MA Film Production
Got a passion for filmmaking? Want to improve your professional showreel and boost your employability? Solent’s MA Film Production programme is ideally suited to students who...
BA (Hons)Film and Television
Apply on UCAS
- 2024
- 2025
- 3 years
- 4 years with foundation year
UCAS code: PP30
Institution code: S30
UCAS points: 48Flexible entry options available
Campus: Southampton City CentreView on Google Maps
Why study film and television with a foundation year
Unleash your creativity with a TV and film career. Learn from industry experts in professional-grade facilities, and join our internationally successful graduates at the BBC, Sky, Disney and beyond.
- 0ndin the UK for learning resources (NSS 2023)
- 0%of students feel staff are good at explaining things (NSS 2023)
- 0%of students feel staff made the subject engaging (NSS 2023)
- Solent’s Foundation Year in Media offers students a stimulating introduction to both the study of media and the production of media content.
- Solent is ranked 11th in the UK for student satisfaction in communication and media studies (out of 91 institutions) (Complete University Guide 2025)
- Access to the media academy, featuring cutting-edge production equipment, studio facilities and edit suites, including three green screen TV studios, a large TV studio with audience seating for up to 200, and a range of radio and music production facilities.
- Solent Productions and Solent TV, our in-house production agencies, enable you to gain a wide range of work experience for your professional showreel. With established links with industry including ITV, the BBC, Talent TV, Glastonbury and Creamfields.
- Network of industry alumni who’ve worked for organisations including the BBC, ITV, Sky, Warner Bros, Disney, Ignition, Global Radio, Absolute Post, Fox, Channel 4, Premier League Productions, Microsoft and more.
Course overview
With its unique blend of creative practice and critical studies, Solent’s highly regarded film and television undergraduate degree equips you with the production experience, creative skills and critical thinking necessary to help you understand the global film and television industries – as well as your place within it.
This course is a great choice for students who aspire to work in, or alongside, the film and television industries – providing you with the necessary training and education to ensure that you are ready for the ever-evolving world of film and television production, distribution and exhibition.
And our Foundation Year in Media provides you with the opportunity to develop technical, creative and academic skills across a range of media platforms including graphic design, video production, digital photography and blogging, helping you situate your own media production within established traditions and styles whilst beginning to identify your own storytelling voice and signature style.
After completion of the foundation year, you will go to study the three year undergraduate degree. During the first year of the degree, you will study modules that address the building blocks of screen language, genre analysis, screenwriting and production management, working on individual projects as well as collaborating in groups to make short films and television content.
In the second year of the degree, you will interrogate the relationship between representation and identity through screen criticism and in practice, across fiction and documentary, looking at the role of audiences in film and television consumption and considering creative approaches to short film design.
During the final year, you will explore career pathways with modules designed to focus on enhancing employability and transferable skills as well as the evolving globalised nature of production, distribution and exhibition practices. These modules will be accompanied by one-to-one supervision of your final year project.
Throughout your studies you will have access to the University’s media academy, featuring cutting-edge production equipment, studio facilities and edit suites. We’re an Adobe Creative Campus – giving you access to the full Adobe creative package for video editing, colour grading, sound design and special effects.
Taught by experts whose specialisms range from directing, producing and screenwriting – as well as researchers who explore the changing world of screen industries – you will have the opportunity to benefit from a range of real-world learning opportunities such as workshops and masterclasses led by visiting media professionals; previous guest speakers have included high profile visitors such as Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Doctor Who, The League of Gentlemen, Game of Thrones) and Jed Mercurio (Line of Duty, Bodyguard), who have offered advice on working in the industry – as well as other working professionals in film and television production, including Solent graduates.
Our graduates’ success speaks for itself; Solent film and television alumni have gone on to work as videographers, film and digital content developers, production assistants, programme schedulers, researchers, editors and directors, as well as in other creative areas such as gaming, marketing, graphic design, publishing, PR, advertising and events management. A number of our students have also set up their own film production companies or become successful freelancers.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: admissions.international@solent.ac.ukCall: +44 (0)23 8201 5066Student work
Our creative degrees allow our students to develop a critical eye for design with a knowledge of different design approaches and problem solving techniques. Take a look at some of the great work they produce.
