BA (Hons) Contemporary Media, Design and Production

The communications revolution has already taken place; as a result we are all members of a global digital community where high-level technological literacy is set to become the norm, providing exciting new workplaces and challenges as new channels emerge at an extraordinary pace.

We aim to prepare you for these exciting and sometimes unpredictable environments by aiding the development of your professional awareness, intellectual skills and practical abilities, while nurturing your imagination and creativity.

Emphasis will be placed on practical production and design, while assessments will be presented in the context of a professional workplace; balancing the need to develop technically with the knowledge and understanding required to function in a competitive market.

East Riding College continually forges and develops relationships with employers to assist in providing quality work experience opportunities and live work-based assignments for our students.

This programme aims to:

To develop a critical awareness of the societal impacts of contemporary media productions and platforms; encouraging students to employ this understanding to undertake ethical practices within their chosen specialisms.
To develop research informed approaches to practice, leading students to continually develop their own contextual and critical awareness in the production of creative and original solutions, to a wide-range of problems with consideration for audience and user experience at their core.
To develop understanding of the modes of encoding and decoding meaning within a range of media, leading students to not only employ, but where appropriate further develop or challenge existing conventions and principles of screen grammar and associated visual language.
To instil an ethos of creativity, enterprise, responsibility and resourcefulness within students.
To employ practice-based experiential learning to develop both theory and practice in media techniques, providing a wealth of real-world learning opportunities, engaging with both industry and community.
To produce graduates with broad skillsets that will allow them to be competitive across the currently defined media sectors and those yet to be seen or recognised.
To widen participation in Higher Education, providing an inclusive learning environment with equal opportunities.

What will I study?

The core topics studied will be:

Year one:

Digital Technologies and Society
Digital Video Production 1
Audio for Moving Image Production
Art and Design for Media Production
Compositing, Matte Painting and Image Manipulation
Motion Graphics techniques

Year two:

Professional Development and Practice
Post Audience Studies
Sound design
3D Motion Graphics
Interactive Techniques for Narrative Production
Digital Video Production 2

Year three:

Independent study
Professional production
Conference and exhibition
3D Visual Effects
Digital Portfolio

How will I be assessed?

Assessment is based on a mixture of assessment methods including: individual practical work, essays, reports, seminar presentations, pitches, podcasts, practical work, exhibitions and group work. An independent study module will be undertaken in the final year, which will include a dissertation.

For more information about assessment, including guidance on marking, feedback and plagiarism, please refer to the HE Assessment Policy (section 5) and the programme spec for course-specific information.

How will the course be delivered?

This programme comprises a mixture of practical workshops, lectures, seminars, independent learning and work-based assessment.

Blended approaches will be used in modules to encourage greater use of seminar discussions in engaging students with content (over traditional lecture format), using prescribed reading and research activities as precursors to timetabled sessions; this will also be used in critical evaluation activities for example where long film texts are being investigated, providing that resources are available to all students. It is anticipated that this will impact upon ownership of learning and independent studies; also to improve retention.

All programmes are led and taught by experienced teaching staff who are vocational specialists. They are qualified, and often have extensive experience within the industry or the sector being studied. All teaching staff meet or exceed the requirements set by the awarding institute or body.

Entry requirements

A relevant level three qualification totaling 80 UCAS points

HND, foundation degree or higher apprenticeship in a related discipline

and

English and mathematics at a minimum level of GCSE grade C or IELTS Score of 6 or above
Applicants must be aware that in the course there will be live briefs and so may involve placement with a suitable employer
College interview and portfolio

The TEC Partnership will also encourage applications from non-traditional learners who lack formal academic qualifications. All such non-traditional applicants will be interviewed, set an appropriate piece of work (entry assignment) and a judgement made taking into account their academic potential and relevant experience. Accreditation of prior learning Applicants may be admitted with credit for prior certificated learning (APcL) or work/life experience or other uncertificated learning (APeL) - refer to East Riding College Admissions Policy

What next?

This programme would lead you broadly into a production or design role within media sectors such as: video games, visual effects, film and television, radio, web and interactive. You might also move into a design or production role within other creative industries. Successful candidates may consider pursuing post-graduate studies with local or national higher education institutions.