BA (Hons) Film
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Top in Wales for assessment in Film Production and Photography Guardian University Guide 2024
BA (Hons) Film is a progressive, modern degree which combines practical skills with creative ambition and theoretical knowledge.
We’ve been teaching students about factual and fiction filmmaking for over 50 years, and we’re proud that our graduates enter the creative workplace as critically-informed practitioners who are employable in a variety of industry roles.
Our expertise in filmmaking and the reputation of our alumni is widely acknowledged, and many staff members are award-winning filmmakers who continue to work in the industry.
Our students benefit from industry-standard facilities at our newly enhanced Cardiff Campus which includes an on-site cinema that is available to students to screen their work, and that hosts regular guest lectures and masterclasses.
USW's Film degree is also part of Film & TV School Wales, which provides students with the opportunities needed to work in today’s film and television industry.
| UCAS Code | Study Mode
2023 |
Duration | Start Date | Campus | Campus Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36VA | Full-time | 3 Years | September | Cardiff (ATRiuM) | B |
| UCAS Code | Study Mode
2024 |
Duration | Start Date | Campus | Campus Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36VA | Full-time | 3 Years | September | Cardiff (ATRiuM) | B |
During the film course you can expect to study the art of creative storytelling, using digital technologies to make documentary and fiction films and commercial projects.
You can specialise in specific areas of film making, screenwriting, producing, directing, cinematography, sound and editing, so you’ll gain specialist skills to launch your career. You’ll also make collaborative final films at the end of your third year. This will be your industry calling cards and the culmination of all your hard work.
Year One - Film degree
- Filmmaking 1: Documentary
- Craft 1: Skills and Techniques
- Theory 1: Film History
- Filmmaking 2: Fiction
- Craft 2: Studio Introduction
- Theory 2: Film Language
Year Two - Final degree
- Filmmaking 3: Experimentation
- Filmmaking 4: Development
- Craft 3: Advanced Studio
- Theory 3: Documentary Film History and Theory (Optional)
- Theory 3: Global Cinema (Optional)
- Collaborative Project
Year Three - Film degree
- Advanced Filmmaking 1: Specialisation
- Advanced Filmmaking 2: Engagement
- Advanced Theory: Dissertation (Optional)
- Advanced Theory: Documentary Commissioning Package (Optional)
- Advanced Theory: Screenwriting for Fiction (Optional)
- Industry Ready
Teaching
Students on USW's Film degree will be taught through a blend of workshops, seminars, lectures and tutorials, as well as guest lectures and masterclasses from industry professionals.
Assessment
Students on the Film degree will be assessed through a mixture of practical and written assignments. Your final film will form a large part of the final year assessment, and this is a practical task, with written elements.
Accreditations
As part of our Skillset accreditation, we actively encourage you to pursue your own work experience throughout the course.
This course is industry recognised by ScreenSkills, the industry-led skills body for the UK's screen-based industries and carries the ScreenSkills Select quality-mark for the purposes of indicating courses best suited to prepare students for a career in the screen industries.
Facilities
Film students can benefit from industry-standard facilities, including Arri Alexa, Black magic Ursa, and Sony Z5 and Z150 cameras, Sound Devices audio recorders and mixers with a range of microphones and radio mics, LED lights, tracks, dollys and other grip equipment, a fully equipped film studio, AVID and ProTools post-production software, and state-of- the-art finishing suites for professional sound mixing and colour grading.
We also have a production suite with adobe, DaVinci Resolve, moviemagic and final draft producing/screenwriting software. USW Cardiff also has an on-site cinema that is available to students to screen their work, as well as hosting guest lectures and master classes.
Lecturers
We regularly revalidate courses for quality assurance and enhancement
At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.
If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.
The entry criteria below reflect our standard entry requirements for the course for September 2023. However, all applications received by the University are reviewed holistically and individually. Entry criteria for September 2024 is changing and will be published on ucas.com from 8th May 2023. Entry criteria for September 2024 will be updated on our website from the end of October 2023.
Contextual offers
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions. USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university. Here is a link to our Contextual Admissions Policy.
Other qualifications and experience
We can also consider combinations of qualifications and other qualifications not listed here may also be acceptable. We can sometimes consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or advanced entry to year two or three of a course where this is possible.
To find out which qualifications have tariff points, please refer to the UCAS tariff calculator.
If you need more help or information or would like to speak to our friendly admissions team, please contact us here
Applicants in the UK
Selection for this course is based on a suitable application. If you do not meet the entry criteria you may also be required to attend an interview to help us assess your suitability for the course.
