Do I need expensive equipment to start the BA Filmmaking course?

Not at all. The BA Filmmaking course at UEL provides you with access to purpose-built facilities including dedicated film production studios, edit suites, and professional equipment. The course gives you hands-on experience with industry-standard gear throughout all three years, so you don't need to invest in expensive equipment yourself. You'll have access to professional tools from day one.

Is the course just about directing, or will I learn other filmmaking skills?

The course covers all aspects of film production. Throughout the three years, you'll study directing, screenwriting, cinematography, producing, screenwriting, and editing, while specialised modules in film theory focus on film history, film analysis, and examining cinema worldwide. This comprehensive approach prepares you for various roles in the film industry.

How much of the course is practical filmmaking versus theory?

For every two practical modules, there is one theoretical module. Each year, you'll continue making films whilst developing your critical analysis skills. This integrated approach means you're constantly creating films whilst learning the context and techniques that inform your work.

Will I get to specialise in documentary or fiction filmmaking?

Yes. The BA Filmmaking course offers specialised modules focused on documentary and fiction filmmaking. You'll gain experience in these areas. By your final year, you'll have the creative freedom to focus your final film project on the genre or style you're most passionate about, whether that's documentary, fiction, or experimental work.

Will I leave with a finished film portfolio?

Absolutely. Throughout our BA Filmmaking course, you'll build a professional portfolio by making a variety of film projects each year. Your final year dissertation project is particularly significant as you will spend nearly an entire year preparing and producing your final production. By graduation you'll have a substantial body of work showcasing your filmmaking abilities.

BA (Hons) Filmmaking

Overview

Filmmaking combines creativity, collaboration and technical expertise. Our modules cover every stage of the production process, from pre-production and planning through to filming, editing and post-production.

You'll develop your creative voice through the study of film history, world cinema and genre, building the critical and theoretical knowledge that informs contemporary filmmaking practice.

Throughout the course, you'll gain hands-on production experience and develop the practical skills used on professional film sets. You'll also have opportunities to engage with the wider industry through our student-led film festival, helping you build networks and showcase your work.

In your final year, you'll complete a major dissertation project. Eligible students can apply for bursaries of up to £1,200 per crew member to support the production of their final film.

Student Film Production Fund

UEL's BA Filmmaking has been granted a Student Film Production Fund, launching in the 2026/27 academic year. Final year students will receive a production budget to make their dissertation film.

Each student will receive £400 towards their production. A crew of four will have a budget of £1600.

UEL is now one of the only universities in London offering direct production funding to undergraduate filmmakers.

_{*Overall positivity using the Times Higher Education methodology, on student samples over 1,000 and out of all Universities UK members.}

Course modules

In your foundation year of the filmmaking degree, you will deepen your understanding of storytelling and visual production through modules such as narrative theory, group film projects, and social media content creation. You will develop practical skills by producing short films and academic work while exploring current industry debates. The filmmaking undergraduate course equips you with reflective, collaborative, and professional skills essential for a successful career in film and media.

Develop the skills you need to confidently navigate your future career. You’ll engage in real-world professional activities like networking simulations, mock interviews, and digital branding exercises, supported by industry guest speakers and career coaches. Practical sessions will sharpen your communication, research, and critical thinking abilities, while workshops will guide you in building a digital portfolio to strengthen your employability. Alongside hands-on experience, you’ll map your career goals and reflect on your progress, ensuring you leave with a clear, personalised development plan. This is your chance to take control of your professional journey with expert support every step of the way.

Build the academic and professional skills you need for success in the creative and technology industries. You’ll develop key study techniques, including effective note-taking, research, academic writing, and digital communication. Through workshops, tutorials, and practical tasks, you’ll boost your confidence as an independent learner and strengthen your ability to plan, organise, and deliver assignments. You’ll also learn how to manage your time effectively, reference sources correctly, and apply your skills in real-world contexts. Guided by academic staff and supported by online resources, you’ll create a solid foundation for excelling both at university and in your future career.

Strong numeracy and data-handling skills are vital in creative industries. In this module, you’ll learn how to interpret graphs, solve problems using digital tools like spreadsheets, and present numerical information clearly. Practical exercises build your confidence with real-world scenarios, supporting your wider academic and professional development. By focusing on rational problem-solving and applied data skills, you’ll strengthen your ability to work independently and collaboratively on future creative projects that demand critical analysis.

