Special Effects BA (Hons)

About the course

Throughout this course you will acquire an understanding of special effects design and receive a thorough grounding in the practical aspects of this. You will be able to combine your artistic and technical skills to produce animatronics, action props, models and special effects as featured in films, television and theatre. The course is run in close partnership with leading SFX companies.

First Year

You will gain a strong grounding in craft practices, workshop skills and the design process. Projects are designed to introduce you to a broad range of disciplines, encouraging problem-solving, versatility and innovation.

Second Year

Eight exciting one-week projects, are integrated throughout the year, to help you become proficient in many workshop skills as well as gaining ‘hands on’ experience of special effects equipment used to produce, rain, fire, smoke, wind and snow etc. You will also learn about the safe use of pyrotechnics and participate in demonstrations of this.

Working on two longer projects, you will be encouraged to explore and experiment with ideas acquired from regular workshops ranging from mechanical design to painting and finishing techniques. This is particularly appropriate if you opt to spend up to four months on a professional work placement. Our students have been actively involved in work on major blockbuster movies including most recently; Martin Scorsese’s: Hugo, Captain America: The First Avenger, Tim Burton’s stop motion film: Frankenweenie, X Men: First Class, 47 Ronin, Unknown, Ridley Scott’s new Alien prequel: Prometheus, Jack the Giant Killer, Clash of the Titans 2, World War Z, Batman 3: The Dark Knight Rises and the Sky Atlantic HD TV series Game of Thrones.

Final Year

Your study during your Final Year will be more independent, enabling you to develop the experience gained in the Second Year into a fully realised special effects artefact. You will write an in-depth essay on your research and analysis of issues related to your particular interests and design studies. A second major project provides the opportunity to demonstrate your professional ability. The year is also geared towards preparing you for your future career and you will produce a professional portfolio and mount an exhibition of your work at the end of the year.

Why choose this course?

• The Model and Special Effects Programme is the only programme of it’s kind to have been awarded the Creative Skillset Tick, the industry kitemark of quality, following a rigorous assessment process by experts working in the Creative Industries. The Creative Skillset Tick is awarded to practice-based courses which best prepare students for a career in the industry.
• This Special Effects degree is the only special effects course of its kind in the UK - possibly the world, as nowhere else has three interrelated degrees like this working alongside each other with access to such outstanding staff and facilities.
• Full time staff are all leading experts in their field with extensive industry experience & all the visiting lecturers are professionals currently working in the Film & TV industry.
• Work experience is an integral part of the degree - you can spend up to half the second year working in industry with companies such as Artem Special Effects, Asylum Models & Effects, Hothouse Models & Effects, and Machine Shop Special Effects.
• Work as a team with students on Character Creation & Technical Effects or Model Design & Model Effects to make ambitious projects that simulate working practices in the Film & TV industry.
• Learn practical making skills as well as using cutting edge new technologies in computer aided design and manufacture. Understand how to use computer software for achieving post-production effects.
• Find out for yourself and view our video!
• View student work on Flickr

Locations

• University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield

Careers

Career prospects on the Model & Special Effects Programme are wide ranging and include opportunities in film and television, the event, theatre and entertainment industries, in exhibit and museum design, in 3D design and visualisation, in animatronics, automata and kinetic art, to name just a few. For those who choose not to remain in this field, the skills and attributes developed by the programme provide them with opportunities to move sideways into management or related areas such as advertising, art direction or set design, or to progress to postgraduate study.

Typically over 85% of our graduates had entered employment six months after graduation, and a further 10% had gone on to further study or training.

Teaching methods

You'll experience a wide variety of learning styles on this course. During your studies you'll develop your capacity for self-directed study and your interpersonal skills. We particularly emphasise the importance of 3D making leading to physical artefacts created through structured research and design; well-prepared written and verbal presentations; and computer literacy. Alongside elements of standard lectures, seminars, tutorials and practical workshops, you also learn through case studies, individual and group projects and other student centred activities. In your final year you will have the opportunity to practice your independent study skills by completing a major project and dissertation.

You will experience a wide variety of teaching styles on the programme including:

• standard lectures
• practical workshops
• case studies
• individual and group projects

Work Placement

We regularly provide fantastic work experience opportunities for students across the three degrees within the Model and Special Effects programme; students can choose to take a range of modules as a replacement for all or part of one semester in their second year of study. The staff team have excellent contacts in the creative industries and have won awards for their work supporting students in this activity. Staff are frequently able to provide students with high-profile work placements.

