Film Studies

Film studies takes the cinema seriously as an art form, a cultural institution, and a shaping force in modern life. It asks how films work, not just what they depict but how their formal choices create meaning, emotion, and perspective. It situates films within the industrial, historical, and cultural conditions of their production and reception, and it develops the critical vocabulary to discuss all of this with precision and depth.

At its best, studying film teaches you to look more carefully and think more rigorously about everything you see.

At Royal Holloway and Bedford New College this three-year full-time programme explores how cinema shapes culture and develops the tools to write, think, and engage creatively with a medium that connects audiences across the world. You will study film history from its earliest forms to the present, engage with major theoretical traditions, and develop skills in film analysis that go well beyond simple description or plot summary. The course includes a sandwich placement year, a year abroad, and a work placement component, giving you the opportunity to connect your academic study with professional experience in the screen industries, journalism, education, or arts programming, alongside an international academic experience.

The typical entry tariff of 120 points gives an indication of the standard expected.

You will develop strong analytical and communication skills, the ability to construct and sustain arguments about cultural texts, and a broad critical literacy that is genuinely useful across a wide range of professional settings.

Graduates go on to careers in film and television production, film criticism and journalism, arts programming, marketing and communications in the creative industries, teaching, archiving, and cultural heritage. Postgraduate study in film, media, cultural studies, or screen production is a natural route for those who want to specialise further or pursue academic research.