Welcome to your Film Production course

Welcome to Film Production!

We are looking forward to you joining our industry-accredited and multi-award-winning BA (Hons) Film Production course. This page provides you with some additional information about your course and links to useful resources to ensure you have the best possible start with us.

Course Delivery

You are joining a vibrant, student-centred film community where students support each other to develop and achieve their goals. This is an exciting and demanding course where you will spend most of your time making films. You can expect to be in university for a high proportion of your time during the week either in workshops, training sessions, tutorials or completing your production tasks. You are required to attend all scheduled learning and teaching sessions and complete your assignments in your self-managed time.

Semester one activities

The practical nature of the course means that you will be using our film production equipment from the start. We kick things off right from the beginning of Welcome Week with the planning and preparation for your 4-day residential film shoot. You will start your degree with a 40-credit module called Non-Fiction Filmmaking, where you will collaborate with a crew of 4-5 students to create a documentary film and BTS short.

You will also complete a 20-credit module called Film and Media Professional Development, which will introduce you to academic study and start you thinking about potential career pathways. You will be focusing on your future career in the screen industries as soon as you arrive!

Pre-learning

In preparation for starting the course in September, there are a few tasks and resources that you can get started with to help you hit the ground running.

Complete your course welcome profile.
In preparation for the start of the course you are required to create a profile on our shared class Padlet (link below) This gives you an opportunity to share some information about yourself and learn about your course mates. Please complete this as soon as possible via the link below:
https://staffs.padlet.org/cjmottram/l4-first-year-class-introduction-2025-26-4hq2i6hk3orvf9uu

Start Learning.
You will be undertaking hands-on practical workshops on all the equipment needed to complete your assignments. Every student will be expected to develop a multi-disciplinary skillset and have a baseline knowledge of all the equipment. To get a head start, you can watch work through our online training videos created by the technical instructors that will be supporting you in September.

Sony FS5 Camera
Part 1: An introduction to the Sony FS5, covering the external camera interface, audio setup, and the core parameters you'll need to know to get started.
https://vimeo.com/459336277

Part 2: Part 2 of the Sony FS5 covering the remaining internal interface to get the best out of the Camera system.
https://vimeo.com/459338027

Zoom H6 Audio Recorder
This selection of video tutorials covers the basic functionality of the Zoom H6 location recorder.
https://vimeo.com/showcase/7319947

Watch Short Films.
We would recommend watching as many short films as possible from the course's YouTube channel. This will give you a better understanding of the breadth and depth of work created by our students. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkh-aP8cryEPI79xwji80w

Connect to all our social media channels.
This will enable you to find out more about the course and keep up to date about what our graduates are now working on. Connect via the links below:

@staffsfilmmedia | #staffsfilmmedia

LinkTree – linktr.ee/filmproduction

x - @StaffsFilmMedia
Instagram - https://twitter.com/StaffsFilmMedia
Facebook - www.facebook.com/StaffsFilmMedia

If you have any questions or queries about the course please don’t hesitate to contact your Course Leader, Colin Mottram, e-mail: c.j.mottram@staffs.ac.uk

Equipment and software

We have an extensive production resources centre where we have all the portable equipment, shoot studios and post-production facilities needed to complete your work.

We do recommend that students have their own portable hard drive to back up their production work, in addition to having their projects stored on the shared drives. We highly recommend the USB-C Samsung T7 drives to students; these are fast drives that enable direct editing of multiple streams of uncompressed video footage.

All productions have some expendable items such as gaffer tape and batteries. Students often prefer to invest in a battery charger and re-rechargeable AA batteries rather than buying disposable ones for each shoot.

Download software

Course Trips

Throughout your time on Film Production there will be opportunities for you to attend external events, workshops, and filming opportunities to influence and inspire your own films.

We have the residential film shoot (4 Days – October/November) where you will shoot your first short documentary film. Embedded in your first production module, the inclusive trip enables you to apply your knowledge and skills developed in the first few weeks of the course. The trip also provides lots of opportunities for you to meet and network with the whole cohort and get to know everyone by the time you return to campus.

There are also optional trips available, and we have visited:

New York (7 days – Optional/Additional Cost)

This opportunity enables you to visit film and TV studios, art galleries, museums and of course its iconic landmarks. The aim of the trip is to explore global cultures and gather ideas and influences for your own creative outputs.

Clermont Ferrand International Short Film Festival, France (6 days – Optional/Additional Cost)

This trip to the world’s largest short film festival and marketplace provides full accreditation, with VIP access to all film screenings, marketplaces, and networking events. It enables you to make global connections with filmmakers and distribution companies and opportunities to get your own work distributed internationally. Watching work from around the world also gives you a global overview of contemporary film production practices, influencing and inspiring your own approaches to creative storytelling.

Groups and societies

Wednesday afternoons are for students’ union clubs and societies and include:

Staffs TV

https://www.staffsunion.com/activities/society/staffstv/

OMG Radio

https://www.staffsunion.com/activities/society/omg/

Digital Arts Society

https://www.staffsunion.com/activities/society/das/

Cosplay & Crafts

https://www.staffsunion.com/activities/society/ccs/

LGBTQ+ Network
https://www.staffsunion.com/organisation/lgbtnetwork/

All clubs and societies

Course hoodies / kit / uniform

All students will receive a free course hoodie that can be ordered in Welcome Week. These Production Crew hoodies are essential to wear on location to keep warm and look professional.

In preparation for extended durations of working outside in all weather conditions, we recommend that all students invest in functional clothing and footwear to ensure they are protected from the elements and comfortable. We recommend suppliers such as Go Outdoors or Millets, where you can pick up a pair of waterproof walking shoes, waterproof and windproof coats and waterproof trousers.

Meet the team

Colin Mottram

Senior Lecturer

Combining extensive filmmaking experience and passion for learning and teaching, Colin challenges, supports and motivates students to turn their passion into a career.

Colin's profile

Dr Agata Lulkowska

Associate Professor

Dr Agata Lulkowska is a Senior Lecturer in Film Production in the Department of Film, Media and Journalism. Agata’s background is in film practice, installations and photography.

Agata's profile

Stephen Griffiths

Course Director

Stephen's teaching centres on broadcast programme histories and media performance, especially acting on television. His research interests include broadcast light entertainment and comedy, television drama, and children's programming.

Stephen's profile

Dr Andrew Stubbs-Lacy

Senior Lecturer

Dr Andrew Stubbs is Senior Lecturer of Film Industries and Studies in the Department of Creative Industries. He is also the postgraduate research coordinator, co-lead for the C3 research centre, and his department’s ethics coordinator.

Andrew's profile

What to expect on Welcome Week

We're so excited for you to join us on campus and to welcome you to where you matter. During your welcome week you'll be able to meet our friendly student services teams, connect with new friends, join societies, explore on-campus venues attend club nights and much more.

We look forward to welcoming you to the campus in September.

If you have any questions or quires about the course please don’t hesitate on contacting your Course Leader, Colin Mottram via c.j.mottram@staffs.ac.uk

Film and Media Course Team