BA Honours Television Production Degree - Leeds Trinity University

You'll study a mix of very practical, get-your-hands-dirty modules, including Introduction to TV Research, which will outline the wide-ranging role played by a TV Researcher, often a graduate's first job in the industry.

You'll be taught how to operate industry-standard cameras, sound recording and lighting equipment, in studio and on location – and you'll also be given an introduction to Premiere Pro, the software of choice for many professional editors.

In Introduction to Television (Theory), you'll be given an excellent grounding in the history and theories underpinning modern TV, including an exploration of TV genres, platforms and audiences.

Towards the end of your first year, you'll use your newly-acquired skills – and test your ability to work within a team – in a challenging live TV broadcast exercise.

And after receiving training and support in the skills and personal strengths needed in a competitive industry, you'll get your first taste of the creative media industry, with a five-week work placement.

Year 2

This year, you'll build stronger research and production skills further in a number of key modules, making you better equipped to devise new ideas, to find and "cast" memorable contributors and to discover imaginative ways of telling their stories in film.

In our high-spec TV studio, you'll learn new ways to use cameras, sound, lighting, autocue and vision-mixing equipment and will produce two live shows. You'll also explore all aspects of filming on location – from initial research and logistical planning to filming and editing – culminating in your own short film.

In TV Genres, you'll begin to grasp the astonishing variety of global TV shows, channels and platforms, including a detailed examination of TV drama from the BBC to HBO and Netflix.

You'll create a personal pathway for your own special TV interests, by selecting an optional module in documentary, drama, online content or digital effects. And you'll further develop your range of contacts with a six-week work placement.

Year 3

You'll now have a much clearer idea where your personal TV-related skills, interests and passions lie – and you'll be able to build on this by selecting a specialised module – like advanced documentary, short film or transmedia production – from a range of options.

You'll continue to enhance your research and production skills and will use them to create a final-year project in an agreed format (like a film, a studio-based programme or a YouTube channel). As part of TV Production Portfolio, you'll also seek a commission from a real-world client to produce a short corporate film.

You may also like to work closely with one of the region's successful production companies, by studying a specific editorial or technical aspect of broadcast work in the Professional Learning Through Work module.

On this course you will study a range of modules which may include the following:

