ba (hons) film & digital art
TRANSCRIPT
BA (Hons) Film & Digital Art
Welcome to UCAStarting university is a big moment – congratulations! By joining UCA, you’ve chosen an exciting and rewarding path.
As you join our community of students, artists and academics, you’ll explore how you can use your talent to shape the future of the world around you, and design a career that inspires you.
Our university is a place for the bold, the curious, the extraordinary - as you’ll see for yourself when you meet your lecturers, technicians and classmates. On your course, you can expect to learn from practicing artists, innovators and researchers, collaborate with students across different creative disciplines, and make connections with industry leaders.
At the end of it all, you’ll graduate with the skills and experience you need to build a successful career doing what you love, in a way that makes a difference.
We believe the world needs more people like you, and we’re delighted to have you with us.
Make your mark. Make it here.
On the course, you will explore your medium through a serious of lectures, seminars, tutorials and field trips, and work with your tutors to develop a robust critical voice around your practice.
Dr Caroline Molloy
Course Welcome
Welcome to UCA Farnham. We look forward to you joining our community and to greeting you on campus this coming autumn.
At UCA, we run a student-centered programme that aims to support, foster and develop your own creative voice.
We have a long-established history of teaching in creative arts here at Farnham, and employ innovative teaching practices which we hope will capture your imagination and encourage critical thinking and independent creative practice.
Our Film and Digitial Art course has been at the forefront of some of the most interesting interdisciplinary practices.
Your Team
Dr Caroline MolloyProgramme Director, Fine Art, Film and Digital Art and Photography, UCA Farnham
Please contact year 1 lead Anne Parisio for Fine Art for any questions about the summer project or orientation, on
For any registry and enrolment questions, please contact f ineart&[email protected] Dr Caroline Molloy
Programme Director
future. These overseas trips are not compulsory, but we hope all students will participate.
Destinations and prices vary, but you can expect to pay your own travel costs for these trips. In the past, the course has made overseas visits to Paris, Venice Biennale and Berlin; costs have ranged from £180 to £500, depending on mode of travel and accommodation. Visits are usually for four days and include breakfast, but you will need to cover the cost of other meals yourself.
– E-Flux - https://www.e-flux.com/
– Transmediale - https://transmediale.de/
– ISEA International - http://www.isea-web.org/_archives/
– Ars Electronica - https://www.artbook.com/9783775745765.html
– Art Forum - https://www.artforum.com/print/archive/years/2010-2020
– ZKM Publications - https://zkm.de/en/collection-archives/publications
– Neural - http://neural.it/
Suggested preparatory reading:
– Nichols, Bill (2017) An Introduction to Documentary 3rd edition, Indiana University Press
– Rush, Michael (2007) Video Art, Thames & Hudson
– Mirzeof f , Nicholas (2016) How to See the World; an introduction to images, from self-portraits to selfies, maps to movies, and more, Pelican Books.
– Sontag, Susan (1982) On Photography, Penguin Modern Classics.
Trips and Visits
Due to Covid restrictions, we are currently unable to plan external group visits as part of your learning plan.
However, we do encourage you to engage with a broad range of photography exhibitions independently before, and during, your learning with us; this can be done both in person and online. As you view the work, take note of the subject, how the photographs have been made – what the image is ‘doing’ and how it sits in the gallery. You can capture the reflections on your learning in your research journal.
In the past, we have scheduled an annual overseas trip. Depending on Covid restrictions ,we may be able to do so in the
Reading List
Please familiarise yourself with the following platforms:
– 2TB size
– 7200 rpm speed
– USB3, 2.0 connections
– Thunderbolt connections are good for Mac but not PC. As we use both, make sure there are suitable connections for both computer types available on the hard drive you choose.
– Portable USB3 data stick to enable you to quickly move small text and photo documents around, and to move between computers.
– In order to be able to use your hard drive with Mac and Windows computers, you should format it in exFAT. This will mean you can store files of any size and use the drive with any computer made in the last 20 years.
Film, photography and artwork may require a production budget. Students are encouraged to be resourceful in Y1 and Y2, but may need to pay travel costs and expenses such as food and travel for any actors, dancers or models who agree to be in their productions.
By Y3, students are encouraged to raise funds and obtain sponsorship through crowd funding to make their final major projects. If you plan to supplement any production expenses, your own funds are best spent at this stage of the University journey .
