Film and Video – Art, Craft and Design

This course is to be combined with other A Levels or BTEC Certificates.

You will study an AS Level in the first year of this course.

Are you a budding creative film maker? If so, then this course offers an excellent career start. This course is designed to build your creative film making and editing skills. Under the Art, Craft and Design specification, there is an emphasis on individual creativity.

A fun, creative approach to the practice of film, video and digital art, forms the main ingredient of this subject and you will spend the majority of your time working on practical assignments in the studio, editing suites and on location. You will receive a thorough grounding in the use of the video camera and digital editing. You will be introduced to dramatic, music video, projection and documentary styles but the main emphasis of the course will be on a variety of digital and non-digital art-based ideas.

Most of the work is practical and studio/workshop based. There may also be whole class discussions and lectures on the more theoretical aspects of the course. Your lecturer(s) will work closely with you and you will be encouraged, as the course progresses, to develop your own individual interests. Your work will be assessed informally throughout the course. Your final grade is determined by an external moderator, end of course assessment of the portfolio unit and an externally set assignment unit.

For more information on other film related courses please click here.

What topics will I study?

You will be taught how to analyse and understand filmmaking and digital approaches, looking at a variety of sequential forms from comics to vines and from art installation to narrative film making, through looking at art and discussing films as a group. Researching and referring to the work of other artists/film makers is an important element of the course.

You will learn how to express your ideas visually, verbally and in writing. Sketchbooks are used extensively to record research, both visual and written, and the development of your ideas in script and storyboard form throughout a project. An experimental approach to the use of the medium and the development of ideas is encouraged.

The emphasis is very much on enabling you to express and refine your own individual response to a theme, through increasing personal and independent work as the course progresses.

You will:

• Experiment with different film styles in a professional standard TV studio
• Learn how to analyse films in Hollywood and art-cinema forms, and apply these ideas to your own work
• Work with musicians, actors, artists and local arts organisations such as Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Exeter Phoenix
• You will have the opportunity to get involved in local and national film competitions and will visit centres of excellence such as the Bill Douglas Centre, Harry Potter World and We the Curious.

Your work will be assessed informally, with your final grade set by an externally moderated assignment and the assessment of one unit of coursework.

This course is ideal if you want to find your own style as a creative film maker. Many film and digital art students have gone on to win or be shortlisted for regional, national and international short film competitions, which you will be encouraged to take part in throughout the course.

Future Steps: You could progress to specialist courses at Exeter College, including a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design. Alternatively, a university degree in your chosen area of interest or pursue a career path in film or animation. There is a strong progression rate to film and digital art degree courses from this programme. Future job roles might include animator, music video maker, game designer, film editor, audio visual designer, videographer, cinematographer.

You will need eight GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English Language and Maths. Some experience of film, video or artwork would be useful but is not essential. A grade 4 or above in GCSE Art is preferable.

The Art and Design Faculty has numerous art studios, a print workshop, a ceramics workshop, a 3D workshop, photographic darkrooms, a professional standard TV studio, fashion and textile workspace, a Learning and Resource Centre (LRC), IT rooms with industry standard software eg: Photoshop CS6, Flash, Motion, and Final Cut Pro X software on PCs and Macs.

There are some costs of materials and resources.