Drama, Dance & Cinematics degrees | course guide

CONTENTS

1. What’s Drama, Dance & Cinematics?

2. What Drama, Dance & Cinematics degrees can you study?

3. What do you need to get onto a Drama, Dance & Cinematics degree?

4. What topics does a Drama, Dance & Cinematics degree cover?

5. How will you be assessed?

6. Why study Drama, Dance & Cinematics?

7. What do Drama, Dance & Cinematics graduates earn?

8. What jobs can you get as a Drama, Dance & Cinematics graduate?

9. What are the postgraduate opportunities?

10. Similar subjects to Drama, Dance & Cinematics

11. Have any questions?

What’s Drama, Dance & Cinematics?

Drama is, typically, the performance of fiction, and dance is the performance of a specially selected and ordered series of bodily movements. Cinematics, meanwhile, is the performance of dance and drama designed for film and TV.

What Drama, Dance & Cinematics degrees can you study?

Undergraduate degrees in Drama, Dance & Cinematics include:

• Dance Science BSc
• Drama and a modern foreign language BA
• Drama and Creative Writing
• Film and Television Production BA
• Lighting Design BA

Options may include an integrated foundation year, study abroad or professional placement year.

What do you need to get onto a Drama, Dance & Cinematics degree?

Entry requirements for a Drama, Dance & Cinematics degree at a university range from 48–153 UCAS points. This could include the qualifications below.

• A Levels: AAB–EE
• BTECs: DDD–PPP (may be required in combination with A Levels)
• Scottish Highers: AAABB–BCC (Advanced Highers: AAB– ABB)
• International Baccalaureate: 32–24

Good subjects to have studied include:

• Essay-based arts or humanities subjects at A Level (or equivalent)
• General studies or critical thinking A Levels may be excluded from offers

Experience that would look good on your application:

• Work experience with a professional theatre or dance company, TV production company, or shadowing a drama or dance teacher or therapist
• Involvement with community theatre or dance groups, or national theatre groups
• Taking part in dance competitions
• Building your knowledge of the sector and personal influences by going to performances, watching documentaries, and listening to podcasts such as those on Spotlight
• Finding out more about the career you’re aiming for from the websites of professional bodies, Screenskills, Get into Theatre or One Dance UK

Other requirements for this subject include:

• Some courses will require an audition, portfolio, workshop or interview

What topics does a Drama, Dance & Cinematics degree cover?

This subject area covers a range of courses; modules may include:

• Acting fundamentals
• Dramatic technique and expression
• Industries of performance
• Playwriting
• Staging the text
• Theatre and performance making
• Theatrical interpretation
• Creative compositing
• Film and TV representations: race, gender and sexuality on screen
• Social action video production
• Sound on screen
• The art and craft of film editing
• Contemporary dance technique
• Dance and events management
• Dance careers and the industry
• Functional anatomy and physiology
• Researching dance science
• Training strategies for dance, fitness and health

How will you be assessed?

Many performance subjects are assessed entirely through coursework. The methods used will depend on the module you study, and could include:

• Essays
• Group work
• Logs and work diaries
• Mid-term tests
• Peer assessments
• Performances
• Seminars
• Written analyses
• A dissertation is usually a final year option

Why study Drama, Dance & Cinematics?

If you want to be physically, mentally and creatively tested to the very peak of your capabilities, this subject area would be a good choice for you.

Most courses actively encourage work experience and give you a real boost into the world of work. Tutors are usually stage and screen performers who’ll know the business inside out and pass that knowledge on to you.

Career-specific skills:

• In-depth knowledge, practical skills and competences relating to your area of study, whether theatre, dance, film or TV
• Awareness of the cultural context, including historic and contemporary practice, race and gender

Transferable skills:

• Collaboration
• Creativity
• Critical and analytical reasoning
• Entrepreneurial skills
• Flexible approach to work
• Self-disciplined
• Skilled communication
• Time management
• Working to deadlines

Professional accreditation:

• Degrees in film and TV may be endorsed by ScreenSkills Select or JAMES (Joint Audio Media Education Support)
• Institutions may be accredited by the Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre (CDMT), or members of Conservatoires UK

What do Drama, Dance & Cinematics graduates earn?

Drama, Dance & Cinematics graduates can expect an entry-level salary of around £17,000–£21,000.

Work is often paid by project or performance, making annual incomes hard to predict. Equity, the trade union for creative practitioners, sets recommended fees by role, length of production and size of venue. Weekly rates for performers range from £383 in small theatres for rehearsals on longer production, to £834 for a show in London’s West End. Stage managers are paid up to £964 for work in larger West End venues. In larger companies, such as the National Theatre, a stage technician may be offered a salary of around £42,000, depending on experience.

If you train to become a drama therapist, working in the NHS your entry salary would be a little over £32,000 (Band 6).

What jobs can you get as a Drama, Dance & Cinematics graduate?

If you have the skills and talent, you could make it in this competitive industry. Several professional organisations offer specialised positions for graduates, such as the National Opera. Possible roles include:

• Actor
• Artistic director
• Arts and culture administrator
• Associate producer
• Choreographer
• Community worker
• Dance project coordinator
• Dance scientist
• Dancer
• Drama therapist
• Film producer
• Lecturer
• Marketing manager
• Media planner
• Multimedia designer
• PR account manager
• Project manager
• Stage manager
• Teacher
• Theatre manager
• TV and film consultant

What are the postgraduate opportunities?

For practitioners with a first degree in a relevant discipline, postgraduate study offers the chance to specialise and delve deeper into topics you’re passionate about. Examples of taught master’s and research degrees at postgraduate level include:

• Creative Documentary by Practice MFA
• Dance Science and Education PGDip/MSc
• Film and Screen Studies MPhil/PhD
• Global Media and Cultural Industries MA
• Theatre MA

Similar subjects to Drama, Dance & Cinematics

Other subject areas that might appeal to you include:

• Acting
• Animation
• Art & Design
• Communication & Media Studies
• Classics
• Creative Writing
• English
• Fashion
• Film Making
• History of Art, Architecture & Design
• Music
• Photography

Have any questions?

Ask our experts! You can email ask@thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk with your question about studying Drama, Dance & Cinematics – we’ll be happy to hear from you.