BA (Hons) Production Design for Screen & Film

UCAS CODE: W492

INSTITUTION CODE: B39

View course on UCAS

A 3 year full-time degree available at:


Screen and Film School invites you to get creative with this degree course, a course which has everything you will need to succeed in the fast-moving world of design within the screen and film industry. Talented individuals with these skills are in high demand, and we’ll give you the exact launchpad you’ll need to succeed upon graduating.

This degree course has been developed to reflect the recent huge surge in demand for professional, technically skilled production design graduates who are equipped with vital creative, logistic and production skills, who are ready to enter into the industry.  

Fundamental to the delivery of this course is the teaching of production design within the broader Film School environment. This unique shared arrangement will enable you to hone specialist design skills in the classroom and test them out in live film projects. You will also gain an understanding of your place within film production and build a network of peers, alongside whom you can progress throughout your education and then on into the workplace. 

*This course is validated by BIMM University and taught at Screen and Film School. Upon successful completion, students receive a degree from BIMM University. 

From day one, you will be introduced via our core modules to fundamental design skills, and you will gain insights into art department roles and relationships with production and the wider industry. A key focal point will be the introduction of professional film directors as mentors, establishing and developing that key relationship between director and you, the production designer. A module introducing costume design, props and make-up will further enhance your skills and ability to support live film projects throughout the three years. This learning will be underpinned by short film productions taught in collaboration with BA Filmmaking and BA Hair and Make Up for Screen and Film, enhancing your understanding of the film and related creative industries, critical analysis and overarching film craft. 

Moving into your second year, by choosing from a range of specialist optional modules, you will further develop your skills in production design through theoretical and live projects focusing on design for both studio and location. At the heart of this approach, is the combination of traditional design skills, drawing and modelmaking alongside cutting edge digital production skills, including animation, 3D modelling and digital VFX. Your second-year core modules will support the realisation of these skills with the production of two short form films, one in each semester.  

Finally, as you progress into your third year, you will develop and refine your creative and technical proficiency, research methods and personal professional development. The final year also centres around an in-depth personal design project and the production of a final live film, which will be in collaboration with BA Filmmaking, BA Hair and Make-Up for Screen and BA Film Business and Production students. The course will be delivered by experienced film practitioners who combine their academic teaching with relevant and current professional practice. 

To enable you to become ’set ready’ and be able to successfully navigate within a production setting, you will be allocated a film budget and guided through an extensive green light pre-production process to ensure that you are professionally able to work in industry.

Course Specification

Mode of attendance: Full-time

Length of course: 3 years full-time

Awarding institution: BIMM University

Campus delivery: Brighton

UCAS code: W492

Institution code: B39

Language of study: English

Final award: BA (Hons) Production Design for Screen & Film

Minimum Requirements

Minimum of 2 A-levels at Grade C or above (64 UCAS points), OR BTEC Level 3 equivalent, and normally three GCSEs at a minimum grade C/4, including English Language.

IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 to be achieved in each band.

Applications are welcomed from students who might not have the qualifying entry requirements but can demonstrate a proactive commitment to narrative film, documentary, music promo or some other type of moving image creation, in the moving image disciplines.

All applicants who demonstrate the potential to meet the entry requirements will be asked to submit a portfolio of their own work in support of their application. This can either be done at an applicant day, where applicants showcase their portfolio of work to a specialist tutor and partake in a number of interactive workshops, or through submitting an electronic portfolio to be reviewed by a film tutor. Applicants will be considered who meet the academic entry requirements, demonstrate a good standard of portfolio work and provide a compelling personal statement.

Course Fees

£9,250 per year for UK students, £15,950 per year for EU & International students (subject to review) – there are no compulsory additional course costs however we strongly recommend investing in a Terabyte external hard drive and a personal laptop/Macbook.

Year 1

All students take the following core modules in their first year of study.

The first Creative Industries & You module sets you on the right path towards pursuing your dream career in the creative industries. Whether you are focused on a particular career goal, or considering multiple career options, you will broaden your knowledge of the opportunities available to you as a creative professional in your specific field. In course groups, you will research career routes and examine the career journeys of inspirational creative professionals to determine key skills for success. In mixed classes, you’ll participate in activities to help you navigate life in higher education and the creative community, expanding your social networks. You will reflect on your progress, explore what motivates you, identify personal strengths and potential roadblocks, and support each other to develop realistic action plans to help you along your chosen path. Supported by your Personal Adviser, you will create a Personal and Professional Development Portfolio, which you will adapt and develop throughout your studies at Screen and Film School. This module also gives you the freedom to extend your learning by providing access to the Industry Skills Booster online courses, developed exclusively with industry employers, which you can select in accordance with career goals and identified areas for development.