We do not recommend you invest in any cameras/lighting etc at this point. We suggest you wait until you arrive on campus and have the opportunity to try out the cameras available in tour equipment hire department before you invest in any media equipment.
While you will have access to our facilities, you may want to invest in your own computer – but it’s important to invest in the right type that will run the software we use.
You’ll have access to discounts on both software and hardware once you’re enrolled, so it’s advisable to wait until then to invest, when we can advise you in your choice.
A digital stills camera (with a video function) could also be useful. However, we do have plenty at UCA, so owning one is not essential.
Equipment List
We try to keep materials costs as low aspossible on the course. Workshop materials will be provided, but you will need to provide materials for self-initiated projects. We have photography studios on campus, and a broad range of cameras and photography lighting that can be hired from our equipment hire department once you have been inducted in how to use them.
You’ll have access to nearly everything you need for the course at UCA, but the most essential item you should invest in is a large 2TB external Hard drive. As you will be working with a variety of digital materials, including HD video, you will need to be able to store very large files. Some video projects could be up to 500 GB on their own. Any hard drive you bring will need to be of a high enough standard to work with HD Video, and connect to both PC and Mac.
Recommendation for external hard disk:
> Your F&DA summer project
Please complete both summer projects and bring them with you on your first day.
Project 1 Shoot a photographic series on your mobile phone - within little more than a century, photography has evolved from ‘a thing of wonder’ to something that is so commonplace we barely take notice as we snap away on our mobile phones.
Counter this by slowing down to become fully visually aware. Use your phone camera with purpose. Establish a clear theme before you go out to shoot. For example, the whole world has undergone a massive change in the way we live our lives. How can you explore this phenomenon through detailed observation? Even the most everyday, mundane aspects of daily life have been impacted; shopping, communicating, travel, leisure…. We humans are a resilient species – look for humour and insightful details in how people are adapting.
Take lots of images over the summer: follow your interest and you will soon start to find specific ideas emerging. Then edit your photographs to a set of 12 of your strongest images. https://www.lensculture.com/
Project 2 Build a creative scrapbook – This could be in physical or digital form. Bring together photographs, drawings, paintings and references to (or clips of) contemporary or historical moving image work that elicits an intellectual or emotional response. These could be a mixture of your own work and examples drawn from magazines or from the internet. Explore art galleries, either in person or virtually. (See below for links) https://www.galleriesnow.net/ https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on https://art21.org/
Tate Collective – join for free and then get £5 entry to exhibitions for 16-25 year olds https://www.tate.org.uk/tate-collective
Make reflective notes about why your chosen images are inspirational.
Explore UCA Farnham
Meet our campus community
I love UCA Farnham because... “Being a student at UCA is amazing, it’s like a big creative family. The opportunities and the facilities are incredible.”
I love UCA Farnham because... “The thing I like the most at Farnham is the people! I love working with students in workshops and recording sessions.”
Abigail Marsh – BA (Hons) Jewellery & Silversmithing
Vangelis Katsinas – Tutor technician, Sound Production
by Katie Hinton
My top spots
A student’s guide to… Farnham
As an international student who arrived in the UK completely unfamiliar with Farnham, I have found it to be the most friendly and welcoming place.
The campus might seem like a bit of a labyrinth at first, but you get used to it and it’s astonishing to see just how many incredible facilities it has, even for really niche subjects.
Farnham town centre is right on the doorstep, and I love its community vibe. There’s always something going on, and for me it’s just the right balance between a big city and my home (a rural town). Alongside the friendliness of everyone at UCA, that has really helped me feel settled.
Farnham CastleThere’s so much green space to explore in Farnham, whether it’s walking along the river or going to the Castle, where I love to do my sketches when the weather is nice.
The MaltingsThis is a great arts venue and there’s always something going on for you to enjoy or take part in. I really recommend it.
New Ashgate Gallery It’s free to get in here and they have about 20 different exhibitions going on through the year. I pop in when I can to see what’s on.
Tasty House I always end up getting some Chinese takeaway here when I go into London, as it’s right by the train station. It’s really good food, reasonably priced and it comes in reusable packaging, which is great.