MFC4012 - Professional Development and Placement
1. A professional development programme of weekly sessions, with special reference to the Media sectors. The programme will comprise - Assembly and updating of CV and other professional documentation; - Career entry, sector and job analysis, function and roles of Sector Skills Councils and other professional bodies; - Personal Strength audit and related tasks - Briefing on EPO procedures and arranging placements - Team/Group work and development - Introduction to corporate communications and administration - Introduction to profiling and self-understanding. - Introduction to Digital literacy - Introduction to professional behaviour in the work place 2. Placement with suitable organization(s), normally six weeks in total 3. Reflection on and evaluation of placement.
MFC4022 - Analysing Media and Culture
The module aims to make students aware of how the media are situated within culture, introduce them to key theoretical concepts and make use of these in analyses of a wide range of cultural texts and practices including those texts and practices that they themselves produce and engage with. The concepts introduced will include semiotics and significatiion, structuralism and poststructuralism, anti-essentialism, myth, ideology, discourse, modernity, identity, multiculturalism and globalisation. Subjects for analysis could include advertising, news, social media, television, fashion, music, sport, identity, and everyday rituals. Students will also be instructed in the skills of academic essay writing.
MFC4062 - Introduction to Television (Theory)
The module covers the development of television from a predominantly UK historical position. It includes an introduction to the development of the principles of public service broadcasting with reference to key individuals and government committees. The module introduces the theoretical models applied to the study of the television industry and its products and places these in their appropriate social, cultural and economic contexts. Students will examine and analyse a variety of texts and other sources of information on, analysis of, and opinion about television.
MFC4262 - Introduction to Television - Practical
This 20-credit module will work alongside the theory-based Introduction to Television (MFC4062) allowing the students to develop basic production skills and giving them the opportunity to turn the theory into practice. Over the two semesters, the module will examine a range of television programming through the pre-production, production and post-production stages, including studio-based and location programmes, live and edited programmes and covering a range of different genres, including factual, drama and light entertainment. As well as looking at the content of the programmes, the module will give the students the knowledge and practical experience of tackling a range of production jobs both in front of and behind the camera including researcher, production assistant, presenter, camera, lighting and sound, producer and director. The module will also look at how to develop a programme idea and write and present the programme pitch aimed at winning the commission.
MFC4352 - Introduction to Scriptwriting
Through a blend of theoretical and practical work, students will receive an introduction to scriptwriting, including: ideas generation and development, narrative structure, character development, synopses, treatments & One Pages. Students will also be introduced to the various formats required by the industry (film, TV, drama, documentary). The module will contain practical sessions introducing them to camera, sound recording, and lighting.
MFC4391 - Introduction to TV Research
This core module will give you a wide-ranging introduction to the key, demanding job of a TV Researcher - frequently the entry-point post which offers graduates an initial foothold in a competitive, global industry - across a number of TV genres. In a series of interactive workshops, it will highlight the skills needed in both development (including the generation of new programme ideas and storylines) and production (such as finding and handling key interviewees or contributors) and will also illustrate some of the legal and ethical issues that might arise. It will combine the creative with the practical - covering the main industry-standard aspects of the role, from proposing imaginative storylines to the management of location filming.
MFC4401 - Audio Production
The module will introduce the basic concepts and practical skills required in recording and producing audio for film, television and podcast production. It will include the use of digital audio recorders, various microphones, principles of digital editing and sound design, encoding audio for podcast delivery. It will introduce concepts of scripting for podcasts and voicing techniques.

On this course you will study a range of modules which may include the following:

JOU5052 - Radio and Podcast for Journalists
This module provides an understanding of radio and its current context. It examines the different marketplaces / audiences relevant to radio and provides tuition in interview skills, writing for radio and the skills needs to compile, write and deliver a news bulletin.
MFC5012 - Professional Development and Placement 2
1. A professional development programme of sessions, with special reference to the audio-visual and cultural sectors. The programme will comprise - reflection on the nature of work and ethical issues related to it - introduction to principles and practice of Media-based reviews and appraisals - development of group work and team building - a Media pitch and team production piece - a demonstration of organisational coherence and production robustness The development of digital web design skills relevant to a wide variety of workplaces within the sector. - interviews with Placement Tutor. 2. Placement with suitable organisation(s), normally six weeks in total. 3. Critical reflection and evaluation of placement.
MFC5022 - Media, Power and Culture
This module examines the theoretical and empirical aspects of media, culture and society. The module focuses on each term separately and identifies their points of connection through the analysis of politics, gender, race, identity, celebrity and surveillance.
MFC5032 - Researching, Media, Film and Culture
This module is designed to familiarise you with approaches to researching media, film, and culture. It is led by internationally recognised researchers specialising in film analysis, digital humanities, interactive media, politics and society and contemporary popular culture. The module challenges you to understand goals of research and the role of the researcher and to explore the research process, so that you become an autonomous and effective researcher. You will learn how to identify suitable topics for study and to place them in the context of existing fields of knowledge in order to frame hypotheses and research questions. You will learn how to select methods appropriate to the successful conduct of a research project. You will engage with ethical issues in research and learn how to manage data. You will learn how to design and plan a research project and will produce a proposal that will form the basis of your Level 6 research project. The knowledge, attributes and abilities you develop on this module will expand your understanding of your chosen degree subject; help you to develop as an independent and original critical thinker; and develop your critical thinking, project management, and communication skills.
MFC5042 - Script to Screen
The module contains two units. Screenwriting: this unit explores dramatic structure and the concept of 'story' as applied to a selection of fiction and non-fiction programmes. Students are also introduced to the creative and technical dimensions of screenwriting and undertake a variety of practice exercises. Programme Production: this unit builds on previous experience and introduces the practice of single camera programme production including briefs, treatments, storyboards and scripts; logistics of location recording; camera crew roles; single camera techniques; editing. This leads to a period of small-group production work, culminating in a presentation of completed artefacts to the whole group, followed by critical peer appraisal in preparation for the submission of reports.
MFC5062 - Digital Effects
The module provides a history of special, visual and motion effects production for web, game,film and television from its roots to present day info/entertainment to the move towards digital technologies. It examines the visual use of movement (animation) to effectively communicate static graphical textual information. It also explores issues of technical production, creative possibilities within film, TV, internet and gaiming are discussed together with the constraints of: budget, bandwidth, experience, production time, facilities, location. Theory will be applied to practical production in semester 2 where experience will be gained using a software packages to create a sequence using motion graphics and/or interactive digital media.
MFC5112 - Understanding Disney
The module will introduce students to a range of frameworks for the analysis of the Disney phenomena. It will examine the role of Walt Disney as storyteller, artist and founder of an animation film studio. It will explore Disney's innovations in technology and merchandising, the relationship between the 'classic' Disney formula for fairy-tale animation features and traditional storytelling. The business practices of the Disney Corporation in the contemporary media environments and the strategies adopted to maintain the Disney brand, including their ethical dimensions, will also be examined. The place of Disney in the cultural landscape of Britain and the USA will be considered, as will responses to Disney products across the world. The module also provides an introduction to academic research and the skills required for effective independent study.
MFC5132 - Television Genres
The module provides a survey of the development and distinctiveness of television genres and explores audience targeting, codes and conventions, representation and structure. It examines the context of the contemporary UK broadcasting industry and considers the significance of broadcasting technology and the relationship between film and television in the evolution of genres. The module explores specific forms such as crime, soap, serials, plays, costume drama and sitcom and explores ethical issues in representation. It considers at least one genre in detail (eg. drama).
