BA (Honours) in Film, TV and Screen Media Production

This module will equip learners with the ability to conceive strong, compelling narrative fiction and non-fiction ideas, and to develop original material through all stages of the overall film and media production process. This is a project-led, hands-on, practical module that will create a professional working environment where learners are supported and facilitated by practising industry professionals. Learners are guided through the overall creative and technical production process by directing and producing a series of original short documentary and drama films. Learners are encouraged to make informed creative, logistical, and technical decisions at every stage and, in this way, are equipped with the essential creative and technical elements necessary to generate and produce high-quality visual narratives.

This module will introduce learners to the fundamental production technologies in the multicamera TV studio setting. Learners are trained and tested – according to health and safety procedures – in each of these industry-standard TV studio technologies, which includes rigging, set-up, operation and de-rigging. Learners gain experience practising the skills necessary to perform the roles and responsibilities of each member of a TV studio crew. This semester 2 module builds on the core single-camera production skills gained in the first semester of the programme. Learners also begin to develop their critical and creative skills in multicamera TV production.

This module equips learners with foundational writing skills aimed at improving their attention to clarity, coherence and detail. Emphasising the importance of expressing concepts clearly on the page, this module introduces learners to the role and function of the key written materials required across the different phases of film and TV production in both fiction and non-fiction forms.

This module introduces seminal movements within the historical evolution of Irish, European and American cinema and television and, in so doing, equips learners with a key analytical and contextual framework within which to deconstruct, analyse, and discuss, the origins and evolutions of screen content. Encompassing the technological experiments of early filmmakers to the Renaissance of American filmmaking in the 1960s and the dawn of TV culture, this module breaks film and televisual history down into moments that have made significant contributions to the diverse forms of screen content that saturate contemporary culture.

This module provides learners with the fundamental concepts and skills necessary to analyse film, TV and other audiovisual media forms. Introducing learners to various approaches to the analysis of audiovisual production, narrative, aesthetics and reception, this module equips learners with the critical language necessary to thoughtfully engage with these forms. Comprised of case studies drawn from historical texts and contemporary media, emphasis is placed on applying theories and analytical frameworks to contemporary audiovisual culture.

Within this module, learners explore the elements of the art department as it relates to screen media. Focusing on the relationship between story, cinematography, and mise-en-scène, this module examines how these elements are intentionally placed within the filmic framework to ground the world of the narrative. Beginning with first principles, and an examination of choice moments from cinema history, the subsequent weeks’ lectures draw back the curtain to identify the thought processes, strategies and crew roles and responsibilities that bring art direction to life.

This module will explore specialist technical skills in lighting and camera for digital filmmaking. It establishes core skills in camera operation, lighting technique, and the handling of equipment. It will inform learners of the relationship between the input to output screen resolutions, subsequent file formats, and codecs used for best quality broadcasting to web-based usage. This linear module is delivered over two semesters to keep in line with the production cycle. Learners are inclined to focus on the production or post-production stages of the cycle in production modules during the second half of the semester. For this reason, we will deliver this module over two semesters.

This module will equip learners with full working knowledge of the workflow in both the location sound and post-production sound departments. Learners develop the practical skills necessary to achieve professional-quality audio recordings for a variety of different types of screen media content. The location sound portion of this module includes basic audio theory combined with practical classes to enable learners to familiarise themselves with the equipment and techniques as well as the underlying theory used to capture professional-quality audio. This module also provides learners with an introduction to audio post-production and sound design across a variety of screen media forms and modes.

Delivered over two semesters to accommodate the screen media production cycle, learners cover this module material at the beginning of both semesters to support their learning and engagement during the post-production phase of the documentary and narrative projects. This module will equip learners with proficiency in the basics of software used to edit digital video. Learners gain an understanding of the post-production workflow from viewing footage through to the creation of project deliverables. This module also enables learners to take projects that have been conceived in the production and direction modules through to completion.

This module will give learners with a sound understanding of the basic technological aspects of interactive technologies within the overall context of interactive storytelling. It introduces learners to the core theoretical concepts and technologies for interactive storytelling. Learners study practical examples of the use of interactive technologies in a narrative context, as well as their use in other related domains. Within this module, learners use interactive technologies to create powerful innovative, interactive narrative experiences.

In this module, learners work independently to produce individual two-minute non-fiction documentary projects, and also collaboratively, as part of creative and logistical production teams, to bring several short films, both fiction (5 minutes) and non-fiction (5-7 minutes) through the various stages of pre-production, production/filming and post-production. In so doing, learners gain experience and understanding of the director’s overall creative and technical process in visually interpreting and cinematically telling a story. This module is designed to integrate with other Stage Two modules in both the assessment and realisation of the practical projects which serve to support learner understanding of crew and production requirements for different modes of film and TV.