During this module you will learn practical and theoretical design principles related to Production Design techniques. You will explore how to visualise and develop key skills including research, drawing, concept design and pre-visualisation. You will also be introduced to the range of roles and skills within the Art Department on film and TV, including the roles of Production Designer, Art Director, Set Decorator and Model Maker, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of professional production design. What kind of worlds will you create?

This module provides you with a foundational and practical grounding in the design, methods, roles and fundamental principles of costume, props and hair and make-up for film and TV. It introduces you to the key skills involved and encourages the development of creative practice, exploring character development, including breaking down a script, history of fashion, how to source small props and exploration of make-up and hair from around the globe. You will also be introduced to set protocol and how the different production departments interact to create a finished product. Collaboration and an appreciation of each production role is key. This module will also aim to support and develop your problem-solving ability, whilst also introducing you to the importance that communication and collaboration skills play in film production. 

The Design for Short Film 1 module will provide you with a chance to apply all of the skills developed in Semester 1 and will enhance your critical understanding and advance your production design practice in the craft and production of a short-form film. You will have a chance to utilise and develop your creative design and technical skills within the collaborative production process and gain understanding of the production cycle in greater depth, from idea development through to the completed edit. You will work with an industry experienced Director, a professional model, and this will develop your understanding of key production processes in relation to the different specialisms, including pre-visualisation and concept designs, set design, costume and hair and make-up, collaborative working and on-set skills. The outcome can be realised in the following genres: factual & documentary, fictional narrative, short form branded content or advertising, music video or innovative or experimental moving image or animation. 

Digital design and VFX is key in creating visual effects within a film. This module will introduce you to the technical and production skills that are required to create 2D and 3D CAD designs. You will be introduced to industry software and will explore designing sets, large scale props, technical and working drawings. This module will cover basics that will ensure that you have the appropriate skills in order to start developing within this specialism. Other areas explored include: set extension & matte painting and green screen compositing. 

Here you will focus on the practicalities of the production design department; exploring scheduling, planning, safety, budgeting, sourcing and time and skill management including how to work within and manage a team. You will learn how processes can run as smoothly as possible to support the creative vision. You will also research the range and variety of locations available, locally, nationally and internationally, from caves to mansions, and identify key challenges to working in unusual places and how to overcome or mitigate them. You will also learn to become proficient in creating core production documents and develop an understanding of scheduling strategies, working on set, crew dynamics and leadership skills. Through this module you will gain specialist industry knowledge, raise your level of professionalism and will develop your ability to communicate and present your work to a high standard.  

Following on from your exploration of the creative community and career opportunities available to you in Creative Industries & You, this module will help you to develop a deeper intellectual understanding of the creative arts and industry structures. You will be challenged to investigate some key contemporary cultural issues relating to your professional field, developing a contextual understanding through research, questioning and debate. This awareness will help you to make informed creative and business decisions in the future, and articulate them sensitively, acknowledging the different perspectives and experiences of others. You will explore pivotal cultural moments that have shaped the creative industries, exploring the factors that make something ‘popular’, and how key cultural issues affect both art and business. Reading, research and critical thinking skills will be developed to help you examine developments in industry and the creative arts, communicating your arguments in a variety of formats. You will have an opportunity to meet with your Personal Adviser in a 1:1 tutorial to help you identify your strengths and areas for development, updating your professional portfolio and selecting relevant online Academic Skills Booster courses to support on your path to academic success.

This module will provide you with a chance to apply skills developed in Semester 1 and will develop your critical understanding and advance your production design practice in the craft and production of a short-form film. You will have a chance to utilise and develop your production and technical skills within the collaborative production process with the wider Film School community and gain understanding of the production cycle in greater depth, from idea development through design and fabrication, filming on location or in a studio through to the completed edit. This module will also develop your understanding of key production processes in these genres in relation to your production specialism. The outcome can be realised in the following genres: factual & documentary, fictional narrative, short form branded content or advertising, music video or innovative or experimental moving image or animation. 

Year 2

All students take the following core modules in their second year of study, plus two optional modules

*Please note that the offering of optional modules in individual Film Schools, in any given academic year, will be subject to the availability of resources and sufficient student interest.

