First Year Pathway in English, Media, Drama, and Writing - Continue to Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - Writing and Film Studies

Program Description If communication is of interest to students and wanting to explore how humans use words, stories and images to express their ideas, then an English, media, drama and writing pathway could be fitting. The English and writing courses let you develop their own style of writing and explore facets of English language, literature and linguistics that fascinate them. The film and media courses let students explore the culture of communication, and develop their own style of media production – while focusing on the skills and knowledge valued by employers. Students will learn to tell stories which engage audiences, whether they want to write poetry, drama, short fiction, or make films and documentaries. They will explore and develop professional writing techniques related to film including screenwriting and film journalism. They will get invaluable feedback on all of their creative writing work from professional writers, including teaching staff and Royal Literary Fund fellows, as well as fellow students. This will offer students the unique opportunity to consider a range of responses to their work, as well as sharpening their own critical skills. Investigating filmmaking practices from all over the world, and learning the language of film from the perspective of a filmmaker, students will make your own short films in video, animation or 16mm format, with full training in camera operation, sound recording and editing from professional filmmakers. If you specialise in filmmaking, they will put their well-practised skills to the test in a project that, once complete, will be screened at the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse. The best may also be selected for showing at the Cambridge Film Festival. Students will learn to write knowledgeably and critically about film, giving them even more opportunities to get involved in Cambridge’s exciting arts scene.