Understanding how media messages are created and interpreted is essential in today’s digital world. This module introduces you to key frameworks for analysing visual media, while also building your ability to communicate ideas clearly and persuasively. You’ll design an academic poster using professional software, develop critical thinking around cultural differences, and practise both oral and written communication for academic and industry contexts. A creative, skills-focused approach ensures you gain a strong foundation for your degree and professional journey.

You’ll harness new technologies and creative approaches to complete a practical project that mirrors real-world challenges in the creative industries. Through group work, independent development, and targeted workshops, you’ll sharpen leadership, collaboration, and technical skills. The module encourages innovation, critical reflection, and the ability to see projects through from concept to completion. By the end, you’ll have both a tangible creative product and a deepened understanding of how creative professionals work today.

Your first year will focus on the introduction to filmmaking in theory and practice. You’ll learn how to use the equipment developing skills in cinematography, sound recording, and editing. You’ll write your first screenplays, produce your first documentary, and your first fiction short.

This is an introductory module, inducting students into the technical aspects of film and sound recording, lighting for film, along with editing techniques. The class will also go over planning and writing for documentary film. Weekly sessions will be divided into lectures and screenings, intensive practical workshops, and tutorial sessions. This is a foundational module that sets up skills and practices that will be developed further in the modules Filmmaking 2, 3, 4, and 5, It is also supported by the Learning Outcomes in Language of Cinema.

The module equips students with an understanding of how to engage with a wide range of themes through documentary forms. The module provides a context for documentary practice and problematises categories of representation, notions of ‘truth’ and ‘realism’.

This module introduces and develops key skills for screenwriting to professional industry standards. Students will be presented with a guided learning programme of increasingly challenging screenwriting exercises designed to progress their learning and storytelling voice. Scripts will be read in class and students will receive feedback from their peers in workshop groups. On the basis of the feedback, students will rewrite their material, a key aspect of professional practice. This pattern of learning will consolidate students’ skills, leading to the final assessed script submission.

Integrated with the screenwriting tasks are a series of lectures and supporting in-class exercises in narrative structure, short form demands, characterisation and project development related to budgetary constraints. Narrative and conceptual structures will be developed through comparisons to professional models (films and original screenplays) to provide templates for formal and presentational demands as well as content-related material.

At the end of the module, students will be given 1 to 1 feedback on their screenplay, enabling them to critically reflect on their achievements and research, a requisite element of their production portfolio. These acquired skills will equip students with the capacity to write their own screenplays to be produced in Filmmaking 2.

This module provides essential knowledge and understanding of the language of cinema and the elements of film style (cinematography, mise-en-scene, sound, and editing). The module will introduce a range of perspectives on contemporary film cultures and landscapes to develop competencies appropriate to your field of study and to the world of work.

This knowledge will be instrumental in crafting your production work and communicating on set with other members of a film crew. The module will support the development of film productions on practice-based modules, such as Filmmaking 1 and Filmmaking 2.

In this module students will examine forms of narrative and storytelling in the context of film. They will watch and analyse case studies of short films and learn about narrative theory, such as the conventions of plot and character development, the representation of narrative action, mise-en-scene and creating meaning through images. Students will also develop technical filmmaking skills including cinematography, sound recording and design and editing at an introductory level, which will then be developed further in Filmmaking 3 and 4 (Level 5) and Filmmaking 5 (Level 6).

Students will also create a piece of media content that embodies the theories and concepts they have learned in the module, as well as in the previous modules Filmmaking 1, Language of Cinema, and Screenwriting.

This module will introduce students to the history of film, from its very beginnings to the present day. The module will chart the rise of Hollywood, as well as explore significant film movements from around the world. The module will also explore alternative histories that have often been overlooked, taking into account the work of filmmakers who have used cinema as a tool of resistance and decolonisation. This module will provide a context for students to write about and analyse this history, as well as think about their own work in relation to what has come before and use it as a source of inspiration for their practice.

This module is designed to help you develop the essential skills needed for both university success and your future career. Think of it as your toolkit for personal growth – helping you understand yourself better and build the key skills that employers value beyond technical knowledge. Throughout your time at university, you'll discover that success isn't just about what you know, but how you apply that knowledge and work with others. You'll explore various aspects of personal development, starting with understanding yourself through self-evaluation and goal setting.

