Film and Screenwriting with a Foundation Year - BA (Hons)

Birmingham City University

This Film and Screenwriting with a Foundation Year course will provide you with the skills and knowledge to start your career in the creative film industry. You’ll explore fundamental skills such as academic and screenwriting writing, researching, collaborative practice and producing media to prepare you to start the first year of the BA (Hons) degree.

About the Foundation Year
The Foundation Year course option enables you to study for our BA (Hons) degree over an extended full-time duration of four years by including a Foundation Certificate (year one of four). The Foundation Certificate provides a broad study programme that underpins the follow-on degree. To progress to the next year of your degree, it is necessary to achieve a pass in all of the modules of the Foundation Certificate.

What's covered in this course?
The course considers of a wide range of script to screen traditions from theory, practice and industry perspectives.

You will gain an understanding of cinema and television conventions and screenwriting genres (such as romcom, thriller, science fiction and horror case studies You will also be introduced to other international traditions that range from European cinema and television to smartphone filmmaking and beyond.

Focusing on the aesthetic and creative aspects of film and television screenwriting, you will consider storytelling techniques, narratology and screen adaptation.

Modules such as Film Primer and Film Entrepreneurship provide core skills relevant to the film industry. You will have opportunities to work on established film festivals that are associated with the course and have access to film collections that will enrich your course of studies.

Employability
The BA (Hons) Film and Screenwriting course is located within the College of English and Media, which has an excellent track record for graduate employment. Within the College, the majority of graduates going into media-related roles. The course builds upon the College's employability driven reputation, by opening avenues for students interested in potential careers in screenwriting, film journalism, communications, marketing & PR, advertising and teaching film/media studies.

As well as gaining course-specific skills, you could also gain broader tools through our Graduate+ programme, which will help enhance your employment options by helping with careers development, employability activities, volunteering and part-time work experience.