Overview
You will study specialised film modules focused on documentary, fiction, screenwriting, and avant-garde filmmaking. This will help develop your film production skills. This will also prepare you for a variety of jobs in film-related areas, such as film production, festival administration, and film journalism. Our filmmaking courses are designed to equip you with the necessary skills for various roles in the jobs in the film industry.
Areas of particular interest on the BA Film course are:
- film production
- film theory and history, and
- the film industry
This course is in Clearing
Our LLM course is a top choice
UEL’s LLM programme has been recognised as a top choice in the latest PTES survey, achieving 1st place rankings for satisfaction, teaching and more.
Exploration and experimentation with Julian Alexander
Hear from Senior Lecturer, Julian Alexander, as he talks about how the BA Film course is catered to individual needs and encourages students to explore and develop their creative skills.
What makes this course different
1st in London
Our media courses ranked 1st in London in 5 categories including “Student Voice” & “Learning Opportunities” in the 2024 National Student Survey. (National Student Survey 2024, Results published 10 July 2024)
Work placement
Guided by lecturers who have made an impact in the world of film and television, you'll have the exciting opportunity to learn practical skills during a work placement with a film production company, preparing you for jobs in film. This practical experience is a core part of our university film course.
Purpose-built facilities
You'll work in our student film production unit while taking advantage of unrivalled film-making facilities. This includes a dedicated film production studio, edit suites and a research centre. Our facilities are central to our film production course, ensuring you receive a thorough education in your film degree.
Accreditation
Accredited by ScreenSkills
BA Film at UEL has been accredited by ScreenSkills, an industry-led skills body for the screen industries: film, television, visual effects, animation and games.
Find out more about ScreenSkillsCourse modules
If you don't meet the entry requirements for the BA Film, you have the option of taking an extended version of this course. You'll begin with a foundation year that will prepare you for the BA Film course, giving you the academic and personal skills you need for successful study on our degree-level filmmaking course.
In our video-dominated world, we offer one of the few remaining film degree courses in the country that gives you the chance to learn how to make films with actual celluloid on 16mm cameras. There are three strands to our three-year filmmaking course - film history, film theory and film practice. In your first year, you'll make short documentaries and fiction films while learning how to analyse films and studying the history of Hollywood cinema. There are many different jobs in film industries around the world, so a solid foundation – and exposure to the different strands – helps you prepare to get the most out of your filmmaking course.
In year two, you'll explore screenwriting and you’ll also be encouraged to experiment - looking closely, for instance, at avant-garde cinema. You'll have the chance to go on a highly sought-after work placement in a film production company. You'll make films for a particular client outside the University, preparing you for future jobs in film and the wider industry.
In the third year of your film studies degree, you'll study different film genres and the history of cinemas from different parts of the world. This includes European, Asian and Bollywood cinema. At the end of the course, you'll have the chance to make a longer film for a prestigious screening of our students' work at a London cinema.
NOTE: Modules are subject to change. For those studying part time courses the modules may vary.
Download course specification
Your future career
Do you need a degree to work in film? Not always. Does it help? Massively. Your future career prospects are as diverse as the cinematic world itself. Our film graduates go on journeys that extend beyond jobs in film industries and production. They have found exciting opportunities in the media and cultural sectors, including television, advertising, journalism, and education.
One of our recent film graduates secured a producer role within a few months of completing the course, while another gained hands-on experience as a camera assistant on the set of Star Wars. Throughout your film course, you'll benefit from our strong affiliations with the British Film Institute, Film London, and London's vibrant film festivals. This will help foster your success in the film industry.
Industry links
Our industry links are widespread, ranging from production and postproduction companies, film festival organisations, artist filmmakers, writers and film curators and other filmmaking courses. These include Film and Video Umbrella, Discover Film, London Short Film Festival, Just Runners UK, Close-Up Film Centre, Bow Arts – Nunnery Gallery, and the B3 Media – Creative Network.
Graduate employers
Organisations our film graduates have gone into are Discover Film, Just Runners UK. Graduate Chris Allan is now Vice President of Fan Strategy and Engagement at Inter Miami CF. Although not a film role, he uses the marketing and producing skills he learnt on his film degree at UEL.
Job roles
Typical roles which our film graduates have gone onto include film director, cinematographer (Director of Photography), film editor.
Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.
Further study
As you complete your film degree, you may choose to pursue further studies with our MA in Filmmaking or apply for a prestigious film school.
