
Digital Film Production with a Foundation Year - BSc (Hons)
Currently viewing course to start in 2023/24 Entry. Switch to 2024/25 Entry
Want to study a Film Production degree? Digital Film Production with a Foundation Year ensures you will develop a range of academic and technical skills relevant to technology in film. You’ll explore filmmaking fundamentals such narrative, composition and film theory to camera testing, designing digital production workflows and post-production....
- Level Foundation
- Study mode Full Time
- Location City Centre
- Award BSc (Hons)
- Start date September 2023
- Fees View course fees
- School School of Computing and Digital Technology
- Faculty Faculty of Computing, Engineering and The Built Environment
Overview
Want to study a Film Production degree? Digital Film Production with a Foundation Year ensures you will develop a range of academic and technical skills relevant to technology in film.
You’ll explore filmmaking fundamentals such narrative, composition and film theory to camera testing, designing digital production workflows and post-production.
Like the film industry itself, this course enables students to exercise a broad range of technical and creative skills with the support of the university’s cutting edge facilities and software, including our Parkside Media Centre.
About the Foundation Year
The Foundation Year course option enables you to study for our BSc (Hons) degree over an extended full-time duration of four years by including a Foundation Certificate (year one of four). The Foundation Certificate provides a broad study programme that underpins the follow-on degree. In order to progress to the next year of your degree, it is necessary to achieve a pass in all of the modules of the Foundation Certificate.
What's covered in this course?
The Film Production degree focuses on fundamental technical concepts, including the physics of sound and light being captured during production (and the tools and approaches used to do this), as well as the techniques used to digitally store and manipulate both images and audio in post-production.
The course aims to produce well rounded filmmakers with a mix of technical, creative and business skills, able to work with digital video in a variety of industries. To achieve this, as well as its focus on the process and practice of producing films, the course covers a range of important subjects, such as visual composition, narrative design, production design, the film business and cross-platform productions.
Birmingham City University is a great place to study - the city has an active and accessible film-making community, and you will be studying in the same campus as undergraduates studying a range of arts, including acting, music, photography, fashion and theatre.
You’ll also have opportunities to engage with industry, allowing a number of flexible paths to gaining work experience, including: basing selected modules around work experience, taking a placement year and working on commercial productions within the University.
Accredited By
This course is accredited by:
The course definitely helped me with so many aspects of film and video production. From creating budgets for jobs, to understanding the technical functions of various cameras, right through to delivery formats for the projects. I certainly came out with a larger skill base and experience in filmmaking.
Josh Birch
Why Choose Us?
- Brand new facilities at STEAMhouse - This state-of-the-art building will become the new home for its School of Computing and Digital Technology from the start of the 2022 academic year. Based at our expanding City Centre Campus, this unique centre will give you access to outstanding facilities and teaching spaces, as well as opportunities to collaborate with people and businesses across multiple sectors and work on real industry-based projects.
- Outstanding facilities - Our Centre for Digital Media Technology is equipped with over 1,200 sq m of facilities including two film/television studios, four multi-track recording studios, post-production suites, a MILO motion control rig and several editing and grading stations.
- Knowledge of the fundamental aspects in film production - Explore the technology and physics of film production, from working with light and sound, to understanding how different production and post-production tools affect images and sound you capture.
- Highly employable graduates - Move quickly into key production roles with the combination of technical knowledge and practical production experience from your course. Our graduates have gone on to work at the BBC.
- Gain first-hand experience in industry - You will have the opportunity to network and make contacts with people in industry, gain work experience and to take a placement year between your second and final year.
- Incredible opportunities - Read about how Tayyib landed his first graduate job working on a Hollywood blockbuster film straight out of BCU.
Where our students go
Our students have gone on to work with companies such as:
- Ashfields
- Christopher Smith
- Creative Video
And in jobs such as:
- Film Production and Technology
- Film Maker
- Production Assistant
Open Days
Join us for an on-campus Open Day where you'll be able to explore our campus and facilities in person. Booking for the next event isn’t open yet. Register your interest below and we’ll email you as soon as booking goes live.
Next Open Day: March 2023
Entry Requirements
These entry requirements apply for entry in 2023/24.
All required qualifications/grades must have been achieved and evidenced at the earliest opportunity after accepting an offer to help confirm admission and allow for on-time enrolment. This can also include other requirements, like a fee status form and relevant documents. Applicants can track their application and outstanding information requests through their BCU mySRS account.
We accept a range of qualifications, the most popular of which are detailed below.