Meta skills are the fundamental abilities that help you learn, adapt, and thrive in both academic and professional settings. These include critical thinking, emotional intelligence, digital literacy, and effective communication. The focus on developing these interdisciplinary skills will enhance your ability to learn new things, work with others, and adapt to changing situations. Through practice-based education delivery, you will strengthen these core competencies that employers consistently value across all industries.

In your second year of the filmmaking degree, you will refine your storytelling and media production skills through advanced modules like European and World Cinemas, critical theory, and experimental media production. You will engage with live briefs, internships, or study abroad opportunities to enhance your professional development and employability. The filmmaking undergraduate course prepares you for the creative industries by combining practical experience with a strong theoretical foundation, ensuring you are ready for a successful film career.

This module aims to encourage students to develop their practical filmmaking skills and coherency of the equipment through varying outputs, experimenting and developing a creative and critical approach to a range of filmmaking technologies.

They will build on the practical and conceptual skills relevant to film production gained in previous modules, such as Filmmaking 1 and 2, and consider their own production work in relation to on-set filmmaking practice. They will work to produce collaborative productions and industry leaning projects, and experience intensive on-set workshops. The module incorporates exploration of different and imaginative ways to bring their ideas to life, from conception to execution.

This module explores innovative techniques and experimental approaches creating unconventional narrative form through film. From experimental cinematography to atypical editing styles, students will analyse and experiment with various forms of visual expression. Through hands-on projects and critical analysis of contemporary and historical works, participants will develop a deeper understanding of the evolving landscape of the moving image. While other modules follow a certain convention of filmmaking, this class will challenge existing modes of production and allow students to broaden their experiences in film.

The module is designed to involve students with the history and theory relevant to the development of 1 to 2 cinematic genres, building on knowledge gained in Language of Cinema and Film History. Students come to know and analyse some of the key examples of these genres, and others that exceed and revise their generic conventions and themes.

The identities of the other(s), social, sexual, political and cultural, will be investigated through an examination of the historical genre and its contemporary iterations. Examination of how these conventions and concepts can be applied through narrative and style within a generic framework will be considered.

This module provides the opportunity to develop film narrative skills in a more advanced and professional context. Students will develop more complex projects that enable more intensive collaborative practice. Students will then be supported in key areas of project development and production. Narrative and conceptual structures will be delivered at a higher level than in Level 4 and technical support will be provided to enhance students’ craft skills relating to professional practice, with a focus on pre- and post-production technique.

The module will structure the development of key filmmaking skills, as well as a deeper understanding of the creative process relating to their chosen production roles. The course will end with peer group evaluation and 1 to 1 feedback, enabling students to critically reflect on their achievements as a means of progression into Level 6.

This module offers the opportunity to engage with the historicity of a cinema’s aesthetics by exploring a range of national cinemas. Students will be encouraged to familiarise themselves with aspects of different national film industries, and to relate their historically specific modes of operation to the generic categories and stylistic features of the films these industries produced at different times in their history. Above all, students will be expected to engage with the history of diverse geographical areas and to consider how the films examined relate to those broader socio-cultural contexts.

This module prepares students for employment in the media and creative industries and enables self-reflection on career progression. Building upon the competencies and skills identified at level 4, it supports effective professional development through practical experience and live projects. Students will have opportunities to develop and enhance their employability and entrepreneurial skillset in preparation for graduate employment in their chosen field.

Students will complete a Career Development Portfolio which will include information and critical reflection on either a collaborative project, work experience with internal or external clients, work placement with a relevant employer, or a combination of any of these activities as engaged in during the module.

In your final year of the filmmaking degree, you will focus on professional development and self-promotion while working on a major final project, such as a dissertation or creative production. You will have the option to explore genres like horror, science fiction, and urban film, or engage in innovative fields like transmedia storytelling and creative mobile media. The filmmaking undergraduate course equips you with advanced skills and practical experience, ensuring you are industry-ready for a successful career in film and media.

