Bachelor of Arts in Film & Media

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Full-time: 3 years
Awarding Body: HETAC

The Bachelor of Arts in Film & Media is an attractive new degree programme that offers students a broad grounding in the history and contemporary social role of the mass media, including the cinema, television, radio, the printed media, advertising and the internet. As a cultural form, the audio-visual media have a pervasive and powerful influence upon contemporary society. During the three years of study students will examine the way the contemporary electronic audio-visual media represent society and shape our understanding of the world around us. Another important element of the new degree course is its practical and creative component: students will learn the basic skills involved in digital film productions and will carry out their own media projects.

 
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Year 1

Semester 1

History of Cinema 1

History of Cinema 1

The course is designed as an introduction to the history of cinema up to World War II. We shall study the invention of film as a new visual medium in the late nineteenth century, and the growth and development of film techniques including screenwriting, cinematography, acting and editing in the silent era and in the early talking pictures. The main areas of interest will include the rise of classic Hollywood cinema, German Expressionism, French Impressionism, and the Soviet Montage.
Theory of Film 1

Theory of Film 1

This module acts as an introduction to the key concepts and terminology of Film Theory. Students will be introduced to key critical and theoretical approaches to a broad range of cinemas. Addressing questions of film style and meaning, spectatorship and issues surrounding narrative analysis, the course aims to illustrate these theoretical concerns via screenings of relevant contemporary film texts. On completion of the module students will be able to engage in analytical discussion of film.
Contemporary Media

Contemporary Media

This course will introduce students to the main elements of the contemporary media landscape. It will grant students a better understanding of our media saturated contemporary world. Students will examine what exactly it is that media is defined as and will explore and analyse various forms of media. Newspapers, Broadcast Media, magazines and books are all investigated as forms of media. Students will understand the role that is played by these various media forms in contemporary society.
Introduction to Communication Theory

Introduction to Communication Theory

Students will be introduced to the study of communications, and will gain a thorough grounding in the basic concepts and theories that underlie the study of mass media. This course tracks the history and development of communications has they have evolved throughout the last century. Students will gain insight into the tenets of print and broadcast media, and how the evolution of these mass media communications effect society.
Information Technology and Academic Skills

Information Technology and Academic Skills

Students will be given a thorough grounding in the fundamental information technology skills they will require over the course of their degree, including word processing and online research skills. This course will assist in all other areas of the students’ academic life, equipping them with the ability to utilise the correct referencing systems as well as familiarising them with software essential at Third level education.

Year 2

Semester 1

Scriptwriting for Production

Scriptwriting for Production

A course that introduces students to the storytelling process that scriptwriting for film entails. By examining the fundamentals of writing for screen, students will come to possess the practical skills necessary to construct a three act dramatic narrative. By semesters end, students will have gone through the entire process of drafting their own scripts, 3-5 minute in length, and will submit them for consideration for production in the following semester.
Production: From Script to Screen

Production: From Script to Screen

This course offers students an overview of the production process. Providing an in depth analysis of all specific phases of the production process, from script to screen, this course enables students to produce their own short films. Key attention will be paid to the subject of financing in film, and students will be a prospective on the huge issue of preparing a budget for film. This course will also advise students on professional standards & procedures in areas such as producing, directing, assistant directing, continuity, props, costume & set design, sound recording.
Media and Ireland

Media and Ireland

This course is designed to introduce students to Irish national media. The evolution of media in Ireland, through press, radio and television, over the last century will be examined. Ireland’s current media landscape and all major institutions within will be analysed to give the student a clearer understanding of Irelands media forms. Students will also be introduced to debates concerning the relationship between Ireland’s national identity and Ireland’s media output.
Introduction to Camera, Lighting and Sound

Introduction to Camera, Lighting and Sound

This course acts as an introduction to the practical and technical sides of the film industry. Students will be provided with instruction and assistance in basic skills in technology and camera operation along with essential skills required for lighting for film. The course will also introduce students, and provide training, in the theory and practice of sound in production.
Writing for Print Media

Writing for Print Media

This module will provide students with the basic skills required to write clearly and effectively for different media forms. Various forms of writing for media will be analysed; Feature writing, writing for broadcast, reviews, interviews, PR writing and writing for the web. Students will come to understand the fundamental elements of information gathering and the process of assembling this information into a cohesive whole. By semesters end, students will have produced a body of written work in a range of forms, including news, magazine features and press releases.

