Duration:
2 years full-time
Entry requirements:
- 5 GCSEs grade 9-4 (A*-C)* including English and maths
- An appreciation of and a passion for film and TV with a level of practical experience and/ or a Level 2 qualification in the subject area
Fees & funding:
Visit our fees & funding page for more information.
How to apply:
When you're ready to apply, there's a few ways to start the process.
- Apply online - Start your application now!
- Call us on 0115 952 2075 and start your application over the phone or we can post you a paper application form
- Come and visit us at an open day and fill in your application on the day
Introduction to the course
Ever wanted to make a short film, documentary or music video? This is your chance. Aimed at aspiring writers, producers, cinematographers and directors – this college course combines theory and practice to give you an all-round understanding of the highly competitive and exciting film & TV industries.
98% of students are satisfied with the course (QDP Student Survey Results 2019)
You’ll learn:
- Industry-standard production techniques
- Different production roles and gain valuable experience
- The history of the film & TV industries
- How to create a range of moving image productions from short films to music videos and live television productions
- How to engage with industry professionals and make real links to industry opportunities
- How to create your showreel to prepare for a career in the film & TV industry
What you'll study
During the first half of term 1, you will learn essential skills in Camera, Lighting, Sound and Editing. Throughout this period you will explore the functionality of the equipment and begin to explore how this can apply to shooting across some basic scenarios. On successful completion of this stage, you will be awarded your filming licence which unlocks the ability for you to book out and use the equipment for yourself!
Assignment 1 - Practical Skills Development
During the second half of term 1 your first assignment will assess your ability across Camera, Lighting, Sound and Editing and provide you with an opportunity to begin building your portfolio of evidence across technical skills. This stage in the year lays the foundations for your technical learning and enables you to move forwards into the more creative areas of your first year.
In the first half of term 2 you will begin to learn about genre and style within the context of a short ‘Horror’ production. You will also begin to explore teamwork, which is an essential part of your skillset. This assignment is an exciting opportunity to research historical developments, develop ideas and plan and shoot your own Horror scene!
In the second half of term 2 you will explore creative development and working with a client through the production of a Music Video. This assignment is all about research, ideas, creativity and great planning and preparation! You’ll experiment with creative ways of interpreting music and lyrics visually and further build your creative shooting and editing skills. You’ll also need to put your best outfit on for the Pitch, where we get to see your final idea and plan, before you shoot your Music Video!
Now you have skills across research, ideas development, planning and technical, its time for you to take the reins on the first of your own productions. You’ll work in a production team to research, develop ideas, write and produce a short production, which showcases all of the skills you have learnt so far. There will also be prizes given for the best productions in our end of year screening and awards show at Broadway Cinema!
We kick off the second year of study with an exploration of television advertising and an opportunity to research a product or service and do the creative work to bring your own TV advert to the screen. Through this assignment you will learn about television broadcasting regulations, as well as ways to engage an audience when promoting products and services. Fundamentally though, this assignment is a creative one that allows you to show off your ideas and create a slick final product.
Starting in the second half of term 4, you get the opportunity to work in a team to produce your own short film, which you will submit to Nottingham’s famous Mayhem Film Festival. This an amazing chance to get your work seen by others and to experience the process of producing content and submitting to a festival, which is an established way of building your career and showcasing your work.
Following the production of your short film, you will now begin work on a professional looking title sequence for it to ensure your audience is engaged from the start. Title sequences are often mini productions in their own right and are a great chance to establish your production within a specific style or genre.
In your final assignment you will begin to curate your best work and showcase this through your own showreel and website. This assignment progresses towards Confetti’s Celebrate Festival at the end of the summer term, where students exhibit their work for family, friends and industry guests. This stage in the year brings together a student’s passion, creativity, technical skill and hard work and is a moment that bookends our students time on the course, in a celebration of their work.
Maths & English
Depending on your prior English and Maths attainment, you may need to improve your grade as part of your course.
On this course you’ll have access to:
- A range of broadcast quality video cameras
- Professional grip and lighting gear
- State of the art 4K TV studio and gallery
- Green screen studio
- Mac and PC computer suites
- Adobe Creative Cloud inc. Premiere Pro
- Davinci Resolve
Work experience opportunities
Throughout the course there are opportunities for students to take part in events and external client work. These sit outside of the assessments but are an effective way of further building skills, experience and confidence. These projects can also form a large part of a student’s portfolio used to showcase their ability later in the course. Below are some of the exciting things on offer when studying on Film and Television at Confetti:
Space 2 Music Show – This is a live music programme showcasing Nottingham’s music talent and is a collaboration between other courses at Confetti such as ‘Technical Events’, ‘Music Performance & Song writing’ and ‘Content Creation’. This happens at least twice a year and is one of our biggest events. We have professional presenters and our students fill all of the production roles in this Jools Holland style show.
Game Show – a fun experience being part of the crew (and even a contestant!) on our very own game show format. We’ve collaborated with the Set Design course at NTU to bring this together and offer students the chance to experience making a TV gameshow. a
Notts TV Documentary Competition – This enables students to devise, direct and shoot their own documentary based on a Nottingham related topic. Students submit these and the best ones are selected for broadcast on Notts TV. This has been a great success in the past and a great way for students to have their work broadcast and gain a credit!
MOBO live stream – Once every year during black history month we collaborate with other course areas to produce a live streamed programme of music performances that celebrates music of black origin. Our students get chance to be part of this multi-camera production and experience the excitement of a live show.
External clients – Throughout the year we have opportunities that open up for our students to work with our external partners on a range of projects including: promotional video work, live shoots and short films. These are communicated to students as and when they become available
Celebrate
Every year we welcome family, friends and industry professionals to watch, listen, test and play the fantastic work of our college students.
Industry Week
As part of the course, students are given access to a week of bespoke activities during Industry Week where a host of industry guest speakers gather for talks, lectures and workshops with students. Past guests have included:
- Director Shane Meadows
- BAFTA winner Vicky McClure
- SB:TV’s Jamal Edwards
- The Inbetweeners star Lydia Rose-Bewley
- Film and TV editor Richard Graham
- Screenwriter Russell.T.Davies
Check our OnDemand service here.
Continue your studies
Your time at Confetti doesn’t have to stop once you finish your college course. Choose to continue your studies on our range of foundation and full honours degrees that can help you further develop your skills and obtain the experience you need to get a head start in your career:
Future careers:
- Camera operator
- Cinematographer
- Editor
- Producer
- Director
- Researcher
- Production assistant
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