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Film

Develop the practical skills and academic knowledge necessary to produce documentary films.

About the programme

Documentary Practice enables students to develop the practical skills and academic knowledge necessary to produce documentary film. It focuses on documentary film making, set within the critical study of media, culture and society.

Students must study 60 credits of Documentary Practice each year.

two students work together on a piece of film equipment

Pre-requisites

Students are advised to read one of the standard introductions to the subject:

  • David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson, Film Art: An Introduction, McGraw Hill 2010, paperback
  • James Monaco, How to Read a Film, OUP 2009, paperback

Modules

Find out about our typical modules. Modules are subject to change and could differ on an annual basis.

Stage 1

Please note that due to the limited availability of appropriate equipment and teaching spaces, there is a maximum of five spaces for Combined Honours students to study Documentary Practice.

Students must study 60 credits of Documentary Practice modules each year (i.e. as a Joint degree alongside one other subject).

Module Code  Module Title  Credit Value  Semester
MCH1011 Introduction to Film Technologies  20 1
MCH1035 Starting out in Filmmaking  20 2
MCH1038 Introduction to the Documentary: From documentation to non-fiction film 20 2
Stage 2

Select the module code for specific module information including the module summary and aims, knowledge and skills you'll gain, and the module leader.

Module Code Module Title  Credit Value  Semester 
MCH2075 Popular Culture: Futures & Fictions 20 2
MCH2082 Making a Short Documentary (Pre-requisites MCH1035 and MCH2086) 20 2
MCH2086 Creative Documentary Practices  (Pre-requisite MCH1035 and MCH1038)  20 1
Stage 3

Select the module code for specific module information including the module summary and aims, knowledge and skills you'll gain, and the module leader.

Students must study the following compulsory module and ‘make up’ the credits from either:

  • their other subject

or

  • modules available in Media & Communication

or

  • a ‘free choice’ (subject to pre-requisites and in consultation with the Degree Programme Director).
Module Code Module Title  Credit Value  Semester
MCH3090* Film Practice Project. Note: the project is 20 credits in Semester 1 and 40 credits in Semester 2
(Pre-requisite MCH2082)
60

1&2

HSS3500** Combined Honours Final Year Project 20

1&2

HSS3099** Combined Honours Final Year Project 40 1&2

*Students who do not have the pre-requisite module for MCH3090 should contact their DPD (Degree Programme Director) for advice about their module choices (please email combined.honours@ncl.ac.uk if you need the contact details for your DPD).

**Undertake an in-depth, independent research project with flexibility to select a topic related to one or all your subject areas, and the option to deliver a written or creative output. Supervisors are assigned from the Combined Honours academic team, and you can choose which subject(s) you want the credits to go towards. 

Get in touch

If you have any questions about choosing this subject as part of your Combined Honours degree, contact us and we'll be more than happy to help. 

Subject advisers

Dr Ian McDonald, School of Arts and Cultures, School of Modern Languages

Our address

Combined Honours Centre
9th Level, Henry Daysh Building
Newcastle University
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU

Tel: +44 (0)191 208 7479