Essential Requirements
BB or 80 UCAS tariff points from A/AS Level with a minimum of 2 A Levels |
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Level 2 qualifications | ||
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GCSE | GCSE English Language or English Literature and GCSE Maths at grade C/4 or above. If you do not have these or are not undertaking them, we accept other Level 2 equivalents, or we may ask you to pass BCU's GCSE equivalency tests. | |
Irish Leaving Certificate (Ordinary Level) | See level 3 entry under Irish Leaving Certificate for full details. | |
Scottish National 5 | English Language or English Literature and Maths at grade C or above. If you do not have these or are not undertaking them, we accept other Level 2 equivalents, or we may ask you to pass BCU's GCSE equivalency tests. | |
Plus one of the following Level 3 (and above) qualifications | ||
A level and Advanced VCE |
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Access to HE Diploma |
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Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate - Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015) |
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Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma – Core (awarded until 2016) ESW/KS Combined component |
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International Baccalaureate Diploma |
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Irish Leaving Certificate (Highers) |
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Other qualifications | ||
If you have a qualification that is not listed in the table please refer to our full entry requirements on UCAS. Further guidance on tariff points can be found on the UCAS website. |
Additional information for EU/International students
Essential | ||
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Please see your country page for further details on the equivalent qualifications we accept. In additional to the academic entry requirements listed above, international and EU students will also require the qualifications detailed in this table. |
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EU/Non-EU (International) Qualifications | ||
IELTS |
6.0 overall with 5.5 minimum in all bands If you do not meet the required IELTS score, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English courses. Please note that you must have a Secure English Language Test (SELT) to study on the pre-sessional English course. More information. |
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International Baccalaureate Diploma (or equivalent, including internationally accredited Foundation courses). |
1. For students who complete the full IB Diploma: a total of 14 points or above from three Higher Level Subjects. 2. Students who do not complete the IB Diploma will be considered on the basis of their IB Certificates. Students must have grade 5 in Maths (Standard Level) |
International students who cannot meet the direct entry requirements can begin their degree studies at Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC).
Additional Requirements
As part of the application process you will be invited to attend an applicant visit day where you will undertake a short one-to-one interview with an academic member of staff. This is your chance to show us how passionate you are about the subject and it will help us make a decision on your application.
This will provide you with more information about the School and your course. In addition, it will give you a chance to meet and our staff and students to gain a better understanding of what it is like to be a student here.
Fees & How to Apply
UK students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: BSc (Hons)
Starting: Sep 2023
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 4 years
- £9,250 in 2023/24
- Apply via UCAS
International students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: BSc (Hons)
Starting: Sep 2023
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 4 years
- £13,980 in 2023/24
Guidance for UK students
UK students applying for most undergraduate degree courses in the UK will need to apply through UCAS.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is a UK organisation responsible for managing applications to university and college.
Applying through UCAS
- Register with UCAS
- Login to UCAS and complete your details
- Select your course and write a personal statement
- Get a reference
- Pay your application fee and submit your application
Course in Depth
Foundation Year
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits).
The Foundation Mathematics module provides the basic knowledge and mathematical skills which will equip the students to continue their studies to an undergraduate programme. The module will be focused on mathematics related to the field of computing. The interactive taught sessions will use fundamental mathematical in discussions to broaden understanding of the theory and practice introduced in the module.
Academic and personal study skills are essential elements which should be applied in order to be successful in Higher Education. This module aims to help you in developing basic research skills, academic writing and reflection skills. These skills are inevitably important and will support your transition to the higher education levels of study associated with your chosen degree programme.
This module provides the skills necessary to design a web based application around a clear understanding of the business information requirements, a structured design of an interface and the development skills necessary to implement a solution.
This module focuses on varied technologies relating to the design and development of application to meet the information needs of a business. The module will analyse and design an application that meets current web standards.
This module will provide you with an introduction to digital media technology and will allow you to explore technology-driven change in the media industry.
This module will introduce the fundamentals of audio / video capture and editing allowing you to explore workflow practices. You will document your development process, including aspects such as storyboarding and risk assessments and will create an artefact that relates to technology in your chosen degree or industry.
During the journey within higher education, developing your independent study is an essential skill to support shaping the knowledge to become more useful and applied within practice. This module aims to provide you with necessary skills and tips that should support you to work independently within your discipline and to successfully apply project management tools and techniques to a mini project related to your subject discipline.
Foundations of programming aims to provide you with the fundamental principles and practice-based activities needed to begin developing software programs. The module details the anatomy of a structured software program that includes the creation of a program algorithm, a logical, simple and organised program flow and the generation of pseudo and programming code.
The module uses a combination of theory and practice-based sessions designed to engage students in group and individual activities to identify the components of a software program and to apply their knowledge into hands-on software programming activities. During the module sessions you will acquire the basic skills to design and create software programs.
Year One
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits).
