BA Creative Writing and Film

Develop and hone your creative writing while building a breadth of film knowledge and analytical skills with our BA Creative Writing and Film course.

Taught jointly by the Department of English Literature and the Department of Film, Theatre and Television, on this course you will:

• explore your creative writing in small peer groups
• examine film in its various contexts: as popular entertainment, theoretical discipline and art form
• have the opportunity to develop your practical filmmaking skills.

Creative writing and film complement each other perfectly. Exploring cinematic material and analysing creative choices will support the development of your own creative writing. Optional practical work will enhance your ability to create compelling characters and narratives.

Creative writing

Creative writing allows you to explore your creativity from all angles: creating characters, shaping poems, drawing on your imagination. We are ranked 11th for Creative Writing in the Complete University Guide 2023.

We offer a specially curated group of English literature modules that are designed to complement your creative writing. You’ll gain knowledge of a variety of literary, dramatic and film texts, from a range of different periods. This course aims to foster your independent thinking, using the close reading and analytical skills that are fundamental to both English literature and film.

We place a strong emphasis on small-group learning within a friendly and supportive environment. Workshops are central to our creative writing community, helping you to form relationships with your peers and feel more confident about your work.

Your learning environment

Modules are taught by practising, published authors who have strong links with professional writing communities. We regularly invite published authors to read from their work and participate in teaching.

We’ll help you develop your creative writing skills in a variety of settings:

• lectures concentrate on specific, practical issues such as how to construct a character or tackle a specific literary form
• seminars involve small group discussions, led by one of the teaching team, with short practical writing exercises
• workshops allow you to explore and develop your writing in small peer groups.

Creative community

The Department of English Literature fosters a creative writing community that is friendly, cohesive and committed. As well as learning from lecturers, you’ll learn from each other by sharing your work-in-progress. Outside the classroom, you can share your ideas with the University’s creative writing group, Scribblers, which is run by students from across the University.

You will also have the opportunity to publish your work – and gain experience in editing and publishing – by participating in our online creative writing magazine.

Film

On your film modules, you’ll pursue your passion for film with leading academics and visiting practitioners, and apply what you’ve learned through practical filmmaking modules.

Experience the theoretical study of film from the late nineteenth century to the modern day, including world cinema, avant-garde and experimental filmmaking. Explore the cinema of classical and contemporary Hollywood, together with new forms of digital entertainment and video art. You can also investigate television from its origins in the mid-twentieth century to contemporary engagements with new media and digital platforms.

You’ll have the opportunity to participate in group-based practical work, which will help you develop your creativity, storytelling and practical skills. You will develop your creative writing skills in the context of film and television, culminating in a creative research project or a dissertation in your final year.

Film facilities

Combine the study of ground-breaking theory with practical application, using our purpose-built £11m Minghella Studios facilities that feature:

• three theatre spaces
• a multi-camera film and TV studio
• a digital cinema
• dedicated recording studio and mixing suite.

Placements with BA Creative Writing and Film

Our innovative placement scheme gives you the chance to undertake an academic placement in commerce, industry or the arts. You can also take a placement module on languages and literature in heritage, in education, and in the media.

Students on our Literature, Languages and Education module also undertake a short placement to explore the ways in which the skills and knowledge gained in their studies have direct application to the workplace.

Study abroad

In your second year, you can spend a semester studying abroad at one of our partner institutions in the USA, Canada, Australia, or countries across Europe. To find out more, visit our Study Abroad site.