MFC5202 - Documentary: Theory and Practice
The module provides a theoretical understanding of the role of 'non-fiction' media products and their historical development. In particular students will engage with the concept of 'realism' in reference to British film and TV and the concept of 'Public Service Broadcasting'. It will provide opportunities for students to develop their production skills. It examines the process of choosing subjects, development production and post-production.and the crucial role of creativity and narrative in the documentary process. It also explores the ethical aspects of the 'creative treatment of actuality'. This will be followed by an intensive period of self directed team based production (in order to produce a short - 5 minutes - production)
MFC5572 - Digital Narratives
This module provides instruction and analysis of different types and methods of creating and interacting with digital narratives. Students will be introduced to classic hypermedia texts in the context of technological development. This module seeks to understand the strengths and weaknesses of different digital narrative formats, their publishing platforms and their application for storytelling in both fiction and non-fiction forms. Students will participate in, and critically assess, co-creation of digital narratives and understand the role of the writer in transmedia productions and how this relates to game-based narratives and interactive scenario design.
MFC5582 - Online Community Management
This module will look at online community management and customer service, social content and engagement planning and introduce social media analytics, including those for advertising on social networks and online communities. You will develop your understanding of the shift in business from Customer Service Managers to Online Community Managers and the requirement for every business and brand to know how to find, attract and nurture their customers with the hope of turning them into unpaid (but not unrewarded) ambassadors. You will develop skills and knowledge around listening to customer needs through online communities and specialist software, along with crowdsourcing activities for product and service design and development. Marketers need to critically assess different platforms for engagement with their customers. The module will develop your understanding of online community tools and management techniques specifically for nurturing communities of practice as well as the life-cycle of a crowd-funded project.
MFC5624 - Creative Development (Studio and Location)
This module will help students to build on the basic editorial and production skills they acquired at Level 4 (in modules such as Introduction to TV Practical, Introduction to TV Research and Writing for TV). It will help them achieve a more professional standard of work, thereby increasing their employability as they prepare for a second placement period. It will give students the knowledge and skills to grasp the creative potential of both location and studio-based programmes - the two crucial areas of TV production. And it will ensure they have all the creative and practical skills (and the versatility) needed to become a production and/or development researcher (in most cases, the entry-point job for a career making programmes) in a wide range of TV genres. In the first semester, students will examine all aspects of filming on location, from pre-production research and 'recces' to the actual filming. Through lectures, workshops and exercises, they will learn about the potential problems of location filming, ranging from dealing with the public to coping with thunderstorms. Students will also learn how to use equipment on location effectively and safely and how to make the most of the natural environment they are operating in. To highlight their expanded knowledge and skills, students will work in pairs to devise, film, edit and submit a ten-minute television programme, based entirely on location. In the second semester, students will build a greater understanding of how to make the most of the studio environment and equipment, including - for example - studio cameras, lighting, sound, autocue or vision mixing. By devising and producing their own studio-based programmes from scratch, they will see how the different roles within a production team work together to create the programme and they will have the opportunity to take on a variety of roles, both in studio and control gallery.
MFC5632 - Negotiated Study Module
The Negotiated Study Module provides flexibility for students to pursue particular areas of interest and produce assessment work in written, oral or multimedia format to reflect engagement and understanding with their chosen field of study. The module will allow students to pursue a specialist area outside of the normal module choice, although subject relevant, or allow them to negotiate assessment which links to other areas of study. For example, students who are producing film artefacts in other modules could use the Negotiated Study Module to research, outline and produce a PR campaign for the film or a written piece of work that situates the film within a particular genre, tradition, movement, etc. The negotiation process with tutors will ensure that students can be fully supported in their chosen area and, where they are linking work to other modules, also ensure that there is a sufficient level of autonomy between the modules.