The creative arts have the power to bring people together, unite communities, support mental well-being, raise awareness of social issues and above all, bring joy to many people around the world. In Creative Industries & You 2, you will discover how you can turn your passion and talent into a collaborative project with a positive impact on society. Employing research and networking skills, you will develop a greater understanding of a charity, cause or campaign. In teams of students from all Screen and Film School courses, you‘ll select a cause and identify a way to support its key objectives, either by raising awareness, raising funds or contributing as volunteers. You will be introduced to Screen and Film School’s partner charities but you are also able to find your own, or work independently of an existing organisation. Through this collaborative project, you’ll develop essential interpersonal and communication skills, experimenting with various digital tools for enterprise. You’ll reflect on your own values, applying theories of human psychology to explore how to get the best out of yourself and each other. Building on your industry research skills, you will assess your target audience and define clear SMART targets for your project that will enable you to execute an element of the strategy and evaluate its success. In teams, you will spend time working on your project both in class and in your own time, developing effective collaborative working methods. You’ll record your project activity in your Personal and Professional Development Plan, reflecting on how you have developed and changed over the course of your first year and a half at Screen and Film School. Working with your Personal Adviser you will identify objectives, opportunities and actions that will help you stay on the path to success for the second half of your journey towards becoming a Creative Industries Professional.

This module continues the exploratory work you began in Context & Culture of the Creative Industries. You will directly apply ideas to your own discipline and development, selecting an area of investigation relevant to your own practice, and communicating your argument via your medium of choice. The concepts you encounter will actively critique claims to authenticity and originality; themes you will encounter frequently throughout your career as a Creative Professional. You will debate artistic production, the motivations for it, and the problems of creative autonomy. You will investigate relevant contemporary cultural issues and theories relating to society, race, gender,technology, and the environment to develop your contextual understanding of how these relate to your own creative practice, professional values, and sense of personal agency. You will be encouraged to meet with your Personal Adviser in a 1:1 tutorial to help you reflect on the strengths and areas for development identified in your Personal and Professional Development Plan in first year, tracking your academic progress and setting new actions that will support you to achieve your best work. The research methods and study habits you develop throughout this module will prepare you for next year’s Final Project, in which you will self-direct a significant piece of academic, creative and/or professional practice.

This core module will further provide you with a chance to apply skills developed in Year 1 and within your chosen optional modules in Year 2 and will develop your critical understanding and advance your production design practice in the craft and production of a short-form film. You will have a chance to utilise and develop your creative and technical skills within the collaborative production process and gain understanding of the production cycle in greater depth. Furthermore, you will also develop your understanding of key production processes in these genres in relation to your production specialism, including idea development, pre-production, production and post-production, collaborative working and the visual realisation of ideas. The outcome can be realised in the following genres: factual & documentary, fictional narrative, short format marketing or advertising, music video or innovative or experimental moving image or animation. 

This module will provide you with a further chance to apply skills developed in Year 1 and within your optional chosen modules in Year 2 with the production of a collaborative short film. You will have a chance to utilise and develop your production and technical skills within the collaborative production process with the wider film school community and gain understanding of the production cycle in greater depth, from idea development through to design and fabrication, filming on location or in a studio through to the completed product. This module will also develop your understanding of key production processes in these genres in relation to your production specialism. The outcome can be realised in the following genres: factual & documentary, fictional narrative, short form branded content or advertising, music video or innovative or experimental moving image or animation. 

This Year 2 module will build on knowledge gained in the Level 4 Set Design and Art Direction Module and give you a more advanced insight into the art department. With a focus on the role of the Art Director, this module will continue to broaden your visual language, explore skills in construction and realisation and help you become a better communicator and collaborator. Through research and speculative art direction project work, you will learn, employ and present your skills, expanding industry knowledge and enhancing your production design practice. It will enable you to understand the wide variety of departments and specialist skills within the art department including visualisation and working drawings, set construction, carpentry, set decoration, scenic painting and larger prop design and fabrication. 

This module will build on knowledge gained in the Level 4 Costume, Props and Hair and Make-Up module. With a focus on the role of the costume designer, you will continue to enrich your storytelling ability, broaden your visual language, explore skills in costume construction and realisation and help you become a better communicator. Through research and speculative character development project work, you will learn, employ and present your skills. It will enable you to understand the wide variety of departments and specialist skills within the costume department including the history of fashion, pattern cutting, construction, millinery, accessories, and sourcing from costume houses.  

This module will build on knowledge gained in the Level 4 Core Modules and give you a more advanced insight into the art department. With a focus on the props department and model-making to scale, this module will continue to enrich your storytelling ability, broaden your visual language, explore skills in construction and realisation and help you become a better communicator. It will enable you to understand the wide variety of departments and specialist skills within the props department including sculpting, casting and moulding, model making to scale, armoury and sourcing from prop houses.

