Digital Film BA(Hons)

Why study with us? 

• This innovative degree is theoretically rigorous while encompassing the latest production techniques and trends, giving you the most relevant skill set to enter the industry at graduate level.

• We have a flexible approach to options and assessments so that the 50% practice, 50% theory structure allows you to shape the course towards your own interests.

• You will be encouraged to develop your own research and professional practice interests across the interrelated strands of theory, practice and industry when examining the evolution and influence of the digital film narrative.

• The course is delivered through a diverse mix of lectures, seminars, practical workshops and masterclass sessions and is assessed through both practical and written coursework.

• The work placement gives you access to industry experience with local and national partners from film and media. 

• There are chances to screen your work to a wider audience and enter awards.

• We continually add to our impressive list of technical hardware – see Facilities tab.

• We increasingly integrate formalised teaching with wider events, commercial partners and development opportunities, providing students with networks and experience that enhance formal teaching and learning.

• In the final year, students produce both a major practice project and a dissertation so they leave us with knowledge, experience and a production portfolio that can apply to a broad range of employment possibilities.

Charlie Knight, Digital Film BA(Hons) explains why he chose Digital Film at Brighton and his experience of the course, including the paid commercial film work he’s been doing alongside his studies for organisations such as eBay and Google.

Year 1 

In year 1, the course will deal with classic and contemporary debates from film theory and examine a range of genres. 

Modules

• Filmmaking Fundamentals

  In this module you will accrue and develop key competencies in filmmaking that will underpin the practice strand of your degree. Teaching will take primarily through workshops with weekly formative tasks. Technical inductions of key equipment will be contained within the teaching which will cover areas such as camera operation, field and studio sound recording, basic light principles, and an introduction to offline editing. You will be assessed on short filmed task that will demonstrate proficiently core filmmaking practices.

• Key Issues in Screen Studies

  This module will introduce you to major concepts used for the analysis of screen texts, by drawing on elements from the disciplines of film studies, media studies and cultural studies. Each week you will focus on one particular concept, such as narrative, editing, cinematography, ideology, representation and so on. You will be encouraged to consider the ways in which these concepts are useful in analysing different screen media.

• Making a Film Manifesto: Practice, Art, Industry

  This module explores the work of British and international filmmakers whose work influences contemporary cinema. You'll reflect on the relationship between knowledge and creativity through film, analysing the ideals, approaches and motivations that underpin such filmmaking, and exploring  the conceptual and contextual implications that such work provokes.

• Production and Practice Management

  This module will introduce you to the collaborative processes and practice of work in group production. You will learn key roles within a production, develop a planning process and understand the workflow of a production. Formative and summative assessment for the module is designed around collaborative, team-working skills along with social skills, personal and group organisation and professionalism. Furthermore, the delivery and standard of a completed filmed project will be assessed a central indicator of group outcomes.

• Conceptualising Digital Film

  This module will introduce you to key theoretical debates related to the transformation of film in the digital age. With the advent of digital technologies, the physical use of celluloid as the essential underpinning of the ‘cinematic’ has been challenged. Furthermore, the emergence of the internet, smart phones, social media and many other digital phenomena are revolutionising the production, distribution and exhibition of film. In this module you will interrogate the very meaning ‘film’ and ‘cinema’ in the digital context.

• Creative Approaches to Screenwriting

  You will be introduced to a range of approaches for finding and developing stories suitable for the screen, from the traditional to the innovative. You will also examine a diverse range of writers and film makers and their relationship between the screenplay, film production, and audience. Through practical exercises and critical discussion, you will explore the creation of meaning through form and content within short films, and become aware of voice, approach, and the type of films it is possible to produce.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through our applicant portal.

Year 2 

In year 2, you will expand your use and knowledge of digital production and post-production techniques and consider the essential features of the film festival experience. You will be able to choose from option modules to tailor the course to your interests.

Modules

• Writing the Short Film
• Digital Post Production
• Making the Short Film
• Contemporary Film Theory and Analysis

Options*

• Work placement and professional practice
• Identities and the Screen
• Videogame Cultures
• Creating Reality: Documentary Filmmaking
• Hollywood Cinema: From Blockbusters to Indiewood
• Practical Cinematography
• Writing the Feature Film
• Philosophy on Screen
• Film Festivals

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Year 3 

In year 3, you will benefit from a work placement and will work on a major project and the final year dissertation. 

Modules

• Project Development and Professional Practice
• Research Development
• Major Project
• Dissertation

Staff profile 

Dr Dario Llinares, course leader

Dr Dario Llinares is Principal Lecturer in contemporary screen media. He gained his PhD from the University of Leeds in 2009 with a dissertation on the representations of the astronaut in contempororay Western culture. He has also published research on masculinity in British prison films, the cinema as time machine, austerity as cultural discourse, and the history and economics of the movies. His current research focuses on the philosophy of cinema experience in the digital age.

He is also the co-founder and co-host of the popular and well-respected Cinematologists podcast. The Cinematologists has become required listening for cinephiles in the UK and internationally and has become the basis of a new strand of research into audio media use in academia. In this context Dario has recently co-edited the first major interdisciplinary work on the medium entitled Podcasting: New Aural Cultures and Digital Media.

Other staff teaching on the course include Dr Holly Chard.

Dr Dario Llinares is a cultural critic who produces and co-hosts the popular Cinematologists podcast.

Student views 

Roisin McHugh 

"We do such a variety of things within the course from history of film theory, to film making and script writing. I love how we do all these things but still have time to go into depth with everything. I also love the opportunities we get on our course like the Digital Film Society and working at the Cine-Excess film festival in Brighton. I really enjoyed the film theory module last year and this year the film practice module is my favourite."

Facilities

Digital Film help and support

Students develop their practical skills by using industry-standard equipment under the guidance of our teaching staff of film industry professionals. 

You will be able to take advantage of digital film facilities including Avid/Adobe editing suites with Pro Tools, surround sound audio editing capabilities and an extensive range of digital cameras, from GoPros to the latest 4k-ready cinema-grade cameras.

We continually add to our impressive list of technical hardware (cameras, lighting, sound) that is available for practice workshops, assessment and your own projects. Our MAC labs have industry standard software for visual/sound editing and screenwriting.

We have a range of refurbished teaching spaces at our Edward Street building with seminar rooms with 4K interactive screens, and an new high spec screening room.

The Box of Broadcasts is the iplayer for education – find out more about Box of Broadcasts.

International requirements

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Course fees

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2019–20.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK/EU students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

What's included in the fee?

When costs such as health or DBS checks, or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply check with the school that provides your course using the contact details in the Find out more tab (at the end of this page) for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

See our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Local area

Campus where this course is taught

Accommodation

Maps

Accommodation

University building

City campus map