable application. There's also an opportunity to undertake a work placement in any area of the creative industries: TV, film, on-line and print media, arts and campaign organisations, museums, art galleries, theatres and community projects.
Our London location means you'll be studying film whilst immersing yourself in the creative culture of the capital at film festivals, studios, galleries and pop-up cinemas. Whilst on campus, you'll have access to state-of-the-art film, editing, and studio facilities, including sound and dubbing equipment and a cinema.
Content
During the foundation year, you will take modules in English and Maths which will develop your core academic and study skills. The syllabus includes a year-long module relevant to your chosen degree subject, such as Communication and Representation Essentials. This will provide you with a subject specific knowledge in Film which is essential for success in your degree.
In your first year, you'll learn how to analyse film and study the history of cinema. You will begin to explore some of the critical debates that shape the way film is discussed and understood. If you are a single honours student, you will undertake practical filmmaking training, gaining basic skills in digital video production, cinematography, editing and sound. At the end of this year, you will get to choose whether to specialise in production or history and theory, or a combination of the two.
In your second year, you will deepen your understanding of film history and theory or continue to pursue your filmmaking ambitions. You will have an opportunity to choose a range of module options with recent examples including Audiovisual Criticism, World Cinema, Cinematography, Experimental Cinemas and Forms of Animation.
In your final year, you will be able to undertake one of three major independent projects: the Production Project will allow you to develop, shoot and exhibit your own short documentary or fiction film, the Dissertation will enable you to conduct in-depth research into a subject of personal interest, and Screenwriting will provide the opportunity for you to develop and write your own script. Other modules offered include The Modern Vampire, Digital Cinema, Contemporary Hollywood Cinema and Producing.
Modules
Here is some of the varied range of modules we currently offer:
Foundation Year
Communication for Academic Purposes 1
Communication for Academic Purposes 2
Operational Mathematics
Media Practice 1
Media Practice 2
Year 1
Compulsory modules
Film History and Criticism
Production Practices – Fiction
Reflections on Film Craft
Thinking with Images
Production Practices – Non-fiction
Optional modules
Filmmaking Portfolio
Year 2
Compulsory Modules
Audiovisual Criticism
At least one of the following:
Thinking about Film
Approaches to Popular Film
Optional Modules
Documentary Production
Fiction Production
Post-production Techniques
Alternative Film Cultures
Audiences and Reception
Cinematography
Introduction to Screenwriting
Career Preparation
Year 3
Optional modules
Approaches to Directing
Contemporary Documentary Storytelling
Producing
Cinema in the Digital Age
Experimental Filmmaking
The Film Soundtrack
The Politics of Screens: Women-Practice-Representation
The Horror Genre and Society: Screening the Undead and Other Monsters
Professional Screenwriting
Work Placement
Compulsory modules (students must take one of the following):
Independent Creative/Critical Dissertation
Group Production Project
Compulsory and Required modules
Compulsory and/or required modules may change when we review and update programmes. Above is a list of modules offered this academic year.
Optional modules
Optional modules, when offered as part of a programme, may vary from year to year and are subject to viability.
Career options
You can work in film production, distribution and exhibition, as well as in film festival organisation and film research. The skills you gain are also transferable to advertising, PR and other media-related industries.
Alumni and Staff
Recent films by Roehampton Staff
The Act of Killing
Michael Uwemedimo acted as producer on this documentary about Indonesian death squad leaders who come to face their past. The film won a Bafta and a European Film Award for Best Documentary and was also nominated by the American Academy for an Oscar.
Home Sweet Home
Enrica Colusso's Home Sweet Home tells the story of the demise of the Heygate Estate in Elephant and Castle, London. The film has played at the Open Docs Film Festival and at the Turin Film Festival.
Patience (After Sebald)
Chris Darke acted as a creative consultant on Patience, a film essay that looks into the life of German émigré writer WG Sebald, in particular his Norfolk-based work, The Rings of Saturn. Among others, Patience played at the New York Film Festival.
Common Ground
William Brown directed Common Ground, a fictional story about a man looking for his missing brother. The film played at the FEST Film Festival in Portugal 2013 and has been selected for the American Online Film Awards Spring Showcase 2014.
Secret City
Michael Chanan directed this documentary, which reveals the workings of the Corporation of London, the organisation that runs the capital's Square Mile. Secret City won Best Documentary at the London Independent Film Festival 2012.
Alumni
Our alumni go on to have successful careers in film and media. Here is what a few are doing after their BA Film course at Roehampton.
Dominic Buchanan (Producer, including Gimme the Loot and Lilting).
Lyle Lindgren (Director, including a commercial shoot for Breaking Bad).
Shane O'Sullivan (owns distribution company, E2 Films).
Christina Mankellow (film editor at Market Me).
Placement Year
This course offers all students the option to apply for a one-year paid work placement between years 2 & 3 of the course. A placement year is the perfect opportunity to gain valuable work experience and skills within an industry or sector of choice.
In your first two years of study you will learn about industry needs and skills required to be successful in applying for a placement through a series of workshops and curriculum based sessions. You will be encouraged to develop your Personal Development Plan and CV and will be provided with access to the University's support services including Placements, Careers and Academic Guidance.
Please note, the Placements team will offer support and guidance in searching for and applying to placements, however a placement cannot be guaranteed.
We have opened a brand new media centre for 2020
Life at Roehampton
At Roehampton, we can offer all new students the opportunity to live in accommodation on our beautiful parkland campus, including affordable and high-end options.
We offer scholarships, provide hardship funding and help you find advice on managing your finances while you study.
We provide plenty of opportunities for you to get involved, through volunteering, playing sport or music, or joining one of our many active student societies.