BSc (Hons) Digital Film Technologies

AI Creative Practice

This module introduces you to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within contemporary creative practice. It is designed to develop awareness, confidence, and a basic critical understanding of how AI is used across creative disciplines. 

You will be introduced to the ways AI intersects with areas such as writing, media production, performance, audio, and visual design. Early teaching provides an accessible overview of key ideas including authorship, originality, bias, and ethical considerations. 

Following this, you will undertake an individual exploration into the use of AI within a chosen creative context or area of practice. This exploration may involve practical experimentation, comparison of outputs, or a combination of both. 

The emphasis of the module is on exploration rather than technical mastery. You will be encouraged to try out AI tools, observe their effects, and begin to recognise your own judgement in relation to the outputs you produce. 

Introduction to Film Production

This module aims to engage you with the fundamental practices and underpinning principles of camera operation, sound capture, and lighting for screen‑based production.

Through a combination of practical workshops and guided exercises, you will develop an understanding of how technical and creative choices impact visual and audio outcomes.

The module focuses on building core technical confidence, encouraging you to apply industry‑informed techniques in a range of controlled production scenarios. By the end of the module, you will be able to practically demonstrate essential skills in camera, sound, and lighting at a competent and proficient level, forming a foundation for more advanced production work and collaborative practice.

3D Foundation

This module aims to provide you with an introductory understanding of animation and asset creation, their many applications across the entertainment industries, and the boundaries of the disciplines within the field and their specific place in production workflows.

Through a combination of lectures, workshops, briefs and screenings, you will be introduced to industry-standard software, core creative and technical processes, and the specific skill sets required across the subject area.

The curriculum is designed to establish sound professional work practices, promote efficient working within a digital production pipeline, and develop a self-critical approach through iterative review, experimentation and productive failure within a safe creative environment. 

Film Practice

This module provides foundational training in video production, introducing key technical and procedural skills across contemporary digital film practice.

Working in groups, you develop core competencies in the five principal areas of production: camera, sound, lighting, editing, and delivery.

Through practical work, the module explores processes spanning pre-production, production, and post-production, while promoting safe working practices. It also fosters transferable skills in teamwork, planning, and time management, supporting the development of foundational professional craft skills. 

Post Production 1

This module introduces you to the fundamental principles and practices of post-production, providing a foundation in key technical and creative workflows.

You will explore core post-production specialisms: editing, sound design and mixing (including ADR and Foley), colour grading, visual effects, and delivery workflows, developing an understanding of how these processes contribute to the creation of a completed screen-based artefact.

Through a combination of theoretical study and practical application, the module builds essential knowledge and skills in post-production processes, enabling you to produce a portfolio of post-production work. 

Compositing Foundation

This module aims to provide you with an introductory understanding of compositing and its role within contemporary screen-based production.

Through lectures, workshops, briefs and screenings, you will be introduced to industry-standard software, core creative and technical processes, and the principles involved in working with digital image-based material within post-production workflows.

The curriculum is designed to develop foundational knowledge of image construction, manipulation and integration, while encouraging you to engage with the visual and technical considerations involved in combining multiple image elements and working with live-action source material.

This includes an introduction to key image-based concepts that underpin effective compositing practice and professional working methods within a digital pipeline. 

Cinematography

This module aims to build upon your previous practical and theoretical learning by developing a more advanced understanding of the key concepts, aesthetics, and professional practices of digital cinematography.

Through focused exploration of on‑set filming techniques, industry‑informed workflows, and established production protocols, you will extend your technical and creative capabilities in camera and lighting practice.

The module places emphasis on the role of the cinematographer within collaborative production environments, encouraging you to critically engage with responsibilities such as visual storytelling, communication with crew, and technical decision‑making.

By fostering increased autonomy and reflective practice, the module aims to support you in developing a deeper, more independent approach to learning, experimentation, and professional growth within cinematography and related screen production disciplines. 

Sound for Moving Image

The module aims to elucidate the technical and creative processes that help to create great sonic storytelling in film and moving-image production.

Building on experiences that you have had with sound during the course, the module introduces further techniques required for capturing and generating sound.

Recording skills on set and on location are taught and practised, covering the use of portable recording equipment, boom operation, wireless mics and timecode synchronisation techniques. You will also further your understanding of Sound Design and Audio post-production techniques, building on what you have covered during the first year. 

Compositing Skills Development

This module provides you with an ongoing opportunity to continue the development of compositing skills established in previous modules.

Through a series of briefs that introduce new techniques and support the production, you will collate a body of work demonstrating increasing mastery of compositing workflows and practices.

Delivered through lectures, workshops and briefs, the curriculum supports the continued development of technical, creative and critical skills in compositing, with emphasis on iterative refinement, self-critique and professional studio-oriented working methods.

