Overview

The AFDA Bachelor of Arts in Motion Picture Medium is renowned for providing students with a rigorous, well-rounded, comprehensive education in motion picture production. The program is designed to equip students with the necessary conceptual, practical and contextual skills to produce multiple forms of film, TV, stage and emerging media content. What defines the program and sets it apart, is its experiential approach to learning, allowing graduates to thrive in the creative economy of the 21^st century.

Unlike in traditional learning spaces, students are not assessed on the knowledge they have gained by means of examinations. Instead, they are assessed by how they are able to analyse and apply this knowledge in the context of creating motion picture projects. This problem-based learning assists students in developing their own concepts, then in contextualising and socialising this learning through successful collaboration, integrating their own understanding with that of the team, and finally in evaluating their progress in order to foster a sense of personal development. Also included in this approach, is the element of work-integrated learning, providing students with the opportunity to connect with the motion picture profession, applying their knowledge in the context of building successful and fulfilling careers.

Students enrolling for this degree should have a strong desire to:

Develop a culture not only of knowledge exploration, but also of understanding, applying and analysing this knowledge to come up with their own novel concepts.
Take on multiple roles within creative production teams across multiple content forms, adopting a collaborative learning approach.
Be aware of the ethical and cultural contexts in which they work, and the opportunities they have as creative professionals to invest in the world.
Apply their knowledge in the context of the motion picture profession in order to build successful careers and foster a sense of fulfilment.
Nurture a culture of life-long, deep, relevant learning by continuously reflecting on their progress.

Requirements

FIRST YEAR: Just Starting Out

The minimum requirement to enter an AFDA Bachelors degree is a National Senior Certificate (matric) or National Certificate (Vocational) with exemption/admission to bachelor's degree, or equivalent.

OR the student may write an Entrance Exam at AFDA (View RPL Process). The AFDA Entrance Exam is a selection process approved by the AFDA Institutional Senate for degree access. To give a candidate alternative access to degree, s/he can sit for the Entrance Exam and there must be record of it, the recommendation on the individual student from the registered psychometrist must be signed off by Institutional Senate or its subcommittee, as per AFDA Entrance Exam policy (in accordance with Higher Education Act (Act 101 of 1997) Amendment No 1317 in Government Gazette of 5 Dec 2008 number 31674 clause 31). Such access will apply only to AFDA’s programmes, its entrance exam is not valid to another university, and vice versa.

SECOND YEAR: Recognised Prior Learning

You need to have completed your first year degree studies at a recognised institution and have a portfolio or evidence of work to motivate your discipline choices. You will also have to have a full interview.

Course structure

Over the space of three years, students will have the opportunity to discover and explore the world of motion picture production through the following core areas: Ideation Studies, Contextual Studies, Discipline Studies, Project Studies and Reflection Studies.

Ideation Studies

Not only will students work collaboratively to creatively engage with and understand the rich diversities of theories surrounding motion picture media, they will also learn how these contribute to the making of a product. During this learning process, students will develop the concepts and perceptual capacity necessary to produce their own original, rich and exciting work. They will do so with an understanding of narrative, how story is informed by conflict and its relationship to the human condition, as well as by exploring and comprehending how story is visualized and expressed through the medium, aesthetics and business of film, TV, stage and emerging media.

Discipline Studies

Students will have the opportunity to use the knowledge they have gleaned in Ideation Studies to experiment, play and imaginatively express their creative voice in the fields of production, screen design, image production, post-production and sound and music production. These discipline concentrations, and the perceptual and concrete skills they inform, have been conceptualized in such a way that they meet the ever-evolving production needs of the 21^st century motion picture industry.

Contextual Studies

Key 21^st century skills are covered, such as critical thinking, collaboration, career development and resilience skills, goal-setting and values, together with an understanding that the landscape of digital technology is ever-changing. These will encourage the development of creative individuals who are culturally aware, who have the capacity to exercise ethical considerations, and who are able to successfully integrate their abilities with others in a team. These skills will also provide students with a wider scope for future employment.

Project Studies

Here, students are given the opportunity to systematically apply the concepts and theories explored in Ideation, Discipline and Contextual Studies to producing a term project. For these projects, multiple learning narratives - such as feature narratives, television programs, series, documentaries, YouTube programs, mobisodes and webisodes, user-generated experiences among many others - are assigned to groups of students sequentially. This provides them with the opportunity to experiment and engage with a broad range of 21^st century media forms.

Reflection Studies

The production process culminates in Reflection Studies, allowing students to critically reflect on their experiential project-led learning. Students are encouraged to link their theoretical learning to their experiences of the real world, mapping their growth and deciding how what they have learned during the creation of their projects will inform their career development, their investment in the world, and their own personal fulfilment.

Tutorials

Not only will each area of study be informed by instructive lectures, students will also attend regular small-group tutorials, an integral part of their learning process. In these tutorials, students will have the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of lecture content, and to critically engage with concepts and projects with the help and guidance of experienced tutors and lecturers. These individuals have the skills, understanding and empathy to offer necessary individual support. Tutorials are structured to encourage the sharing of individual creative ideas as a means to a successful collaborative outcome.

Discipline Electives

During the first eighteen months of the program, there are no electives and all students take all the subjects. First year students will have the opportunity to test and experience the many disciplines that contribute to the making of a motion picture production. Once the students have developed broad knowledge of the motion picture production process, and how they integrate to produce valuable products, they then begin to select the disciplines they would like to specialize in. During the last eighteen months of the program, students select one major discipline and one minor discipline to specialize in.

Study this course at these campuses

Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth

Course type

Undergraduate Degrees

Duration

3 Years, Full Time

2020 FEES request information apply now

THE GOAL

To graduate with an accredited and registered degree or higher certificate
To be part of an internationally recognized education institution
To be empowered with competitive, professional and innovative skills
To become part of a network of highly talented artists, entrepreneurs & practitioners
To contribute to nation-building by growing the creative economy