Typically students spend up to 3 months of optional replacement study, with leading companies across the creative industries. These often include opportunities in architecture, design, film and TV.  Our students have worked on major blockbuster movies such as Captain America: The First Avenger, X Men: First Class, Wrath of the Titans, Batman 3: The Dark Knight Rises, Prometheus, Thor: The Dark World, Maleficent, World War Z, Edge of Tomorrow, Guardians of the Galaxy and Jupiter Ascending.

Professional Accreditations

Skillset Media Academy

Structure

Year 1

Core Modules

• Scale and Structure

  This module provides an introduction to the basic design, technical and practical skills required in subsequent modules of the programme. There is an introduction to the workshop machinery, materials and techniques that the student will be using throughout their time as an undergraduate and in the professional practice of Model Design. Students attend workshop/demonstrations where they are introduced to and operate workshop machinery, where the emphasis on safe working practices and health and safety is paramount. As the module progresses students are introduced to the processes of research, design, technical drawing, maquette making, evaluation and appearance modeling. Students consider issues such as the representation of scale, design details, surface finish when designing and constructing models or prototypes.

• Design and Fabrication

  This module introduces students to model design as a means of interpretation, typical of the special effects industries of film, television, museum exhibits and stills photography. It deals with the design and construction of models that interpret rather than simply replicate reality. Students will gain experience of creating special effects models, which are conceived to blur the boundaries between the real and the imaginary. They will explore the inventive process of research and design to produce models suitable for film, television and photography. As well as research, design and making, there will also be an introduction to basic sculpture techniques. Students will gain knowledge of current professional practice in the special effects industries of film, television and photography as well as historical precedents in, for example, art and stagecraft. As well as gaining experience in a range of practical techniques of model making they will be introduced to relevant photographic and digital compositing skills.

• Shape and Form

  This module provides an opportunity for students to gain experience in the design and construction of a range of models for use as communication tools. The module allows students to research an historical context and develop design ideas and produce 3 dimensional models of those concepts. It facilitates further practice of workshop equipment and making techniques relevant to professional practice.

• The Model in Mind (C&CS)

  In terms of what people do with them, Models are complicated objects. As a part of human culture models, in the form of human and animal figurines, seem to mark out our history and are among the oldest known human artefacts. Contemporary cultures use models as a means to communicate ideas - about the aesthetic experience of objects in the Product Design process, as a way of explaining the inter-relationship of space and form in architecture, as a part of the pleasures of film and television viewing, as a way of managing and organising personal memories and identities through keepsakes and mementoes. The Model in Mind examines the use of models as cultural objects and their role in communication processes. The module looks at key ideas and theories about communications and the making of meaning, at the way models are, and have been used, to impress, explain and delight.

Optional

• C&CS L4 Creative Arts

  This module will run in parallel programme specific Critical and Cultural Studies modules at Level 4 during Semester A, should there be a need for the school to provide a single semester (15 credits) option for its students. For example, to aid in transitional arrangements stemming from the development of C&CS in the school (2012/13), or to provide a 1 semester option to international students who will be studying at UH as part of an exchange from a recognised partner institution.

Year 2

Core Modules

• Year Abroad

• Negotiated Project: Model and Special Effects Programme

  The module aims and learning outcomes are designed to be comparable for each of the three degree pathways; there will be an alternative project brief set by each pathway tutor. The content of which will be based around the topics described below: The student in negotiation with their tutors develops their own Model and Special Effects brief. It should reflect the student's interest in a particular field of Model and Special Effects. The brief will respond to professional constraints such as a project plan, schedule of deadlines and project management e.g. balance of time versus quality and incorporates: - design process used from inception, research and development through to solution including budgeting of time & materials with particular reference being made to applying health and safety constraints to the use of materials and processes; - client/audience awareness, including fitness for purpose, visual and verbal presentation skills; - professional awareness and practical skills enhanced through short duration 'splash' projects or workshops. Lectures on aspects of professional development such as: - CV development and career planning; - examination of a business related to Model and Special Effects; - relevant legislation and risk assessment, copyright law and ethical considerations; - their role as part of professional team and how to behave in the workplace.

