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Undergraduate Programme Specification

BA Film and Theatre Making

Academic Year 2021/22

A programme specification is required for any programme on which a student may be registered. All programmes of the University are subject to the University's Quality Assurance processes. All degrees are awarded by Queen's University Belfast.

Programme Title BA Film and Theatre Making Final Award
(exit route if applicable for Postgraduate Taught Programmes)
Bachelor of Arts
Programme Code FMT-BA-S UCAS Code WW65 HECoS Code 100058 - Film studies - 50
100069 - Drama - 50
ATAS Clearance Required No
Mode of Study Full Time
Type of Programme Single Honours Length of Programme Full Time - 3 Academic Year(s) Total Credits for Programme 360
Exit Awards available

Institute Information

Teaching Institution

Queen's University Belfast

School/Department

Arts, English and Languages

Quality Code
https://www.qaa.ac.uk/quality-code

Higher Education Credit Framework for England
https://www.qaa.ac.uk/quality-code/higher-education-credit-framework-for-england

Level 6

Subject Benchmark Statements
https://www.qaa.ac.uk/quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements

The Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies
https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/quality-code/qualifications-frameworks.pdf

Communication, media, film and cultural studies (2008)

Accreditations (PSRB)

Regulation Information

Does the Programme have any approved exemptions from the University General Regulations
(Please see General Regulations)

None

Programme Specific Regulations

To enhance flexibility for students to take modules outside the Programme, at Stage 2 a student may substitute up to 20 CATS of optional modules with the equivalent number of CATS from a list of approved modules beyond those listed.

Students will be notified each academic year of the optional modules being offered in the following academic year. Students are advised that not all optional modules will necessarily be offered in each academic year. Also, the delivery of a module may be subject to a minimum number of enrolments as well as unforeseen circumstances (eg illness of a member of staff). The range and content of optional modules will change over time as degree programmes develop and students' choice of optional modules may also be limited due to timetabling constraints.

Students with protected characteristics

N/A

Are students subject to Fitness to Practise Regulations

(Please see General Regulations)

No

Educational Aims Of Programme

The BA in Film and Theatre Making is designed to provide students with:
* A strong understanding of the skills, practices, processes, and demands of producing professional work for both stage and screen.
* Detailed practical training in acting, directing, and production aspects of both film and theatre.
* An intellectual training in the separate and overlapping disciplines of drama and film which, while discrete subjects, are also complementary and mutually enriching;
* A discipline-specific perspective enabling the acquisition of knowledge and understanding of the inter-relationship between texts and contexts, a familiarity with debates surrounding culture and identity, both individual and communal, and skills in synthesising and developing ideas and arguments from diverse literary, performative, contemporary sources and visual literacy;
* A range of skills, which together foster the ability to practise self-motivated learning and increase the capacity to undertake independent learning in a progressive way.
* Exposure to, contact with and relationships with (and tutelage from) industry professionals across the fields of film and theatre (and the arts in general)

This degree will equip individuals with the ability to:
* Think critically, process and understand complex information and to present it in a variety of written and oral forms, particularly through performance and production;
* Understand the different ways in which theatre and film are structured and convey meaning, as well as ways in which they work similarly;
* Evaluate primary and secondary sources;
* Interpret a variety of types of data and information;
* Pursue independent learning;
* Work well in groups and formulate arguments.

More generally, the programme aims to:
* Provide students with the necessary intellectual, practical, and key skills to enable them to develop as independent, reflective lifelong learners and able employees;
* Develop a broad context for future employment, in which graduates appreciate the continuing value of an education in the theory and practice of film and theatre.

The programme will thereby foster an atmosphere of intellectual inquiry in each discipline, by offering modules which encourage a stimulating interchange of ideas.

