Film Studies
P303Whether you’re passionate about zombie movies, Hollywood blockbusters, or art-house French classics, our Film Studies degree provides you with the intellectual rigour to analyse all types of film from a number of different perspectives.

Course overview
Over the course of your three years, you will spend time watching and discussing films from different periods, countries and genres. By engaging critically with film texts, you learn to deepen your understanding of narrative structure, technique and aesthetics, as well as your appreciation of how filmmakers choose to represent class, race and sexuality on screen.
At Winchester we understand that your perception of film becomes deeper when you bring in perspectives from other disciplines, including politics, philosophy, history, gender and race studies. You study the different histories and styles found in American, British, European and broader global industries and there’s an opportunity to undertake practical film work in digital production and screenwriting.
You are taught by a team of film specialists and industry professionals with different backgrounds, whose diverse research expertise is reflected in the breadth and scope of the curriculum.
Year 1 covers core modules, which include the Rise of the New Media and Film Form, Narrative and History as well as opportunities to hone your digital creative skills.
Study during Year 2 is more specialised and focuses on skills and your potential career paths including a work placement module. Optional modules allow you to focus your study on areas that interest you. Year 2 optional modules may include British and European Cinema and Hollywood.
Year 3 modules cover Animation as well as National and Global Cinemas and you will undertake your Extended Independent Study (dissertation). Optional modules cover Gothic and Horror Films and Stardom and Desire.
Our Multimedia Centre, which is open 24 hours a day, offers outstanding industry-standard facilities including two HD TV studios with green screens, a newsroom, a computerised radio studio, and facilities for multi-track audio recording.
You will graduate as a well-informed critical thinker who understands the cross-cultural diversity of the contemporary world. The Winchester course in Film Studies has an excellent employment record and graduates commonly find work in film and television-related industries, creative industries, advertising, media and teaching.
Film Studies is based in the Department of English and Creative Writing.
What you need to know
Course start date
September
Location
On campus
Course length
- 3 years full-time
- 4 years sandwich
- 6 years part-time
Apply
P303
Typical offer
96-112 points
Fees
From £9,535 pa
Course features
- Develop as a critical film scholar and a gain a practical grounding for a career in TV, film or the media
- Enjoy the freedom to study your favourite genres and periods of cinema while discovering new forms, faces and fields within film
- Watch a lot of terrific films – and discuss and debate them at lively, interactive seminars
- Take advantage of outstanding industry-standard facilities to learn practical film techniques and skills in our Multimedia Centre
- Work placement module explores a range of potential industry careers and opportunities in creative practice across film and media
Course details
Work placements
Students have the opportunity to gain work experience through the Professional Journeys module.
Study abroad (optional):
Our BA (Hons) Film Studies course provides an opportunity for you to study abroad in one of our partner universities in the USA or Canada.
For more information see our Study Abroad page.
Learning and teaching
Our aim is to shape 'confident learners' by enabling you to develop the skills needed to excel in your studies here and as well as onto further studies or the employment market.
You are taught primarily through a combination of lectures and seminars, allowing opportunities to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups.
In addition to the formally scheduled contact time such as lectures and seminars etc.), you are encouraged to access academic support from staff within the course team and the wide range of services available to you within the University.
Independent learning
Over the duration of your course, you will be expected to develop independent and critical learning, progressively building confidence and expertise through independent and collaborative research, problem-solving and analysis with the support of staff. You take responsibility for your own learning and are encouraged to make use of the wide range of available learning resources available.
Overall workload
Your overall workload consists of class contact hours, independent learning and assessment activity.
While your actual contact hours may depend on the optional modules you select, the following information gives an indication of how much time you will need to allocate to different activities at each level of the course.
Year 1 (Level 4): Timetabled teaching and learning activity*
Teaching, learning and assessment: 300 hours
Independent learning: 900 hours
Year 2 (Level 5): Timetabled teaching and learning activity*
Teaching, learning and assessment: 324 hours
Independent learning: 852 hours
Placement: 24 hours
Year 3 (Level 6): Timetabled teaching and learning activity*
Teaching, learning and assessment: 276 hours
Independent learning: 924 hours
*Please note these are indicative hours for the course.
Teaching Hours
All class based teaching takes places between 9am – 6pm, Monday to Friday during term time. Wednesday afternoons are kept free from timetabled teaching for personal study time and for sports clubs and societies to train, meet and play matches. There may be some occasional learning opportunities (for example, an evening guest lecturer or performance) that take places outside of these hours for which you will be given forewarning.