• Design and Development: Model and Special Effects Programme

  The module aims and learning outcomes are designed to be comparable for each of the three degree pathways; there will be an alternative project brief set by each pathway tutor. This module offers a sustained exercise in the design, exploration and development of an artefact suitable for use in the Model and Special Effects industry. Typically, in briefs set by tutors, students will engage with making an artefact that is specific to their degree pathway. The project is designed to enable students to broaden their knowledge of materials and processes, and to work more independently. Students will be required to show: - that they can manage their time effectively; - evidence of research into their field of study and that they understand the purpose and audience of their intended artefact; - the design and development processes that led to creating the finished artefact - an ability to meet deadlines and present their work in a considered and professional way.

• Turbo Project B: Model and Special Effects Programme

  These projects comprise short, quick bursts of making activity leading to an exacting deadline and exciting outcome. These are typically highly focused one-week projects but may extend to two weeks in duration. The projects are designed to further develop the explorative approach to materials and processes, engendered during Level 4. These projects are intensively taught, the weekly content is designed to complement the longer Level 5 modules in developing the necessary skills required for more sustained learning and making activity. As well as learning new skills and techniques the projects are structured to enable students to demonstrate their ability to work to tight deadlines. Hence emphasis is placed on time management and on critically referencing their work against current professional practice, which as well as technical capability in a range of disciplines includes teamwork, problem solving, versatility and initiative.

• Turbo Project A: Model and Special Effects Programme

  These projects comprise short, quick bursts of making activity leading to an exacting deadline and exciting outcome. These are typically highly focused one-week projects but may extend to two weeks in duration. The projects are designed to further develop the explorative approach to materials and processes, engendered during Level 4. These projects are intensively taught, the weekly content is designed to complement the longer Level 5 modules in developing the necessary skills required for more sustained learning and making activity. As well as learning new skills and techniques, the projects are structured to enable students to demonstrate their ability to work to tight deadlines. Hence emphasis is placed on time management and on critically referencing their work against current professional practice, which as well as technical capability in a range of disciplines, includes teamwork, problem solving, versatility and initiative.

• Turbo A

  These are highly focused one or two-week projects, comprising concentrated periods of intensive making activity and are designed to further develop the student’s explorative approach to materials and processes engendered during Level 4. These projects are intensively taught and introduce a range of more complex technical skills and materials. Emphasis is placed on time management through the structure of tight deadlines.

• Turbo B

  These are highly focused one or two-week projects, comprising concentrated periods of intensive making activity and are designed to further develop the student’s explorative approach to materials and processes engendered during Level 4. These projects are intensively taught and introduce a range of more complex technical skills and materials. Emphasis is placed on time management through the structure of tight deadlines.

• Design Process and Realisation

  Students are expected to work at a higher level of independence than in level 4, and to engage in critical evaluation throughout the design and execution of this project. By creating a body of research relevant to their field of study, including an understanding of the purpose and audience of their intended model, this offers a sustained exercise in the design, exploration and development of models suitable for use in the Model Design industries. The introduction to, and exploration of a larger sphere of materials and techniques enables the student to develop a broader knowledge base and implement a higher level of design and making skill. Effective self- management is developed and demonstrated through the ability to meet deadlines, and to present their work in a considered and professional manner.

• Talking Models (C&CS)

  Building on learning in The Model in Mind module at Level 4, Talking Models further develops knowledge and critical understanding of the contemporary uses of models in the full breadth of their application. Requiring students to identify their own areas of critical interest in relation to both the long traditions and contemporary contexts of models, the module is crucial as an introduction to the kind of ‘open’ critical enquiry that will characterise Level 6 in cultural studies. A core series of ‘catalyst’ lectures and seminars introduces new critical, theoretical and contextual ideas, while supporting students in their own exploration of the broad field of models. Undertaking a detailed survey of traditions, locations, and perspectives, students define a topic of study, formulate a research question or title, and carry out a carefully documented enquiry leading to the submission of an ‘essay’-style outcome in an appropriate form.

• Special Effects Contextualised Model

  In negotiation with tutors, students generate their own brief for a Special Effects project with a particular emphasis on the professional context of their work. Students initiate self-management through the development of work plans, incorporating research and analysis of making methods, materials and budgets, and schedules of making, referencing relevant deadlines. Appropriate professional behaviour in the workplace is emphasized and there is the possibility for group work. Design process will be used throughout and includes: investigation, evaluation and use of appropriate design sources and materials, analysis of client/audience awareness, including fitness for purpose; and presentation skills, both visual and verbal.