This module will develop understanding of key digital film production processes. You will be introduced to the tools of production, including sound recording equipment and video cameras. Through the application of a ‘flipped’ curriculum you will be encouraged to become an independent learner with an approach to production work that will be ‘hands on’ from the start. This creative and technical module is designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills to follow a path of further study in practical filmmaking.
This module will develop your skills, knowledge and experience of key techniques within visual design industry – more specifically the art and craft of visual communication, visual design and digital asset creation.
The competent use and application of these techniques are core practical skills within the course programme and fundamentally important to a variety of careers within the digital media industry.
This module will develop your understanding of audio visual acquisition technologies for digital film production. The module addresses how images and audio are captured using sound and video recording equipment in a film production environment. You will understand the physical properties of sound and light and how these impact on the technology and use of film capture equipment.
A great deal of film production takes place in dedicated studios or sound stages. This generally involves large teams of people working in departments within a specified hierarchy. This module introduces you to production in a controlled environment, covering both the studio equipment and working practices within a studio. You will gain practical experience through which you can familiarise yourself with the specific roles that different crew members play in the production process.
This module will introduce you to the technology, techniques and practical considerations involved in sound production for film and other visual media. The aim of the module is to familiarise you with the variety of possible procedures undertaken in the incorporation of sound with visuals to create a unified audio-visual experience.
This module will develop your understanding of audio visual technologies in production. The aim of this module is to provide you with the knowledge and appreciation of fundamental principles and practices of audio visual technology. You will explore the various technologies used to produce a film to a professional standard and gain a deeper understanding of the science of image and audio capture.
Year Two
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits).
Working as part of a team is the accepted modus operandi of film production, and gaining experience of the collaborative process is an invaluable asset that you can take into your professional career.
This module provides you with an understanding of the design and execution of a team production with particular focus on narrative drama. The module provides opportunities for intellectual and creative development through the application of technical knowledge, software systems and design principles to the creation of high quality digital film products.
This module investigates the process of screenwriting and provides opportunity for you to explore this process in preparation for your final year production. Furthermore, it contributes to development of the wider key skills required for employment, through in-class activities, assessments and background research.
The program on which this module is delivered combine the study and usage of audio visual technologies and content management systems utilized in the creation of a range of content which can be delivered to a variety of platforms. As the Film and Television industries have moved to filebased workflows, new roles and practices have come into existence to manage data in reliable and consistent ways, and ensure the safe replication, storage and migration of the ‘digital negative’. This vital link between production and post is currently filled by increasingly skilled and knowledgeable crew members, for whom the title Digital Image Technician has been officially recognised.
The module is an opportunity to learn and critically reflect on the skills of collaboration by enabling you to create an interdisciplinary project with students from complementary disciplines, or with academic staff. Collaboration is a vital employability skill within the Creative Industries and this module allows you to develop these skills, making use of University facilities and with the support of academic staff.
This Module focuses on the post production element of filmmaking. Specifically areas concerning editing techniques, compositing, audio finishing, colour correction and grading to aid narrative. You will learn both the technical skills of audio and video editing as well as the grammar and structure that belong to the art in order to become better storytellers.
This module will explore the fundamental concepts involved in conducting technical engineering research. It will explore the international standards and theories underpinning engineering testing and analysis. From this module you will gain knowledge to distinguish and appraise technology and understand current technical limitations, thus underpinning studies for your final year technology project and enhancing your routes into technical employment.
Professional Placement Year (optional)
In order to qualify for the award of Bachelor of Science with Honours Digital Film Production with Foundation Year and Professional Placement Year, a student must successfully complete all of the modules listed as well as the following Level 5 module:
This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a credit bearing, 40-week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Undergraduate Degree.
The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.
Final year
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits).
Working in the wider community of production, it is important to consider your part in the overall creation of an artefact. Being able to work independently; demonstrating problem solving skills; identifying and improving your own performance and; working other team members, are all traits that will be demanded of you in a typical work-place setting.
The purpose of the module is to enable you to undertake a sustained, in-depth and research informed project exploring an area that is of personal interest to you. In agreement with your supervisor, you will decide upon your topic which will take the form of a practical outcome (artefact) with accompanying contextual material. The main consideration when choosing your topic is that it must be aligned to the programme you are studying, and you should consider the relevance of this topic to your future academic or professional development.
At this level, you will be expected to work independently but you will receive additional one-to-one support from your supervisor, who will be familiar with your chosen topic area. As you progress on the module, extra support will be available and this may take the form of group seminars, workshops and online materials that will help to develop your project.
Download course specification
Download nowAttendance requirements
For more information on attendance requirements, course contact time and suggested self-study hours, download the course specification.
Student stories
Josh Birch
When Josh Birch enrolled on a BSc (Hons) Film Production Technology course, he wasn’t sure of where the career path would take him. A year on after graduating, he has worked around the world and done some incredible filming.

