• University of York
  • Screen industries growth network logo

Lights, Camera, Computer - Action! How Digital Technology is Transforming Film, TV, and Gaming

Discover the emerging technologies shaping the future of storytelling and how you can start a career in the screen industry.

4.6 (14 reviews)

1,630 enrolled on this course

Rows of screens showing various images

Lights, Camera, Computer - Action! How Digital Technology is Transforming Film, TV, and Gaming

4.6 (14 reviews)

1,630 enrolled on this course

  • 3 weeks

  • 4 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Introductory level

Find out more about how to join this course

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Investigate the impact of technology on digital storytelling

On this three-week course from Screen Industries Growth Network (SIGN), you’ll explore the impact technology has already had on storytelling in the screen industry, the new opportunities it presents, and how your own skills match up with different roles in the industry.

Led by the University of York, SIGN provides comprehensive training and development schemes, supported by contemporary research, designed to create a more diverse, more creative, and more entrepreneurial screen industry workforce.

Uncover your route into the film, tv, or gaming industries

This course will delve into the people involved in creating film, tv, and games, before assessing what skills are needed to work in the industry and how to map your existing skills to different roles.

To start you on the right track, you’ll also look at developing your own portfolio and what the next steps might be to further your career in this exciting and creative field.

Dive into the cutting-edge technologies transforming entertainment media

Technology is constantly evolving and many emerging technologies are transforming the screen industry through film, gaming, and streaming.

You’ll explore some of the technologies currently used in the industry, as well as those being developed by researchers, with hands-on activities using freely available software.

Explore the future of storytelling in the screen industries

From interactive media and AI to streaming and gaming, technology has allowed endless possibilities when it comes to engaging storytelling.

Drawing on insights from researchers currently involved in areas of rapid development, you’ll imagine the future of the screen industries and speculate on how emerging technologies might be used to deliver engaging content and tell new stories in the years to come.

Download video: standard or HD

Skip to 0 minutes and 9 seconds What do you watch for entertainment, or information? And where do you watch it? Have you ever thought about making your own programmes, films, games or videos? From the ever-expanding Marvel Comic Universe, to screen masterpieces like Peaky Blinders and Dark; from top-selling video games like Tomb Raider and Mass Effect, or Super Mario and Animal Crossing to live online

Skip to 0 minutes and 36 seconds theatre, and massive multiplayer experiences like Phantasy Star: New Genesis The range of content we can access on-screen is greater than ever before, and our means of accessing it are more flexible today than has ever been in the history of film, television, and gameplay. And that is what this short course is all about. How the screen industries work nowadays. How they have changed technically and creatively, from their historical origins over a century ago. How cinema and TV and games are coming together and converging - and driving ever-more immersive, interactive and ambitious storytelling experiences. And it’s about understanding how you can take advantage of these huge and exciting changes .

Skip to 1 minute and 25 seconds To make your own screen content, and even find jobs in industries that are hungry for innovative new minds. Interact with us as we take you through the world of contemporary screen storytelling, and some of the techniques of contemporary story-making…

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    What are the Screen Industries?

    • Introductions

      Some basic housekeeping (apologies!) and saying hello

    • Convergence: construction and consumption

      What are the Screen Industries? We’ll explore what this term means, how technology has enabled film, tv and gaming to converge, and what that means for how we consume today.

    • From celluloid to streaming

      To envisage the future of the screen industries, we need to understand their history. We'll take a whistle stop tour of the history of the Internet and the World Wide Web to understand more about the ways we access content.

    • Whose voices are heard in the media?

      Representation matters, since the media shapes all our lives. Drawing on your own viewing preferences, we'll also explore the inclusivity of the media you consume and the teams who create it.

    • Careers in the Screen Industries

      Let's take a look at the range of careers available in the screen industries. We'll explore what roles are out there, and how you can capitalise on your own transferable skills to find them.

    • Week 1 roundup

      A chance to sum up everything we’ve learnt this week.

  • Week 2

    How is technology transforming storytelling?

    • It's about telling stories

      In this activity we’ll start by investigating the beating heart of film, tv and games: telling stories. How and why do human beings tell stories? We’ll also challenge you to write your own short story.

    • It's about telling INTERACTIVE stories

      We’ve considered traditional storytelling we know and love in films and tv dramas. But in this activity we’ll learn about how we can make stories interactive, and the technology that enables us to make our own interactive stories.

    • Interaction and immersion

      Digital technology allows us to produce interactive and immersive stories. We’ll show you how to make an interactive story (game) of your own.

    • Opportunities in the Screen Industries

      Let's explore entry-level positions in film, TV, TV drama, VFX, animation and games - and give you the tools to help you get into the industry.

    • Week 2 roundup

      Test your learning with our quiz and summary of the week.

  • Week 3

    The future of the Screen Industries

    • Week 3: Introduction

      This week we’ll think about the future of the screen industries. What do you think film, tv and games will be like in 5, 10 or 50 years time?

    • What will we be consuming next, and how?

      We go back to 1900 to learn about the first immersive cinema experience. We’ll discover how virtual reality is making entertainment and education more engaging, with some online experiences for you to try out.

    • What's next - what follows?

      In this activity we’ll ask you to let your imagination run wild - what do you think future screen media will be like in the future? What stories will we be telling and what will future technology allow us to do?

    • How can I be part of the future industry?

      Our final activity on careers in the industry: We’ll ask you to think about how you can future-proof your career in this fast-paced industry. What skills can you develop now to find your place in the future of film, tv and games?

    • Week 3 roundup

      Test your knowledge with our quiz and a summary of everything we’ve learnt this week.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Reflect on emerging technologies in the industry and identify future opportunities
  • Demonstrate knowledge of different sectors within the industry (such as sound, film making, tech)
  • Describe the variety of roles and careers in the screen industries
  • Explore your own skillsets, how these map onto industry roles, and how they can develop these further

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone interested in working in the screen industries, whether in film, tv, gaming, or interactive media.

It may also be useful to those currently working in screen industries wanting to upskill or diversify skills in technology.

Who will you learn with?

Jude Brereton

Jude is a Senior Lecturer in Audio and Music Technology at the University of York. In the Department of Electronic Engineering she teaches audio and acoustic analysis and often bakes cakes.

Anna Bramwell-Dicks

I'm a lecturer in Interactive Media (specialising in web development), currently on a research fellowship focused on representation within different storytelling formats (inc. film, TV, games etc.)

Ed Braman

I lecture in documentary, TV studio production and the politics and peformance of the creative industries. I am a former C4 programme commissioner, network filmmaker and programme editor.

Jade Gordon

I am the Managing Director of Creative Train. With over ten years experience working in television production, I now deliver training to diverse newcomers hoping to work within media.

Tania Dales

Interactive Media research student and self taught indie video game developer.

Who developed the course?

University of York

The University of York combines the pursuit of academic excellence with a culture of inclusion, which encourages everyone – from a variety of backgrounds – to achieve their best.

Screen Industries Growth Network

The Screen Industries Growth Network (SIGN) is a unique, business-facing initiative supporting the TV, film and games industries in Yorkshire and the Humber.

SIGN aims to make this region the UK’s centre for digital creativity, and a model of diverse and inclusive activity.

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$349.99 for one year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$109/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible
Continue & Upgrade

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 16 May 2024

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

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