Filmmaking BA (Hons)

30 credits

Filmmaking fundamentals to explore and experiment in innovative ways

In this module, you will develop a number of short film works as an integral part of your introduction to the programme and its expectations. You will be introduced to a range of approaches to filmmaking, supported by inductions to the key areas of film resources. The module also provides support for the development of research enquiry.

• You will be introduced to the fundamentals of lighting, image and sound recording, studio and location filming, and editing, and learn how to work effectively and collaboratively within a team.
• You will be introduced to Kingston's Future Skills programme, enabling you to begin to develop your personal skills, professional identity and global citizenship, by promoting your understanding of ethical issues and values, design thinking, and commercial awareness. This will support you to plan your own personal and professional development, as a means of developing your creative practice.

30 credits

Visual storytelling through analysis of genres and their application

This module is a technically intensive induction to production skills and methods – from studio production to working as a film unit, post-production, and screen language. Through a series of filmmaking tasks, you will be assessed on their successful technical resolution and your understanding of these processes. The module will culminate in the production of a five-minute short genre film where you will work collaboratively with peers as crew members towards a shared vision.

• You will explore and evaluate the role genre plays in creating meaning within the context of narrative films while developing your understanding of film production processes.
• You will develop your understanding of the visual language of cinema and your filmmaking skills in production design, cinematography (camera and lighting), sound, editing, screenwriting, directing and producing.
• You will enhance your knowledge of screenwriting, story structure, character development, directing actors and presentation skills, with specific emphasis on how to pitch your short film idea.

30 credits

Reflective and critical approaches to issues of representation in documentary films

This module will support you to employ a reflective and critical approach to issues of representation in documentary films and discover your creative voice. While enhancing your understanding of your own artistic vision, the module will engage with narrative identities that are often overlooked. The module will offer you opportunities to explore a subject you are passionate about and feel a special connection with.

• You will examine cinematic conceptions of identities that will enable you to begin to explore ethical issues of representation through theoretical and practical analysis.
• You will experiment with shifting modes of documentary filmmaking and enhance your filmmaking craft and production skills – including sound recording techniques, editing approaches, producing, directing and working with documentary contributors.
• You will turn your creative vision to subject matters that speak to you and to stories that need to be told now.

30 credits

Discussing and debating the history and theory of contemporary filmmaking practices

The module is designed to support your first steps as filmmaking practitioners within the wider field of the visual arts in the 21st century. Through lectures, discussions, screenings and exhibition visits, you will be introduced to the notion of practice in filmmaking and the wider visual arts, by addressing the historical, theoretical, social and political factors that have affected our understanding of its function.

• You will be encouraged to consider the key debates, theoretical questions and changing contexts that have framed the historical development of film and its associated fields - for example, artist's video and photography.
• You will learn key analytical, critical and research skills, and through close engagement with visual sources, historical texts and contemporary critical writing, you will begin to develop the tools necessary to discuss, conceptualise and reflect on your emerging practice.

30 credits

Bridging technology and creativity through innovative filmmaking techniques

This module focuses on how to employ innovative filmmaking techniques as storytelling devices and bridge the gap between technology and creativity. To enable you to develop your professional identity, you will be introduced to the world of film festivals and learn how to prepare a film festival submission.

• You will develop your Future Skills through interdisciplinary creative projects with students on other courses at Kingston School of Art. These creative collaborations will enhance your craft and communication skills and encourage you to experiment with different forms and styles as part of your creative toolkit as innovative filmmakers.
• To place the idea of exploration at the heart of this module, instead of assessing the final outcome, the process of idea development and production will be assessed through the submission of an individual audio-visual essay which contains elements of the work that you have produced as well as documents your research and production journey in this module.

30 credits

Exploring the cinematic landscape of dramatic performance

In this module, you will work in groups on short films that involve professional performers, scripts and dialogue. Emphasis is placed on idea development and storytelling in the cinematic context (screenwriting) and the investigation of different methods to bring these scripts to life through the direction of performance. This module places teamwork and collaboration at the heart of film production and employs a series of workshops and exercises to enhance these skills which also form part of the assessment.