• Traditions and Locations

  This module encourages students to further integrate the various perspectives of practical, theoretical and contextual activities, and to see this as a vital part of their own innovative and well-informed practice. The module provides students with the opportunity to make an in-depth examination of one of a range of theoretical positions that inform recent and contemporary practice in their own field, and to use such debate to reflect critically upon their own work and to locate their practice within the context of historical, social, cultural and professional currents. Particular attention is given to the analysis of ideas that specifically relate to students' own work. Assessment is typically based around the submission of an extended study of a particular practitioner, genre, group, form, theme, theoretical perspective or cultural issue.

Optional

• Creating Cultural Spaces

  This module introduces students to 20th -21st century concepts and contexts concerning the interactions of art, design and architecture in creating cultural spaces where visual arts and design are displayed and promoted. How is the viewer or customer drawn into the spaces and invited to look at objects in particular ways? The module will consider the language of the exhibition space. It will also look at how retail spaces are staged to sell commercial products and the means by which a gallery can also carry a branding in order to attract a specific audience. Themes covered may include: historical perspectives on museums and galleries promoting both art and design; the development of the concept of the 'white cube', and how it has become the currency for presenting contemporary art; how the contemporary gallery or commercial space is defined and the questions raised about our assumptions and values.

• Sustainability in Practice

  This module places the issue of sustainability within historical, current and future business contexts and looks at the actual and potential roles of artists, designers and the media in relation to this issue. It explores the current debate on sustainability as a positive mechanism for change, looking at examples in which sustainable thinking and its mediation has contributed to successful companies, designs and communities. It also considers the barriers to its introduction. Module contents may include investigations of: the growth of action or protest groups, such as Green Peace, Reclaim the Streets and Adbusters, along with the responses of governments, companies and non-government organisations; the role of current and future national and international legislation; ideas of corporate social responsibility within globalised economies; issues of time and scale, local and global focuses.

• Taking the Ride:theatricality, body thrills, safe spills and simulation

  The amusement park ride of the early and mid-twentieth century promised and provided visceral thrills of motion and vertigo, while the ghost-tunnel brought an acting out of dread prompted by cues, clues and imagination. More recently this tradition of 'rides' has embraced increasingly theatrical effects and increasingly sophisticated simulation technologies which seek to enclose the physical sensation, the perceptive illusions, and the imaginary. Taking the development of the 'ride' as both an example and a metaphor this module examines a range of cultural phenomena such as the travelling fairground, traditional and new circus, stage illusionism, automata, interactive virtual worlds and computer games which all depend on a real, simulated or imagined body movement for their affect. It explores ways of in which these phenomena may be understood, applying a range of theorising approaches and methodologies that enable an analysis of these phenomena and their cultural resonances.

• Film in the Post-cinema age

  Film is no longer confined to the darkness of the cinema auditorium, it can now be seen in a wide range of non-cinema spaces from the web to the Playstation Portable by way of the art gallery. These new spaces are appearing just as a wide ranging catalogue of films is becoming available for domestic enjoyment through on-demand cable and DVD rental channels. Looking at such issues as multi-screen cinema, the database: narrative debate, ideas of expanded cinema in web sites and pod casts, the aesthetics of film made for new display devices, the artist's use of film for gallery and large scale exhibition, the consumption of movies on the move, and the movie culture of fans, it engages with commentaries and debates about the role of film within contemporary culture.

• Sonic Worlds: sound, technology, design and meaning

  We have become used to the consumption of sound practically anywhere, and we are subtly affected by it even when we do not notice it. The approach is based in the discussion and analysis of sound as physical, psychological and cultural phenomena, founded in particular technologies and systems of meaning. This module examines the cultural phenomena of sound through various commentaries and accounts of recorded sound as a cultural commodity. It examines the way sonic worlds relate to people's behaviours and their sense of self, the phenomenology of sound and aural pleasures. It engages with such things as histories of sound technologies, the deployment of sound in warfare, the role of sound in narrative and popular entertainment, the disembodied geographies of the telephone and the radio, artists' uses of sound and traditions of popular music, 'piped music' economies, the consumption of sound on the move.

• Advertising Worlds

  This module aims to provide a critical understanding of advertising in contemporary culture. It provides a background to advertising as communication and how it works from theory to practice; its function and role, benefits and limitations, social and ethical issues and the legal and regulatory framework. Advertising objectives and strategies; the analysis of the audience, market research, creative strategy and tactics, and media planning are considered in relation to the advertising agency and client relationship. The influence of branding, brand values, brand positioning within the context of market segmentation and targeting, is analysed through case studies. The economic importance of advertising is evaluated in relation to the discourses of consumption and globalisation. Different media for distribution are considered from posters to the world wide web, and may include the integrated campaign; the wider cultural resonances of advertising, and the ways advertising remediates and is remediated in diverse cultural situations.