Year 3

Semester 1

National Cinemas 2

National Cinemas 2

A lead on from National Cinemas I, this course aims to further interrogate the thematic concerns and issues raised from a diverse range of contemporary film movements from all across the globe. Issues such as the rise of globalisation and its effects on National Cinemas will be explored.
Advanced Camera, Lighting and Sound

Advanced Camera, Lighting and Sound

An in depth look at the practical and technical elements of shooting a film. Students will receive hands-on training and supervision in areas of Camera, Lighting and Sound. The module contains workshops for both Camera and Lighting techniques as well as an introduction to the theory and practice of sound in post-production using Pro Tools. Each student will be required to work as part of a team to produce their own projects at modules end.
Editing: Theory and Practice

Editing: Theory and Practice

This course is an examination of the editing process in the film industry. Over the semester, students will engage with both the theoretical and practical aspects within the field of editing. Students will be introduced to the key theoretical concepts of editing, will understand the role of the editor and analyse the works of editing greats, before being given hands-on instruction in the basic elements of Final Cut Pro, the industry standard editing software.
Media, Law, and Ethics

Media, Law, and Ethics

This course is designed to give students a broad overview of the regulatory and legal environment for media in Ireland. Students will familiarise themselves with legal issues, pertinent to contemporary Irish media, such as libel, defamation and contempt of court. Throughout this course, students will become aware of the workings of the Irish Constitution and it’s relevance to all working in Irish media. Also, students will develop an awareness for, and ability to spot, the main legal issues for broadcast and print media.
Contemporary Society

Contemporary Society

Throughout this course students will become familiarised with the basic workings of Irish politics and will come to see the importance of being aware of political institutions for those working within the media. The relationship between politics and media will further be explored in the context of Ireland’s place within the European Union and how European media policy has affected our own. Contemporary issues in Irish society, such as racism, social inclusion and religion will also be assessed from a media standpoint.

 

Year 1

Semester 2

History of Cinema 2

History of Cinema 2

A sequel to Cinema History I, the course is designed as a historical survey of the popular medium of cinema after World War II, with the main focus on European and American developments. The particular cinematic movements discussed in the course will include the Italian Neorealism, the French and the British New Wave, the Polish School, and the New Hollywood of the late 1960s.
Theory of Film 2

Theory of Film 2

Building on the foundations laid by Film Theory I, this module examines in more specific detail the various disciplines that inform Film Theory. Areas such as psychoanalysis, Marxism, feminism, post-structuralism, deconstruction, cultural studies and postmodernism, and how they relate to the study of film, are all utilised to illuminate the theoretical framework of the study of film.
Media and Society

Media and Society

Through this course, students will be introduced to the numerous debates surrounding the complex relationship between media and society. Issues such as news ethics, the effects of globalisation of the media, censorship and violence, media consolidation and corporatisation of the media are all tackled, developing understanding of the power of the media within contemporary society. An ability to articulate both the positive and negative aspects to the proliferation of the media will be gained.
Writing for Print Media

Writing for Print Media

This module will provide students with the basic skills required to write clearly and effectively for different media forms. Various forms of writing for media will be analysed; Feature writing, writing for broadcast, reviews, interviews, PR writing and writing for the web. Students will come to understand the fundamental elements of information gathering and the process of assembling this information into a cohesive whole. By semesters end, students will have produced a body of written work in a range of forms, including news, magazine features and press releases.
Introduction to Radio and Radio Production

Introduction to Radio and Radio Production

This module is designed to introduce students to the concepts and methodologies behind the production of radio. Students will be educated in the pressure of radio production and will be given the basic skills required to design, record and edit short items for the radio. After mastering the basic skills, students will be afforded the opportunity to record their own project, and edit their recordings using industry standard software.

