Enhance your filmmaking knowledge and talent with the Graduate Diploma in Screen Arts - Filmmaking course. This specialist course will improve your creativity, technical and professional skills in film. You will learn to use industry standards across sound, writing, video editing techniques and more.
One year full-time
This programme is eligible for the Zero Fees Scheme.
International Fees can be found here.
The Graduate Diploma in Screen Arts (Filmmaking) aims to equip students with the professional, creative, analytical, and technical skills to prepare them for employment or further study in the film, animation, television, cinematographic, and digital media industries.
You will learn:
This course will teach you to conceive, execute and promote digital film or animation productions to industry standards. Focusing on filmmaking will develop your ability to professionally screen-write and edit material, demonstrate core technical principles of operating digital cameras and produce well composed shots with quality sound and lighting.
Compulsory
BSA604 Screenwriting 2
BSA731 Digital Filmmaking 3
Electives Choose one of the following:
BSA701 Studio Project 1
Students will build on knowledge gained in earlier papers strengthening skills and knowledge required to operate within a deadline-driven studio production environment. Developing and implementing effective communication and management strategies, students will work on a collaborative group project. Students will receive a brief and form a company to produce, promote and present a major project applicable to the screen industries (as approved by Tutor/PM). Students will explore industry relevant research and development strategies to inform the conceptual, technical and aesthetic aspects of the project to achieve the most effective, efficient production outcomes. Students will investigate target audience and transmedia approaches to brand development. Students will plan and present project as part of a promoted public event.
BSA702 Studio Project 2
Students will build on knowledge gained in BSA703 strengthening skills and knowledge required to operate within a deadline-driven studio production environment. Students will apply their communication and management strategies to work on either a collaborative group or an individual research question driven project applicable to the screen industries (as approved by Tutor/PM). Students may choose to form a company to produce, promote and present a major project or work from a brief provided by an external partner (to be approved by Tutor/PM). Students will employ industry relevant research and development strategies to inform the conceptual, technical and aesthetic aspects of the project to achieve the most effective, efficient production outcomes. Students will identify target audience and apply transmedia approaches to brand development. Students will plan and present project as part of a promoted public event.
This programme leads graduates to further study or employment in the screen arts sector as camera assistant, lighting assistant, director’s assistant, production coordinator, assistant scriptwriter, sound engineer, transmedia producer.
Applications are open to Bachelor degree graduates who can demonstrate equivalent, relevant, practical professional or educational experience in a related discipline.
Special Admission
Notwithstanding the above admission criteria, provided the applicant has successfully completed an approved course or programme, or has relevant industry experience, which is deemed to meet the required standard for entry, the applicant may be admitted to the programme.
Provisional Part-time AdmissionAn applicant, who does not meet academic criteria, may be provisionally admitted to enrol in one or more papers. Upon successful completion of the paper(s), the student may apply for special admission or admission by mature entry.
Additional Criteria
In addition, the following requirements also apply to applicants in all admission categories:
- Introduces key question
- States main argument
- Explains why the topic is of interest
- Defines key terms
- Discusses proposed research methodologies
- Demonstrates awareness of related contemporary work in the field
- Includes relevant references
- Outlines proposed timeline
- Outlines approach to documentation
- Identifies any ethical considerations
Portfolio Requirements
Applicants are required to submit a portfolio of their work with their application, as follows:
English Language Requirements
Applicants, whose first language is not English, or who come from a country where the language of instruction in schools is not English, are required to provide evidence of having achieved one of the following
NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance, or
an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Cambridge A- level qualification for which the teaching and assessment was conducted in English; or
Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA),or Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL);or
Successful completion of all primary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand primary school years 1 to 8) and at least three years of secondary education (being the equivalent of three years from New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand,,Australia,Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States one of the countries listed in Rule 18.5 where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or
Successful completion of at least five years of secondary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or
Successful completion of a Bachelor's Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters' Degree or Doctoral Degree, the language of instruction of which must be in English and which must be from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States or
Successful completion of one of the following internationally recognised proficiency tests listed below to the level required of the programme of study and with all scores achieved in a single test during the two years preceding the proposed date of enrolment
IELTS test - Academic score of 6 with no band score lower than 5.5 TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) - Score of 550 (with an essay score 5 TWE) TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) - Score of 60 (with a writing score of 18) Cambridge English Examination - B2 First or B2 First for schools or C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with a score of 169. No less than 162 in each skill. OET - Minimum of Grade C or 200 in all sub-tests NZCEL - a) Expiring Level b) Current: a) Level 4 (Academic) b) Level 4 (Academic) Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE (Academic) score of 50 with no band score lower than 42 Language Cert - C1 Expert IESOL (LRWS) with PASS and no less than Pass in each skill Trinity ISE - ISE II with no less than distinction in any band
* New versions of some NZCEL qualifications, and in some cases new qualifications, were published on 13 June 2017. These are intended to replace pre-existing versions and qualifications, which have been given expiring status until discontinued on 31 December 2019. (a) denotes expiring (b) denotes current
To be awarded the Graduate Diploma in Screen Arts (Digital Filmmaking) students must have been credited with all required papers as specified in the Programme Schedule. The total credit value of the Graduate Diploma in Screen Arts (Digital Filmmaking) is 120 credits.
Classes are held Monday to Friday, 9.00am-5.00pm at SIT's Downtown Campus (Don St, Invercargill).