• Joystruck: The Emergence of Games Culture

  A characteristic feature of contemporary culture is the widespread enjoyment of computer games. This 'games culture' forms an important part of today's economic and cultural life and yet for a long time it was considered a dangerous alternative culture, or dismissed as superficial. This module looks at the emergence of computer (and video) games as technological, social and cultural phenomena since 1954. Through the study of particular examples and associated commentaries, it engages students with ideas and theories about the nature of games and gaming, about play, narrative and genre, about visual and sonic cultures and their construction of meanings and considers the interplay of technologies, creative expression and sub-cultural activities. Study on this module develops a number of analytic approaches which can be also applied to other cultural phenomena and builds an awareness of some of the processes and events that shaped the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

• Undressing Cinema: Relationships Between Film and Fashion

  Roland Barthes stated in the early 1960s that cinema was 'a model means of mass communication'. Similarly, fashion is understood as a system of signs that communicate meaning and identity. This module will explore this relationship between fashion and film through the framework of communication. Importantly, this module will approach fashion as a designed object. Therefore, we will explore fashion's capacity to create meaning rather than viewing it simply as a medium for the communication of existing meanings. In particular we will use Stella Bruzzi's theory about the role of fashion in film and its potential for imposing meaning, as opposed to being reliant on the character for meaning. The module will explore how clothes both dress and create character within film. Students are required to write a 2,000-2,500 word essay on an aspect of the relationship between fashion and film.

• Media Culture: Contextual Studies, Art And Design

  At the end of the 20th century, media culture has become part of our everyday lives - listening to radio, watching television, viewing films, experiencing music, 'surfing the Internet', reading magazines and newspapers, going shopping and so forth. All these activities are central to the way in which we participate in culture and understand ourselves.

• Consuming Art And Design: Contextual Studies, Art And Design

  Why do we buy the things we do? What do we hope to gain and how does this relate to the production and consumption of the world around us? What is the difference between wants and needs, luxuries and necessities? How can we distinguish ornament from utility? These questions permeate not only today's consumer society; they also underscore the design process as a whole. Designers and producers need to identify a market for their goods and to anticipate consumer responses. This module will enable visual practitioners to better understand the market in which they operate, from fine art to industrial design and craft areas. Study of past experiences will inform our prediction of post-millennial trends such as that between relationship of mass and niche markets, and remote retail methods for television and internet circulation.

• Photography: Gender And Identity: Contextual Studies, Art And Design

  This module looks at contemporary photographic practices from fine art photography to the family album and explores the wide range of critical writing which emerged in its wake. Key themes likely to be addressed in the course include the relationship between photography and concepts of reality; photography as a means of social power and control; the body representations of race, sexuality, gender; concepts of the gaze and family albums.

• Contemporary Art And Critism: Contextual Studies, Art And Design

  Arts criticism and history create the language in which the arts are discussed and evaluated. The course examines some of the ways in which contemporary arts are attributed historical significance and aesthetic value through art criticism in the media. Students are introduced to established modes of art historical and critical writing and the theoretical, cultural and historical contexts from which they derive. Students will also study examples of contemporary journalism referring to a range of contemporary visual culture such as art, design and crafts and will be expected to visit and read about a number of current exhibitions. By the end of the course, students will have broadened their understanding of the function of the media in creating aesthetic value and ephemeral instant histories around aspects of contemporary arts, and developed an awareness of how historical and critical language and concepts can affect their perception of their own studio practice.

• Contextual Studies Options: Approaches To Arts Therapies Theories

  This module introduces key theoretical concepts which make up the broad foundation of arts therapies practices, particularly art therapy, dramatherapy and dance/movement therapy. The course draws on a range of ideas and methodologies from the fields of psychotherapy, psychology, art history, performance arts history and creativity studies. Issues will be examined against the backdrop of current therapeutic practices in a range of contexts, such as community settings, social work, education and the NHS. Likely areas of enquiry include basic principles of psychotherapy and group dynamics, as well as more specifically relevant psychological themes such as Jung on active imagination and Winnicott on play. From the fields of art history and anthropology traditions of the therapeutic function of the arts are studied. Practitioners in the field may offer up to date contributions concerning current issues. You are expected to study further from recommended texts and to complete a 2000 - 2500 words essay.