Course features
Foundation year available
If you're not quite ready for a full undergraduate degree, there's alternative entry through one of our foundation years
Specialist facilities
This course has access to specialist facilities
Top-up option
If you have an appropriate Level 5 qualification, you can top it up to a degree in just a year
Further studies
After successfully completing your studies, there's an opportunity to continue your studies at Solent
Study abroad
You have the opportunity to study abroad in one of our partner universities for a semester on this course
Who is this course for?
This foundation year is designed to help you build basic media making skills ahead of starting a full undergraduate media-related degree at Solent.
Typical candidates either haven’t yet met the entry requirements needed to start on the first year of an undergraduate course or have spent time away from education.
What does this course lead to?
Course graduates can pursue careers in a range of film, television and media production roles; or use their transferable skills to pursue roles in education, design, publishing, PR, marketing, advertising and events management, among others. Previous graduates have also gone on to set-up successful production companies or become freelancers.
Alumni have worked with a range of organisations including; BBC, ITV, Sky, Warner Bros, Disney, Ignition, Global Radio, Absolute Post, Fox, Channel 4, Optomen, JOE Media, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Premier League Productions, Microsoft and Digital Cinema Media.
Meet the team
Dr Stuart Joy
Course Leader
Dr Mark Aldridge
Associate Professor of Screen Histories
Dr Donna Peberdy
Associate Professor of Performance, Sex and Gender
Dr Terence McSweeney
Senior Lecturer
Jonathan Plummer
Senior Lecturer
Dr Graham Bond
Senior Lecturer
Stephen Desmond
Senior Lecturer
Dr Kamran Qureshi
Lecturer
Dr Adam Vaughan
Lecturer
Greg Hall
Associate Lecturer
Remi Itani
Lecturer
The University cannot guarantee any particular members of staff will teach specific aspects of the course in the future, but will endeavour to ensure the teaching team maintains their balance of experience and qualifications.
Facilities
During your studies you will be taught in and have access to several specialist production spaces including; a large TV studio with audience seating for up to 200, an acoustically-treated film studio that can be reconfigured as required for set building and filming and an an immersive gfilming area, all provding green screen technology. The dedicated, studios feature multi-camera sert-ups with broadcast standard equipment (including one of the largest HD facilities in the south of England). The variety of post-production spaces and specialist edit booths are connected to a high-speed fibre network, and include Mac Pro computers complemented by a range of radio and music production facilities. Solent also has a digital 3D cinema with professional 2k projector and Dolby Atmos sound system.
Once trained, you will also have the opportunity to book and hire equipment via our specialist media production store.
International opportunities
Broaden your horizons by adding an international dimension to your CV – essential to achieving success in today’s fast-changing, global environment.
Studying, working or volunteering in another country could be the experience of a lifetime. Enhance your degree by developing important global skills such as knowledge of other countries, language skills, intercultural awareness, adaptability and confidence.
For more information, please email international.mobility@solent.ac.uk.
What you'll study
Core modules
Belonging (Media Design)
You will learn to present complex creative ideas in visual and compelling ways, work with others as a member of a collaborative group, become a student of the university, and meet with staff from your progression course.
Stories (Narrative Media Project)
On this module, you will be breaking down the theoretical and practical building blocks that stories are made from in order to become a better storyteller yourself.
Projects (Online Media Project)
This module will not only be an opportunity to undertake a creative project it will also teach you all about how projects work and how to ensure you get the best out of collaboration with a project team.
Discovery (Research for Media Making)
This module will teach you to find good quality information and to effectively present it. You will be eased into the process of exploring and accessing good quality sources of information in a variety of ways.
Ambitions (Individual Media Project)
This module will give you opportunities for further exploration of your own chosen field of media practice which leads to a deeper understanding of your own individual path through your course.
My Place in the Creative Industries (Media Industries)
By undertaking your own research about the branch of the creative industries you want to work in you will begin to build an understanding of the nature of work and employment in the sector.