The Wheatsheaf This is the pub that me and my coursemates go to every once in a while. It’s got a really nice atmosphere, and lots of choice when it comes to food and drink.
“ I love the community vibe of Farnham. There’s always something going on – it’s the most friendly and welcoming place.”
Lion & Lamb Yard Lion & Lamb Yard
New Ashgate Gallery
Gostrey Meadows
What could you create?
During your time with us, you’ll build your skills and hone your talents to produce some incredible work. Here are a few highlights created by recent graduates…
Malik Nieto ArtsIssey Hennessy
Sophie Lou
Becky Stapley
Anastasija Strelcova
Our graduates are forging stellar careers in fields from Fashion to Film, Architecture to Craft, Business to Games Design. We caught up with a few to find out more about their successes, and how they made the most the most of the UCA experience…
Phoebe Fox
BA (Hons) Music Marketing and Promotion, 2019Soon after completing her degree, Phoebe was touring the world photographing the likes of The Amazons and Anne Marie – a journey that began while she was still a student.
“I contacted small bands I liked to ask for photo passes to their London gigs, and used the UCA equipment to build a portfolio,” she explains.
“I spent three years balancing touring, festivals, shows and portraits with university commitments. The UCA lecturers were incredibly supportive. After I handed in my final major project, I went home to pack and got straight on a tour bus with Anne Marie.”
Tihara Smith
BA (Hons) Fashion, 2018Fashion graduate Tihara Smith’s final degree project - a collection inspired by her grandparents’ experiences as part of the Windrush Generation – set her up for career success.
“I wanted to highlight the positive contribution of the Windrush Generation and celebrate the islands of the Caribbean,” she says.
After graduating, Tihara widened her range and started selling it online and at festivals, markets and wedding fairs, and it proved so popular that she now runs her business full-time. “It’s been really exciting to see it grow,” she says. “I think some of the best collections are created from real stories that are personal to the creator.”
Where could your talent take you?
Phoebe Fox, photographed by Vendy Palkovicova. Tihara Smith. Picture by Kayleigh Pace.
Will McGregor
BA (Hons) Film & Digital Art, 2010Will has amassed credits directing episodes of cult drama Misfits, period saga Poldark, his first feature film, Gwen, and an episode of His Dark Materials.
“Space, time and support to make my own work was the greatest gift UCA gave me,” he says. “The campus felt like an incubator for creativity; all these creative individuals in one place, with access to kit and exposure to new ideas.”
“Make the most of that opportunity to make work and meet people, and make sure you get your work out there – enter all the student festivals and competitions you can!”
Hannah Bamgbala
BA (Hons) Fashion, Media and Promotion, 2020Hannah Bamgbala’s final degree work was inspired by her sister, Mercy, who has Down’s Syndrome and a serious eye for fashion.
Hannah’s Young, Kool and African website focused on bringing greater diversity to fashion and the media, and she’s gone on to work with the Down’s Syndrome Association to make sure that people of all ethnicities are better represented in their campaigns.
“If you have Down’s Syndrome and are Black — or from another ethnic minority background — there is no one visible for you and your family to relate to,” says Hannah. “That has to change.”
Will McGregor on set
Hannah Bamgbala and her sister, Mercy.
Jamie Windust
Lucy Noble
World Health Sanitation Box ©George Stoneham
Lucy Noble
BA (Hons) Film Production, 2014Lucy has worked as a script supervisor on films including Marvel Studios’ Black Widow, hit series Devs, Elton John musical Rocketman and Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One.
“I dabbled with script supervision throughout my degree,” says Lucy. “I reached out to script supervisors working professionally, asking for the chance to shadow them on set. All that time in the UCA film studio was useful, too – definitely get in there and practice in that arena, where you have a huge amount of control; it’s something you won’t always get when working on location.”
George Stoneham
BA (Hons) Architecture (ARB/RIBA part 1), 2020George caught the eye of the RIBA Rethink 2025 judges, securing a place on the prestigious award’s longlist with an idea to turn former telephone and police boxes into “sanitation stations” that allow people to sanitise themselves on the go.
“While designing the Sanitation Box, I realised how much our world will have to change to design clean and healthy architecture,” he says. “We need to break down compact cities like London and design new, expansive cities with more green spaces, fewer cars, and buildings that flow better.”