Applicants outside the UK
Selection for this course is based on a suitable application and submission of a portfolio of your work which the Course Leader confirms is suitable for an offer to be made.
Typical A-Level Offer
BBC - CCC to include a relevant art and design subject (this is equivalent to 112-96 UCAS tariff points).
Typical Welsh BACC Offer
Pass the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma with Grade B/C in the Skills Challenge Certificate and BB - CC at A Level with a relevant art and design subject (this is equivalent to 112-96 UCAS tariff points).
Typical BTEC Offer
BTEC Extended Diploma Distinction Merit Merit - Merit Merit Merit in a relevant subject (this is equivalent to 112-96 UCAS tariff points).
Typical Access to HE Offer
Pass the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 96 UCAS tariff points
Additional Requirements
GCSEs: The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances
International Entry Requirements
We also welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications. Please visit the country specific pages on our international website for exact details.
English Requirements
In general, international applicants will need to have achieved an overall IELTS grade of 6.0 with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component.
However, if you have previously studied through the medium of English IELTS might not be required, but please visit the country specific page on our international website for exact details. If your country is not featured please contact us.
Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee will remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course
August 2023 - July 2024 Fees
Full-time UK: £9000
Full-time International: £14100
August 2024 - July 2025 Fees
Full-time UK: TBC
Full-time International: £14950
Student Perks
At the University of South Wales, you’re investing in so much more than a degree. We strive to provide our students with the best possible experience, no matter what you chose to study. Whether it’s access to top of the range mac books and PCs, state-of-the-art facilities packed with industry-leading equipment and software, masterclasses and events led by industry experts, or a wide range of clubs and societies to meet likeminded people, better tomorrows start with extra perks.
Each course also has their own unique student benefits to prepare you for the real word, and details of these can be found on our course pages. From global field trips, integrated work experience and free course-related resources, to funded initiatives, projects working with real employers, and opportunities for extra qualifications and accreditations - at USW your future, is future-proofed.
Click here to learn more about student perks at USW.
Additional Costs
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
* Obligatory
| Item | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Kit (Uniform and Equipment) * | £30 - £60 | SDXC Card (64-128GB) |
| Kit (Uniform and Equipment) * | £40 - £150 | Wired Over-Ear Headphones |
| Kit (Uniform and Equipment) * | £60 - £120 | External Hard Drive (2-4TB) |
Funding
Funding to help pay for (or cover) course tuition fees and living costs
Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).
To learn about course fees, funding options, and to see if you are eligible for financial support, visit our Fees and Funding pages.
UK students
Apply via UCAS if you are a UK residing applicant, applying for year one of a full-time undergraduate degree, Foundation Year, Foundation Degree or HND and you have not applied through UCAS before. If you are applying to study part-time, to top up your Foundation Degree or HND, or to transfer to USW from another institution, please apply directly.
International and EU students
Apply directly to the University if you live outside the UK.
Our graduates go on to do a whole variety of jobs within the film industry including working for BBC, S4C, Netflix, Channel 4, MTV, and many other companies all over the world. They work in feature films, TV drama, documentary, commercials, music videos amongst others. Due to our international reputation for film, graduates of this Film degree are highly regarded within the industry.
In 2016, Film graduate Asif Kapadia won an Oscar for his documentary film, ‘Amy’, having won acclaim and BAFTAs for ‘Senna’.
Our Careers and Employability Service
As a USW student, you will have access to advice from the Careers and Employability Service throughout your studies and after you graduate.
This includes: one-to-one appointments from faculty based Career Advisers, in person, over the phone or even on Skype and through email via the "Ask a Question" service. We also have extensive online resources for help with considering your career options and presenting yourself well to employers. Resources include psychometric tests, career assessments, a CV builder, interview simulator and application help. Our employer database has over 2,000 registered employers targeting USW students, you can receive weekly email alerts for jobs.
Our Careers service has dedicated teams: A central work experience team to help you find relevant placements; an employability development team which includes an employability programme called Grad Edge; and an Enterprise team focused on new business ideas and entrepreneurship.
Graduate Stories
Student Stories
Highlight Stories
Our Cardiff Campus is right in the city centre – the perfect home for our creative industries students. We’ve just finished a new phase of campus investment and development, so we can offer even more specialist facilities.
It’s the community and friendships you’ll build that make this place special. Outside your studies you can experience our amazing sport facilities and Students’ Union.
Living in Halls is a great way to meet new people and make friends. We have high quality accommodation in Treforest, Cardiff and Newport.