This module will build on knowledge gained in the Level 4 Set Design and Art Direction Module and give you a more advanced insight into the role of production designer. With a focus on the concept and visualisation of scenic design and an appreciation of the art of framing, you will continue to enrich your storytelling ability and broaden your visual language. You will explore skills in concept designs, mood boards, storyboards, look books, sizzle reels and help you become a better designer and communicator. You will also develop team leading and logistical skills will expand your industry knowledge, providing you with a set of tools to enhance your creative and professional practice.  

This module will build on knowledge gained in the Level 4 Set Design and Art Direction module and give you a more advanced insight into the art department. With a focus on drafting and graphic design, this module will broaden your visual language through exploring skills in technical drawing and creative graphic design. Through research and speculative project work, you will learn, employ and present your skills, expand industry knowledge and enhance your production design practice. It will enable you to develop and practice specialist skills including scale drawing, illustration and poster and graphic design, using traditional techniques alongside software such as photoshop and illustrator.

This module will build on knowledge gained in the Level 4 Set Design and Art Direction Module and give you a more advanced insight into the art department, focussing on VFX and will continue to broaden your visual language by exploring skills in set extension & matte painting, green screen compositing and keying and architectural modelling. You will also explore FX animationthe creation of digital smoke, fire, water and explosions, expanding your industry knowledge and providing you with a set of tools to enhance your creative and professional practice.

Building on your knowledge gained in the Level 4 Costume, Props and Hair and Make-Up module, this will give you a more advanced insight into the hair and make-up department. The learning and employment of specialist skills will expand your industry knowledge and provide you with a set of tools to enhance your creative and professional practice. Areas of study include hair dressing, wigs and postiche, body painting, SFX aging, cuts and bruises expanding industry knowledge and enhancing your knowledge of production design practice.

The Animation module will build on knowledge gained in the Level 4 Core modules and give you a more advanced insight into the art of animation. With a focus on creative ideas and technique, this module will broaden your visual language by exploring skills in bringing 2D and 3D characters and scenes to life frame by frame. Through research and speculative project work, you will learn, employ and present your skills, expand industry knowledge and enhance your production design practice. It will enable you to develop and practice specialist skills starting with the fundamentals of animation and exploring various approaches using traditional techniques alongside industry standard software.

This module will build on knowledge gained in the Level 4 Core modules and give you a more advanced insight into historical accuracy with a focus on period film and TV production. You will continue to enrich your storytelling ability, broaden your visual language and explore skills across the specialisms. Through research and development project work, you will learn, employ and present your skills. It will enable you to understand the world with historical accuracy, including the history of film, architecture, fashion and interiors. This will provide skills suitable for use in period dramas.

This module will build on knowledge gained in the Costume Design 1 module. With a focus on the role of the costume designer, this module will continue to enrich your storytelling ability, broaden your visual language, explore skills in costume construction and realisation and help you become a better communicator. Through research and speculative character development project work, you will learn, employ and present your skills. It will enable you to understand the wide variety of departments and specialist skills within the costume department including the history of fashion, pattern cutting, construction, millinery, accessories, and sourcing from costume houses.

Here you will build on the knowledge gained in the Production design and Concept 1 module and you will gain a more advanced insight into the role of Production Designer. With a focus on the concept and visualisation of scenic design and an appreciation of the art of framing, this module will continue to enrich your storytelling ability and broaden your visual language. You will explore skills in concept designs, mood boards, storyboards, look books, sizzle reels and help you become a better designer and communicator. You will also develop team leading and logistical skills will expand your industry knowledge and provide you with a set of tools to enhance your creative and professional practice.  

 

This module will build on knowledge gained in the Drafting and Graphics 1 module and give you a more advanced insight into the art department. With a focus on drafting and graphic design this module will broaden your visual language through exploring skills in technical drawing and creative graphic design. Through research and speculative project work, you will learn, employ and present your skills, expanding industry knowledge and enhancing your production design practice. It will enable you to develop and practice specialist skills including scale drawing, illustration and poster and graphic design, using traditional techniques alongside software such as photoshop and illustrator.

This module will build on knowledge gained in the VFX 1 module and give you a more advanced insight into the art department, focussing on VFX. This module will continue to broaden your visual language by exploring skills in set extension & matte painting, green screen compositing and keying, stabilising images, architectural modelling and motion capture. You will also explore FX animation- the creation of digital smoke, fire, water and explosions, expanding your industry knowledge and providing you with a set of tools to enhance your creative and professional practice. 

