Certificate in Business & Legal for Film
Course Overview
Gain the business, legal and professional skills needed to finance productions, navigate industry challenges and build a sustainable career in screen media.
The screen industries are evolving rapidly, creating new opportunities for those who understand not only the creative process but also the business, legal and professional frameworks that underpin successful productions. This industry-focused programme equips learners with the knowledge and skills required to navigate the commercial realities of film, television and digital media, from securing finance and managing budgets to understanding legal obligations and building sustainable professional practices.
Why Study a Certificate in Business and Legal for Film at Griffith College?
Learners explore how projects are developed, funded, managed and brought to audiences while gaining insight into the key drivers of long-term success in the screen industries.
- Delivered by experienced industry practitioners, the programme combines practical business knowledge with contemporary industry challenges, including sustainability, emerging technologies, professional resilience and well-being.
- Designed for those seeking to upskill, broaden their industry knowledge and make the step up to professional producing.
- This programme provides valuable insight into the business of screen production and the skills required to build sustainable careers and organisations in a rapidly changing industry.
- Gain an understanding of the legal frameworks that underpin screen production, including contracts, copyright, intellectual property, employment law and rights management.
- Examine emerging industry challenges, including sustainability, AI, ethical practice and the long-term resilience of creative organisations.
- Build leadership and professional practice skills that support effective collaboration, communication and decision-making in high-pressure creative environments.
- Gain insight into international screen markets such as Cannes Marché du Film, the European Film Market and the American Film Market, and understand how projects secure investment and reach audiences.
- Develop the commercial knowledge needed to support sustainable careers and businesses in the screen industries, from independent productions to larger media organisations.
Course Highlights:
- Learn from a faculty of active screen industry practitioners, who bring current industry experience into the classroom.
- Study business, legal and professional practice within a dedicated screen media environment, where creative, technical and production disciplines work alongside one another.
- Gain insight into how the screen industries operate beyond production, exploring finance, law, leadership, sustainability and professional development alongside creative practice.
- Join a faculty with deep connections to the Irish and international screen industries, providing learners with an understanding of contemporary industry challenges, opportunities and emerging trends.
Intake Dates
- Dublin - Blended - January 2027
Course Details
Topics of Study:
The Business of Film
Understand how the screen industry works as a business and how projects move from development to distribution. You’ll examine the producer’s role across a film or TV project’s lifecycle, gaining insight into the creative, commercial and practical decisions involved in bringing screen work to market.
Entertainment Law for The Screen Industry
Build a grounding in the legal issues that shape screen production. Explore intellectual property and rights, contracts, financing, employment law and collective bargaining agreements, chain of title, clearances and compliance, as well as distribution and the commercial exploitation of screen works.
Practical Professional Producing
Turn an idea into a production-ready project. Develop the skills to take a film, TV or screen project from development and financing through setup, production and delivery. Learn to build professional budgets and schedules using industry-standard software, and create compelling funding applications that give your project the strongest possible case for support.
Marketing Distribution & Exhibition
Learn how to connect screen projects with their audiences. Research, develop and present marketing and distribution plans for real-world projects, exploring how fiction and non-fiction work is positioned, promoted, distributed and exhibited. Build the skills to identify an audience and make a persuasive case for your project.
Sustainability, Technology, Leadership & Global Impact
Examine how sustainability, technology, professional ethics and responsibility shape the screen industries. Develop the critical perspective to assess their effects on people and the planet, and explore leadership approaches that support positive, equitable change. Apply relevant legal and ethical frameworks to real-world professional decisions.
Wellbeing and Resilience for Creative Professionals
Explore the pressures of working in film, TV and screen production, and how stress, motivation, identity and emotional regulation affect creative decisions and collaboration. Develop practical strategies to protect your wellbeing, work effectively in demanding environments and sustain your creative practice and career over the long term.
For further information, please contact professionalacademy@griffith.ie
Timetables
Timetable
This programme will be delivered two evenings a week between 18:00 and 22:00, with approximately one in-person Saturday per month at our Dublin campus.
For further information, please contact professionalacademy@griffith.ie
How to Apply
This programme has been developed for professionals who want a qualification in the business and legal issues shaping the film, TV and screen media sector. It's aimed at people at an early to mid-career stage, whether you're already working in production, distribution, development or a related area, or looking to move into the business side of the industry.
English Language
The English language entry requirements for the programme are CEF B2+ or equivalent. Candidates with English language levels below CEF B2+ must first reach this minimum standard before enrolling on the academic programme.
Candidates with equivalent grades from other awards and mature learners (23+) are also considered.
If English is not a first language, proof of English proficiency is required. For more information, please visit here.
Fees
Please note that not all study modes may be offered at all times; for confirmation, refer to the Intake dates on the Overview tab.
Tuition Fees
Study Mode: Part-Time
Dublin: €2490.00
Flexible Payment Options
Students wishing to avail of an instalment plan should contact professionalacademy@griffith.ie
Sponsorship
Is your company paying for your course?
They will need to complete a Griffith College Sponsorship Form(PDF file) and send this to professionalacademy@griffith.ie
