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BA (Hons) Film Studies is our flagship screen studies degree and recognises cinema's role as a major cultural form, investigating the medium through a variety of critical, theoretical and historical approaches. It examines cinema's aesthetic and social importance in the context of an increasingly visual and media oriented culture. Alongside theoretical, cultural and historical approaches to film, it provides a framework for analysing individual films, and for understanding the techniques of film production in the context of marketing, distribution and exhibition.
While our degree is a traditional academic course and is not intended as a vocational course aimed at training film practitioners, all modules explore the links between theory and practice, and students will have the opportunity on some modules to make their own digital films, drawing on the excellent technical resources and state-of-the-art digital editing equipment housed in Lancaster University Television Unit.
Film Studies is part of the Lancaster Institute of the Contemporary Arts, and as a student in LICA you will benefit from its interdisciplinary environment, within which you will learn about Film’s relation to the other arts and acquire skills in digital media.
LICA also offers additional training in digital editing, including video, to give you the basis for creative work across the arts. History and the contextualization of art works are the subject of the LICA-wide module Modernism in the Arts, which looks at the arts from 1850 to the 1970s and includes case studies drawn from art, design, film, music and theatre. This module, unique in its scope at this level in British higher education, will provide you with an interdisciplinary approach that will enable you to become an informed practitioner in the contemporary arts.
In year one you take one module in Film Studies – Introduction to Film Studies. This module will introduce you to a range of key critical approaches to the study of film with an explicit focus on the meaning-making structures and techniques of film. Particular emphasis is also placed on expanding students’ knowledge and understanding of a wide range of filmmaking traditions.
Film students are introduced to the formal study of film and are given an introduction to the many terms and concepts that are mise-en-scène, editing, genre, narrative, acting, stardom, film sound, and special effects. In addition to these topics, students will explore the key areas of film aesthetics and film history. Students are also introduced to historical aspects of the film industry and its political economies. A wide range of filmmaking traditions are examined, from silent cinema, through Classical Hollywood cinema, French, German, Italian, Indian and Chinese cinema
In the third term, students form small groups and produce multi-media presentations on a film topic; for example, the analysis of a sequence of film, a short video produced by the group, or any other project devised with the guidance of the course tutor.
In year two you will undertake one core module:
In the third year you take one core module
Optional Courses | In addition to the core modules detailed above, you will typically choose between four and six option modules across the second and third year. You choose from a list that includes:
Other Film optional modules include:
Please note: Not all these modules run every year and are subject to staff availability.
BA (Hons) Film Studies is at the heart of Lancaster's internationally renowned Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts, a leading centre for new research in film, music, theatre, fine art and design, and is comprised of a team of scholars who are dedicated to teaching, practice, and research.
This course provides students with the skills to undertake detailed close analysis of films and to read and discuss specialised academic writing on film and the arts. You will acquire a thorough, nuanced appreciation of film aesthetics, a detailed knowledge of academic thought on film and the visual arts, and a broad knowledge of the history of international cinema. You will also acquire a range of research skills and will develop and refine your writing and presentation skills. In addition you will also have the opportunity to develop film –making skills within some modules.
There is an option to study abroad where students can spend their second year in Canada or the US at one of our partner institutions. If you decide to spend a year abroad we will support you and advise you about the best institutions to undertake an exchange year with and what courses to take.
Film Studies graduates are highly employable and have a strong track record of gaining employment, particularly in advertising and marketing, media production and the media industries. Many go on to undertake vocational postgraduate training in media-related careers. Graduates benefit from a strong grounding in the critical and theoretical study of cinema which is an advantage to anyone seeking a career in film or other areas of the media.
Some students choose to spend their second year in Canada or the US at one of our partner institutions. If you decide to spend a year abroad we will support you and advise you about which are the best institutions to undertake an exchange year with and what courses to take.
If you have an interest in understanding how the different forms of media shape our relationship to society, then the BA (Hons) in Film Studies has a lot to offer. The course is designed for students with an ability and willingness to work across academic disciplines. There is a strong emphasis on critical thought and independent research.
All applications to undergraduate courses are made through UCAS, the UK central organisation through which applications are processed for entry to higher education. Your school or college will explain how to do this or alternatively you can contact UCAS directly.
Applications for entry to university in autumn 2011 should be made between 1 September 2010 and 15 January 2011. If you accept a conditional offer from Lancaster we will check it against your results when they are released. If you have met the conditions of the offer your place will automatically be confirmed through UCAS.
Lecturer: Film Studies
"You have the opportunity to study a diverse international variety of films ranging from silent melodramas through to contemporary Hollywood effects movies, and from mainstream cinema to the experimental margins of avant-garde art."