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes: Cognitive Skills

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Understand embodied knowledge and learning methods

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Practical workshops and independent productions

Methods of Assessment

Assessed scenes, films, and productions

Demonstrate critical awareness of the main research methods used to collect and analyse data

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Specific teaching methods include tutor-led, student-led, self-directed study

Methods of Assessment

Essays submitted to a deadline

Understand the interplay between practice and theory in the discipline

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Resource-based learning, including library work and attendance at performances, workshops and rehearsals

Methods of Assessment

Individual presentations

Analyse and critically examine diverse forms of discourse and their effects on representation in the arts, media and public life

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Specific teaching methods include tutor-led, student-led, self-directed study

Methods of Assessment

Individual interviews and essays

Think reflexively and independently

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Classroom discussion and online interactions

Methods of Assessment

Edited commentaries on learning logs

Understand group dynamics and implement them in practical contexts

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Group work in performance and classroom presentations

Methods of Assessment

Assessed group presentations, films and performances

Engage with and interpret layers of meaning within film and drama and critical texts

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

A sensitivity to layers of meaning within film, theatre and related critical texts is developed in a range of modules. Discussion in class is devoted to interpreting and analysis of strategies in text and image in relation to their aesthetic and formal qualities, historical and cultural contexts, and implications for practical work.

Methods of Assessment

Written exercises, both formative and summative, such as long and short essays.

Contextualise from a variety of perspectives

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Screenings and readings of films and plays and independent research on film and theatre history.

Methods of Assessment

Written exercises, both formative and summative, such as long and short essays, segmental analysis, log-books and/or other exercises test the students’ ability to engage with, interpret, and contextualise image making strategies and critical content.

Demonstrate a capacity for critical reflection and judgment in the light of evidence and argument

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

In many modules, students give informal presentations on specific films, plays, and key theoretical concepts. Moreover, they are encouraged to refer to specific artworks and scholarship in order to form their own judgment and evaluation of the artwork or critical concept in question.

Methods of Assessment

Written exercises, both formative and summative, such as long and short essays, segmental analysis, log-books and/or other exercises test the students’ ability to engage
with, interpret, and contextualise image making strategies and critical content.

Work autonomously, manifested in self-direction, objective-setting, prioritising, self-discipline and time management

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students are given a number of deadlines to which they are expected to work; thereby, they learn to prioritise assignments and projects, objectives, and activities generally.

Methods of Assessment

Working to deadlines to produce new written and practical film work.

Understand complex tasks and present appropriate solutions in written, oral and visual form

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

These skills are introduced in the first year of study, nurtured and commented upon at meetings with the students’ tutor, with guidance as to the direction of their studies and with a view to increasing the amount of autonomous learning, which the student undertakes. Advisers of Studies also contribute to this process, though in a more general fashion, in the wider context of the subject and in the sense in which it forms a component of the degree pathways followed by the student.

Methods of Assessment

In class presentation; production of film and theatre work in various forms; in-class critiques and formative feedback sessions.

Learning Outcomes: Knowledge & Understanding

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Demonstrate a wide knowledge and understanding of local and international film and performance practice and the cultures and societies from which this has arisen, including an understanding of:
* the histories, forms and traditions of performance and theoretical explanations of those histories;
* the technical, artistic, and commercial history of filmmaking worldwide
* historical and contemporary contexts of production, circulation and reception of performance;
* the work of key practitioners and theorists; traditional and contemporary critical perspectives on performance;
* the processes by which film and performance are created, realised and managed informed by practical experience.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students are taught the history of film and drama in lectures, seminars and tutorials, and are then asked to engage with their learning through practical workshops in which they experiment with both historical and contemporary methods of film and performance practice.

Methods of Assessment

Essays submitted to a deadline, short film work and performances that demonstrate an understanding of history and theory through practice.

Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of contemporary technologies and their relationship to drama, theatre, performance, and academic research.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Resource-based learning, working with DVD and other recordings

Methods of Assessment

Individual presentations and marked essays

Demonstrate an understanding of how to analyse and discuss the conventions and practices involved in producing and performing dramatic and cinematic work

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Attendance at performances and viewing of films

Methods of Assessment

Individual Interviews and marked essays

Understand the aesthetic and formal qualities of film and visual art and their relation to meanings in particular cultural forms and contexts

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lectures, screenings, seminars, practical workshops; tutorials, group and individual project work, open and resource-based learning, multi-media and new media learning.

Methods of Assessment

Essays and exercises; examinations; individual presentations (both oral and technology-based); logbooks and/or portfolios, research exercises; critical self-evaluation; creative practice within both an individual and group context; tasks aimed at the assessment of film making skills.

Demonstrate an insight into the cultural and social ways in which aesthetic judgements are constructed and aesthetic processes experienced

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Large and small group and individual learning and teaching situations; tutor-led, student-led and independent learning sessions.

Methods of Assessment

Assigned written essays.

Show an awareness of a wide range of visual techniques, cultures and modes of reception

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

The programme’s learning and teaching strategies are designed to consolidate and enhance the following skills; subject-knowledge acquisition, analysis and critical evaluation; use of a range of technology systems for accessing resources, literature, and for the acquisition of production skills.

Methods of Assessment

Practical classes use a range of assessments which include but are not limited to short film production, documentary film, experimental film, video essays, editing projects, screenwriting, cinematography exercises and other forms of moving image media outputs.

Understand the visual, verbal and audio conventions through which images, words and sounds make meaning in film and performance

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Knowledge and understanding are developed through lectures, tutorials, workshops, seminars (many of which will be enhanced by learning aids such as handouts, and key readings available online through Queen’s Online) and through the assessment and feedback process.
Lectures and tutorials together provide knowledge and the opportunity to discuss, evaluate and apply that knowledge to texts. Seminars offer the more sustained opportunity to debate and evaluate a breadth of knowledge gained independently from directed reading and from the sharing of resources and information. Extensive background reading is required throughout the pathway, developing students’ specialist knowledge of particular genres and periods of cinema, filmmaking and literature in addition to a broad base of knowledge about literary and cinematic history. Workshops are led by both specialist practice staff and industry tutors to explore best practice in film and theatre production, in a connected and integrated way to the rest of the programme.

Methods of Assessment

Assessed practice in the form of film and performance that demonstrates an understanding of form; assessed essays; examinations; seminar presentations.

Demonstrate an understanding of professional practices and traditions, and of the possibilities and constraints involved in film and theatre making processes

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

A substantial aspect of the learning is through practical work. The experiential learning involved in production has a number of core benefits. These include the development of realistic and pragmatic understandings of the challenges involved with production. The ability to develop crucial technical skills to empower creativity; a profound and thorough understanding of the parlance of production, which leads to greater insight and ability to articulate craft processes and action in close analysis and lastly these skills enhance employability.

Methods of Assessment

Screening and exhibition of film outputs, and public performances of plays and practical work. Completion of technical training in editing, lighting, sound, stage management, set and production. Script writing and project development skills. Pitching and conveying creative projects to assessed panels and in presentations.

Learning Outcomes: Subject Specific

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Demonstrate a high level of specific skills including the reading of written texts and how to effect transitions from page to stage and screen

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Tutor-led, student-led, self-directed modules in literature, theory and practice

Methods of Assessment

Assessed films and performances; Continuously assessed group presentations

Engage critically with creative practitioners, theorists, and be able to debate and apply these strategies within a subject discourse

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lectures, screenings, seminars, practical workshops; tutorials, group and individual project work, open and resource-based learning, multi-media and new media learning.

Methods of Assessment

Essays and exercises; examinations; individual presentations (both oral and technology-based); logbooks and/or portfolios; research exercises; critical self-evaluation; creative practice within both an individual and group context; tasks aimed at the assessment of film and theatre making skills.

Understand film and theatre forms and their historical precedents

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Large and small group and individual learning and teaching situations; tutor-led, student-led and independent learning sessions.