Year 2

Semester 2

National Cinemas 1

National Cinemas 1

This course will open students up to a broad range of national cinemas. Students will view films and film movements as diverse as Iranian New Wave, French Impressionism and German Expressionism. In studying these various contrasting national cinemas, students will become aware of the relationship between national cinema and national identity, as well as exploring and challenging differing attitudes and assumptions about non-Hollywood produced films.
Politics of Representation

Politics of Representation

Analysing films from diverse areas of the world, this course interrogates conventional representations of various “minorities” throughout film history. Students will be introduced to key theories that inform Film Theory such as Feminism, construction of masculinity on screen, the representation of gender, race & ethnicity, and sexuality in film and television. Using a wide variety of texts and films, this course will enable students to understand the ideological implications of media stereotyping of minorities & key debates surrounding the issue of alternative identity construction.
Directing for Film: Theory and Practice

Directing for Film: Theory and Practice

This course is designed to introduce students to the theory and practice of film direction. A diverse range of directing styles will be analysed and what constitutes good direction/directors will be examined. Students will be asked to grasp the role and responsibilities of the director in relation to the other professionals on a film crew (actors, Cinematographer, Art Director) and will gain an insight into the collaborative nature of the film industry.
Editing, Layout, and Design for Print Media

Editing, Layout, and Design for Print Media

This course is designed to equip students with the basic skills needed for copy editing in a print media environment. Students will learn the concept of page design and will develop practical print production skills, including image manipulation, on industry standard software. Students will also learn the importance of developing a critical eye and will gain the ability to critique page design, based on the design principles learned throughout the module.
Local and Global Media

Local and Global Media

The effects of globalisation of the media are illuminated in this course. Students will investigate the concept of globalisation; what exactly it entails, how contentious it is and how it has shaped global media. The course will give the student an ability to articulate the position of various different views on the issue of globalisation of the media.

Year 3

Semester 2

Irish Film and Television Management

Irish Film and Television Management

This course examines the evolution of the Irish film and television industries, and assesses the current infrastructure of the indigenous industry in detail. It explores the business dimension to the industry, as well as articulating the nature of finance, as it pertains to film and television in Ireland. The course will also highlight the many avenues and options that filmmakers have open to them in Ireland’s film and television industry.
Television Theory

Television Theory

Analysing diverse facets of the most prevalent media form in the world today this course attempts to stimulate discussion and understanding of key critical concepts, methods and debates relating to a broad range of television texts. News, documentary, soap opera, and contemporary American television are among the topics introduced throughout the course. The student will also gain an understanding of different narrative conventions at work throughout television as well as gleaning an insight into the mechanics of their own viewing practices.
Video Workshop

Video Workshop

This module is a practical look at the workings of the film industry. Embracing various different disciplines it offers the student an overview of every phase of production on a film. The mechanics of screenwriting, the art of directing for film, and an examination of the production process are all explored. This module acts as a workshop, allowing for hands-on learning in areas such as lighting and Camera. Each student will be required to use the theoretical and practical aspects to produce their own film project at the end of the module.
News, Journalism, and Documentary

News, Journalism, and Documentary

The fundamental aspects of newsgathering will be examined on this course. This course will also impart an understanding of the political economy of journalism and a heavy emphasis will be placed on exposing the constructed nature of news and documentary. The ethics of journalism and the power the media has through various forms of propaganda and censorship will all be broached on this course.
Contemporary Media Analysis

Contemporary Media Analysis

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an overview of the role of the media in contemporary society with a goal of enabling students to identify the primary influences on news and entertainment. Students will come to understand the complex interplay between media, political and economic power in today’s society. Subjects such as the decline in investigative journalism, the commercialisation of the media and celebrity culture are broached in an effort to illuminate the issues that inform contemporary society’s media.

 

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