Jamie Windust
BA (Hons) Fashion Management and Marketing, 2018Since graduating, Jamie Windust has become a champion for LGBTQIA+ issues in the fashion industry and beyond. They are a magazine editor, a writer for Gay Times and Metro UK, a signed model and a consultant helping brands such as UGG and ASOS to better represent and impact queer identities.
“I discovered my sense of self at university, and I don’t think I would’ve been able to do that in such an affirming and positive way if I wasn’t at UCA,” says Jamie.
“In my final year, I got to apply everything I’d learned to starting a business I feel passionate about. It’s a great space for people to launch real, tangible brands.”
Need to knows
Getting hereOur address is:
UCA FarnhamFalkner RoadFarnhamSurreyGU9 7DSTel: +44 (0)1252 722 441
How to get hereFor information on parking, directions and how to reach us by car, rail, air, please visit: uca.ac.uk/contact-us
Planning your journey - Useful links
thetrainline.com (rail travel)
tfl.gov.uk (London underground)
nationalexpress.com (coach travel)
COVID security We want you to have the best university experience possible, and part of that is about feeling safe while you’re here. For more information about the safety measures we’ve put in place, visit uca.ac.uk/coronavirus
Key contactsIf you have any queries, you can contact our reception team on: +44(0) 1252 722441
IT, Library & student servicesOur library is home to a wide range of resources to help support you in your studies, and a team of expert advisers. For more information, visit students.uca.ac.uk/library
For IT support, please pop in to see the IT advisers in the Library during opening hours, or contact:
Tel. +44(0)1252 892710
Online: uca.ac.uk/it-help-students
Our student services hub, the Gateway, is also based in the library. Its specialist advisers can help you with anything from careers to counselling, accommodation, managing your money or support with disabilities or learning differences.
Info: students.uca.ac.uk/library/academic-support
Contact: [email protected]
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Course Enrolment & Induction Teaching begins
BA, BSc and MArch 20 - 24 September 27 September
Postgraduate 20 - 24 September 27 September
International Foundation (Autumn start) 20 September – 1 October 4 October
Christmas Break 2021 Easter Break 2022 2021-2022 year ends
20 Dec 2021 - 7 Jan 2022 4 Apr 2022 - 22 Apr 2022
10 Jun 2022 (BA, BSc & MArch)
13 May 2022 (International Foundation)
Enrolment and inductionEnrolment officially makes you a UCA student, and induction covers how to make the most of our facilities, libraries, IT and student services. You’ll receive an email with details of when and how to take part.
Vacation dates
Key dates
We have begun an exciting project and a new chapter in our 160-year history. From 2022, we’ll be establishing world-leading Centres of Excellence to bring like-minded students and academics together around their shared passion for creative subjects.
As we focus on growing as a global creative university, we will be stepping back from Further Education from September 2023. However, all Further Education students joining us in 2021 will finish their courses with us, as usual.
A new chapter for UCA
International student task list
If you’re an international student and you’re coming to the UK to study with us, then there are a few things you need to do along the way.
Follow the steps below – not all of them will apply to you, but make sure you check them all, just in case.
1) Before you leave home:
□ Arrange your visa to study in the UK (if required)
□ Arrange your accommodation.
□ Book your airport pick up to take you to your accommodation.
□ Complete your online enrolment. You will be notified by Admissions when this is available to complete.
□ Pack all of the original documents that you have used when completing your online enrolment in your carry-on luggage (including academic and English qualifications). These may be requested at Immigration.
□ Read this information on the cost of living in the UK (if you need any further information, please contact your campus Specialist Adviser).
2) When you arrive in the UK:
□ Collect your BRP card (only if you require a visa).
□ Register at the local police station (not all nationalities are required to do this – please click here for additional information).
□ Register with a local Doctor (GP).
□ You will need to provide all of the original documents that you brought to the UK with you at your physical enrolment. You will not be able to fully enrol on your course without them.
3) Once you have completed your physical enrolment:
□ Apply for your council tax letter (available via MyUCA once you are fully enrolled).
□ Apply for your Bank letter to open your local UK bank account (available via MyUCA once you are fully enrolled).