Methods of Assessment

Assessed films and performances that demonstrate student engagement with history and theory through practice. Timed written examinations, data analysis, essays, critical film and play reviews, portfolios, individual and group presentations, and seminar and tutorial reports and contributions.

Analyse, interpret, and exercise critical judgement in the understanding of the subject area studied

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

The programme’s learning and teaching strategies are designed to consolidate and enhance the following skills; subject-knowledge acquisition, analysis and critical evaluation; use of a range of technology systems for accessing resources, literature, and for the acquisition of production skills.

Methods of Assessment

Essays and exercises; examinations; individual presentations (both oral and technology-based); logbooks and/or portfolios; research exercises; critical self-evaluation; creative practice within both an individual and group context; tasks aimed at the assessment of film and theatre making skills.

Put to use a range of IT skills from basic competences such as word processing to more complex skills using multimedia, and develop proficiencies in utilising a range of image making technologies

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Industry standard software instruction is embedding in coursework. This empowers students to take external examinations in video and audio editing to an advanced level in film and television, and to demonstrate familiarity with state-of-the-art theatrical design technology.

Methods of Assessment

Video essay and editing exams, editing of film projects, documentaries. Advanced post production techniques such as picture grading and colour management software; exams in computer assisted design theatre lighting and set design software.

Read, analyse, document and/or interpret performance and film

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Tutor-led seminar discussions based on reading.

Methods of Assessment

Essays and scene-work

Participate in group processes in the creation of original work

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Contact with working professionals in all relevant specialisms (eg actors, director, designers, lighting designers, critics)

Methods of Assessment

Edited commentaries or learning logs

Understand processes by which films and performances are created, realised, and managed, such as the processes of rehearsal, writing, scoring, devising, scenography, improvisation, choreography, performer training techniques, and production arts

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Workshops and rehearsals; performances and films

Methods of Assessment

Assessed performances and films

Learning Outcomes: Transferable Skills

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Demonstrate critical, analytical and physical skills

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Specific teaching methods include tutor-led, student-led, self-directed study

Methods of Assessment

Essays submitted to a deadline

Demonstrate creative and imaginative skills as shown through the realisation of practical research projects

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Resource-based learning, including library work, attendance at performances, and physical learning through workshop methods

Methods of Assessment

Continuously assessed group presentations

Communicate in a variety of oral, written, visual and performance media

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students are given a variety of styles of assessment to challenge them to communicate knowledge through different means

Methods of Assessment

Summative group presentations; essays; assessed films and performances

Show an awareness of inter-disciplinary approaches to study, and the capacity to engage with different theories or paradigms of knowledge

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Modules in both film and theatre practice and theory, covering a broad range of time periods and artistic movements

Methods of Assessment

Essays; presentations; practical assignments

Demonstrate an understanding of the professional processes and practices of film and theatre production and the specific challenges of the various roles through which these occur

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Contact with working professionals in all relevant specialisms (eg actors, director, designers, lighting designers, critics)

Methods of Assessment

Individual interviews; essays; practical assignments

Negotiate and pursue goals with others

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Group work in performance and classroom presentations work in particular promotes good communication and team building skills. Working creatively, students have to create new and original work

Methods of Assessment

Assessed group presentations and performances; Participation and engagement

Demonstrate information retrieval skills, involving the ability to gather, sift, synthesise and organise material independently and critically evaluate its significance

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Research assignments are designed to encourage students to engage with historical, scholarly, and archival material and synthesise information from these and other sources.

Methods of Assessment

Assigned essays and presentations

Present knowledge and demonstrate expertise in a coherent, effective and meaningful form

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Individual and group presentations; seminars offer a variety of tutor-led and student-led learning opportunities as well as a more sustained opportunity to debate and evaluate a breadth of knowledge gained independently from directed reading and from the sharing of resources and information.

Methods of Assessment

Group presentations are used to encourage students to pursue their own interests and develop their understanding of a topic.