In this module, you will learn about the new media ecology, developing your understanding of the tools you use in your current practice, such as generative AI, to consider the potential impacts on workplace cultures. Our focus is on the UK media and communication industries, including animation, film and journalism.
As well as gaining a richer understanding of the creative capacities of new technologies, including developing understanding of the technical foundations to virtual futures, including VR/AR/Extended reality/the metaverse, critical approaches to AI development and AI ethics will be analysed.

There will also be an introduction to future-facing ideologies which reconceptualise the concept of what it means to be ‘human’ in the 21st Century. These will include transhumanism, hyper-humanism and posthumanism, broadening awareness of the implications of human/machine assemblages and post-digital culture.

This module is designed to support The Final Project (Development). It will introduce more complex and thorough forms of skill-based filmmaking practices crucial to executing a larger-scale production. Students will be guided through a comprehensive and precisely structured set of pre-production, production and post-production markers and deadlines and be involved in intensive masterclasses and role-specific workshops.

Filmmaking 5 deepens all the experiences and skills development from the previous two years and ensures that the Final Project is delivered to industry standards

The module will entail devising, researching, and planning a major dissertation project as a relevant object of analysis. Students will draw on learning across their course to showcase skills and talent in articulating their project, as a process of development informed by theories, methods, and practices relevant to the subject of film.

Students can choose to follow independent research through one of two routes: a) by producing a written dissertation that engages with critical debates in film or b) by using filmmaking practice as a mode of pre-production research supported by a verbal demonstration of the critical discourses it speaks to.

Under relevant subject-specialist supervision and through a process of drafting and revision, students will be grounded in methods of study and conceptual formulation, as dictated by the scope and character of the research undertaken.

The module will lead on from the development stage of the students’ self-identified research project based on their preferred choice of production; (a) a written dissertation that engages with critical debates in film or (b) a filmmaking project, produced through a developed programme of research.

The aim of the module is to extend knowledge in the chosen field of research, to produce or write the project according to the student’s planning and to complete and present the final research project within the given time frame.

You will have the opportunity to demonstrate your skills in an accompanying project portfolio, including production folders for practice projects or reviews of existing academic literature on the written dissertation topic and a comprehensive bibliography.

Projects will be developed through subject-specific supervision and peer support.

In this module students will work on live/team projects that will develop their employability skills and give them experience of working with industry and prepare for life after graduation.

Working either individually or as part of a team, students will learn how to work as a freelancer and manage their own workload and develop their skill set.

Learning will include practical information such as how to manage intellectual property, dissemination of film work to festivals and other exhibition and broadcast outlets, as well as best practice in communicating with clients, working as a team and planning for the future.

In addition, they will be required to reflect on the experience, helping them to develop key enterprise skills including reliance and problem-solving.

NOTE: Modules are subject to change. For those studying part time courses the modules may vary.

Download course specification

Entry requirements

Degree:

96 UCAS points

This is the standard advertised entry requirement for most students applying to this course.

Degree with contextual offer:

64 UCAS points

You may be eligible for a reduced offer based on your personal, educational or socioeconomic background.

Degree with foundation year:

48 UCAS points

If you do not meet the standard entry requirements, you can apply for a foundation year. This additional year prepares you with the academic skills needed to progress to the full undergraduate degree.

Missing some qualifications?

We have a range of pre-entry programmes to help you meet the entry requirements for this course.

Recognition of prior learning (RPL)

Your previous qualifications, uncompleted study or industry experience may mean you can start your studies at a later point in the course and influence your eligibility for entry

What makes this course different

Top 3 in the UK

Our media studies courses ranked 2nd in the UK for “Learning Opportunities” and 3rd in the UK for “Teaching on my course” in the 2026 National Student Survey (NSS).

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 filmmaking course.

Purpose-built facilities

You'll work in our student film production unit while taking advantage of unrivalled filmmaking 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 filmmaking degree.

Accreditation

Accredited by ScreenSkills

BA Filmmaking 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 ScreenSkills

Connecting Creativity

Discover career-focussed, practice-based, collaborative art education at East London Arts. Through degrees, community projects and industry partnerships, we shape the next generation of creative talent in East London and beyond.