You will build on prior knowledge through a combination of practical camera sessions and computer-based workshops, with particular focus on working with live-action footage, for example, tracking, green screen compositing, and the integration of CG elements within digital post-production workflows.

Post Production 2

This module develops your creative and technical engagement with post-production processes, advancing your skills across key specialisms including editing, sound design, ADR, Foley and Immersive Mixing, colour grading, visual effects, and delivery workflows.

Through practice-based activities and theoretical study, you will explore how post-production decisions shape meaning, style, and narrative in screen-based work.

The module supports increasing independence in workflow management and technical decision-making, culminating in the production of a portfolio of post-production artefacts that demonstrate applied creative and technical post-production practice within specified constraints. 

Motion and Performance Capture

This module introduces you to the principles and practices of contemporary motion capture production.

You will develop knowledge and practical understanding of motion capture workflows, including studio protocols, capture methodologies, performer requirements, and the translation of recorded movement into digital outcomes.

Through workshops and project work, you will engage with the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of motion capture production, contributing through technical, creative and performance-based roles as appropriate to the brief.

The module enables you to develop professional skills in planning, problem-solving, communication and the realisation of motion capture outcomes within a production context. 

Live Event Filming

This module aims to introduce you to the creative, technical, and organisational demands of multi‑camera production for an as‑live event context.

You will explore the planning, execution, and delivery of live-style recordings using industry‑standard workflows, gaining hands‑on experience in camera operation, vision mixing, sound capture, and live coordination.  

The module aims to develop your technical competence across both sound and vision while fostering an understanding of collaborative production roles and professional communication.

Through working to a client brief, you will also develop transferable skills such as teamwork, problem‑solving, time management, and adaptability, preparing you for professional practice within live and recorded production environments.

Dissertation

You will undertake a substantial, self-directed project (group or individual) that represents the culmination of your undergraduate study.

It will require you to synthesise, where applicable, technical skills, theoretical knowledge, creative vision, and professional practices to produce a substantial piece of original work (group or individual) accompanied by an individual portfolio exploring research methodologies and underpinned by critical reflection. 

The dissertation is defined not by a single format, but by its significance, ambition, and rigour. You will propose and execute a project that aligns with your discipline while demonstrating an understanding of its context within the broader screen arts landscape. Unlike traditional written dissertations, this module accepts diverse outputs—from films and screenplays to audio dramas, sports documentaries, essays, media campaign analyses, or technical portfolios—as long as they are underpinned by systematic research and critical reflection. 

All productions/projects should be analysed using the BFI Albert Sustainable Production Framework.

Advanced Cinematography

This module aims to support you in seeking a deeper and more advanced understanding of digital cinematography, building upon existing knowledge of camera and lighting practice.

Through the integrated exploration of theory and practice, the module will examine key cinematographic concepts, technical principles, and creative approaches to camera and lighting.

Emphasis is placed on the applied use of techniques within practical production contexts, encouraging you to refine your technical competence, visual decision‑making, and professional working practices.

The module aims to develop confidence, autonomy, and critical awareness, enabling you to extend your cinematography skills toward a more advanced and industry‑informed level of practice.

Facial Performance Capture

This module develops your knowledge and practical understanding of contemporary facial performance capture production.

You will engage with the principles, workflows and creative applications of facial motion capture, including performer preparation, head-mounted camera systems, facial tracking technologies, capture methodologies, retargeting processes, and the translation of recorded facial performance onto digital facial rigs.

Through workshops and project work, you will explore the relationship between performance, technical setup and postproduction practice, including the integration of facial capture with wider body-based motion capture workflows. The module enables you to develop professional skills in planning, problem-solving, communication and the realisation of facial performance capture outcomes within a collaborative production context.

Creative Portfolio

This module supports you in developing a professional creative portfolio that clearly communicates your skills, identity and ambitions within the creative industries. It builds on work produced across earlier modules and focuses on curation, presentation and strategy, rather than volume of output. 

You will be encouraged to create either a simple online portfolio website using an appropriate portfolio‑building platform, or a professionally designed PDF portfolio for those who prefer an offline alternative. You will also be invited to explore show reels as a critical component of some creative portfolios. Overall, the emphasis is on clarity, selection and intent, ensuring that work is framed appropriately for its intended audience. 

Alongside portfolio creation, the module introduces key principles of personal branding, creative entrepreneurship and career sustainability. You will develop a forward‑looking plan that outlines your intended career direction over the next five years, how your portfolio will support this trajectory, how you will maintain engagement with the industry, and how you intend to adapt your practice in a changing creative landscape. 

The module is highly independent and student‑led, encouraging you to take ownership of your creative identity, reflect on prior learning, and articulate purposeful next steps beyond graduation.