Module Information

Stages and Modules

Module Title Module Code Level/ stage Credits

Availability

Duration Pre-requisite

Assessment

S1 S2 Core Option Coursework % Practical % Examination %
Introduction to Theatre: The Material Stage DRA1001 1 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Introduction to Film Studies 1 FLM1001 1 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Introduction to Performing DRA1003 1 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Introduction to Acting for Stage and Screen DRA1004 1 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Introduction to Film Practice FLM1004 1 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Editing for Film and Television FLM1007 1 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Theatre Now: Contemporary Performance DRA1005 1 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 50% 50% 0%
Production Practices DRA1006 1 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Film and Sound: History and Theory FLM2014 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Devising Theatre DRA2005 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 60% 40% 0%
Introduction to Screenwriting FLM2019 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
The Art of the Actor DRA2003 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Cinematography FLM2025 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 50% 50% 0%
Documentary Film Studies FLM2012 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
World Cinemas FLM2013 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
British Cinema: Nation, Identity and Industry FLM2026 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Educational Drama DRA2007 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Non-Fiction Film Practice FLM2028 2 20 YES 12 weeks Y YES 60% 40% 0%
Broadcast Journalism BCP2001 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Popular Genres BCP2004 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 75% 25% 0%
Directing and Design for Stage and Screen DRA2013 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Radio Drama DRA2014 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Creative Enterprise in Film and Digital Media FLM2031 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Acting for Musical Theatre DRA2060 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 90% 10% 0%
Drama and Mental Health DRA2064 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
International Theatre Collaboration DRA2065 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 70% 30% 0%
Dramaturgy DRA2068 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Gender, Culture, and Representation – Backwards & in Heels AEL2001 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 60% 40% 0%
Adaptation as Interdisciplinary Practice AEL2002 2 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Advanced Film Practice 1 FLM3001 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 40% 60% 0%
Film Authorship FLM3007 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Dissertation DRA3025 3 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Dissertation FLM3010 3 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Postconflict Drama: Performing the NI Peace Process DRA3042 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Hollywood Cinema 2 FLM3019 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 90% 10% 0%
Advanced Film Practice 2 FLM3011 3 40 YES 12 weeks N YES 0% 100% 0%
Beckett in Performance DRA3050 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 60% 40% 0%
Advanced Theatre Practice DRA3005 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
The Art of Interaction DRA3057 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Film and Music: Theory and Criticism FLM3024 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Dance Theatre DRA3060 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
British Film: Mainstream and Fringe FLM3032 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 90% 10% 0%
The Theatre of Brian Friel DRA3010 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Gender and Media BCP3004 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 50% 50% 0%
Work-based Learning AEL3001 3 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Contemporary Performing Practices DRA3002 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Solo Performance DRA3063 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Media and Time BCP3003 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Cinema, Realism, and Modernism FLM3034 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
International Theatre Collaboration DRA3066 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 70% 30% 0%
Participatory performance practices DRA3067 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 40% 60% 0%

Notes

Stage 1: Students take either DRA1004 or DRA1006 as well as the core modules.

Stage 2: Students will normally take 60 credits each from FLM coded and DRA coded modules (Note: FLM2025 is a core module). Practice-oriented modules are subject to restriction based on numbers and when over-subscribed, students may be apportioned based on balance of practice-oriented modules. *Note: Students may pick FLM2027 or FLM2028 but not both.*

Stage 3: Students will normally take at least 20 credits each from FLM-coded modules and DRA-coded modules. Students will normally be expected to focus on a single aspect of Film or Theatre practice (though for students interested in acting, this could include acting for screen) in final year practical modules. Practice-oriented modules are subject to restriction based on numbers and when over-subscribed, students may be apportioned based on balance of practice-oriented modules. *Note: If you have chosen FLM3001: Advanced Film Practice 1, you MUST also choose FLM3011: Advanced Film Practice 2, which will total 60 CATS points so you cannot choose another Film module.