Assessment
Our validated courses may adopt a range of means of assessing your learning. An indicative, and not necessarily comprehensive, list of assessment types you might encounter includes essays, portfolios, supervised independent work, presentations, written exams, or practical performances.
We ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve module learning outcomes. As such, where appropriate and necessary, students with recognised disabilities may have alternative assignments set that continue to test how successfully they have met the module's learning outcomes. Further details on assessment types used on the course you are interested in can be found on the course page, by attending an Open Day or Open Evening, or contacting our teaching staff.
Percentage of the course assessed by coursework
The assessment balance between examination and coursework depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose. The approximate percentage of the course assessed by different assessment modes is as follows:
Year 1 (Level 4)*:
87% coursework
13% written exams
0% practical exams
Year 2 (Level 5)*:
86% coursework
0% written exams
14% practical exams
Year 3 (Level 6)*:
85% coursework
0% written exams
15% practical exams
*Please note these are indicative percentages and modes for the programme.
Modules
Please note the modules listed are correct at the time of publishing. The University cannot guarantee the availability of all modules listed and modules may be subject to change. The University will notify applicants of any changes made to the core modules listed. For further information please refer to winchester.ac.uk/termsandconditions
Modules
The module offers an introduction to the basic procedures for reading film, writing about film and the terminology most widely used in film analysis. Methods of close textual analysis are explored, foregrounding major filmic devices, or procedures, such as mise-en-scène, editing, sound and narrative – encouraging students to investigate critically ways in which these devices contribute to meaning. The module also introduces students to the academic study of film by outlining concepts, theories and critical paradigms central to Film Studies. These include critical notions, debates and theories relating to genre, narrative, star study, film authorship, psychoanalysis and feminism. In addition, students are introduced to the concepts of semiotics and ideology, and to matters pertaining to spectatorship and audience reception.
This module builds on knowledge and skills acquired in Term 1, extending analytical skills in relation to the operation of film narrative, and introducing students to histories of cinema and ways of constructing film history. A range of narratological approaches will be introduced and considered against various films (for example, classical Hollywood narrative, German Expressionist cinema, Russian montage, and post-classical narrative forms). Additionally, students will be introduced to a range of national and international cinema movements, styles, and moments in film history, such as pre-cinema, the Hollywood studio system, post-classical Hollywood, the French New Wave, and ‘World/Transnational Cinema’. These will be explored through examination of key film texts, discussion of which will be framed by key factors behind their emergence and historical moments (touching upon economic, social, cultural, political, technical and geographical influences). Together, the two strands of the module expand and consolidate essential knowledge for the study of film.
This module introduces the main concepts, themes and theories that are deployed in the study of media and communication in contemporary society. The module will provide you with opportunities to learn and apply key concepts that are central to the analysis of media, from modes of production and consumption, to the dynamics of power and control, to the construction of genres and meanings, and use them to explore some of the most pertinent issues in the contemporary digital landscape, including uses and abuses of new media, concerns about politics and citizenship, the importance of representation and identity, as well as security, surveillance and safety.
In this module you will be introduced to the essentials of digital creative skills. You will gain a solid understanding of the basics of using programmes from the Adobe Creative Cloud suite (Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator) and you will develop skills in graphic design and publishing software, as well as knowledge of the industry. The module also introduces and develops various skills required for the production of digital video, such as how to handle a camera, how to assess and capture sound and light, and how to edit footage.
Modules
The first part of this module develops critical understandings of film and cinema to a more advanced level by exploring different theories that have been important in Film Studies. In the second part, the module centres on the independent research of primary and secondary sources in order to develop methodological approaches to film, enabling you to pursue your own area of study as preparation for the Extended Independent Study (Dissertation).
Classifying and labelling films has occurred since early cinema in some shape or form. However, the framework for demarcating the boundaries of one type of film from another has been much debated and contested. Therefore, Film Genres considers a critical facet of filmmaking that relates to industrial practices, audience engagement and comprehension, and critical discourses around films. This module explores film genre by offering case studies of specific genres after examination of wider issues such as the importance of genre theory, definition of genre as a critical category and the place of genre in cinematic modes of production and consumption. The main focus, however, will be on the study of film genres such as gangster and crime film, science fiction and fantasy, superhero movies, comedies, rom-coms and musicals. Each case study will examine social and cultural contexts, institutional patterns, generic transformations, sub-generic forms, ideological resonances, and audience reception and fan cultures where relevant.