On this course you will study a range of modules which may include the following:

BMM6302 - Entrepreneurship and Creativity
This module will prepare students to consider the reality of starting their own business as a viable alternative to seeking employment upon graduation. This module is supported by external input from successful entrepreneurs, in the form of masterclasses. The key difference of this module is the applied nature of the material: theoretical models will be presented, used and critiqued as practical tools in the development of viable business start-ups and in nurturing and growing small businesses. The module will give all students a 'toolbox' that will allow them to complete a business plan. In the process they will learn/ revise all the fundamentals of business: accounting, marketing, supply chain (operations), sales and management (HR). The module starts from a revision of business fundamentals, including marketing, finance/accounting, operations, and people management, which allows students from all programmes to be at the same level. The content and assessment strategy will encourage students to develop a business start-up idea to which the various tools and models can be applied producing a feasibility report and then a progressively more robust and considered business plan throughout the course. The importance of teamwork will be highlighted and students will be encouraged to work in teams but will also allow for individuals to develop their ideas. The fundamentals of the theoretical knowledge-base will be delivered by the academic input, while the guest speakers will provide the cutting-edge and practical material creating a coherent and rigorous 'enterprise culture'. The detailed module content will therefore vary according to the available expertise and contemporary factors affecting business start-ups and will include a broad coverage of topics such as (but not limited to) idea generation and creativity, market segmentation and targeting, business planning and understanding the competitive environment, financial issues, marketing and brand development, operations models and organisational structures and the legal context of new business. In addition, practical skill elements of the module will include a business start-up simulation game, development of marketing and promotional material, and an opportunity to participate in a 'Dragons' Den'-style competition.
JOU6002 - Advanced Radio Production
The module builds on previous production experience and takes this experience to a new level by providing opportunities for students to develop further general and specialised production skills. This focuses the crucial roles of creativity and narrative in the radio production. The module will train students in radio package production and live radio presentation skills. The module will conclude with a live programme on BCB Radio, in which the students will take the lead in both production and presenting. This will be part of their assessment, along with creating a radio package.
MFC6044 - Advanced Documentary Production
In this module, students will have an opportunity to build on the editorial and technical skills learned on previous modules, in order to devise, research and produce a ten-minute documentary film, for their career portfolio. Sessions will provide a theoretical understanding of the nature and role of documentaries and an insight into the impact they can have, as well as practical aspects of contemporary documentary production - such as devising and researching programme ideas, finding key contributors the preparation and execution of single-camera location filming and story-telling in the editing process. It will culminate in an intensive period of self-directed team-based production, during which students will create a ten-minute documentary film to a professional quality (together with a "legal binder" of industry-standard production documents). They will also supply an individual critical analysis of the finished film, their individual role in it, what they learned and how they would improve their performance in the future.
MFC6092 - Contemporary Cultural Issues
The module explores contemporary cultural issues and the ways in which they can be understood and engaged with. This involves an examination of: social norms and values; cultural change; media representations; and the politics of culture. Central to the module will be questions regarding power, truth and knowledge. Whilst being responsive to events, the module is likely to address several of the following: the politics of representation, multiculturalism, difference and diversity, nation, nationalism and globalisation, the politics of memory, surveillance, discourse, reality, knowledge, identity, postcolonialism, racism and sexuality. Examples of cultural texts and practices suitable for analysis include social media communications, film, television news, newspaper articles, political speeches, leisure activities and public ritual.
MFC6162 - Film and Television Adaptation
The module examines the history and theory of various kinds of cross-media storytelling, beginning with adaptation in cinema and television. It addresses issues and concepts such as: fidelity, updating and recontextualisation, cycles, transmedia storytelling, and remakes and reboots. It explores adapting Austen and Dickens; Shakespeare on screen; Hollywood and British costume drama; comic book movies and graphic novels; as well as fantasy franchises. The module will develop students' research skills, and the subject for the second assessed essay will be determined on the basis of individual negotiation with the module coordinator.
MFC6182 - Science Fiction
This module explores the science fiction across a range of texts in various media (literature, film, TV, graphic novels, interactive narratives, etc) and across a range of historical and contemporary cultural contexts. In Semester 1, key aspects of the genre will be studied, such as definitions and functions of science fiction, science fiction as allegory and satire, utopias and dystopias, the representation of science and technology, the monstrous, and gender. Semester 2 addresses a range of philosophical topics that form the common core of the science fiction in order to allow students to explore topics such as the brain in a vat hypothesis, the relationship between reality and virtual reality, the uncanny valley and the posthuman, disasters and catastrophes, religion in the age of superheroes, and technological singularities; and to explore how science fiction deals with these issues.
MFC6202 - Contemporary Cult Television
This module will examine contemporary "cult" television in the form of "quality" drama productions produced in the UK and USA but marketed, distributed and screened globally. It will address industrial, technical and aesthetic issues relating to "quality" production values (production context); cultural, political and societal issues in relation to the "contemporary" nature of textual content (cultural/historical context); and critical and theoretical issues in relation to 'scholarly' definitions of cult television drama, narrative, storytelling and in terms of cult television audiences and fandom and the reception/interactive use of cult TV texts in a "post-television" convergence age.