How you will learn and be assessed
You will learn by:
You may be assessed by a combination of:
- Video essays
- Portfolios
- Essays
- Group presentations
- Feature articles
- Live and simulated client briefs
Solent’s curriculum framework builds on our unique, creative and applied approach to teaching. The transformation of students’ lives is at the heart of our mission as a university, and our curriculum – informed by the latest theory – reflects this shared educational vision.
Find out more
Study support
The student achievement team are on hand to help you succeed during your studies at Solent. They aim to contact you at key times during your time here with personalised information, advice and guidance, by email or phone.
Access Solent provides information, advice and guidance for disabled students.
All students can access Succeed@Solent, Solent's online guide to getting better grades. It offers extensive, practical information and advice on topics such as academic writing, research and presentations.
Why choose the industry?
Spend on UK film and high-end TV production was £4.23bn in 2023, of which, £2.87bn was invested in 187 high-end television production (HETV) shows and £1.36bn was spend on producing 207 feature films. With a strong creative industry there are wide ranging roles in Film and Television and beyond, including; camera operator, editor, producer, vision mixer, location manager, researcher, script writer and more.
With an academic team made up of active filmmakers and creative practitioners, at Solent you can access a wealth of experience and build networks by working on live client briefs both within and beyond the curriculum.
There is also a visiting speaker and masterclass programme from a diverse number of industry guests, and recent speakers have included; Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones), Paul Franklin (Batman Begins, Inception), Terry Rawlings (Alien, Blade Runner), Jan Harlan (The Shining, Full Metal Jacket), Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now, The Godfather Trilogy), Michael Apted (The World is Not Enough, Masters of Sex), Mike Hodges (Get Carter, Croupier), Fay Rusling (Green Wing, Smack the Pony), Dave Calhoun (Time Out).
250+ students and graduates have also had their work (writing, video essays, photography) published in Diegesis magazine, which is produced by staff and students in the film department, and published in print and online.
You could earn:
Television camera operator
Per day: £230 to £360
For a camera assistant, Bectu recommends a day rate of between £230 and £360, depending on the type of television programme. This is based on a nine-hour day, plus a one-hour break for lunch. For a studio cameraperson, the recommended day rate rises to £325 for 9-hours, plus lunch and £415 for 11-hours, plus lunch. On major motion pictures camera operators earn a day rate of £723 for 10-hours, plus lunch and £831 for 11-hours, plus lunch.
Film/video editor
Starting salary: £18,000 to £25,000
Starting salaries for assistant editors employed by a television or post-production studio are in the region of £18,000 to £25,000. With experience as a film or video editor, you could earn £21,000 to £35,000. At a senior level, your earnings could potentially reach £37,000 to £70,000, but the higher end of this scale is only available to senior editors working on big-budget projects.
Television production coordinator
Per hour: £22 to £28
Many television production coordinators are freelance and are paid on a contract basis. Rates depend on the type of production and its budget, with pay at a suggested £22 to £28 hourly rate by the Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU). According to the Televisual Salary Survey 2017, the average salary for production coordinators is £30,600.
The stated salaries are published on prospects.ac.uk.
Solent Futures
The Solent Futures team is committed to getting students into great careers.
While you are studying, the team can help you with finding work experience or placements, link you with a mentor, check your CV, or offer one-to-one guidance.
If you're in your final year, we also have graduate job opportunities just for Solent graduates.
6th
UK uni for sustained employment
Longitudinal Educational Outcomes, 2022
Further study
Thinking about studying further than an undergraduate degree? Alumni can get 20% off their postgraduate study.
MA Visual Communication
Do you have an eye for design? Would you like to help influence the future of visual communications? Our MA Visual Communication degree is ideal for creatives keen to refine their practice, working as part of an interdisciplinary group of students.
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2024/25 academic year are:
- UK, EU (settled status) and Channel Island full-time fees: £9,250 per year
- International full-time fees: £14,000 for foundation level. Fees will increase for year 1.
- International full-time fees: £16,125 per year
For further information, please visit our tuition fees page.
