Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television) (B-FAFILMTV)

Overview

Award title	Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television)
Year & campus	2025 — Southbank
CRICOS code	093584A
Fees information	Subject EFTSL, level, discipline and census date
Study level & type	Undergraduate Coursework
AQF level	7
Credit points	300 credit points
Duration	36 months full-time

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television) course aims to develop writer/directors with distinctive individual creative voices, and detailed practical knowledge of all stages of sustainable film and television production.

This course is a three-year full-time degree that offers study in production based, practical film making and screen-based storytelling. Theoretical knowledge and practical skills are developed through an immersive and practical curriculum in studio and production environments.

Students are provided with ongoing opportunities to initiate, develop, and realise short film projects and exercises with access to state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, under the guidance of professional and academic staff with significant industry experience.

Students will also perform key crewing roles on other student productions and may be involved in creative interdisciplinary collaborations with students from the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) Theatre, Music, and Production areas.

Studies in screen culture and sustainability practices allow students to deepen their knowledge of cinema and screen-based storytelling, focusing on elements essential to the practice of contemporary film making. A capstone project in third year offers key practical film making opportunities.

Breadth subjects at each year level will also allow students to explore a diverse range of study opportunities within the wider University community, exposing them to multi-disciplinary knowledge and skills.

The capstone subject Screen Practice 3B provides students with the opportunity to focus on the development and realisation of a substantial short film work at a professional level.

Successful completion of a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television) opens the opportunity to apply for further study in a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Degree with Honours), or a coursework Masters in various disciplines.

Links to further information

This course is available in My Course Planner

My Course Planner is an interactive web application that allows you to explore your study options and decide which subjects and major(s), minors and/or specialisations are right for you.

Entry requirements

1. In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed one of:

(a) the Victorian Certificate of Education including VCE Units 3 and 4 either a study score of at least 25 in English/English Language/Literature or a study score of at least 30 in English as an Additional Language;

(b) the International Baccalaureate Diploma including at least Grade 4 in English or English B (Standard Level or Higher Level);

(c) a senior secondary program, foundation studies program or equivalent approved by Academic Board including appropriate English language studies.

Applicants are also required to complete as prescribed by the Academic Board:

a portfolio; and
an interview (shortlisted applicants only).

Meeting these requirements does not guarantee selection.

2. In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:

the portfolio; and
performance in an interview (shortlisted applicants only); and
prior academic achievement.

3. The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments.

4. For applicants who have not completed the Victorian Certificate of Education or the International Baccalaureate Diploma, the undergraduate English language requirements must be met.

Notes:

For applicants through the Victorian Tertiary Admission Centre, “middle-band” selection adjustments are made only on the basis of eligibility for Access Melbourne
Details for the portfolio and interview (shortlisted applicants only) can be found on the Fine Arts and Music Study website https://finearts-music.unimelb.edu.au/study-with-us
Successful applicants will be required to hold a current First Aid Certificate and a Working with Children Check and these must remain valid for the duration of the course

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

Communication Skills: Students require effective and efficient communication skills about their knowledge and application of practicing arts disciplines.

Creative, Intellectual and Organisational Abilities: Students require the capacity for high-level creative performance or production, and are expected to have the ability to develop problem-solving skills and to comprehend disciplinary and cross-disciplinary information.

Behavioural and Social Attributes: Students participate in a complex learning environment and must take responsibility for their own participation and learning. Collaborative learning environments require students to demonstrate a wide range of interpersonal skills which contributes to and considers the needs of other students. Assessment may include the outcomes of tasks completed in collaboration with other students.

Students who have a disability which may prevent them from participating in tasks involving these inherent academic requirements are encouraged to contact Student Equity and Disability Services: https://students.unimelb.edu.au/student-support/student-equity-and-disability-support

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this course, graduates should be able to:

demonstrate a distinctive creative voice in the making of stories for the screen;
apply technical screen directing skills and knowledge at a professional level;
apply professional level screenwriting skills to conceive, develop and produce written short film work;
implement effective leadership and management of creative film projects;
work collaboratively with artists and technicians from a range of disciplines as creative leaders and team members;
research and evaluate film and television production practices;
identify and explore potential career pathways within existing and emerging screen-based industries.

Generic skills

On completion of this course, students should be able to:

work autonomously, employing judgement and responsibility as both practitioner and learner;
show initiative and openness in new situations;
work collaboratively, responsibly, and flexibly across disciplines;
effectively communicate, interpret and analyse with a capacity for critical thinking;
determine clear and attainable project goals;
network, mentor and lead others in problem solving;
facilitate effective collaboration through self-regulation and successfully navigate challenges and manage conflict;
demonstrate resilience (working under pressure).