Please Note: This module’s overall content may vary year-by-year based upon the tutor or tutors leading and teaching on the module, with genres covered potentially being changed to reflect the research interests and knowledge bases of the staff.
This module is designed to support students in their employability journey throughout their undergraduate careers and beyond. It is intended as an opportunity to critically reflect upon experiences of work, including the Work Placement which will take place as part of the module, and build upon these experiences towards planning for graduate professional life. Students will be equipped with a framework to help them use the skills and knowledge they acquire during their studies and their Work Placement experience to attain further employment after graduation, whether working for an organisation within the media industries, as an independent freelance creative, or following another career pathway. Work Placements are managed in accordance with the University’s Approved Procedures for Work Based Learning and Placements.
Modules
The dissertation is a piece of written work of 8-10,000 words. It offers students the opportunity to undertake a sustained and detailed investigation of some area of film and to utilise and develop further a range of research skills and techniques previously introduced and developed on the BA (Hons) Film Studies programme. Subject areas and titles are determined through negotiation with a designated supervisor with whom the student will have regular tutorials to discuss and check the progress of the project.
The module will offer in-depth study of one or two national and/or global cinemas, investigating the history, cultural contexts, ideological meanings, critical constructions, and impact of production and consumption in relation to those cinemas. The module will include an analysis of aesthetic and thematic trends that distinguish the national and/or global cinemas, and these might include the representation of landscape, gender and race, as well as the role of genre and the auteur. The national and global cinemas to be studied will be based on tutor specialisms and will be taken from a range including African Cinema, Australian Cinema, French Cinema, German Cinema, Japanese Cinema, Scandinavian Cinema and Chinese and Hong Kong Cinemas.
The module will consider the history of animation from early cinema through to contemporary computer-animated blockbusters, taking in traditional cel animation in studies of individual studio styles in the ‘Golden Age’ of Hollywood cartoons, avant-garde animation, animation and Art, anime, digital animation and the rise of contemporary studios such as Pixar, Dreamworks, Studio Ghibli and Aardman. Theoretical perspectives on realism, narration, gender, consumption and the function of film will be explored to analyse animation’s place within a history of moving images. Questions of representation and reception will also be addressed enabling a focus on how animation has used and challenged a range of stereotypes.
Optional
Gothic and Horror Film
This module explores gothic and horror film by reference to specific texts, and their broader cultural and historical contexts. It examines the flexibility of the horror genre and how it has adapted to industrial, social, political and cultural change. Charting the genre from the 1930s to contemporary horror cinema across different national cinema traditions, it considers the importance of the ‘other’, the ‘uncanny’, ideology, genre, the body and representations of gender, sexuality and ethnicity. It examines shifting Gothic traditions drawing on a range of theoretical modes of thought, such as postcolonial criticism, feminism and psychoanalysis. Framed by a broad discussion on the arts, mythology, politics, psychoanalysis and religion, the module stimulates new ways of thinking through and beyond disciplinary boundaries, unpacking levels of transgression or social conformity, and providing a valuable framework: 1) to pinpoint specifically filmic concerns with Gothic horror motifs and themes and 2) to locate a ‘cinematic Gothic’.
Stardom and Desire
The module raises questions about notions of stardom, evolutions of star systems, the history of star studies, and the relationships between star, audience, fandom and desire. Broad areas include correlations and discrepancies between connotations of ‘star’, ‘celebrity’ and ‘actor’. A range of methodologies are investigated, including textual analysis, semiotics, intertextuality and ethnography, illuminating the shifting signification of specific stars, over time, and across different cultures. Debates surrounding authorship and genre are explored, together with identity concepts such as race, ethnicity and gender. The module provides a close study of critical approaches to gender, desire and sexuality in film and media, interrogating critical frameworks, including psychoanalytic concepts of fantasy or desire and cultural constructions of sexuality. A range of materials are studied to explore these areas including film, popular magazines, social media, video games, advertisements, photography, music and television, analysing the complex relationship between star image, fandom, identity, desire and context.
