BA(Hons) Film Studies

This interdisciplinary module will explore the complex world of stories across creative writing, film, language, literature, history and media. You'll consider the personal, public and political importance of storytelling, investigating how narratives are created, communicated and interpreted within different disciplines. Through subject-specific and interdisciplinary learning activities, you'll recognise connections between different forms of storytelling. Along the way, you'll develop critical literacy and the skills needed to navigate and shape a world structured by stories, while examining the ethical dimensions of individual, collective and disciplinary practices.

This module will introduce key debates about the nature of film, focusing on realism, spectacle and narrative. You'll examine how documentary and fiction construct representations of reality through relationships between filmmakers, cameras and audiences, rather than simply recording it objectively. Films may range from silent shorts and early documentaries to social realism, musicals, action cinema and contemporary blockbusters. By analysing documentary practices, cinematic attractions and spectacular set-pieces, you'll explore how moments of action and display disrupt narrative development while creating meaning and emotional or sensory effects.

In this module, you'll develop the key terms, concepts and skills needed to analyse films in close critical and contextual detail. You'll learn how sound, mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing and special effects shape style and meaning, and consider how framing, colour, rhythm and pace influence your experience of a film. A range of filmmaking styles will support your analysis. The module will also introduce the role of film criticism in contemporary culture, helping you communicate informed ideas through written and audiovisual forms.

This module will introduce you to production, distribution and exhibition within the global film industry, with particular attention to audiences and reception. You'll explore contemporary and historical viewing contexts, different release models, and the ways people experience films. Concepts such as cinephilia, fandom, taste and cultural value will help you examine relationships between audiences and industry. Along the way, you'll build foundational knowledge of film industries around the world and consider the contributions of roles such as producers, directors and costume designers.

This module will invite you to explore possible human futures through creative practice, research and critical enquiry. You'll consider how social, cultural, technological and environmental change may influence the ways people live, work and relate to one another. By examining contemporary questions and speculative possibilities, you'll develop ideas that connect your subject practice with wider concerns. The module will encourage experimentation, collaboration and reflection, helping you communicate responses to complex issues and consider how creative work can contribute to imagining and shaping future worlds.

In this module, you'll develop professional writing skills for different film-related contexts. You'll study examples of film writing and consider how publications, both mainstream and specialist, address particular audiences. This will help you build critical and commercial awareness of how film is discussed, promoted and interpreted. You'll practise adapting your writing style, tone and approach for different professional purposes, strengthening your ability to communicate clearly and persuasively. The module will support a more informed understanding of the relationships between film writing, publication contexts and readers.

This module will guide you through screenplay language, professional layout and structure as you develop a short film idea into a script. You'll explore the role of the screenwriter within contemporary film and screen industries, including collaboration and constructive critique. Industry expectations around three-act structure, genre, potential markets, adaptation and screen rights will provide a critical framework for your creative work. By pitching a concept and refining it through practical screenwriting, you'll strengthen your storytelling, communication and ability to connect creative decisions with professional contexts.

In this module, you'll explore key phases in the development of the global film industry, including changing production, distribution and exhibition practices. Concepts such as globalisation and transnational and national cinema will help you examine economic and cultural factors affecting the industry, with particular attention to relationships between Hollywood and the UK film sector. You'll investigate categories such as art cinema, third cinema, national cinema and the festival film, using them to understand connections and tensions between Hollywood and other cinemas around the world.

The Humanities Research Project will give you the opportunity to undertake an extended, self-directed investigation within your chosen discipline. You'll develop a research proposal, refine your methodology and manage a substantial independent project while building skills in planning, organisation and scholarly enquiry. Opportunities for supervision, discussion and interdisciplinary exchange will support your development throughout the module. As your project progresses, you'll learn to communicate findings clearly, evaluate challenges critically and reflect on your personal learning journey, producing research that contributes to wider humanities knowledge and understanding.

This module will explore the contemporary film industry, from global media conglomerates and Hollywood studios to independent production in America, the UK, Europe and the Global South. You'll examine production, funding, distribution and exhibition, including the impact of digital technology, streaming, arthouse cinemas and multiplexes. The module will also consider festivals, film journalism, blogging, programming and curation, using Bristol case studies where relevant. Alongside analysing films and industry structures, you'll develop professional skills in critical reviewing, pitching and designing film exhibition projects.