Extra course costs
While most course costs are covered by your tuition fees, some essential resources and optional extras may need to be paid for separately. These additional costs are listed below. For advice on budgeting and managing your money, please contact student.funding@solent.ac.uk.
The 2024/25 other costs are:
Compulsory costs
There are no compulsory production costs that you are required to meet in order to fully participate on the course. Students choosing to raise a budget for their film or TV productions are encouraged to crowdfund and seek advice from project supervisors on budgetary matters where applicable.
Optional costs
The course features optional trips to international film festivals. These trips are subject to student demand. Prices will be dependent on the location of the trip as well as the travel and accommodation costs at the time of booking.
Bursaries, scholarships and financial support
Solent University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships that provide financial assistance or waive fees for tuition or accommodation. Each bursary or scholarship has specific eligibility criteria. Check out our bursaries and scholarships pages to find out more.
Cost of living support
At Solent, we understand that the cost of living crisis may be of some concern. To help, we've put together some detailed information to show what support is available and how to make your money go further.
Graduation costs
There is no charge to attend graduation, but you will be required to pay for the rental of your academic gown (approximately £45 per graduate, depending on your award). You may also wish to purchase official photography packages, which range in price from £15 to £200+. Graduation is not compulsory, so if you prefer to have your award sent to you, there is no cost. Extra guest tickets will go on sale after results publication and will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. The cost per ticket is currently £15. Please note, we do not guarantee there will be any extra tickets available to purchase.
Student finance videos
Student finance Video transcript, with a description of visuals available.Student funding - the essentials Video transcript, with a description of visuals available.
Entry requirements
Please select an option below:
Key entry requirements
48 UCAS tariff points
- A-levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma at PPP or BTEC Diploma at MP or equivalent.
- We will consider mature students who have not recently undertaken a formal course of study at A-level, or equivalent, but can demonstrate relevant work or voluntary experience, that's indicative of their ability to complete the course successfully.
- For further information about UK qualifications, please contact admissions.
Key entry requirements
As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about EU qualifications, please contact admissions.
Key entry requirements
As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about international qualifications, please contact admissions.
Note to all international students requiring a visa
All international applicants need to be aware that the English language requirements to attend Solent University, and the English language requirements to obtain a visa from the Home Office, may be different. This means that if you meet the Solent University language requirement to gain a place on the course, you may still have to meet additional requirements to be granted with a visa by the Home Office.
We strongly advise all applicants to visit the Home Office website which outlines all the requirements for a successful visa application and to take a look at our 2023 course entry statement document.
48UCAS points
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: admissions.international@solent.ac.ukCall: +44 (0)23 8201 5066How to apply
Full-time
Any student applying for the first year of a full-time/sandwich undergraduate course must apply through UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service). This includes mature, overseas and EU students.
Nearly all schools and colleges offer their students the facility of applying electronically through the UCAS website using 'Apply'; it may also be used by those applying independently in the UK and overseas. This facility and all course information can be found on the UCAS website: www.ucas.com.
Your application should reach UCAS by 31 January if you hope to enter a course the following autumn. Early application is advised for the most popular subject areas. Late applications may be made until the end of June. The UCAS Code for the University is S30, code name SOLNT.
Find out what happens after you apply
Contextual offers
Solent endeavours to offer learning opportunities to students from all backgrounds. When we receive and review an application, we take into consideration the context and personal circumstances of applicants when making a decision, which means our advertised entry tariff could be reduced.
Alternative entry options
Top-up route:
We welcome applications from students currently studying a Foundation Degree, DipHE, HNC, HND or modules of an undergraduate degree course at another university, who wish to enter directly into Years 2 or 3 of one of our undergraduate degree courses. Please contact our admissions team for more information: contact us
Language requirements
Applicants who do not have English as their first language will be required to demonstrate an approved level of proficiency in the use of the English language. The agreed minimum requirements for this course are:
-
IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each individual component
-
or equivalent.
Qualifications are checked before enrolment, and international students must bring their original certificates or certified copies when coming to study at the University.
The University also offers a pre-sessional English programme for international students who wish to improve their level of English before starting a degree course.
Make your application
- 3 years
- 4 years with foundation year
