Foundation DegreeFilm ProductionValidated by The Open University
Qualifications
Foundation Degree Film Production (Validated by The Open University)
Overview
In 2018, the Belfast Film and Television School at E3 Studios was launched. Our campus is equipped with state-of-the-art Film/TV, Photography and Virtual Production studios, as well as industry level camera, lighting, grip and audio equipment. Furthermore, our staff are all either experienced or active practitioners in the fields they teach in. All our courses take full advantage of this provision to deliver a suite of award-winning and industry-recognised creative media courses, designed to prepare our students with the skillset, experience and connections to enter the creative industries with confidence.
These Foundation Degrees are all unique to Belfast Met’s E3 Studios campus and have been designed in-house by our experienced lecturing team whose first-hand knowledge of industry has shaped the structure and content of each course. Common across all our courses is a strong practical emphasis that mirrors professional practice as closely as possible.
This Foundation Degree in Film Production is a creative and highly practical programme designed for those who wish to enter the film industry. The aim of the course is to advance your technical and creative competence, build a strong portfolio of work and connect you to industry professionals and companies.
The programme itself is structured around the core stages of filmmaking: Pre-Production, Production and Post-Production. Learners move from one stage of production into the next, trying out a variety of crew roles through each cycle until specialising. Teaching and assessment are therefore aligned with the learning and output from each project.
This course will expose learners to a wide variety of crew roles, with a focus on nurturing:
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Scriptwriters
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Directors
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Producers & Assistant Directors
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Cinematographers
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Sound recordists
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Editors
Our learners benefit from access to our state-of-the-art studio facilities, high-spec editing PCs and software, and the use professional camera, lighting and audio equipment:
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RED, Sony, BlackMagic, Fujifilm cameras
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Aputure, Nanlite, Dedolight, Kino Flo lighting gear
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Rode, Deity, Zoom, Sennheiser audio equipment
Student Projects
Each year of the Foundation Degree in Film Production will see students through 3 major film productions, alongside numerous smaller or work-based learning projects. Below are examples of some of these projects:
Debut Films
The Debut Film is the name we give to the first film our 1st year students make, which is filmed within the first 4-6 weeks of the course. The emphasis of this project is immersing learners in: the larger mechanics of how a film is made; the hierarchies within and collaboration between departments; and appropriate set etiquette and professionalism for film production. The department head roles on these productions are therefore occupied by staff, allowing students to focus on their own roles from day 1 on the course, and receive direction and guidance from the lecturing team.
Mid-Year Films
The mid-year films in both first and second year share a similar concept but at different levels. For the 1st year students, the main mid-year film is a scene recreation. After being exposed to the professional practices behind film production in their Debut Film, this project delves into technical competency across camera, lighting, audio and more. The goal is to, as faithfully as possible, recreate a scene made by practitioners at the highest level. With a perfect reference of their case study, students are encouraged and enabled to apply their new theory and technique to achieve the same result – light quality, colour, direction, and intensity; camera exposure, frame rate, white balance, composition and movement; lens type, focal length and depth of field; audio clarity and quality; art direction, colour palette, set decoration, costumes and more.
For the 2nd year students, they complete what we call “spin offs” – short films that are tonally inspired by a case study of their choice. Rather than recreating every frame perfectly (like the scene recreations in 1st year), these learners are tasked to study and analyse the multitude of technical and creative decisions that produced the look, sound and feel of their chosen reference, then apply those same techniques to an original film – including the script. This requires a deeper level of understanding and creative confidence, complimenting the year’s focus of specialising, as each crew member considers how their own role contributes to the final result.
End of Year Films
Finally, the end of year films for 1st years, and the graduating films for 2nd years, represent the most technically and creatively ambitious projects the students will have undertaken until that point. After writing the scripts for several months and pitching these to a panel of lecturers, and their classmates, a select few students’ projects will be chosen based on the strength of the story, directorial vision, and production requirements. Most often, these films are submitted to national and international film festivals (with funding going to the graduating films, subject to availability), to help springboard our students into industry.
Ready to take your career to the next level in Film Production? Explore the links below to learn more about our validated awards and regulations:
OU Handbooks and Regulations can be found under the Higher Education section of our public documents.