• The History of Technology:Critical & Cultural Studies Options

  Is necessity the mother of invention or vice versa? Are innovations developed in response to our needs? Or, are uses found and needs created for innovation? These questions lie at the heart of our understanding of technology. The course will examine objects such as the telephone, the sewing machine, the Sony Walkman, the car, the television and the personal computer as examples of the way in which producer and user may have different ideas about what objects are for. The course considers how technology both shapes our lives and is shaped by them. We will also consider the wide range of definitions of technology, including the uses of technology as an aesthetic and as style; the development of planned obsolescence, the ecological implications of technological development, the argument that society shapes technology and the various implications for men and women and the flourishing of cyber culture.

• Approaches to Contemporary Film

  This module examines contemporary film from a wide range of critical perspectives. Drawing on a range of critical writings and case study films, the module aims to develop a critical vocabulary for study and analysis. Particular emphasis is placed upon theoretical concepts around film. The module will draw upon a board selection of films from both independent and mainstream cinema and home entertainment.

• Gender Psychoanalysis and Art Practice

  This module explores some of the ways in which psychoanalysis and gender have impacted on our understanding of art. Feminist theory and women’s art practice has made a highly significant intervention into arts practice, questioning and extending accepted canons. Key topics examined include notions of the body and abjection in arts practice, concepts of craft and domesticity, women's writing and 'Ecriture'. Postmodernist concepts and post-structuralism will also be examined alongside psychoanalysis and various feminist responses to the discipline that have impacted on arts practice and criticism.

• Design and Desire

  In the advanced capitalist west, design and desire are closely related. We need only turn to the pages of glossy magazines to see how the depiction of social status and sexual desire are linked to the way in which we consume objects. This module explores some of the psychic motivation underpinning the design of objects and the sublimated sexual impulses behind consumption.

• Image, Narrative and Representation: Critical and Cultural Studies, Art and Desi

  Images and narrative are central to the ways in which objects are given identity. In many instances, the artefacts we consume are shaped by the narrative associations generated by advertising. Storytelling and narrative have a different part to play in the fine arts. Whereas narrative was an important component of fine art in the past, abstraction removed all reference to storytelling. Over the last two decades, however, narrative has returned and now informs painting, sculpture, video art and performance. Recent and contemporary film also use narrative and image in various ways, and narrative has emerged as a central issue in the design of web sites and computer games. The relation between story and image becomes even more complex when we consider that many films 're-mediate' characters from games and TV. The module provides student with the opportunity to make a critical examination of the role of image and narrative in visual culture.

• Professional Work Experience 30: Screen

  Students may identify a work experience opportunity or have a work experience suggested to them. Before starting students meet with the Programme Leader or their nominated tutor, to discuss the impending placement. All aspects of the intended experience are addressed from health and safety to client confidentiality and students are given guidance on behaviour and how to manage expectations. Proposals need to identify an outline work programme, the number of days in placement and the main learning outcomes; and are subject to agreement of the Programme Leader.

• Professional Work Experience 45: Screen

  Students may identify a work experience opportunity or have a work experience suggested to them. Before starting students meet with the Programme Leader or their nominated tutor, to discuss the impending placement. All aspects of the intended experience are addressed from health and safety to client confidentiality and students are given guidance on behaviour and how to manage expectations. Proposals need to identify an outline work programme, the number of days in placement and the main learning outcomes; and are subject to agreement of the Programme Leader.

• Professional Work Experience 15: Screen

  Students may identify a work experience opportunity or have a work experience suggested to them. Before starting students meet with the Programme Leader or their nominated tutor, to agree the impending placement. All aspects of the intended experience are addressed from health and safety to client confidentiality and students are given guidance on behaviour and how to manage expectations. Proposals need to identify an outline work programme, the number of days in placement and the main learning outcomes; and are subject to agreement of the Programme Leader.

• Professional Work Experience 15 5B: Screen

  Students may identify a work experience opportunity or have a work experience suggested to them. Before starting students meet with the Programme Leader or their nominated tutor, to agree the impending placement. All aspects of the intended experience are addressed from health and safety to client confidentiality and students are given guidance on behaviour and how to manage expectations. Proposals need to identify an outline work programme, the number of days in placement and the main learning outcomes; and are subject to agreement of the Programme Leader.