• You will be introduced to the skills of casting, rehearsal and performance and experiment with ideas and production techniques to push the boundaries of genre.
• Production teams are formed according to role specialisation, advancing your filmmaking skills in screenwriting, production design, cinematography (camera and lighting), sound, editing, directing and producing.
• You will also be encouraged to reflect critically on the creative choices you have made during the production process.

30 credits

Enhancing understanding of filmmaking practices beyond mainstream cinema

This module will help you develop your creative voice beyond mainstream cinema and engage with wider social and cultural issues through the prism of personal experience to produce films that embody under-represented perspectives. It explores reflexive, sensory and ethnographic approaches to filmmaking and global cinema.

• You will navigate your journey through this exciting field of filmmaking and develop your own audio-visual language to express your ideas. In small teams, using alternative production methods, you will produce films that address social, cultural or environmental issues and challenge the mainstream narrative.
• You will write a research document which explores the artistic, political and social context of your practice and critically evaluates the wider significance of your work.

30 credits

A theoretical framework to investigate the critical issues of contemporary filmmaking

Building on the thematic and historical context introduced at Level 4, this module enables you to create a theoretical framework within which to investigate and understand some of the critical issues affecting the practice and interpretation of contemporary filmmaking. With a close focus on analysis of key case studies, a series of lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials, and group and individual screenings inform and support your own emerging research interests and the development of independent visual and academic research skills common to both the historical and theoretical study of film and practice of filmmaking.

• With reference to important concepts and primary texts that have informed the development of film theory, you will acquire the knowledge and analytical skills engage with the critical contexts in which filmmaking operates today.
• You will also develop research methods appropriate to the study and practice of film, propose an area of research for development at Level 6, and begin to contextualise and make sense of the concerns emerging in your own practice.

30 credits

Practical introduction to the professional expectations of the workplace beyond university

This module will develop your Future Skills and professional practice through the production of a short film/live brief set by an external client. It will equip you with the personal and professional skills to succeed as a filmmaker within the screen industries or related career paths.

• You will critically evaluate your personal and professional development through reflection on your progress, as a means of developing your creative practice, and to explore complex problems within the wider social, cultural, economic and industrial context.
• This will be supported through personal development planning, enabling you to evidence your understanding of the skills you are developing through the work you are creating as part of your course, and to set goals and take actions which further your ambitions, help you plan your career and develop your creative and professional identity.
• You will also prepare a production pack for the graduation film to be shot in the second teaching block.

60 credits

Combining your accumulated knowledge into an ambitious final film

This 60-credit capstone module is the culmination of study in filmmaking, incorporating research, development and film production, and an understanding of funding and distribution.

• You will work in various specialised production roles, distilling accumulated knowledge into an ambitious graduation film for presentation at both on-site and external graduation screenings.
• You will also learn how to complete a film funding application and pitch deck, and coordinate the realisation of the final degree show.

15 credits

This module supports an extended research project that deepens your understanding of critical issues relevant to your practice. You’ll explore a topic of your choosing, framed by questions emerging from your own design work and informed by relevant theory, history, or cultural context. Working independently and with tutor support, you’ll undertake rigorous enquiry using appropriate research methods and sources. Through this process, you’ll build your ability to reflect critically, argue persuasively, and contribute to contemporary discourse in interaction design.

15 credits

This module gives you a dedicated opportunity to develop your Future Skills Graduate Attributes. 

At the start of the module, you will be supported to self-assess your current skills profile. You will determine which attributes and skills you need to develop to support your career ambitions. In this process, you will be supported by a dedicated career coach, helping you explore a range of options that includes self-employment/freelancing, starting your own business, higher level study, and other professional graduate-level opportunities. Throughout the module, you will be given opportunities to engage with external mentors, to support reflection and to develop a professional network.

You will undertake a tailored series of activities and projects, aligned to your goals, from a menu of development options. This could include short courses, enrichment activities and experiential learning options such as micro-placements. You will also be able to reflect on activities outside the University that develop your graduate attributes, such as work or volunteering.