BA (Hons) in Film Studies and Screenwriting

*Subject to revalidation

• Develop as a critical film scholar and gain a solid grounding for careers in TV, film and media
• Enjoy the freedom to study your favourite genres and periods of cinema while discovering lots of new forms, faces and fields within the film
• Watch a lot of terrific films – and discuss and debate them at lively, interactive seminars
• Hone your creative writing skills and deepen your understanding of the craft of scriptwriting and screenplay development
• Take advantage of outstanding industry-standard facilities to learn practical film techniques and skills at our on-campus Multimedia Centre

Behind every film and TV programme is the creative mind that wrote the screenplay. Could that person be you? Is your dream to pen a Hollywood blockbuster, a BAFTA-winning TV drama, or a quirky, independent film? Our Film Studies and Screenwriting course is ideal for you if you are passionate about film and determined to produce creative work within the industry.

In our three-year degree programme, you acquire the foundational knowledge with which to analyse film and film scripts within relevant and informing historical, cultural, national and institutional contexts.

Watching, discussing and studying a wide spectrum of film genres, from Hollywood blockbusters to French art-house classics, gives you a deep appreciation of the creative process. By engaging critically with film texts, you deepen your appreciation of narrative structure, technique and aesthetics, and your understanding of how filmmakers represent class, race and sexuality. At the same time, analysing the art and practice of screenwriting develops your writing skills and capacity to critique the quality of your own work.

You undertake practical work which develops integrated knowledge of a wide range of theoretical concepts. It also gives you the ability to employ methodological skills and tools relevant to careers in scriptwriting, screenplay development and other creative text production roles in the media/film industry.

You are taught by a team of film specialists and industry professionals with different backgrounds, whose diverse research expertise is reflected in the breadth and scope of the curriculum.

In the first year, you take core academic Film Studies modules, such as Reading Film and Film Criticism, as well as core Screenwriting modules, including Creating Short Screenplays and Script Report Writing.

By Year 2 , you are ready to deepen your understanding of the writing process with core modules on research skills, Screenwriting, and Scriptwriting for Mainstream Television. You also have the flexibility to choose five optional modules which may include Telling True Stories, Science Fiction and Fantasy, and Contemporary European Cinemas.

In the last year, you choose at least three Film Studies and three Screenwriting optional modules, as well as a subject for your dissertation. Film Studies options may include Film and the City, and Cult Film and Art Cinema. Screenwriting options may include Film Script Development and Advanced Screenwriting.

Many of our graduates go on to creative careers in film or television, as writers and script editors. Others find work in production, journalism, teaching, and other professions requiring advanced communication skills.

*This course is subject to revalidation. 'Revalidation' is the process by which the University refreshes its existing provision. Revalidation assesses the quality and standards of the programme to ensure it continues to provide a distinct, high-quality academic experience for students, enabling them to acquire the necessary academic knowledge, understanding, and general and subject-specific skills required to pursue a graduate-level career.

The University of Winchester empowers students to reach their full potential and make a difference in the world. Set in Winchester, a beautiful, quintessential English city with a rich heritage and vibrant contemporary culture, the university’s friendly and compact campuses give students the benefit of city and campus living. We are well situated with excellent transport links allowing you to reach London or the coast in an hour, and Southampton Airport is just a 10-minute train journey away.

The university offers a selection of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees that are taught across our five faculties:

• Faculty of Business and Digital Technologies: A modern, forward-thinking faculty offering a range of disciples including Accounting, Economics, Business Management, Computer Science and Marketing.
• Faculty of Education and the Arts: Has a long and established history of providing high-quality degrees, and is home to the Institute of Education, Department of Education and Childhood Studies, Department of Performing Arts, and School of Media and Film.
• Faculty of Health and Wellbeing: Outstanding degrees that are committed to progressing health and well-being for all life. The faculty includes Nursing, Physiotherapy, Social Work, Animal Welfare and Sports degrees.
• Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences: Passionate about what makes us human, we offer research-led teaching and outstanding support in Anthropology; Archaeology; History; Psychology; Social Sciences including Politics and Geography; Philosophy; English and Creative Writing.
• Faculty of Law, Crime and Justice: Bringing together the department of Law and the department of Policing, Criminology and Forensics, the faculty uses an interdisciplinary approach to offer a dynamic range of degrees that offer the use of specialist facilities.