The core focus of this module is to provide learners with the skills and knowledge necessary to produce content for the screen. The objective is to give learners a broad understanding of the key production concepts and practices required in the production environment. This module introduces film, TV and screen production principles and roles, and provides an overview of the nature and scope of the production department and its role in successful production strategies. Concentrating on both the practical and the conceptual facets of production for screen, learners gain insight into the process from development to research and from pre-production to production to post-production.

This module facilitates learners’ development of skills in the creative application of TV studio production technologies in a multicamera environment. Learners use industry-standard TV studio equipment and techniques to effectively tell stories within the conventions and genres of TV production. This module builds on the core single and multicamera production skills gained in the first year of the programme and further enables learners to critically analyse and creatively explore a number of genres in TV and multicamera studio programming. Learners apply the skills gained on the module to their independent programme productions for the GCD TV channel in the second semester.

This module builds on the theoretical frameworks encountered at stage one and applies them to the context of contemporary culture and the implications of ubiquitous screens. By combining discussion of traditional forms of film and TV content with digital forms of storytelling and story-making, learners deepen and refine their skills in researching and presenting critical findings and readings, in both written and oral expression. Key areas of discussion include: an assessment of filmmaking techniques that impact audience reception across a variety of film and televisual forms; an overview of core frameworks for analysis of screen content and their relevance; and a focus on the impact of digital technologies on both film and TV.

This practical work-placement module equips learners with an understanding of the constantly changing screen media landscape and practically prepares them to segue into the industry. Throughout the module, learners rigorously research, connect with, and progress into, a selected area of the film, TV and screen industries. In this way, this module directly contributes to the deepening of knowledge acquired in other modules across this programme, as well as supporting the overall programme learning outcomes.

This module builds on the cinematographic learning outcomes from stage one, to develop advanced competency and skills in the area of camera operation, lighting design, and critical and creative analysis of the role of cinematography within productions. This module further develops core technical skills in camera operation and lighting techniques for digital filmmaking and screen media production.

Building on the audio recording skills and practices that learners have acquired in stage one of this programme, in this module, learners are introduced to more advanced practices, techniques and equipment in location sound recording. These techniques feed forward to assist both the editing and post-production sound departments. Consequently, learners begin to further enhance their knowledge and understanding of the nuances of post-production and sound design process.

This module will expand the learner’s editing abilities, technical skills, and creative engagement, through the study of the craft of editing taking examples from both fiction and non-fiction. Building on technical and creative skills acquired in the Editing and Post-Production module at stage one of the programme, learners develop new skills and competencies in contemporary screen narrative practice and theory. Learners are equipped with skills that enable them to prepare, organise and create work using professional post-production workflows. This will be achieved through project-based learning exercises.

This module builds on the key writing concepts and abilities established in stage one of the programme to advance learners’ ability to conceive and write strong, narrative fiction ideas for the screen. Over the course of the module, learners develop concepts and write short screenplays of different durations. Learners engage with central concepts surrounding character arc and development, story structure and progression, and genre. Additional assignments require learners to provide feedback and script editor reports on one another’s work thereby directly engaging with the development process at the heart of redrafting.

This module will support a clear foundation for all digital image-related understanding through practical demonstrations and historical contextualisation. Examination of landmark case studies and practitioners illustrate the artistry of visual effects and their diverse use within film and TV, with special emphasis placed upon the increasingly widespread use of what is at times almost an “invisible” art. The goal of this module is to be less software-specific, concentrating more on understanding the fundamental components that make up digital cinematography and how to manipulate them. Armed with this knowledge, the learner is able to problem-solve difficult shots and is better equipped to move with the rapidly changing landscape of visual effects software.

The Dissertation by Practice is a distillation of real-world production scenarios that graduates find themselves in upon entry to the industry. The films or screen content produced in this module are a natural expansion and development of key conceptual, technical and production skills acquired at other levels of this programme. With a strong emphasis placed upon self-directed study and research, learners define much of the content of this module through their critically grounded creative choices.

Building on the skillsets acquired as part of TV Studio Principles and TV Studio Practices in stages one and two of the programme, this module furthers learners’ creative application of TV studio production technologies in a multicamera environment. Learners are tasked with exploring the use of industry-standard TV studio equipment and techniques in experimental audiovisual practices, which requires them to inventively apply multicamera studio technologies and advanced keying, graphics, LiveSet and LiveMatte applications.

This module enables learners to devise a marketing and publicity strategy for a project that they produce as part of the final year of the programme. Learners develop a sophisticated understanding of all marketing, distribution and exhibition of screen content. From developing a strategy and planning how to realise a campaign, learners identify target audiences, devise ways to communicate with, and entice, these audiences to engage with their project.