Graduate attributes

Graduates of the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television) will have developed the following skills and attributes that allow them to be:

Artistically excellent:

demonstrate a flexible and innovative approach to the national and international challenges for the professional artist/practitioner in the 21 Century;
have a strong sense of intellectual integrity and of the ethics of artistic practices and scholarship;
have in-depth knowledge of their specialist discipline(s);
reach a high level of achievement in artistic practice, writing, generic research activities, problem-solving and communication;
be critical and creative thinkers, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning;
be adept at learning in a range of ways, including through information and communication technologies.

Knowledgeable across disciplines:

critically examine, synthesise and evaluate knowledge across a range of disciplines;
expand their analytical and cognitive skills through learning experiences in diverse subjects;
have the capacity to participate fully in collaborative learning and to confront unfamiliar problems;
have a set of flexible and transferable skills for different types of employment.

Leaders in communities:

initiate and implement constructive change in their communities, including professions and workplaces;
have excellent interpersonal and decision-making skills, including an awareness of personal strengths and limitations;
mentor future generations of learners;
engage in meaningful public discourse, with a profound awareness of community needs.

Attuned to cultural diversity:

value different cultures and their cultural forms of practice;
be well-informed citizens able to contribute to their communities wherever they choose to live and work;
have an understanding of the social and cultural diversity in our community;
respect Indigenous knowledge, cultures and values.

Active global citizens:

understand their relationship with and responsibility to their cultural environment and society;
accept social and civic responsibilities;
be advocates for improving the sustainability of the environment;
have a broad global understanding, with a high regard for human rights, equity and ethics.

Course structure

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television) requires the successful completion of 300 credit points.

Compulsory subjects

237.5 credit points of Compulsory subjects
- 75 credit points of Level 1 Compulsory subjects
- 75 credit points of Level 2 Compulsory subjects
- 87.5 credit points of Level 3 Compulsory subjects

Electives

12.5 credit points of Level 2 electives

Breadth

50 credit points of Breadth subjects
- A minimum of 12.5 credit points of Level 2 or Level 3 breadth subjects

Progression Rules

Completion of CREA10002 Stories of Place in the first semester of study
Completion of all Level 1 Compulsory subjects before proceeding to the next year level's Compulsory subjects
Completion of all Level 2 Compulsory subjects before proceeding to the next year level's Compulsory subjects
Note: Compulsory subjects in this program have prerequisites. Refer to individual subject entries.

For students who commenced prior to 2021

For students who commenced the Bachelor of Fine Arts prior to 2021, please click the following link to view your course structure and subject options:

Link

Subject Options

Level 1 Compulsory subjects

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
CREA10002	Stories of Place	Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank) Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank)	6.25

Note: All students must take Stories of Place in their first semester of commencement in this course

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
FLTV10006	Screen Practice 1A	Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank)	18.75
FLTV10008	Screen Practice 1B	Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank)	25
FLTV10009	Screen Culture	Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank)	12.5
FLTV10025	Introduction to Screenwriting	Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank)	12.5

Level 2 Compulsory subjects

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
FLTV20006	Screen Practice 2A	Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank)	25
FLTV20008	Genre Screenwriting	Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank)	12.5
FLTV20009	Screen Practice 2B	Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank)	25
FLTV20023	Creating Sustainable Screen Productions	Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank)	12.5

Level 3 Compulsory subjects

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
FLTV30009	Languages of the Screen	Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank)	12.5
FLTV30032	Screen Practice 3A	Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank)	25
FLTV30026	Industry Perspectives	Semester 2 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Southbank)	12.5
FLTV30027	Screen Practice 3B	Semester 2 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Southbank)	37.5

Level 2 electives

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
FLTV20020	International Film Festival Studio	Not available in 2025	12.5
FLTV20021	Melbourne Film Festival Studio	Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank)	12.5
FLTV20022	Movies and Money 1	Semester 2 (Online)	12.5

Breadth requirements

50 points of breadth subjects including at least 12.5 points at Level 2 or Level 3.

Find breadth subjects

Use the Handbook Search function to find subjects that can be used as breadth studies in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television)

Reassessment is available in this course

Reassessment is a second attempt at passing a compulsory subject if a borderline failure in a single subject has a significant impact on the student's progression through their course. A borderline failure is usually a mark of 45% or more. Reassessment is not available if failure in the subject is a result of a finding of student academic misconduct; or a student was awarded a NH grade due to failure to participate in a component of assessment that was a hurdle requirement or failure to attend or participate in the subject as required.

Refer to Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326): https://policy.unimelb.edu.au/MPF1326

Last updated: 21 February 2025