My film degree taught me a variety of skills - directing, producing, and marketing - that I use every day. It wasn’t just about filmmaking; it was about learning how to tell stories, connect with people, and bring ideas to life, all of which are crucial in my current role.”Chris Allan
Vice President of Fan Strategy and Engagement at Inter Miami CF
How you'll learn
Some courses teach you about film-making while others concentrate on the theory and history of film. At UEL, our filmmaking and film production degree courses give you a thorough, expert grounding in both.
We combine practice with critical analysis. We teach you not just how to make films but throw you into every aspect of the film world, from screenwriting to cinema history.
Each year, you'll make your own films, from fiction to documentaries. And in your last year, your final piece of work will be screened at a special show at a London cinema.
Throughout your course, you'll get the opportunity to develop your production skills by studying modules focused on documentary, fiction, screenwriting, and avant-garde filmmaking.
We'll give you the skills to work in all film-related fields. Our graduates have gone into a variety of rewarding careers, from film production to festival administration to film journalism.
Guided independent study
When not attending timetabled lectures or workshops, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This will typically involve skills development through online study, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects and preparing coursework assignments and presentations.
Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, and specialist facilities, such as edit suites, the library, the full Microsoft Office software, including MS Teams, and Moodle: our Virtual Learning Environment.
Academic support
Our academic support team provides help in a range of areas - including learning and disability support.
Dedicated personal tutor
When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal tutor. This is the member of the academic course team who will provide academic guidance, be a support throughout your time at UEL and who will show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer.
Workload
Each year you will spend around 280 hours of timetabled learning and teaching activities. These may be lectures, workshops, seminars and individual and group tutorials. Contact hours may vary depending on each module.
The approximate workloads for this course per year are:
- Scheduled teaching - 284 hours
- Guided independent study - 916 hours
Your timetable
Your individualised timetable is normally available within 48 hours of enrolment. Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week between 9.00am and 6.00pm. For undergraduate students, Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities, but there may be occasions when this is not possible. Timetables for part-time students will depend on the modules selected.
Class sizes
To give you an indication of class sizes, this course normally attracts 40 - 50 students a year. Lecture sizes are normally 40 plus students.
In workshops, you will be taught in groups of 12 - 15 students. However, this can vary by academic year.
How you'll be assessed
100% coursework, which includes 70% practical work: individual and group-based film productions, and written assignments.
We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 15 working days, although you will receive immediate feedback following many of our face-to-face assessments.
Campus and facilities
Our campus and the surrounding area
Our waterfront campus in the historic Royal Docks provides a modern, well-equipped learning environment.
Join us and you'll be able to make the most of our facilities including contemporary lecture theatres and seminar rooms, art studios and exhibition spaces, audio and visual labs and a multimedia production centre.
Features include our 24/7 Docklands library, our £21m SportsDock centre, a campus shop and bookstore, the Children's Garden Nursery, cafés, eateries, a late bar, plus Student Union facilities, including a student lounge.
The University of East London is one of the few London universities to provide on-campus accommodation. Our Docklands Campus Student Village houses close to 1,200 students from around the world. We are well connected to central London and London City Airport is just across the water. We also run a free bus service that connects Docklands with Stratford campuses.
Who teaches this course
This course is delivered by School of Arts and Creative Industries
The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.
- Course leader
Johannes Maier
Department of Media, Fashion & Communications, School Of Arts And Creative Industries - Course leader
Dr Lindsay Anne Hallam
Department of Media, Fashion & Communications, School Of Arts And Creative Industries - Course leader
David Chapman
Department of Media, Fashion & Communications, School Of Arts And Creative Industries - Course leader
Dr Jill Daniels
Department of Media, Fashion & Communications, School Of Arts And Creative Industries - Course leader
David Lashbrook
Department of Media, Fashion & Communications, School Of Arts And Creative Industries - Course leader
Julian Alexander
Department of Media, Fashion & Communications, School Of Arts And Creative Industries
What our students and staff say
I think through my time here [at UEL] as a student, that's really where kind of the inspiration for my career was planted … Obviously, I had to do a lot of things myself to make sure that I pursued the path, but I think the seed was sown here."
Andy Mundy-Castle
Film graduate and BAFTA winner
The film course here at UEL focuses on the individual ambitions of each student as they discover what it means to be a filmmaker. By covering theory, practice, and on-set skills and experiences there is something everybody on the course. Students produce a variety of different projects across all year groups from socially conscious dramas to zombie fighting cheerleaders – we as lecturers support it all!"
Julian Alexander
Film lecturer