This module will familiarise learners with core audience and research theories and concepts to equip them with essential skills in planning, gathering material, data collection and analysis insofar as they develop the capabilities needed when involved in documentary, screen media or broadcast TV research. The module also provides the scope for learners to engage in detailed, critical debate around the function of audiences in meaning-making – a relationship that is increasingly elusive at a time when screen content takes on multifarious manifestations that can be interactive, immersive, and self-reflexive.

This module provides each learner with the autonomy to develop a critically-grounded, individual identity as a reflective practitioner, as well as a strong, informed voice in the discussion of the work of other filmmakers. A further aim of this module is to explore how film, TV, and other screen-based media can respond to, reproduce and critique culture and, in so doing, problematise traditional ideas of representation and dissemination.

In this module, the learner combines craft and technical expertise in the final stages of post-production, developing an advanced knowledge and understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of editing in-screen media finishing, mastering and delivery. The learner hones their editing style with a sophisticated understanding of tone, mood, timing and pace as key techniques within editing as a narrative craft. Furthermore, learners acquire a detailed understanding of the components that make up a digital image; how to manipulate them; analyse workflows and artefacts for technical issues; use and modify advanced online editing skills and post-production tools to rectifying technical problems in shots and workflows. As a result, the learner develops a deeper appreciation of the storytelling power of editing and is equipped with the required organisational, technical and administration skills to perform well in the industry.

Building on the core screenwriting skills attained at stages one and two of this programme, this elective module challenges learners to apply their skills to the crafting of more complex narratives and to master the industry materials required to support them. Through close supervision and discussion with the lecturer, learners take an original concept through the preliminary stages of development, with a view towards completing the core marketing and pitch materials that would be required by industry to support a screenplay. With this in mind, learners are required to write loglines, synopses, treatments, writer’s notes and two drafts of a short drama of maximum 15 pages in length. Scripts written in Advanced Screenwriting are produced in the Dissertation by Practice module also undertaken at this stage.

Advanced Producing for Industry is the final production module. This industry-focused module enables learners to gain specialist sector knowledge so they can cost, schedule and negotiate with all the required departments and organisations that come together in the production of film, TV and screen content. This real-world module involves authentic learning that aims to equip learners with knowledge to facilitate future employment opportunities.

This module will equip learners with the logistical, technical, and creative skills to lead a production team in the making of a series of five-minute commercials/narrative or documentary/music videos. Projects progress through the various stages of pre-production, production/filming and post-production, with the learner gaining advanced experience and understanding of the director’s overall creative and technical process in visually interpreting and cinematically telling a story.

This module will further develop the learner’s location sound-recording skills to a professional standard and acquaint them with the industry-standard workflows and practices in use in most contemporary shoot setups. Learners also develop and apply their knowledge of post-production workflows including session interchange and extended deliverables. Learners explore the role of noise reduction techniques, ambiance matching, advanced routing and industry mixing and metering standards for stereo and surround formats.

This module will offer learners a sound understanding of the basic technological aspects of interactive technologies and their use within the broader VFX pipeline. It introduces learners to the core theoretical concepts and the use of interactive technologies in the context of VFX content creation. Learners study practical examples of the use of interactive technologies and their use for the planning and execution of VFX projects. Within this module, learners use interactive technologies to create powerful innovative tools and methods for the planning and execution of complex VFX projects.

This module builds on cinematography learning outcomes from stages one and two of the programme to develop advanced and specialist skills in the area of digital camera operation, lighting design, visual effect cinematography, planning and realising complex visual sequences. Learners are able to effectively harness digital cameras and lighting equipment in a highly creative manner to create visually striking moving images. This module equips learners with the skills necessary to navigate some of the more nuanced creative and technical decision-making involved in digital film production.

This module builds on the knowledge and skills developed in the Production Design module in stage one, as well as cinematography modules delivered at all stages of the programme. Learners engage in ‘hands-on’ learning by preparing them to drive the art direction of their projects. Sessions are dedicated to exploring the art department ‘mood boards’ and early-stage research for the world of specific narratives. All module work produced follows key examples that are investigated through analytic, in-class discussion. At the end of the term, learners present the ‘worlds’ of their completed films to their colleagues where they receive feedback on their pre-production efforts.

Study Mode: Full-Time

Dublin : EUR 8,150.00 for Year 1

An Academic Administration Fee of €250.00 is payable each September at the start of term. For students starting in the January/February term, €125.00 is payable in February, and then €250.00 will be payable each September from then onwards. 

Study Mode: Full-Time

Dublin : EUR 8,000.

Study Mode: Full-Time

Dublin 

Non-EU living in Ireland or abroad: Please refer to our Non-EU Tuition Fees section.

Non-EU students: a Student Services and Administration fee of EUR200 is payable each academic year in addition to the fees quoted below.