Filmmaking

BA (Hons) Filmmaking is a practice-based course giving you the creative freedom to develop your voice through the dynamic language of film.

Our learning environment incorporates a unique mix of digital art and film school philosophies, empowering you to express your ideas and stories through narrative fiction, documentary, artists’ moving image and new media. You will specialise in original ideas from unique perspectives, with the potential for your work to be screened in international venues.

Studying at the School of Digital Arts means learning beyond the usual limits. You’ll be part of a vibrant creative community that spans a range of disciplines, from photography and animation, to music and sound design. It’s an environment designed for collaboration – a place where you can push the boundaries of filmmaking, explore the directions that interest you most and develop a broad skill set made for today’s digital arts and media sector. Here, you’ll have access to a vast range of specialist resources and purpose-built facilities, as well as a wealth of opportunities for developing your professional skills, from work experience placements and industry competitions to guest lectures and collaborations with organisations.  

The UK film and television industry is a global success story and Manchester is the perfect place to write your own chapter. It’s a major media city, second only to London. The likes of the BBC and ITV are on our doorstep at MediaCityUK, while the city is also home to a thriving, bustling digital production sector, from innovative start-ups to established production companies. For today, that means you’ll have the chance to work on live industry projects – developing practical skills and valuable experience. For tomorrow, that means you’ll graduate in one of the most exciting cities in Europe for starting a career in the creative and digital industries.

This course has a Foundation Year available.

Features and benefits

Teaching staff are practising industry professionals making feature films for cinema release, artist films for international art galleries, and running their own production companies.

We host regular programmes of film screenings, talks and masterclasses from film professionals. Last year these included Academy Award-winning editor/sound designer Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now, The English Patient), cinematographer/camera op Rachel Clark (Fantastic Beasts, American Honey), feature director Deborah Haywood (Pincushion) and artist-filmmaker Andrew Kotting (Gallivant, Lek and the Dogs).

You will work with high-end equipment and have access to industry-standard edit suites.

Annually we host and support a number of externally-facing opportunities each year, allowing you to hone your skills in a professional environment and expand your networks. We have a partnership with Manchester’s leading Art House cinema HOME where third-year students have been invited to programme their own film festival for a public audience each year.

We know the importance of showing work to a public audience, and have several external facing showcases throughout the three years. Previously these have included BAFTA-recognised Aesthetica Film Festival, Unit X showcases across the city of Manchester and the School of Art Degree Show.

Each year you have the opportunity to attend an International Film Festival. In recent years we have attended Berlin International Film Festival and International Film Festival Rotterdam. You can also study part of your degree abroad at one of the University exchange programme’s 150 partner institutions.