Athena Swan Bronze Award
We have successfully secured the Athena SWAN Departmental Bronze Award recognising a commitment to gender equality.
The Athena Swan Charter is a framework which is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education (HE) and research.
Employability
Enhancing employability skills
Engaging with industry and gaining work experience during your studies is essential if you are going to be taken seriously in the job market. Getting work experience in film production can be challenging, so we encourage you to be agile and help you engage with a board range of opportunities available.
The University is eager to recognise students who have made the effort to gain industry experience and stand out from the typical graduate, and thus it offers a range options for you to get extra awards and recognition for your work in industry.
You have the option undertake an assessed sandwich year between your second and third year, which will provide you with valuable work experience and give you the real-life skills you need.
The second-year Collaborative Practice and final-year Production Project modules have been designed so that you can use your work in industry as a basis for the module’s assessment.
The university has a Graduate+ programme, an extracurricular awards framework that is designed to augment the subject-based skills that you’ve developed throughout the programme with broader employability attributes, which will enhance your employability options upon graduating.
Placements
There are a range of opportunities for student to gain industry experience, examples of activities our student have done include:
- Working as a runner on one of our commercial productions
- Working for crewing agencies
- Working part-time for a production company
- Doing a placement year between the second and third year of the course
- Submitting work to crowdsourcing competitions and film festivals
- Collaborating with other students and local film makers on productions
- Setting up a YouTube channel
- Working directly for clients
- Organising and running events.
International
Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
- Explore some of the good reasons why you should study here.
- Find out how to improve your language skills before starting your studies.
- Find all the information relevant to applicants from your country.
- Learn where to find financial support for your studies.
As an international student on this course you will benefit from studying alongside a diverse range of students, all with different backgrounds and experience. In addition to this the course is led by tutors with international experience. You will have the chance to draw upon the diverse cultures and wealth of experience from your fellow students, learning new skills and sharing your own knowledge.
As an international student you will benefit from studying in close proximity to the UK’s diverse and continuously changing creative industries, and you are encouraged to engage and regularly network with these industries. Through practice-based teaching you will develop an in-depth understanding of digital media technology practices within the UK and further afield.
You have the chance to earn while you learn, taking on various roles through the University’s in-house employment scheme: OpportUNIty. You will also be able to access personal and academic support services, as well as help and advice tailored specifically for you. Through an international orientation and welcome week you will be able to adjust to life within the UK, preparing you for your studies!
Facilities & Staff

Our Facilities
The course is supported with cutting-edge facilities, including the University’s Parkside Media Centre, which is equipped with over 1,200 sq m of dedicated equipment, including three film/television studios, dedicated green screen studio, post-production facilities, MILO motion control rig, multi-track recording studios, and several editing and grading stations.
You have access to the industry standard software used on the course such as Adobe Creative Cloud, Final Cut Pro, AVID and Logic. Most of these tools are also available in our dedicated open access areas and our library which is open 24 hours a day. Laptops can also be hired out used in other spaces within the University.
Cameras, light and grip equipment can be hired for free from our hires and loans team. Equipment available includes: 4K cameras, high-end HD cinema style cameras with follow focus and matte boxes, a range of DSLR cameras, a range of different lights, soft boxes, flags, reflectors, a range of different tripods, stands, dollies, steady cams and jib arms.
Within the Centre there is an internationally recognised research team, DMT labs, specialising in mixed reality, intelligent animation, automated grading and compositing and human perception. This research team is involved in the delivery of this course, providing opportunities to join them as a post-graduate researcher on completion of the course.
Our staff
Stephen Gordon
Course Leader
After graduating from Birmingham Polytechnic, Stephen worked as a freelance journalist and scriptwriter for corporate video production. Since joining BCU in 2006, he has designed and delivered modules across a range of Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses, and currently teaches all but one of the practical production modules on the Digital Film...
More about StephenMathew Randall
Senior Lecturer in Visual Effects and Computer Graphics
Mathew has been working with computer graphics since the mid-1990s and has been involved in moving image production for over 10 years. Coming from an academic background in multimedia, he has extensive experience in real-time computer graphics and rendering, designing and developing user interfaces, games, systems for visualising data and signals,...
More about MathewMichael Bickerton
Lecturer
Michael has been producing and teaching film for over twenty years. He has international production experience and has taught on prestige courses (such as the UK Film Council’s Introduction to Screenwriting). He is a member of BECTU, GTC, and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
More about MichaelJay Patel
Senior Lecturer
Jay is a Lecturer in the School of Digital Media Technology. Jay has been involved with the delivery of ERDF projects. Since the successful completion of these projects he has moved into teaching. He currently delivers a variety of modules such as Audio Visual Technology, Moving Image Technology and Mathematics for Media.
More about Jay