BA

Film and Television Studies / Fine Art

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You are viewing this course for September start 2024

Film and Television studies and Fine Art at Aberystwyth University will allow you to develop new or broaden and deepen your skills in painting, printmaking, drawing, photography, book illustration, experimental film, installation and site-specific performance. This programme offers you training that connects traditional skills with contemporary practice and theory with industry links such as The Aberystwyth Arts Centre, BBC, S4C, and Boomerang+ Plc. On completion of this degree, you will emerge with real world capabilities, enabling you to pursue careers in the creative industry. 

Course Overview

Why study Film and Television studies with Fine Art at Aberystwyth University? 

  • Benefit from the disciplined acquisition of technical expertise, the formation of creative intelligence, and an historical, critical, theoretical and contemporary aware of Fine Art practice.
  • The Department of Theatre, Film and Television studies is a vibrant and creative department where drama and theatre, film and media, and scenography and theatre design collide.
  • Make a valued contribution to a close community of students and staff within a well-respected School of Art that was established in 1917.
  • Students will benefit from our superb facilities and resources for practical work in film and television: 3 Camera High Definition television studio and gallery with chroma key and auto-cue capability; 30 editing systems - Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro software; 50 industry standard HD cameras – P2 and AVCHD formats; DSLR and GoPro cameras available.
  • Gain access to excellent teaching facilities that include well-lit studios for painting, darkrooms, print workshops, a MAC suite, seminar rooms, lecture theatre, galleries and a museum all housed in a magnificent Grade II* listed building.
  • We have been awarded Accredited Museum Status by Arts Council England. This demonstrates that our collection care and management are at the highest standard. 
  • Our students benefit from connections with key industry partners such as BBC, Tribeca Film Festival, S4C, Fiction Factory, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Ffresh Film Festival, BAFTA, Avid, and Arad Goch.
  • Learn from experienced staff who are internationally renowned artists, curators and art historians.
  • Enjoy our close association with the university Arts Centre that is one of the largest in the UK and a major venue for exhibitions by contemporary artists and designers.
  • Participate in our study visits within the UK or abroad (destinations have included Madrid, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, New York, Vienna, Barcelona, Venice, Moscow, St Petersburg, Florence, Budapest and Lisbon).
  • Enter the degree scheme directly from school or from a foundation course.
Our Staff

All academic staff at the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies are research active and/or involved in Knowledge Transfer projects and have either relevant academic qualifications at doctoral level or equivalent professional experience and expertise.

Our teaching staff are practicing professionals. As exhibiting artists, publishing researchers and curators, they provide an informed and stimulating learning environment. This ensures that the skills you learn at the School of Art are practice orientated, relevant and applicable.

For further information, visit our individual staff profiles.

Modules September start - 2024

Please note: The modules listed below are those currently intended for delivery during the next academic year and may be subject to change. They are included here to give an indication of how the course is structured.

Core

Module Name Module Code Credit Value

Options

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Book Illustration 1 AR21820 20
Book Illustration 2 AR21930 30
Interdisciplinary Practice 3 AR25320 20
Interdisciplinary Practice 4 AR25420 20
Life Studies 1 AR22110 10
Life Studies 2 AR22210 10
Painting 1 AR20120 20
Painting 2 AR20230 30
Painting 3 AR20920 20
Painting 4 AR21030 30
Photography 1 AR20720 20
Photography 2 AR20830 30
Photography 3 AR21620 20
Photography 4 AR21730 30
Printmaking 1: Etching and Relief Printing AR22320 20
Printmaking 2: Etching and Relief Printing AR22430 30
Printmaking 3: Screenprinting, lithography & hybrid printing AR22520 20
Printmaking 4: Screenprinting, lithography & hybrid printing AR22630 30
Professional Practice for Students of Art AR23210 10
Art Cinema FM24420 20
Creative Documentary FM26520 20
Creative Fiction: Horror FM20920 20
Creative Studio FM25420 20
Digital Culture FM25520 20
LGBT Screens FM20120 20
Media, Politics and Power FM22620 20
Stardom and Celebrity FM21520 20
Television Genre FM20620 20
Work in the Media Industries FM23820 20
Writing for Film and Television FM21620 20
Youth Cultures FM22320 20

* Also available partially or entirely through the medium of Welsh

Careers

What can I do with a Fine Art / Film and Television Studies degree?

Many of our graduates have been successful finding employment in these fields:

  • Researchers, editors, floor managers, camera operators, designers and directors for film and television production companies;
  • Film distribution
  • Freelance film-making
  • Marketing and Public Relations
  • Film festival programming
  • Advertising
  • Arts administration
  • Education.

As well as establishing careers as practicing artists with significant exhibition profiles, our graduates have become employees within:

  • Design Council
  • Arts Council
  • Tate Gallery
  • Victoria and Albert Museum
  • Royal Academy of Arts
  • Carlton Television
  • The Observer
  • Saatchi Gallery
  • Damien Hirst
  • BBC
  • Viz magazine
  • Royal Collections Trust.

What skills do I gain from this degree?

Students in our department gain the following transferable skills that are sought after by employers. These include the ability to:

  • apply creative, imaginative and problem-solving skills in a variety of situations
  • research, evaluate and organise information
  • structure and communicate ideas effectively in a variety of situations and using a variety of means
  • work independently and with others
  • effectively organise your time and deploy your skills
  • listen to and make use of critical advice
  • be self-motivated and self-disciplined
  • use a range of information technology skills and resources
  • be entrepreneurial in developing cultural projects.

Are there any work experience opportunities whilst studying?

  • The department has strong partnerships and connections with many organisations e.g., the BBC, Fiction Factory and Boom Pictures, with whom our students have been offered work placements.
  • Click here to find out about the various opportunities that our Aberystwyth University Careers team offer. 
  • Enhance your employability prospects with GO Wales and YES (Year in Employment Scheme) managed by our Careers department. 