Explore East London Arts

Course options

Degree

UCAS code: W620

Home Applicant ,
This course is in Clearing,
Full time, 3 years
Fees:£ 9,790 per year. Subject to change, see fees, funding and additional costs below

Apply through Clearing

Home Applicant ,
Part time, 6 years
Fees:pro-rata full time fee

Apply direct

International Applicant
Full time, 3 years
Fees:£ 16020 per year

Applications for September 2027 open soon

Degree with foundation year

UCAS code: W622

Home Applicant ,
This course is in Clearing,
Full time, 4 years
Fees:£ 9,790 per year. Subject to change, see fees, funding and additional costs below

Apply through Clearing

International Applicant
Full time, 4 years
Fees:£ 16020 per year

Applications for September 2027 open soon

Degree

UCAS code: W620

Home Applicant ,
Full time, 3 years
Fees:£ 10,050 per year. Subject to change, see Fees, Funding and Additional Costs below.

Apply through UCAS

Degree with foundation year

UCAS code: W622

Home Applicant ,
Full time, 4 years
Fees:£ 10,050 per year. Subject to change, see Fees, Funding and Additional Costs below.

Apply through UCAS

Exploration and experimentation with Julian Alexander

Hear from Senior Lecturer, Julian Alexander, as he talks about how the BA Filmmaking course is catered to individual needs and encourages students to explore and develop their creative skills.

00:00 watch time

What can I do with this degree?

Filmmaking graduates go into a wide range of roles across the screen and media industries, including:

film director, cinematographer and film editor
film producer and production roles
festival administration and film journalism
roles in television, advertising and education

Past graduates have gone on to work with Discover Film and Just Runners UK. One recent graduate secured a producer role within months of finishing the course, and another gained hands-on experience as a camera assistant on the set of Star Wars. Notable alumni include BAFTA winner Andy Mundy-Castle, whose career path began at UEL.

For those who want to keep studying, UEL offers an MA in Filmmaking, or you could apply for a prestigious film school.

How you'll learn

Some courses teach you about filmmaking 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

Docklands Campus, London, E16 2RD

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 Canary Wharf, with London City Airport 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.

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

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Filmmaking BA (Hons)

Why study at UEL?

Top 40 UK university

1st in England

Fastest Rising in England for graduate employability

Overview

Student Film Production Fund

This course is in Clearing

Intro to Fashion Entrepreneurship

Our LLM course is a top choice

Course modules

Mental Wealth and Professional Fitness Core Module

Creative and Technology Industries Study Skills Core Module

Creative and Technology Industries Data Skills Core Module

Media and Communication Skills Core Module

Creative Industries in Practice Core Module

Filmmaking 1 Core Module

Screenwriting Core Module

Film Language Core Module

Filmmaking 2 Core Module

Film History Core Module

Mental Wealth and Professional Fitness: Embarking on Professional Development Core Module

Filmmaking 3 Core Module

Experimenting in the Moving Image Core Module

Film Genre Core Module

Filmmaking 4 Core Module

World Cinema Core Module

Professional Practice 1 (Mental Wealth) Core Module

Optional placement Optional Module

Virtual Futures Core Module

Filmmaking 5 Core Module

Final Project: (Development) Core Module

Final Project: (Completion) Core Module

Professional Practice 2 (Mental Wealth) Core Module

Download course specification

Entry requirements

Degree:

Degree with contextual offer:

Degree with foundation year:

Missing some qualifications?

Recognition of prior learning (RPL)

UCAS tariff points

Accepted qualifications

Additional requirements

International qualifications

Accepted Qualifications

International Qualifications

What makes this course different

Top 3 in the UK

Work placement

Purpose-built facilities

Accreditation

Accredited by ScreenSkills

Connecting Creativity

Course options

Degree

Filmmaking BA (Hons)

Filmmaking BA (Hons), home applicant, full time

Filmmaking BA (Hons)

Filmmaking BA (Hons), home applicant, part time

Filmmaking BA (Hons)

Filmmaking BA (Hons), international applicant, full time

Degree with foundation year

Filmmaking BA (Hons)

Filmmaking BA (Hons), home applicant, full time

Filmmaking BA (Hons)

Filmmaking BA (Hons), international applicant, full time

Degree

Filmmaking BA (Hons)

Filmmaking BA (Hons), home applicant, full time

Degree with foundation year

Filmmaking BA (Hons)

Filmmaking BA (Hons), home applicant, full time

Exploration and experimentation with Julian Alexander

What can I do with this degree?

Experience

Skills

Support

Enterprise