Moving Image BA(Hons)

How this course is delivered

We've made some changes to the way our courses are taught to keep everyone safe, connected and involved in university life.

At the moment, students have a blend of on-campus and digitally enabled remote learning that provides lots of opportunities to interact and engage with lecturers and other students.

Why study with us?

• We offer an innovative, creative and critical environment – follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
• Learn from practising artists in film, video and digital moving image, and leading artists’ moving image practitioners.
• We'll encourage you to find meaningful spaces for new practices in fine art, experimental film and artists’ moving image as well as cinema and filmmaking.
• You will study and develop your work alongside student photographers and digital sound artists as well as other fine artists.
• The chance to go on national and international trips.
• Opportunities to work with  Brighton Film Festival CINECITY and Screen Archive South East who are based at the university.

2018 graduate Pacheanne Anderson talks about what made her choose Moving Image at Brighton and her experiences of the course.

Areas of study 

• Artists’ moving image, film history, avant-garde film
• Filmmaking, experimental film and video, video art, installation art
• Narrative, fiction, documentary, experimental ethnographic filmmaking
• Cinematography, experimental imaging, visual effects and video editing
• Digital compositing, animation, green screen
• High definition, studio production, multi-camera production
• 16mm film shooting, developing, editing and projecting
• Hand processing 16mm black and white film, cameraless film (drawing on film)
• Sound art and design, audio recording and mixing
• Film and video for cinema and gallery (Black Box White Cube)
• Exhibition design, planning and installation for film and video
• VJ skills / live video mixing (analogue and digital)

The Edward Street building, part of City campus, where our Moving Image course is based

Year 1

Year 1 has four themed units – identity, place, fiction and documentary – each lasting six to seven weeks.

Each week, group seminars, individual tutorials and screenings of relevant films help you develop your ideas and you present a finished piece in the last week. In this final session you make a formal presentation of your work to the group, learn to critique other student’s work, and also receive feedback from two tutors.

The units are underpinned by a series of introductory technical workshops, film screenings, study support sessions, and by lectures from staff and visiting lecturers.

One day each week is set aside for Historical and Theoretical studies, which take the form of a lecture series with seminar sessions and film screenings. Students read and summarise weekly texts using library study time and complete one final essay per semester.

Historical and Critical Studies in year 1 covers film history then moving on to an in-depth study of the avant-garde and film and video art histories.

You are expected to work independently on your projects, making full use of the facilities: cameras and audio recording equipment, computer editing software and studios.

Modules

• Practice 1: Moving Image and Identity

  In this module you will be encouraged to consider the moving image and identity in the widest possible sense. Your project may explore identity in relation to issues such as age, race, sex and class, or the space in which individual and cultural identity cross paths. You will be expected to demonstrate an awareness of how visual language communicates meaning. Your final work should demonstrate aesthetic consideration, conceptual coherence, research through work in progress, technical realisation and appropriateness of presentation.

• Practice 2: Moving Image and Place

  In this module you will explore the representation of place in the moving image. The module will introduce you to a range of ideas to understand and explore the many ways in which artists/filmmakers have interpreted the landscape, both urban and rural. The module will be supported by a range of appropriate practical demonstrations and workshops, including an introduction to 16mm film. Your final work should demonstrate aesthetic consideration, conceptual coherence, evidence of research through work-in-progress, technical realisation and appropriateness of presentation.

• Practice 3: Moving Image and Fiction

  This module will introduce you to and enable you to engage with moving image practices that are directed, staged, performed and manipulated. You will consider work that deals with narrative, fiction, metaphor, allegory, rhetoric and fantasy. The module will be supported by a range of appropriate practical demonstrations and workshops, including an introduction to studio work and green screen. Your final work should demonstrate aesthetic consideration, conceptual coherence, research through work in progress, technical realisation and appropriateness of presentation.

• Practice 4: Moving Image and Documentary

  Tin this module you will explore the full potential of the moving image as document. You will consider work that deals with ideas of truth, fact, realism, ideology and politics of the moving image. The module will be supported by a range of appropriate practical demonstrations and workshops, including an introduction to studio work and green screen. Your final work should demonstrate aesthetic consideration, conceptual coherence, research through work in progress, technical realisation and appropriateness of presentation.

• Historical and Critical Studies 1: From Magic Lantern to YouTube

  This module will provide you with an historical overview and analysis of moving image from the 19th Century magic lantern, to 20th Century film, video and television, to today’s digital practices. You will develop an awareness of how and why history enables meaningful engagement in contemporary debates about moving image practices, and you will develop the ability to conduct simple research, to acquire knowledge through the university’s learning resources; to interpret research, towards seminar discussion and academic writing.

• Historical and Critical Studies 2: One Million Avant-Gardes

  This module will provide an historical overview and analysis of the origins of avant-garde moving image by examining its histories and theories. Where possible examples of work are viewed in entirety. You will develop an awareness of how and why history enables meaningful engagement in contemporary debates about moving image practices, and develop the ability to conduct simple research, to acquire knowledge through the university’s learning resources; to interpret research, towards seminar discussion and academic writing.

Our courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis in order to make sure that what you learn with us is relevant and that your course enables you to develop appropriate skills. When you apply to study with us, we will inform you of any new developments in your chosen programme through Student View.

