BA (Hons) Television Studio Production (Full Time)

Industry-standard equipment together with an experienced staff team ensure this Skillset approved degree delivers the skills and knowledge required by today's broadcasting organisations.

Course overview

The BA (Hons) Television Studio Production at Southampton Solent University is a major degree course within the Television Production programme. You will gain a solid foundation in all the core areas of media production before going on to specialise in multi-camera studio projects in light entertainment and magazine programming. Furthermore there are opportunities to work on outside broadcast projects such as sport and music programming.

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You will develop your creativity and technical abilities by using our extensive range of facilities, working in one of three High Definition multi camera studios, shooting on the latest HD location equipment and using a range of digital editing facilities. You will develop skills in directing, producing, research, camera principles, sound and vision mixing, lighting and design, studio techniques and digital post-production.

There is a strong emphasis on real-world practice and you will learn alongside experienced professionals from the television industry, working in teams to make programmes in both factual and fiction genres including documentary, drama, current affairs and entertainment.

In parallel to the practice-based work, you will be addressing key theoretical issues around the historical context of television and the changing economic, social and cultural elements that define it. Of particular importance is the growing requirement for students to develop programmes which include ideas around interactivity and multi platform delivery.

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Industrial focus

Throughout the course all students will be expected to spend time on industry-based placements and have the opportunity to work on external projects for a variety of clients. Ongoing collaborations with football clubs and music festivals such as Glastonbury and Bestival mean that multi camera production work on location is embedded in the curriculum and is an opportunity to enhance your career potential.

Course content

Year 1

Five core units:

• Introduction to TV Production
• Issues in TV History
• Writing for Television
• Researching for Television
• I-Media.

Year 2

Five core units:

• Factual Production
• Fiction Production
• Interactive Production for Television
• Contemporary British Television
• Studio Production.

Option units (students will choose one option):

• Shooting Music
• Studio Series Production
• Producing Television
• Community Production
• Creating Interactive Television.

Year 3

Four core units:

• Major Project
• Television Futures
• Working in the Creative Industries
• Advanced Studio Production.
• Optional units (students will choose one option):
• Studio Development and Production
• Interacting with the Audience
• Event TV
• Interactive Professional Production
• Pitching, Presenting and Communication.

Why choose this course?

• Solent is a Skillset Media Academy and is officially recognised as a national centre of excellence in Television Production education.
• Three fully equipped television studios, including a full High Definition studio with seating for an audience of up to 200 and a range of technology including 58 Final Cut Pro HD editing stations and fully equipped multitrack sound studios.
• Access to high definition location cameras, outside broadcasting vehicle and production location support unit with integral generator and mobile studio kit.

  

• Close relationships with industry experts and advisers. Recent guest speakers include Sir Alan Parker (Director 'The Life of David Gale', 'Mississippi Burning', 'Fame', 'Bugsy Malone'), Michael Apted (director 'Chronicles of Narnia'), Jason Bradbury ('The Gadget Show'), Nick McPhee (editor 'Downton Abbey', 'Doc Martin').
• Share ideas and projects with students from across the television production programme, and work closely with students on other degrees including Music Production, Make-Up and Hair Design for Television, Performance and Comedy.

Assessment

Entirely coursework based: a mixture of production work, written essays and presentations. 

Key career skills

Creative thinking, presentation, project management, visual communication, problem solving, working to deadlines.

Projects/work experience

All students must undertake a minimum of 120 hours' work experience during the course. The University’s production arm, Solent Productions, works on a range of commercial and internal productions and utilises the skills of TV Production students. Students have the opportunity to work at the annual Glastonbury Festival, shooting daily documentaries for the festival website and providing additional material for the BBC. Solent Productions provide a similar service for Cowes Week each year.

Students have also worked with clients as diverse as the international charity Safepoint, the Daily Echo, the AAIR asthma charity and the Daily Echo website.

Student profile

Jenny Strange

"The facilities are fantastic, the cameras and editing equipment, the studios, along with the possibilities for work experience were all invaluable. The kit is high definition and tapeless and we can use lights and all sorts of sound equipment, so the projects are all to a professional standard. The lecturers have all worked in different fields in the industry giving up back up right the way through the course."