This module will build on knowledge gained in the Hair and Make Up 1 module and give you a more advanced insight into the hair and make-up department. The learning and employment of specialist skills will expand your industry knowledge and provide you with a set of tools to enhance your creative and professional practice. Areas of study include hair dressing, wigs and postiche, body painting, SFX aging and cuts and bruises expanding industry knowledge and enhancing your knowledge of production design practice, 

This module will build on knowledge gained in the Animation 1 modules and give you more advanced insight into the art of animation. With a focus on creative ideas and technique, this module will broaden your visual language through exploring skills in bringing 2D and 3D characters and scenes to life frame by frame. Through research and speculative project work, you will learn, employ and present your skills, expanding industry knowledge and enhancing your production design practice. It will enable you to develop and practice specialist skills starting with the fundamentals of animation and exploring various approaches using traditional techniques alongside industry standard software. 

This will give you the opportunity to build on knowledge gained in the Historical and Period Accuracy 1 module and give you a more advanced insight into historical accuracy with a focus on period film and TV production. You will continue to enrich your storytelling ability, broaden your visual language and explore skills across the specialisms. Through research and development project work, you will learn, employ and present your skills. It will enable you to understand the world with historical accuracy, including the history of film, architecture, fashion and interiors. This will provide skills suitable for use in period dramas. 

Year 3

All students take the following core modules in their third (and final) year of study, plus one optional module.

*Please note that the offering of optional modules in individual Film Schools, in any given academic year, will be subject to the availability of resources and sufficient student interest.

This module is the final step in your Film School journey and will support you as you look to enter your chosen field as a creative professional. Drawing on evidence from throughout your time at Screen and Film School you will critically self-evaluate your personal learning journey and industry engagements to date. You will explore concepts and theories of personal and professional development to support, challenge and test your assumptions, to determine your readiness for work in the creative industries. You will have the opportunity to discuss this with your peers and learn from your collective experiences in both small degree path groups and large mixed discipline sessions. With this position in mind, you will then be challenged to create and consolidate creative assets to give you the edge over the competition in your chosen field. Specialist workshops will be offered throughout the module, informed and delivered by our wide – reaching connections and specialist tutors in the creative industries. This culminates in the creation of a portfolio which tells the story of your personal and professional journey so far, communicating your unique professional identity and future career plans in the creative industries.

In this module you will undertake a significant project of your own choosing. It’s your chance to explore your passion within the industry and creative arts: experiment, take risks, strengthen your skills and create a product/cohesive portfolio of work that you are proud to showcase at the end of your degree. This module will support you in consolidating the broad learning and development from the course so far, building a bridge into industry, the workplace and future opportunities. You will be supported to self-direct your own learning through a series of lectures, seminars and 1:1 tutorials with expert supervisors. Primary and action research are supported in this module both through theory and feedback guidance. The series of lectures will provide a strong theoretical understanding of key research methodologies and approaches, and the application of this learning supported through feedback in seminars and tutorials. The foundations for research theory and practice are laid spine modules (as well as some core modules) in both Year 2 and 3.

This module will involve the development of a substantial project of your own choosing. There will be the opportunity to collaborate across the Film School on large-scale film productions as a Production Designer or develop a more specialised creative art department project.   

You will gain an in-depth understanding of your specialism and then implement it to a professional standard. You will also develop and refine your collaborative and team working skills through this module. Through the pre-production process you will explore all aspects of development and pre-production relevant to your chosen project. For example: mood boards, storyboards, designs, planning and logistics, experimentation, fabricating, making and construction, test shoots.

Within this module you will be supported with the development of a major project through production to the final realisation and delivery of the creative outcome. This module builds on and advances your design and development skills that you have been working on during the Pre-production Process module and supports you to realise this research and idea development. This project represents the culmination of all the technical, logistical and creative development that you have undertaken within your time on the course and supports you in utilising it within a production context. You will have focused on your areas of specialisation in Year 2 and Year 3, and this expert knowledge that you will have developed during these modules will enable you to work successfully at a professional level on this module to create original and innovative work, with skills appropriate to Year 3. The module will also refine your collaborative skills, enabling you to utilise them within a high-end production environment. 

You will chose one of the two optional modules you completed in Year 2 and continue to advance your skillset in your chosen specialism. Please see the list of optional modules under the ‘Year 2’ tab.

All optional modules will be subject to the availability of resources and sufficient student interest. To ensure fairness in regards to you accessing the optional modules that you would like to take, Screen and Film School operates a robust selection process. We ensure that we support you to identify your area of specialist interest and then work with you to secure an optional module of your choice.

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