Film and Television Practice

Film and television practice sits at the intersection of storytelling, visual craft, and technical expertise. Understanding how moving images are made is quite different from simply watching them: it demands a working knowledge of cameras, light, sound, editing rhythm, and narrative structure, combined with the ability to direct performers, manage production logistics, and communicate a creative vision to collaborators. The field encompasses everything from documentary and short film to drama series and commercial production, and practitioners who thrive in it tend to be people who can think both creatively and analytically.

At London South Bank this three-year full-time programme is built around practical making. You will work with professional equipment, shoot and edit your own projects, and develop a portfolio of work across a range of genres. The programme encourages you to explore fiction, documentary, and experimental approaches, so you develop a genuine sense of your own creative voice rather than defaulting to a single mode.

You will also have the opportunity to focus your studies in a particular area, concentrating on writing and directing, cinematography, or editing and post-production as you develop your specialism.

Theory runs alongside practice throughout. Understanding the history of cinema, the conventions of television genres, and the critical frameworks used to analyse screen media makes you a more considered and deliberate filmmaker. You will read and discuss film theory, study how different movements and traditions shaped what we now take for granted, and learn to situate your own work within a wider cultural and industrial context.

Graduates work in directing, camera operation, editing, sound design, screenwriting, producing, and post-production across film, television, streaming, and commercial video. Many build portfolio careers combining freelance work with employed roles in production companies, broadcasters, or digital content studios. Further study options include postgraduate programmes in film practice, screenwriting, documentary, and screen studies.