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Filmmaking

Course Code: DIPFM31
  • Level: 3
  • Qualification: Diploma, Extended Diploma
  • Awarding body: Business & Technology Education Council (BTEC)
  • Duration: One to two years
  • Course type: Full-time
  • Time of day: Daytime
  • When you'll study: Various days and times
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What's it all about?

This course gives you the opportunity to see your ideas come to life on screen and allows the freedom to be experimental and exploratory. It is for creatives who want to develop their filmmaking craft and knowledge, which can lead to a successful future in the creative industries. This industry sector is the fastest growing sector in the UK economy, and contributed £109bn to the UK economy in 2021*, with the UK film industry showing significant growth.

Plymouth is home to an eclectic and diverse cultural and creative industries sector, so where better to study the art form to tell stories and learn how to create meaningful content with this filmmaking course, which can provide opportunities to address social and cultural needs through the art form.

*Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, 2022

**Digital Catapult Economy report, 2019

Course information

This exciting course gives you practical training to enable the creation of practical moving-image projects, which are underpinned by theoretical frameworks. You will develop an insight into the professional world of moving-image production, understanding scripting and storyboarding processes through to production and post-production stages whilst considering distribution platforms, whether this is online platforms including social media or film festivals and competitions.

Areas you will study include:

  • moving-image production (film, television, promotional filmmaking)
  • sound design for moving image
  • motion graphics
  • directing and screenwriting skills
  • technical craft skills.

Topics will include:

Year 1 (Diploma) 

  • practical workshops for technical skill development
  • presenting work
  • design and research skills 
  • critical and contextual awareness.
Year 2 (Extended Diploma)

  • specialising in your chosen discipline 
  • technical skills and problem solving
  • live projects and presenting client work professionally.
In addition, you will:
  • learn from industry experienced staff
  • have access to state-of-the art equipment, including 4K cameras, LED lighting and camera stabilisations and dedicated studio spaces including studio with green screen, sound booth for voice overs and a podcast recording studio
  • use industry standard software (Adobe Creative Suite)
  • benefit from links with local employers such as the BBC, Real Ideas, Pushed and Twofour, as well as freelancers
  • get fantastic opportunities to display your work in and outside of the College
  • collaborate with performing and production arts, graphic design, music, esports, virtual reality and games development students.
Your individualised study programme will be made up of the following four areas:
  • the qualification you are studying
  • English and maths
  • work experience
  • other activities to develop your personal skills eg preparing you for employment, training or further/higher education.

In our experience in order to be successful on this course you will need one of the following:

  • four to five GCSEs at grades 9-4 (A*-C) (including English)
  • a level 2 media qualification
  • a BTEC first diploma
  • a NVQ Level 2/technical certificate
  • successful completion of an apprenticeship course
  • equivalent qualifications or relevant work experience.

Assessment will be through written and practical coursework, employer projects, group work, presentations and analysis.

On successful completion, you may wish to progress onto:

Please note fees are quoted for one year only.

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Future careers

What you could earn:

Actors, Entertainers and Presenters

£50,363.41

Potential salary

£14,158.93

Entry level salary

£27,732.17

Average salary

1

Annual openings in Plymouth

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