Entry requirements
Our offers are typically made using UCAS tariff points to allow you to include a range of level 3 qualifications and as a guide, the requirements for this course are equivalent to:
A-Levels: BBC-BBB from 3 A Levels or equivalent grade combinations (e.g. BBB is comparable to ABC in terms of tariff points)
BTEC/CTEC: DMM from BTEC or Cambridge Technical (CTEC) qualifications International Baccalaureate: To include a minimum of 2 Higher Level certificates at grade H4
T Level: Merit in a T Level
Additionally, we accept tariff points achieved for many other qualifications, such as the Access to Higher Education Diploma, Scottish Highers, UAL Diploma/Extended Diploma and WJEC Applied Certificate/Diploma, to name a few. We also accept tariff points from smaller level 3 qualifications, up to a maximum of 32, from qualifications like the Extended Project (EP/EPQ), music or dance qualifications. To find out more about UCAS tariff points, including what your qualifications are worth, please visit UCAS.
In addition to level 3 study, the following GCSE’s are required:
GCSE English Language at grade 4 or C, or higher. Functional Skills at level 2 is accepted as an alternative, however Key Skills qualifications are not. If you hold another qualification, please get in touch and we will advise further. If English is not your first language, a formal English language test will most likely be required and you will need to achieve the following:
If you will be over the age of 21 years of age at the beginning of your undergraduate study, you will be considered as a mature student. This means our offer may be different and any work or life experiences you have will be considered together with any qualifications you hold. UCAS have further information about studying as a mature student on their website which may be of interest.
If English is not your first language, a formal English language test will most likely be required and you will need to achieve the following:
-
IELTS Academic at 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all four components (for year 1 entry)
- We also accept other English language qualifications, such as IELTS Indicator, Pearson PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and TOEFL iBT.
If you are living outside of the UK or Europe, you can find out more about how to join this course by contacting our International Recruitment Team via our International Apply Pages.
2025/6 Course Tuition Fees
UK / Channel Islands / Isle of Man / Republic of Ireland |
International |
|
---|---|---|
Year 1* | £9,535 | £16,700 |

Additional tuition fee information
*(UK / Channel Islands / Isle of Man / Republic of Ireland) £9,535 for the 25/26 academic year. Fees for future academic years will be determined in line with our Terms and Conditions. The fee is currently subject to a governmental fee cap for each academic year. It is our policy to charge tuition fees at the level of the cap set by the Government. If the cap set by the Government changes, then we may increase our Fees in line with governmental policy.
*(International) £16,700 for the 25/26 academic year. Fees for future academic years will be determined in line with our Terms and Conditions. We decide the annual level of increase of our Tuition Fees by taking into account a range of factors including the cost of delivering the course and change in governmental funding.
Remember, you don’t have to pay any of this upfront if you are able to get a tuition fee loan from the UK Government to cover the full cost of your fees each year.
UK Part-Time fees are calculated on a pro rata basis of the full-time fee for a 120 credit course. The fee for a single credit is £79.45 and a 15 credit module is £1,191. Part-time students can take up to a maximum 90 credits per year, so the maximum fee in a given year will be the government permitted maximum fee of £7,145
International part-time fees are calculated on a pro rata basis of the full-time fee for a 120 credit course. The fee for a single credit is £139.14 and a 15 credit module is £2,087.
Additional costs
As one of our students all of your teaching and assessments are included in your tuition fees, including, lectures/guest lectures and tutorials, seminars, laboratory sessions and specialist teaching facilities. You will also have access to a wide range of student support and IT services.
There might be additional costs you may encounter whilst studying. The following highlights the optional costs for this course:
Optional
Disclosure and Barring Service
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance check may be required if you undertake a placement, volunteering, research or other course-related activity where you will have contact with children or vulnerable adults. The requirement for a DBS check will be confirmed by staff as part of the process to approve your placement, research or other activity. The indicative cost is £40.
SCHOLARSHIPS, BURSARIES AND AWARDS
We have a variety of scholarship and bursaries available to support you financially with the cost of your course. To see if you’re eligible, please see our Scholarships and Awards.
CAREER PROSPECTS
Graduates have entered careers in the film and film-related industries. Other students have entered professions in the creative industries including advertising, media and teaching.
The University of Winchester ranks in the top 10 in the UK for graduates in employment or further study according to the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023, HESA.
Pre-approved for a Masters
If you study a Bachelor Honours degrees with us, you will be pre-approved to start a Masters degree at Winchester. To be eligible, you will need to apply by the end of March in the final year of your degree and meet the entry requirements of your chosen Masters degree.
OUR CAREERS SERVICE

"I want to work in TV and the course has helped me experience what a real job in film production would be like."
