FdA Film & Media Production

This programme is an industry focused qualification that aims to prepare you for work in a variety of roles within the film and media industry. It is designed to meet the needs of local industry, and provide learners with an understanding of professional practice, research and innovation. We liaise closely with screen agencies and industry practitioners to provide you with the up-to-date skills and training required by employers in this dynamic sector.

Aims

This exciting programme aims to educate and train new entrants into the creative media sector by germinating specialist technical skills and facilitating an understanding of professional practice, research and innovation. You will have the opportunity to work independently and focus on your own career aspirations and specialist technical pathways. You will also develop professional skills, as well as considering the higher skills associated with leadership, strategy and innovation. These skills will be encouraged and explored through industry focused teaching and learning and engagement with ‘live’ projects and work experience.

Modules

• Work Related Learning provides you with an understanding of working methods that are synonymous within the film and media industries. Exploration of creative and imaginative tasks, participation in fast paced simulated film and media activities and the opportunity for undertaking live work will form the foundations of the module.
• Personal and Professional Development this module will allow you to develop the skills needed as a higher education learner, with focus placed on reflective practice and skill building in relation to personal and professional development. This module will underpin all modules undertaken on the course through the recording of reflective practice as contained within this module.
• Specialist Practical Application this module provides opportunities for you to work on a large scale project within your chosen field. You will present, from research, a proposal for a project that will allow them to practice your skills in depth, through practical production of a Film or Media product. This module may allow you time to work towards new skills targets. It will also utilise the skills being tested in Work Related Learning, but allow for a more in-depth application and evidence a high level of understanding.
• Research Skills this module provides opportunities to develop analytical skills in the study of specific areas of knowledge. You will discover and utilise research methods and techniques in line with industry practice, using case studies to form an understanding of structure and quality, before conducting research on a relevant film or media issue.
• Innovation in Film and Media this module provides opportunities to develop analytical, critical and conceptualisation skills in the study of specific areas of knowledge. You will be encouraged to think laterally, developing plans for innovation.

Teaching & assessment

A wide range of teaching and learning methods appropriate to the nature of the programme will be used across both levels and all modules. At Level 4, the teaching and learning strategies used place emphasis on development of knowledge, understanding and analysis, and will begin to encourage the application of these to the workplace through the use of practical workshops, work related examples and case studies.

At Level 5, the teaching and learning strategies used will continue to develop the higher order intellectual skill of analysis and will focus on the development of evaluation and synthesis, through the use of a variety of mechanisms, particularly through the use of a research and development project. Independent learning will be encouraged and supported through one-to-one and online tutorials. This will ensure you are able to enhance your classroom learning, wider reading and access to information.

On the full-time programme, it is envisaged that sessions will be attended over two days per week, whilst on the part-time course you will attend for one day a week. Sessions delivered in college will consist of the following:

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Group work
• Practical work
• Workshops
• Critiques
• Peer feedback sessions
• Work experience
• Tutorials.

All modules on the course are mandatory. Due to the dynamic nature of the industry, the flexibility around techniques practiced and subjects explored will occur within the delivery of the modules and not necessarily as part of the module descriptors. Instead more general language is used to describe module structure, into which various different approaches can be facilitated, year on year.