Year 2

In the second year your four units of study encourage a more focused approach to the combination of sound and vision. You'll look at a range of art practices and recognise the importance of how finished works are presented whether in the gallery, cinema or online.

The projects are: Sound and Vision, Collaboration, Black Box White Cube as well as one day a week on an option in another area of the university.

The second year show is an opportunity to exhibit publicly in the university gallery.

At the end of the year you'll undertake an independent project which prepares you for the more self-directed study of the third year.

Once again lectures and seminars take place weekly, introducing you to key concepts in contemporary practice, as well as an in depth look at sound and film.

The end of the second year covers dissertation preparation and research skills.

Modules

• Practices 5 and 6: Collaboration, and Sound and Vision
• Practice 7: Beyond Black Box/White Cube
• Practice 8: Independent Project
• Historical and Critical Studies 3: Sound/Music and The Moving Image
• Diversifying Film Critical Practice
• Option from arts and humanities modules

Final year

In the third year you develop your own personal work through two major projects, while also writing an extended essay. 

You are allocated tutors who supervise the development of your ideas. Tutorials are also offered with other members of staff. Regular group crits allow students to build projects with the support of their peers and staff.

For your projects you can expect to have six or seven tutorial slots during a semester, either on your own or with a small group you can share ideas with.

One-to-one technical support is focused on each individual student project, ending with a public exhibition of work in the graduate show.

Professional practice sessions are taught in the last semester to help prepare you for life after graduation.

Modules

• Practice 9: Major Project
• Practice 10: Major Project
• Historical and Critical Studies 5: Extended essay
• Professional Practice

Meet the team

Matthew Noel-Tod, Senior Lecturer

Matthew is an artist specialising in moving image. His work in film and video has received acclaim through exhibitions, collections and residencies. Find out more...

Tim Brown, Senior Lecturer

Tim is the Artistic Director and co-founder of CINECITY, which presents the annual Brighton Film Festival and a year-round programme of screenings, exhibitions and activities. Since 2011 Tim has also programmed the film strand of Brighton Festival. He has over 25 years experience in cinema exhibition and moving image curation and over 20 years teaching experience at degree level. In 2008 he established the Moving Image degree at the University of Brighton and was its first course leader. Find out more...

Jenny Keane, Senior Lecturer

Jenny is an Irish visual artist, lecturer and researcher. Her practice is focused on the word ‘horrific’. Examining spatio-temporal installations and performative practices, Keane’s practice and research deals with the negative representation of the ‘monstrous’ female body, through the examination of narratives including horror films, myths, legends, and ghost stories. Find out more...

Claudia Kappenberg, Admissions Tutor

Dr Claudia Kappenberg is an artist and academic specialising in screen-based practices, site-specific work, screen dance and performance.

Her interests include cinematic and choreographic practices, critical theory and philosophies of art and the body. She leads the Screendance Network and is Co-editor of the International Journal of Screendance.Find out more...

Other members of staff

• Judy Price

International requirements and visas

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

Visas and immigration advice

Portfolio and interview 

Portfolio

We would like to see:

• completed film or video works and / or works in progress
• other art work (for example, photography, drawing, installation)
• your ability to develop an idea from concept
• your potential to experiment and explore ideas and techniques
• any examples of written work (for example, a previous essay about film or art)
• awareness of contemporary artists’ moving image
• awareness of film history or art history.

We recommend using Tumblr to create a simple portfolio or blog and YouTube or Vimeo for embedding video. Please note that it is not a strict requirement to have previous film and video work at interview stage – we welcome any creative portfolio and an interest in exploring moving image in future works.

Find out more about how to create and submit your portfolio.

Interview

Due to COVID-19, we expect interviews to be online and the processes may change slightly – check back here for updates. If you've already applied, we will tell you about any changes.

Course fees

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies, although we have tried to keep this to a minimum. 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. A summary of the costs that you may be expected to pay, and what is included in your fees, while studying a course in the School of Media are listed here.

• There will be opportunities to attend field trips and off-site visits. These are optional and are not required to pass your course but you can budget approximately £30–£700 for these. The nature of the costs vary from provisions for a packed-lunch to flight and accommodation costs for international field trips. The amount spent would be based on location and number of trips taken.
• Typically, practice-based courses incur more costs than text-based subjects. These costs are normally associated with specialist equipment and materials for making work and for the public presentation of work.
• Specialist equipment is provided to cover essential learning. Students may choose to buy their own specialist equipment, these may include cameras, or computers and software. Budgets can range from £50–£2,000. Buying specialist equipment is best undertaken in consultation with our academic and technical staff. This expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses.
• For some courses you will need to budget up to £200 for printing and publishing. Photography courses may incur higher costs (£500–£2,000) when printing and framing images of professional standard for public presentation.
• Course books are available from the university but you may wish to budget up to £200 to buy your own copies.
• For some courses you will need to budget up to £150 for stationery.
• Final-year graduation shows are opportunities to present your final, independent project work to the public. Practice-based courses will typically incur higher costs. Depending on the specific nature of your final project you will need to budget between £20–£2,500. 

You can chat with our enquiries team through the Stay in touch panel at the end of this page if you require further information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships, as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2021–22.

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 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.

Local area

Campus where this course is taught

Accommodation

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