FAQs to Degree Courses in Film Studies

Film Studies is a genuinely interdisciplinary academic field. An encounter with films of different genres, styles, periods and national industries is the core of the subject, and film students naturally devote a lot of time to viewing films, reading and writing about them, and challenging each other about their meaning and importance. Through practical modules, they also gain hands-on experience of the roles of producer, director, screenwriter and actor, gaining crucial insights into the fundamental aspects of film production. However, this is just the beginning. Film Studies is in fact a ‘gateway subject’, a subject that inevitably fosters an understanding of visual aesthetics, narrative forms and technological ability, but that also leads students into areas of study as diverse as history, politics, philosophy, technology and performance.

Film Studies forces us to think out of the box: it asks us to question, for example, how class, race, ethnicity and sexuality are represented on the screen, and investigates why this might be different from country to country, or from period to period.

It asks us to think about film production in terms of the development and impact of new media technologies. It examines the effects of international commerce on the type of films that we get to see, and probes the impact of practices and regulations such as censorship, cultural policy, star systems, festivals and industry awards. It invites us to think critically and theoretically about media practices, and to anchor this understanding in a framework that is both intellectually rigorous and culturally relevant. Film Studies gives us the tools to prove that the moving image matters in today’s world.

Film Studies is a rigorous, analytical, academic degree, and whether you choose a related career or not you’ll have lots of very useful skills.

• Research skills: you’ll gather and collate information from a range of sources
• Analytical ability: you’ll produce informed and thorough close readings of key films, and relate your analysis to a wide range of important questions
• Production/practical experience: although you won’t be trained to a professional level, you’ll get a chance to write, story-board, shoot, and edit on a range of practical projects
• Creativity: studying film develops your imagination and creative skills
• Communication skills: you’ll become expert at conveying an argument, whether it’s through a presentation, essay, or analysis of a particular film sequence
• Presentation skills: seminars will make you very good at facing a critical audience – effectively!
• Writing: to succeed at university you’ll need to cultivate your writing skills, and produce written work of an extremely high standard
• Group working skills: seminar discussion and practical film production require good levels of co-operation and delegation.

You will graduate from our Film Studies degree programme with an excellent knowledge base and a range of important transferable skills. As well as a specialist overview of developments in Film through its history, you are equipped with the tools to analyse and understand Film and a wide range of cultural artefacts. Film Studies allows privileged access to the history, politics and economics of many nations, and offers insights into a range of cultures and disciplines that will serve you well in an increasingly global market.

Our students will tell you: in their view, the degree programme in Film Studies at Queen Mary offers an excellent educational experience. Queen Mary performs very well in the National Student Survey (NSS): in fact, in the NSS in 2009, Film Studies at Queen Mary ranked first in the UK for overall quality, out of 83 university departments offering media-related subjects.

Film Studies is taught in the thriving School of Languages, Linguistics and Film. In the government’s most recent Research Assessment Exercise, (RAE 2008), we were ranked highly for the quality of the research being carried out by staff. This means that you will be taught by people who are breaking new ground in their field, who will be able to pass on their passion and knowledge to you. Our staff have considerable expertise, notably in British and American cinema, and in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese filmmaking too.

Our location in London is another obvious advantage. The city is home to the National Film Theatre, British Film Institute and the London Film Festival, as well as major film premières and art-house cinema venues. And, with much film and television production based here, there are opportunities to gain valuable experience in a film-related part-time job.

We have excellent facilities, particularly our state-ofthe- art 41-seater cinema, used for screenings and lectures, our ‘black box’ studio and our Film Production suite, with high-end Apple Mac computers running Final Cut Pro.

Please contact:
Julia Rollitt
School of Languages, Linguistics and Film
Tel:+44 (0)20 7882 8331
Fax: +44 (0)20 8980 5400
email: sllf-ug@qmul.ac.uk

For further information you can also call the Enquiries Hotline (UK callers only) on Freephone 0800 376 1800. International students should contact the Admissions and Recruitment Office on +44 (0)20 7882 5511
email:admissions@qmul.ac.uk for further information or visit www.qmul.ac.uk/international