Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television
Students interested in the medium of the moving image will find Film and Television an exciting and creative option.
Whether you are an aspiring director, creative producer or someone who wishes to write the most innovative South African stories for film or television, the Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television (BAFT) will offer you numerous learning opportunities.
BAFT courses offer students theoretically-informed and production-based learning in a range of formats from documentary and fiction short films to music video and experimental filmmaking - as well as offering specialised courses in cinematography, postproduction, studio production and sound design with an emphasis on developing specific skill sets. The undergraduate programme runs over four years and offers students the opportunity to interrogate multiple aspects of filmmaking rather than providing a specialised technical training.
The four-year degree includes a 2-year foundational programme, which requires students to take two general ACADEMIC courses, along with the two obligatory PROFESSIONAL courses offered in the Film and Television division.
The core PROFESSIONAL courses in first and second year are:
Image Creation 1 & 2
These courses impart an understanding of the crafts, techniques and processes of film and television production – i.e. with a focus on practical creative skills.
Visual Storytelling 1 & 2
These courses explore the techniques of writing, interpreting and previsualising stories for film and television, as well as looking at the theory and history of the moving image –i.e with a focus on conceptual skills.
The ACADEMIC courses in first and second year are:
- Film Visual and Performing Arts (FVPA) in the first year, followed by Drama and Film 2 in the second year. These are obligatory theoretical courses.
- A general BA course/s (e.g. Philosophy, African Literature, Psychology, Anthropology, Media Studies). Students can choose which course(s) to take.
In the third and fourth years, students are able to select from a range of courses to suit their interests:
The ELECTIVES include:
- Directing Fiction
- Documentary Filmmaking
- Music Video Research Project
- Sound Design & Studio Production
- Cinematography and Postproduction
- Digital Animation and Digital Art theory
- Experimental Film
- Fact/Fiction: Blurring the Boundary
- Creative Arts Management
- Scriptwriting (various options)