MFC6234 - Media, Film & Culture Research
The module develops the nature of academic research and builds on skills introduced in Levels 4 and 5. Students apply specific research skills to an extended piece of independent work. Each student will negotiate an appropriate topic with a tutor, proposals from the Level 5 Researching MFC or Television Audiences module will provide the initial starting point for students' research, albeit these can be modified based on feedback from the tutor. The topic will reflect their personal interests, enable them to explore an aspect of study in more depth and build on their studies in media across the levels. The student will conduct detailed research, with appropriate levels of supervision, and produce either a piece of critical writing or a media artefact with accompanying theoretical justification appropriately presented and supported by conventional scholarly apparatus.
MFC6242 - Negotiated Media Project
The Negotiated Media Project Module provides flexibility for students to pursue particular areas of interest and produce assessment work in an appropriate format to reflect broad engagement and understanding with their chosen field of study. The module will allow students to pursue a specialist area outside of the normal module choice, although subject relevant, or allow them to negotiate assessment which links to other areas of study. For example, students who are producing film artefacts in other modules could use the Negotiated Media Project Module to research, outline and produce a PR campaign for the film. It is required that the student be able to provide an evidenced proposal to support their concept. The module coordinator must approve the original concept before the student proceeds. This proposal will form part of the Learning Agreement between student and tutor. The negotiation process with tutors will ensure that students can be fully supported in their chosen area and, where they are linking work to other modules, also ensure that there is a sufficient level of autonomy between the modules.
MFC6322 - Professional Learning Through Work
This module enables students to develop and negotiate learning outcomes and assessment modes that provide the flexibility for them to apply theoretical understanding and practical work based development to a chosen context. This could include a work based project or intervention or an alternative professional development project within their work setting. Students will be expected to negotiate a project with their employer or prior placement provider organisation that meets the needs of both the employer and Leeds Trinity University.
MFC6404 - Advanced Short Film Production
In this module students have an opportunity to employ the knowledge and technical skills obtained so far through previous modules, especially MFC 5042 (the stated pre-requisite), to produce substantial artefacts for their career portfolio. The aim is to produce a 10' short film to a professional standard. The film may take any form/genre/style but it must not be a documentary (there is other provision for this at Level 6). This module builds on previous experience and the practice of single camera film production, including: briefs, treatments, scripts and storyboards; logistics of location recording; camera crew roles; single camera techniques; editing. This leads to a period of small-group production work, culminating in a presentation of completed films to the whole group and members of an invited audience, followed by critical peer appraisal in preparation for the submission of reports. Students will identify a specific role: writer, producer, director, camera/cinematographer, sound recordist, etc and the written element of the assignment will focus on their chosen role within the production process. In addition, students will be instructed to supply a critical analysis of the finished film, peer/audience assessment data and recommendations for further skills development. Students will also 'pitch' their film project to tutors and invited industry personnel, prior to commencing production. Additionally, it is envisaged that supplementary production personnel will be recruited from the Level 5 Script to Screen cohort and Level 4, should the need/opportunity arise. This will offer Level 4 & 5 students the opportunity to hone their skills and develop as part of a professionally constituted production team, enhancing their technical and logistical abilities, which will, in turn, feed back into their work on MFC 5042 and other production work.
MFC6462 - Television Production Portfolio
During this module students will undertake their own production from scratch, after securing a commission from an external client. After initially focusing on research and development and generating the original idea, they will pitch it to their tutor commissioning editor and then to the external client. Once that is resolved, they will complete pre-production stages, which will include developing a story-board, draft script, identifying potential programme subjects / interviewees and locations and carrying out investigations (or "recces") and risk assessments. They will then proceed through the production and post-production phases to complete their final product and then get independent evaluation of the success of their product - whether it is intended for broadcast, for uploading to an online site or as a promotional DVD.
MFC6564 - Transmedia Production
This module cover the concepts of writing, pitching and producing media for multi-platform transmedia story-telling including audience interaction, gated content, gamification, multiple points of view and entry points, formats of transmedia and world-building. Using examples pulled equally from brand narratives and entertainment, you will explore the main formats for transmedia, and understand the difference between canon and fan-generated content. You will consider the role of the audience in both navigating and affecting the story through audience agency, and how these elements can be introduced. You will also examine the dimension from story to game, researching and participating in the ludology versus narratology debate, enabling you to realise your choices for the best mechanics to create the desired audience responses in each case. You will choose and use online tools appropriate to the telling of the story, the format of the media, the management of the audience and the measurement of engagement. The module will also allow you to explore examples of experiential marketing and how real life elements can enable audiences to cross the fourth wall into the narrative, engendering a deeper emotional connection with the (brand) story, and how this ties in with Alternate Reality Games and their use to raise awareness of societal, political and environmental issues. You will consider localisation and globalisation - or glocalisation - and for some, and particularly international, students this could include the creation of a piece that is relevant across two distinct countries and/or crosses a language barrier.