Regulations for validated awards of The Open University
Student's guide to studying on a programme validated by The Open University
Applications to this course can be made through UCAS using code U907. If you haven’t started a UCAS application yet, and only want to apply to Belfast Met, you can apply directly to us using Apply Now option and we will process a UCAS application on your behalf. IMPORTANT: Applicants must only choose one method of application.
The minimum entry requirement accepted for this course is 80 Tariff Points. Depending on the number of applications, we may have to increase this.
You will also need to have a keen interest in storytelling and cinema. Prior experience and/or qualifications in Moving Image/Film/Media is not mandatory but would be highly beneficial.
Minimum entry requirements are pre-defined by the College’s admissions criteria, which can be found by visiting our entry criteria page on this link
Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) for HE Courses
APL allows you to use evidence from prior learning or experience to gain entry onto a course at Belfast Met. Belfast Met will work with you to make sure that relevant learning or work experience is formally recognised through the APL Process. For more information see Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) Process - Guidance for applicants. If you would like more information, or if you decide you would like to use the APL process, please contact the Course Co-ordinator. Contact details are provided at the end of these slides and on the course details page on Belfast Met website.
Fees:
Academic period 2026:
Tuition Fee = £3235.00
Academic period 2027*:
Tuition Fee = £3235.00
Fees are payable annually.
*The fees have not been finalised and may be subject to change.
Visit our Student Funding page here to find out how to fund your studies
All fees are set in accordance with DfE regulations.
Please contact the student loan company if you require a loan or our Funding Team by emailing studentfunding@belfastmet.ac.uk for other options.
Whenever possible, we make our assessment methods as practical, with written components primarily being used to reinforce technical understanding and personally reflect on own performance. However, research is a core component to the development of any skillset, and so will be tested through written assessment alongside academic writing skills appropriate to the foundation degree level.
E3 Studios at Belfast Met are a member of the Blackmagic Design Education Partner Programme which aims to support and develop leading Media and Broadcast focused institutions with dedicated resources. This partnership helps us empower students to become confident, experienced industry ready graduates.
Careers
The structure of our Film Production course entails the cyclical progression through the industry process of pre-production, production and post-production with an increasing standard of final output. Therefore, our students will graduate from the course with 2 years’ worth of knowledge, skill and relevant experience that proves to mirror professional standards, as well as numerous industry connections made throughout. The goal of this Foundation Degree is to make the transition into the film industry as seamless as possible. The most realistic entry points into the film industry that many former graduates have gone onto after the course include:
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Trainee AD and Runner (in view of Crowd AD, 3rd AD, 2nd AD, 1st AD)
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Camera Trainee (in view of Clapper Loader, Focus Puller, Camera Operator)
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Production Assistants (in view of Crowd AD, 3rd AD, 2nd AD, 1st AD, Producer)
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DIT Assistant and Data Wrangler (in view of Junior DIT, DIT)
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Lighting Trainee (in view of Junior Spark, Spark, Best Boy Electric, Gaffer)
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Grip Trainee (in view of Grip Assistant, Best Boy Grip, Dolly Grip, Key Grip)
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Sound Trainee (in view of First Assistant Sound, Boom Operator, Sound Mixer)
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Art Department Assistant (in view of Costume Trainee, Props Assistant)
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Locations Assistant/Runner (in view of Location Scout, Locations Manager)
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Assistant Editor (in view of Dailies Technician, Editor, Colourist, Sound Designer)
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Videographer
We are also excited to announce a brand-new BA (Hons) in Professional Practice in the Creative Industries beginning in September 2026 – a full Level 6 undergraduate top up degree. This course is designed especially for graduates of our various Level 5 creative media courses (Foundation Degree, or former HND), and open to graduates from other Level 5 courses elsewhere. This provision is unique in its kind, accepting students from a range of creative media disciples (e.g. music, VFX, screen acting, graphic design, photography & cinematography and more) in order to hone their specialism and apply it in an ambitious collaborative project, such as a fiction film. Please note that entry into this course is not guaranteed due to limited spaces and its own entry requirements.
Our courses also accommodate to those wishing to further their studies elsewhere, particularly through top-up degrees that have been established with various partnering universities across the UK.
Interests
- Creativity
- Storytelling and Scriptwriting
- Camerawork
- Lighting
- Sound Technology
- Film production workflows
- Working as a crew member
- Media Studies
- Editing
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