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Chat with our studentsIf you’re looking to find out more about student life at UCA, our Unibuddy scheme gives you the chance to chat with people who are studying here right now. To chat with a student in your subject area, visit: uca.ac.uk/ask-our-students
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Course Title: BA (Hons) Film and Digital Art
Programme Director: Caroline Molloy
Delivery for 2021/22 academic year
We would like to reassure our students that we are committed to delivering a face to face experience for 2021/22 and we are hoping that 2021/22 will be a year when our students can return to all of our campuses. However, we are aware that changes to our delivery may continue to be required in response to public health advice and as a result of any ongoing Coronavirus measures. We have prepared this information to let you know how your course may be adapted based on changes that were implemented during 2020/21, as a result of Government advice.
We are not planning on making any changes to your course or unit aims, learning outcomes, or assessment methods, under any of our delivery scenarios.
Scenario 1 – Social Distancing rules are continued/re-introduced as a result of public health advice for the 2021/22 academic year:
Changes to learning spaces • Our priority as a university is to deliver our teaching on campus. This may be in socially
distanced face-to-face tutorials, group seminars and workshops.• We will adapt the layouts of our classrooms, workshops and studios so you can have safe
access to these and other specialist facilities, taking social distancing measures intoaccount and providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) where needed.
• Wherever possible, face-to-face will be prioritised.
Timetabling • We will adapt the scheduling of classes to limit the number of students on campus at any
one time• We will adopt the ‘bubble’ principle: meaning you will be taught in smaller groups to enable
social distancing, and have as little physical contact with other groups as possible• We will plan the scheduling of your classes so you can transition between them safely and
make the lowest possible number of trips to and from campus each week.
Contact time
• We will not change our approach to contact time and scheduled delivery, this will still takeplace as published in our Programme Specifications and unit descriptors.
• However, where necessary, contact time may take place in a different way in order toenable social distancing to be implemented and to prioritise students’ access to facilitieswhere necessary. This will mean moving some of activities online.
Online learning
• Where online delivery is used, it will be for lectures which allow us to maximise our onsitecontact with you for tutorial and workshops. This will mean you can still access them if youare self-isolating, shielding, or unable to come to the UK.
Wellbeing & support
Teaching during COVID-19
• One-to-one Personal Development Tutorials with an academic tutor, where they’ll talk through your progress and check on your wellbeing will be available. You will also be able to request online tutorials where face-to-face meetings are not possible.
• You’ll have access to a full range of specialist advisors who will offer online sessions when face-to-face meetings aren’t possible. Your year lead will be able to direct you to where to locate specialist support.
• All our plans take vulnerable learners and students with additional learning requirements into account – we’re making sure we can deliver learning safely to all our students, whether that means accessing learning resources on campus, or online.
Industry links • We will continue to host where appropriate, visiting lectures, external projects, and
networking events be they face-to-face or through online learning.• We will make plans to deliver work placements safely – even if that means you working for
your placement organisation remotely.
Assessments • Wherever possible, assessments will take place within the space available to us at the time.• If you’ve been personally affected by Coronavirus, your assessments will take this into
account and make sure you are not disadvantaged by it.
Equipment & resources • We’ve developed new library systems and cleaning processes for loans and equipment hire
to make sure you can borrow what you need safely.• We will endeavour to make available IT resources to students where possible.• As soon as Government advice permits, we will provide as much physical access to our
libraries as we can. This will ensure that you have access to our physical and digital resources and are able to observe social distancing for you own safety and that of others.
Scenario 2 – a further lockdown is implemented by Government:
During the 2019/20 and 2020/21 academic years we introduced a number of emergency measures that included:
• Moving learning and assessment online.• Looking at prior activity with a view to ensuring that learning outcomes are covered
somewhere within the year of study and adjusting assessment tasks accordingly.• Providing alternative assessment where the original assessment is not deliverable.• Providing extensions for units where necessary for the learning and for individual students if
their circumstances require it.• Where the University is not the awarding body, following the validators’ exacting
requirements for predicted and other grades so that students receive a final outcome commensurate with effort and aptitude.
These measures would be re-introduced if necessary, but only for the period covered by the lockdown, with a return to scenario 1 as soon as is safe and practical to do so.
Adapting to your feedback
• We’ll continue to work with you to find out how you’re feeling about the new measures• You'll have the opportunity to work with teaching staff to adapt and improve the way
we deliver your course in line with public health guidelines.