Introduction

This is a specialist media programme that aims to enable students to understand and appreciate the media as means of communication and creative expression.

The programme offers an opportunity to develop and practice production skills in each of the three media, and to become familiar with appropriate critical and theoretical perspectives. Emphasis is placed upon understanding how the media functions institutionally and creatively, and the relevance to the individual and society is stressed.

Students can do FRTV as an integrated programme or students can choose to focus their study through one of the Programme’s Pathways: Film, Radio, Television, Broadcasting or Animation. Throughout the programme students have ample opportunity to develop their practical and theoretical work in depth.

Departmental equipment includes digital video and sound production facilities, 16mm film equipment, Avid and Pro Tools digital editing systems and a Rostrum room. The Department has a large well equipped studio for television, film and video productions, and postproduction facilities include a dubbing theatre, telecine equipment, video and sound editing systems, and four sound studios. All these resources are located in purpose-built accommodation at the centre of the Canterbury Campus. In addition the Department has a dedicated space for model animation with animation rigs and computers running Stop Motion Pro.

The Department has formed links with both local and national radio, film and television companies. BBC Radio Kent has a studio in the Department’s main building. Student radio (CSR, see page 40) and student television (CTV) broadcast on campus. FRTV students are active on both stations. Wherever possible, visiting professionals are brought in to supplement the teaching and learning experience. Visiting lecturers have included Thelma Schoonmaker-Powell, Tony Garnett and Jeremy Isaacs. Many graduates enter the media industries, frequently as trainees who will complete their technical training ‘in-house’.

Part-time routes for people in employment are available. See Professional Development by Work Based Learning.

Content and Structure

YEAR 1

For both Single Honours and Combined Honours students there are practical and theoretical foundation modules which are compulsory. The compulsory theory module introduces students to the analysis of film, radio and television, and provides a theoretical context for practical work through a series of case studies. The practical modules introduce basic production skills and techniques related to the media and offer opportunities for individual and group production. In the main all modules are worth 20 credits but some are double weighted at 40 credits.

Modules offered at Level 1 include:

• Introduction to Film, Radio and Television Theory (40 credits)
• Introduction to Film Production
• Introduction to TV Production
• ntroduction to Radio Production
• Animating the Imagination  

YEAR 2

The modules taken will vary according to whether the programme is studied as Single Honours, as Combined Honours or what Pathway a student is choosing to follow. All students take the core Critical Approaches to Film, Radio and Television and all Single Honours students take a double module in practical production. Additional optional modules might include:

• Creative Practice: Television and Radio
• Screenwriting: Practice
• Screenwriting: Theory
• Documenting the Real: Practice
• Documenting the Real: Theory
• Animation: Practice
• Animation: Theory
• Animation Pre-Production Design
• Acting for Film, Radio and Television
• Editing: Theory of Practice
• American Independent Cinema  
• European Cinema
• Sound Studies  

The modules are designed to develop students’ understanding of both theoretical concepts and practical work. Particular attention is paid to integrating the practical productions with issues raised in the theory modules.

YEAR 3

The modules taken will vary in number according to what pathway a student is taking and whether Film, Radio and Television is studied as a Single Honours or as a Combined component of the degree programme. Single Honours students will, for example, take a compulsory extended double Specialised Study by Practical Project and then select from a range of other optional modules. At level three a greater emphasis is placed on independent study. The modules for both Single and Combined Honours might include:

• Film Sound
• Utopianism in Popular Cinema
• The Cinematic City
• Art Film and Video
• Contemporary Broadcasting Practice and Policy
• Postwar Visual Culture
• British Television Drama
• Individual Study (Theory)
• Mixed-media Dissertation

Further information about options at levels two and three can be found here.

Methods of Assessment

Assessment in practical modules is based upon coursework, which includes supporting documentation. Theoretical module assessment relies upon coursework, seminar presentations and written examinations.

Important Information

Applications for FRTV are made through UCAS, see the UCAS codes page. Entry requirements for Single Honours FRTV are typically 260 UCAS points including BCC at A2 Level or equivalent. Joint/Combined Honours FRTV applicants will typically need 240 UCAS points including CCC at A2 Level or equivalent, ssee the entry requirements page for more information. No specific subjects are required and students from a wide range of backgrounds are accepted. A qualification in Media and Cultural Studies or Film Studies or English might be an advantage, as would a Foundation Course which involved practical or critical work in sound or vision production, but these are not essential.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate a genuine interest in the media and a potential for practical work in the personal statement section of the UCAS form.

Employment Opportunities

Although jobs in the media industry are competed for fiercely, students graduating from this Programme have succeeded in securing positions such as producer, director, film and video editor, camera crew, sound recordist, vision mixer and researcher. Others have gained employment as media journalists and broadcasters, or teachers and lecturers. Usually further training or experience is required. Graduates may also go on to undertake higher degrees (MA or PhD) at this Institution or elsewhere. The Department currently has trainee and work placements with BBC Radio Kent for students showing exceptional promise.

What our students say

I am very proud of the department I am studying in because they are very well organised and well equipped. They are very keen on developing our skills and encouraging the students to give the best they can. There are many guest speakers coming from the industry who give us a sense of what truly awaits us after university; I find that very useful.

Maria Filip
Film, Radio and Television Studies

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