Film Production Welcome Guide

Preparing for your course

We're delighted that you've chosen to join our creative community at Arts University Bournemouth. We can't wait to see what you'll create.

Welcome to BA (Hons) Film Production

This welcome pack is designed to give you an idea of what to expect during the first weeks of your course. Please take the time to read it carefully and take particular note of the pre-course preparation. We hope that you'll enjoy a happy and productive time with us, and we look forward to meeting you in October.

A message from your Course Leader

Congratulations on joining the BA (Hons) Film Production course at Arts University Bournemouth. You have an exciting time ahead of you! In this pack, you'll find all the information that will allow you to prepare.

While practical filmmaking forms an extensive part of our course – and you'll be making films within weeks of your arrival – research is also central to your process. You must recognise the importance of reading widely, watching critically, and reflecting on all aspects of your creative practice. But we also encourage you to look beyond film to the wider arts and to the political, social, and cultural stories of the day. Students who engage with the world around them will always generate the most compelling stories.

The film staff and students look forward to seeing you!

– Tom Strudwick, Course Leader

Before you join us

Summer Project

“Filmmaking is a chance to live many lifetimes,” as Robert Altman once said. For the Summer Project, we’re interested in what filmmaking means to you and how creative you can be when working within a set of given limitations. This is an opportunity to showcase your creativity and share your vision with your peers. We will watch all the submissions during induction week. This project is not assessed. Good luck and have fun!

Your task is to produce a 60-second film based on the following prompt:

"Friday"

You can interpret this prompt in whatever way you wish, literally, poetically, figuratively. You can make a dramatic film with a main character or an atmospheric piece that’s all about sense of place. There's no real stipulation on genre or filmic style. But think about what will make it memorable.

Deadline: 20 September 2024, 17.00

Film on whatever camera you want (Smartphone, webcam, or DSLR) and can edit in whatever software program you want. Your film must be no longer than 60 seconds and must be supplied to the correct technical specifications outlined below.

Video: mp4 file format | H.264 codec | 1920 x 1080p resolution | 25 frames per second | 25 Mbps bitrate
Audio: 320 kps | 48 kHz | Stereo
Max run-time: 60 seconds (including credits)

If exporting from Adobe Premiere Pro, please simply select the High Quality HD Preset. If exporting from another program, please select the Preset that most closely matches the above specifications.

Please label your file as follows: MyName_SummerProject2024.mp4
Please share your file (through OneDrive, Dropbox or WeTransfer) or as a link to the following email by 17.00 on 20 September: summerfilm@aub.ac.uk. In your email's subject line, please write your name and “AUB Film Summer Project 2024” (i.e. John Smith AUB Film Summer Project 2024).

If your submission breaks any of the following rules, it'll be rejected.

No dialogue, including narration or voiceover.
Only one location must be used.
No using copyrighted music, images or footage. Everything in your film must be generated by you or sourced responsibly from royalty free libraries.
No strobe effects or obnoxiously loud audio stings.
No stunts, fight scenes, or scenes depicting crime or violence in public areas.
- No weapons (knives; replica guns; dangerous/sharp objects).
- No working with children.
- No working with animals.
- No working with glass/panes of glass (including mirrors unless fixed permanently to wall).
- No action vehicles/cars (static or moving).
- No actors or extras in police uniform.
- No working in water (sea, bathtubs, ponds, lakes, swimming pools).
- No fires/open flames (lit candles, lit matches, wood burners, domestic appliances, campfires, fire-pits, pyrotechnics).
- No working at heights.
- No working in or next to roads.
- No intimacy/nudity (kissing, simulated sex acts or noises, depictions of rape, childbirth).

Can I collaborate with other people? Yes, but you must have your own submission.
Can I make a music video? Sure. Must be 60 seconds though.
Can I make a parody video? No.
Can I make a TikTok? No.
Can the film have subtitles? Yes.
Does the film need a title card and credits? No.
Can I have animation in the film? Yes.
Can the film be in black and white? Yes.
Can I use AI-generated content? No. Not just yet.
Can my parents be in the film? Yes.
Can my friends be in the film? Yes.
Will this be assessed? No.

Reading list

The Library at AUB is extremely well resourced and includes all key texts that you'll need. The Course Handbook will be given to students during Induction Week, and this contains key and recommended texts. For now, you can get started with some of the following:

Brown, B. Cinematography: Theory and Practice: Image Making for Cinematographers and Directors (3rd edition)
Dmytryk, E. On Film Editing: An Introduction to the Art of Film Construction (1st edition)
Ettedgui, P. Production Design and Art Direction
Gulino, P. J. Screenwriting: The Sequence Approach (2nd edition)
Katz, S. D. Film Directing, shot by shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen
Macnab, G. and Swart, S. Producing
Rabiger, M. Directing the Documentary (6th edition)
Yewdall, D. L. The Practical Art of Motion Picture Sound (4th edition)

Current student work

Have a look through some of the work our current students are producing to get an idea of the type of work you may be making on our course.

Boy in bed with a vinyl record, warm orange lighting.

Choir singing in a hazy church wearing robes.

Film crew talking with a swimmer in an indoor swimming pool, blue walls.

Camera crew setting up equipment to film in castle ruins, model with injury prosthetics and dirty.

Blonde boy singing in a church choir wearing earphones.

Film still of a man on the phone in a suit, reflected in a mirror, 70s-style wallpaper.

Film camera held by a crew member filming in an indoor swimming pool.

Film crew in dramatic lighting with a person in prosthetic body bandages, blood.

Film still of a couple arguing in a 70s-style living room, dim lighting.

Film still: a group of soldiers lined up in muddy abandoned castle grounds, staring at a tied-up hostage in white.

What to bring on your first day

All you need to bring on your first day is a smile, a USB stick, a notebook and a pen.

Digital capabilities

The nature of the course means that you may need to use your computer on and off campus. We therefore recommend that a laptop would be better than a desktop.

The course uses Pro Tools, which is Mac-based, and Avid Editing Suite, which is PC-based.