Teaching & Learning

What will I learn?

The breakdown below will provide you with an illustration of what you may study during the three year degree scheme.

In your first year, through the disciplined acquisition of fundamental technical skills, you will explore:

  • Drawing and Painting
  • Book illustration
  • Printmaking
  • Photography
  • Interdisciplinary thinking and practice
  • Practical modules that develop skills in all stages of the production process: scriptwriting, shooting, directing, and final editing
  • Life Room studies
  • Art History
  • Academic writing skills
  • A choice of modules in British Cinema, Classical Hollywood Cinema and Studying Media
  • Introduction to the critical understanding of Fine Art.

In your second year you will:

  • Specialise in your chosen discipline(s)
  • Deepen your exploration of ideas and demonstrate technical proficiency
  • Develop skills in studio production, documentary filmmaking and writing for film and television
  • Gain knowledge and key critical skills in a range of complementary theoretical modules that span Hollywood cinema, documentary filmmaking, art cinema and contemporary issues in digital culture
  • Develop a programme of tutor-led self-directed practice and research that evidences an experimental approach and gives expression to a personal voice as an artist
  • Grow a self-critical approach to creative working and professional methods
  • Position your art practice within contemporary contexts and historical traditions.

In your third year you will be expected to:

  • Produce a body or work that demonstrates conceptual and technical coherence
  • Articulate the broad critical and contextual dimensions of your discipline
  • Study specialist subject areas that deal with histories of technology, experimental film, cult cinema, television and society in the 20th Century, and stardom
  • Demonstrate a knowledge of historical, contemporary and emerging practices relevant to your field of study
  • Commit to subject for a sustained period
  • Embark on an independent research project, leading to a dissertation on a film and television-related topic of your choice
  • Generate ideas independently or collaboratively in response to set assignments or self-initiated practice
  • Develop a personal, individual and imaginative response your chosen topic
  • Consolidate skill-, subject- and conceptual-bases acquired over three years to produce a body of qualitative work for public exhibition;
  • Develop a professional profile or identity as an artist.

How will I be taught?

  • Our programme is delivered through workshops, tutorials, demonstrations, practicals, lectures, crits and field trips.
  • Assessment is by course work – portfolio exhibition, presentation.
  • You will also be assigned a personal tutor to whom you may turn for guidance and help, academic-related or pastoral. You should feel free to contact them at any time for help and advice. 

Student Testimonials

What I love most about Film and Television Studies is the teaching staff. They are experienced professionals who are dynamic, enthusiastic and most importantly, approachable; it makes learning fun and my confidence has improved as a result. I also enjoy the various modules on offer. The practicals are great as they allow me to experiment with my own ideas but at the same time they teach me valuable skills. My favourite modules so far are Scriptwriting; Imagining the Short; and Writing for Film and Television. I love to write creatively and these modules enable me to develop my imagination. 

Angela Wendy Rumble

Film and Television Studies at Aberystwyth University is brilliant. The course has a great atmosphere which you can tell from how well-connected the students and lecturers are. The academic side of the course is illuminating, touching on a wide variety of topics and dealing with each of these in detail, which works well even for those students who want to focus more on the more practical modules. In addition the department provides plenty of opportunities for work experience as well as chances for students to hone their skills out of the classroom with departmental equipment. There is also a well-supported film society. 

Joe Williams

What I love about Film and Television Studies is the variety of different areas I've had the opportunity to be a part of. Last year I would never have had the confidence or know-how to organise a production team, to make and market short films and to work in a 3 camera studio. What I wanted from Aberystwyth University were the skills to become a film-maker; what I got were practical skills, knowledge of academic debates, and contacts that have given me an insight into the film and television industry. 

Peter Gosiewski

The lecturers are really passionate and knowledgeable about art and their own disciplines. I feel like I am always growing and improving as an artist, as my tutors take time to give me good constructive feedback. 

Amelia Jenkinson

I love the variety you get from Fine Art - there are no fixed rules for the work you can produce and you able to fully express your ideas in whatever way you wish. The tutors are helpful and encouraging and there is always someone on hand to guide you, whether that be staff or other students. 

Jamie Carpenter-White

The first thing I noticed when studying Fine Art at Aberystwyth University was the friendly and welcoming atmosphere. I really treasure the fact my course is run in such an architecturally beautiful building, surrounded by the particularly stunning seascape. I felt so at ease being in Aberystwyth and would recommend it to anyone wanting to do an Art degree. 

Laura Beryl Eileen Bosley

Typical Entry Requirements

UCAS Tariff 120 - 104

A Levels BBB-BCC to include B in Art or related subject, plus satisfactory portfolio

GCSE requirements (minimum grade C/4):
English or Welsh

BTEC National Diploma:
DDM-DMM, plus satisfactory portfolio

International Baccalaureate:
30-28, plus satisfactory portfolio

European Baccalaureate:
75%-65% overall, plus satisfactory portfolio

English Language Requirements:
See our Undergraduate English Language Requirements for this course. Pre-sessional English Programmes are also available for students who do not meet our English Language Requirements.

Country Specific Entry Requirements:
International students whose qualification is not listed on this page, can check our Country Specific Entry Requirements for further information.

The University welcomes undergraduate applications from students studying the Access to Higher Education Diploma or T-level qualifications, provided that relevant subject content and learning outcomes are met. We are not able to accept Access to Higher Education Diplomas or T-levels as a general qualification for every undergraduate degree course.
Our inclusive admissions policy values breadth as well as depth of study. Applicants are selected on their own individual merits and offers can vary. If you would like to check the eligibility of your qualifications before submitting an application, please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for advice and guidance.

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