Film Studies – BA (Honours)

At a glance

Gain an extensive knowledge and appreciation of film, by studying it from a critical, theoretical and historical perspective. We have excellent facilities, including a purpose built cinema on campus and an unrivalled collection of books, journals and media that allow you excellent opportunities for research.

Key points
• Study film from a critical, theoretical and historical perspective.• Benefit from excellent facilities including a purpose built cinema.
• Utilise our unequalled archive of books, journals and media.
• Get unrestricted access to the extensive British Film Institute national archive.

What is film studies?
Film studies is the academic study of film from a wide variety of critical, theoretical and cultural perspectives.

This course

Develop your passion for film through your studies by learning and experiencing cinema in all its forms from silent film to digital media. We introduce you to
• film form, narrative and style
• a range of film making including documentary and avant-garde cinemas
• a variety of film genres, film makers and film movements
• a selection of national cinemas from around the world including America, Britain, East Asia and Europe

Throughout the course you also consider the social, aesthetic, cultural and industrial influences that have helped shape cinema around the world. This understanding of how real world issues affect filmmaking is essential if you wish to gain a career in the TV and film industries.

You can study in depth one or more areas in which our teaching staff specialise, such as European and alternative cinemas, documentary, East Asian cinema, Hollywood, epic films and adaptation.

Our teaching team also includes established screenwriters who help you to develop your interest and creative skills in writing. They also offer practical advice and information about being a professional screenwriter.

In the final year you can develop your personal interests in film studies by completing a dissertation on a topic of your choice and by carrying out your own research projects within modules.

Films are shown in our purpose-built film theatre, The Void. It combines new technology, including projection of Blu-ray and DVD through an HD digital projector, with older technology, such as our Westrex 7000 35mm projectors. These projectors can show both recent and rare, culturally valuable films in their original cinema format, celluloid. We are one of the few universities in the country with this capability.

We continue to enjoy a close working relationship with the British Film Institute (BFI). We have privileged access to the BFI national archive, which contains more than 50,000 fiction films and over 100,000 non-fiction titles, most of which are not available on VHS or DVD.
You also have access to our learning centre which has
• thousands of films on DVD, Blu-ray and videotape
• a large collection of cinema books and journals
• a unique collection of archival material on microfiche
• individual viewing facilities for private study with access to the British Film Institute's SIFT database

Sheffield is a thriving creative hub and home to a wide range of production companies (including the world famous Warp), theatres and film festivals. There are many opportunities for students to gain valuable experience with our external partners.

Key areas of study
Key areas include • introduction to film analysis • studying for stage and screen • silent cinema • film narrative • Hollywood • contemporary debates in film theory • contemporary American horror • documentary • East Asian cinema • music in film • British cinema • epics, spectacles and blockbusters.