Looking back to film’s nineteenth-century origins and forward to today’s innovations in digital technology, you will explore the role of cinema across different social, historical and cultural contexts. You will study a diverse range of filmmakers and influential movements, from Alfred Hitchcock to Pedro Almodóvar, and from German expressionism to contemporary US cinema. Film studies employs a multitude of interpretive tools, from sociological approaches to close textual analysis. Our programmes build a series of key skills valued by employers, including interpersonal communication, organisation and time-management abilities, and also offer you the opportunity to conduct primary research in archives and libraries around the country. Other specific skills include writing and oral presentation skills. Our professional practice strand on the BA Film Studies programme will also familiarise you with several key requirements of the creative industries. The Avenue Library houses a comprehensive, diverse collection of films (approximately 4,000 DVDs and 2,000 videos, with many more at our Harley and Winchester libraries) from around the world. There is a thriving film culture both on and off campus, and the Students’ Union has an active Film Society and an award-winning film-making society – Wessex Films.

Career skills are embedded throughout every stage of study. Certain professional practice modules include visits from industry professionals who offer vocational training. We offer a number of optional employability modules. During your studies you will gain key skills sought by employers, and learn to communicate challenging ideas to a wide range of audiences. Daniel Greenway is a graduate of Film and French and progressed to work on major Hollywood productions Batman Begins and The Da Vinci Code. “My time at Southampton was invaluable in developing my critical approach to film-making,” he said. “It’s vital for anyone who wants a career in the creative side of the industry”.