Graduate destinations

What can you do with a Film Studies degree?

Every year the government runs a survey called the Destination of Leavers from Higher Education Survey. This tells us where our graduates end up approximately six months after graduation. 96.6% of the 2016/17 Film and Television undergraduates available for employment went on to work, further study or both approximately six months after successful completion.

Many of our graduates have gone on to be leaders in their respective fields across the globe. These include all areas of the film and media industries, including as producers, directors, editors and screenwriters. Many of our graduates also go on to work within many other areas where a strong academic degree in the audiovisual humanities puts you a cut above the rest.

We therefore also aim to equip you with many of the vital transferable skills you’ll need to succeed in advertising, public relations, teaching, publishing, journalism and events management.

We have an excellent alumni network and many regularly return to the Department to engage with current students

Andrew Shaw

I’m an in-house creative at Endemol Shine UK specialising in digital content for television shows, brands and broadcasters. My role encompasses the whole production process - I develop formats and ideas, pitch, produce, shoot and edit. Currently I’m creating social content for All Together Now and MasterChef.

I’ve produced digital content for all major broadcasters across a variety of genres: Big Brother, Broadchurch, Humans, Hunted and Britain’s Got Talent. As well as television projects, I’ve also worked in the branded world with video and social campaigns for Google, Rimmel, Weber, Felix, Morrisons and Cancer Research UK. Idea development is the common thread throughout my experience, so I’ve also worked in television development teams, creating entertainment and factual entertainment TV formats.

The analytical skills gained during the course and the exposure to a wide variety of films and TV shows has been really useful. You really excel in idea development if you can deconstruct a TV show or film in terms of narrative, direction, editing and execution and then apply those learnings to create something new and different. Having a range of reference points puts you one step ahead of everyone else.

Andrew Shaw

Senior Digital Creative Producer – Endemol Shine UK

Rachel Elfassy-Bitoun

I am a VFX Production Coordinator at Framestore, a visual effects company for film, TV, commercials, VR and rides. As a co-ordinator, I help manage the day-to-day work of artists on a specific show, and work with the producers and supervisors to deliver the visual effects of the film in the time assigned and to the best quality. Previous projects include Disney’s Christopher Robin, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindewald, The Good Liar, and currently The Secret Garden.

My degree was very helpful in my first job. I was asked to do lots of different tasks which involved skills I had developed throughout university. I was asked to look at the script and the storyboards and divide the story to create emotional charts. Thanks to my degree, I had plenty of experience analysing a film and picking out its emotional points and the knowledge I needed to read and understand a script technically. The Film and Literature degree here in Warwick also gave me a wide range of references to connect with the work we were doing.

Rachel Elfassy-Bitoun

VFX Production Co-ordinator – Framestore

Sam Tomlinson

I’m currently the Personal Assistant to the Creative Director, Executive Producer & ITV Commercial’s Director at Tall Story Pictures; a High-End TV Drama production company part of ITV Studios. I provide comprehensive assistance to my team working across three primetime dramas slated to air on ITV1 in 2019: The Bay, Sticks & Stones, and Bancroft.

I play a key role in effectively managing the smooth running of their schedules, day-to-day office activities and as well as overseeing Tall Story’s development slate. I’m also part of their script reading team. I’m tasked with reading scripts submitted by agents and established writers as well as sourcing fresh voices and new writing talent.

Prior to joining Tall Story Pictures, I was the Group Office Manager at Blink Films and Outline Productions. During this time, I assisted on multiple popular and specialist factual programmes including BBC’s Bafta-nominated No More Boys & Girls, Channel 4’s Shut Ins: Britain’s Fattest People, ITV1’s Fred & Rose: The Truth, UKTV’s Mystic Britain and the Netflix show The Joys of Tech.

Achieving a BA (Hons) in Film & Literature from The University of Warwick has been a tremendous stepping-stone in and, talking point throughout, my TV career and provided me with a plethora of skills and experience to conquer the TV world.

Working in a world of stories and storytelling, you have to be able to recognise growing trends in TV, watch and consume content and judge what you consider to be a good or bad story. The Screenwriting module proved instrumental in determining what constitutes a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ script or story and the manner in which we dissect and critique film is also how production companies develop stories and ideas. Everything from character development to story arcs, the use of locations, costumes and camera placement is discussed, critiqued and dissected to serve the tone of the programme and, ultimately, the audience.

Sam Tomlinson

Production Assistant – Tall Story Pictures/ITV