Year 3

Core Modules

Optional

• Sandwich Year (Creative Arts)

  The optional 'Sandwich' placement year may be undertaken between the levels 5 and 6. Students undertake the placement within a commercial, public or not for profit setting that is able to provide an appropriate learning experience related to the creative and cultural industries. A placement could take a variety of forms, including: * working in an external organisation; * working with a University company or professional team within the University; * self-employment within defined context and externally refereed. The placement duration would typically be sustained for at least 48 weeks, though may be sustained for a full year. While the Faculty/School actively supports the placement process, ultimately it is the placement provider that will agree to manage and select students, normally through an interview process. During the placement a member of the academic staff will be assigned to the student as a tutor and will monitor the student's progress during the placement period.

Year 4

Core Modules

• Critical and Cultural Studies: L6 Enquiry / Report / Essay (Screen)

  The content of this module allows students to engage with research, enquiry or critical processes appropriate for their subject area. Students select a topic related to their area of study as the basis for an extended enquiry. Usually the topic will have a close relationship with some of the ideas, approaches and content of the student's final project. This work may explore ideas, examine artefacts or set out to solve a problem through an enquiry of some kind. The module allows students to develop their broad understanding of issues of significance, meaning and value that are implicit in their project idea or to engage in a process arising from a question or problem they have identified from their subject area aimed at providing recommendations or explanations which are supported by valid evidence. The module is delivered through a mix of lectures, seminars and individual tutorials with a strong emphasis on independent learning.

• Professional Context Model

  This module provides an opportunity to express individuality in a student led Model Design project. In a period of sustained independent study the student will demonstrate the extent of their knowledge and skills in an area of Model Design not covered by their Major Proposal and Major Project. This project enables the student to project the breadth of their abilities to their chosen professional audience. The student is required to identify a suitably challenging project, prepare a research proposal specifying their own learning requirements which is negotiated with tutors, and complete a small group presentation pitching the idea to their peers and receiving comment and feedback on it. Students are expected to conduct sustained independent study and research based on the approved proposal, leading to the realization of a significant artefact or series of artefacts made to a standard suitable for the context described in the proposal.

• Professional Practice

  The module delivers a series of lectures and seminars designed to consolidate the students understanding of professional practice. Visiting speakers provide material which heightens the student’s awareness of a range of matters relating to- CV writing skills, finding work and interview preparation, tax issues when working as a freelance model maker, finding grant awarding bodies for setting up in business, working abroad etc. This module culminates in a compilation of material such as a Curriculum Vitae, Business Cards and completed Portfolio suitable for presentation at interview. In addition to preparation for the world of work, students are exposed to the procedures necessary for continuation of their studies at postgraduate level. A range of topics are covered with particular emphasis on applications and funding for further study.

• Special Effects Major Project Proposal

  The module provides an opportunity to specify a programme of independent research and development in the field of Special Effects. The main outcome of this module is a completed design proposal in preparation for the Special Effects Major Project. The project proposal must identify a 'real world', professional context and students are encouraged to collaborate with a client or simulate the conditions of a 'live' brief.

• Special Effects Major Project

  This module is the major opportunity for students to demonstrate the extent of their knowledge and understanding in the field of Special Effects. It provides students with the opportunity to engage in a period of sustained creative activity, which has been directed and informed by the Special Effects Major Proposal in the previous semester. It is intended as the final and primary platform for the student to demonstrate their abilities, both as an outcome of their learning from the degree programme and as an indication of professional potential. Students will, therefore, demonstrate key skills germane to the field of Special Effects and produce outcomes of a standard suitable for professional employment or further study.

Optional

Fees & funding

Fees 2013

UK/EU Students

Full time: £8,500 for the 2013 academic year

International Students

Discounts are available for International students if payment is made in full at registration

View detailed information about tuition fees

Additional course costs

In addition to the fees there are some compulsory course attached to this course:

Year 1
Personal tool kit – £120-£180
Materials required for projects £120-£250

Year 2
Materials required for projects - £120-£250

Year 3
Materials required for projects - £300-£500

Scholarships

• National Scholarship Programme

Find out more about scholarships for UK/EU and international students

Other financial support

Find out more about other financial support available to UK and EU students

Living costs / accommodation

The University of Hertfordshire offers a great choice of student accommodation, on campus or nearby in the local area, to suit every student budget.

View detailed information about our accommodation

How to apply