Bachelor of Film
LOOK THROUGH THE LENS TO SEE YOUR FUTURE IN FILMSpecialise in either Production or Post-Production

Indicative Total Course Fees*
$77,452 AUD
* The Indicative Total Course Fee reflects the students are charged fees on a per unit basis and the fee for a unit may increase.
Complete your course faster by studying units across 2 years (6 trimesters).
Complete your course faster by studying units across 2 years (6 trimesters).
Complete the study units across 2.5 years. (8 trimesters).
Whilst still classified as a full-time study load, you will complete course units over a 3 year period (9 trimesters).
If you want to take a little longer, that’s ok too. We’ll help you work out the best study load to suit your needs.
Note: Part-time is not available for international students.
May 2023
September 2023
February 2024
May 2023
September 2023
February 2024
May 2023
September 2023
February 2024
May 2023
September 2023
February 2024
May 2023
September 2023
February 2024
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February 2024
BACHELOR OF FILM
SAE’s Bachelor of Film puts you in the spotlight from day one, helping you gain the practical experience and technical knowledge needed to launch yourself in the world of motion pictures.
Starting with the fundamentals and rolling through to the finer, more complex aspects of cinematography, you’ll acquire a very particular set of skills during your time at SAE. Choose to specialise in either Production – where the focus is on directing and producing, or Post-Production – where you’ll refine your skills in editing, compositing, and colour grading.
Your growth and development as a creative practitioner will be assessed through the completion of industry-based projects. This will ultimately help you build up a body of work and portfolio to share with potential employers or your first client.
In preparation for an industry that commands agility and adaptability, you’ll cut your creative teeth on projects alongside your peers. As your skills develop and you work on more dynamic projects, you’ll apply your experience to cross-discipline projects in audio, games, design, or animation. By the end of your course, you could be collaborating with fellow students across all SAE’s disciplines.
With a Bachelor of Film, you’ll be ready for cutting-edge industry roles using modern creative business concepts and strategies. Career options include Video Editor, Film Producer, Broadcast Specialist, or Camera Assistant.
Bachelor of Film students are provided with an opportunity to undertake workplace internships in the final trimester of study.
Making the leap from being a fan of film to becoming a force in the film industry happens at SAE.
SAE Bachelor of Film offers:

YOUR CAREER IN FILM BEGINS NOW
Tools & Software





Film Skills
YOUR CAREER IN FILM BEGINS NOW
Course Structure
The Bachelor of Film is broken up into three distinct stages, each designed to develop different skills.
This unit introduces you to the fundamental principles of screen studies, including theory and history, to explore ways in which these principles are connected to screen practice. Emphasis is placed on how these concepts and approaches work within screen production, allowing you to develop analytical, critical reflection and creative thinking skills by applying your understanding of topics in project-based activities. Finally, this unit should assist you in becoming more critically aware of your craft and introduce you to ways of developing your knowledge of screen production.
In this unit, you will be introduced to the principles of storytelling for the screen in the production of a short dramatic screenplay. Theoretical approaches to plot, structure, character, theme and genre will be explored, and applied to a range of screenplay development tools such as synopsis, treatment and character breakdowns. Through the analysis of a diverse range of mostly short films and the application of theoretical knowledge, you will develop the skills to create engaging character arcs and a satisfying story structure.
You will learn the techniques required to write effective dialogue and scene descriptions. As you draft your final screenplay, you will need to engage with industry-standard formatting and software programs. Feedback processes are essential in the development of engaging stories, and you are expected to engage with feedback from your lecturer and colleagues throughout the trimester.
In this unit, you will be introduced to the craft of filmmaking through participation in practical film shoots. An introduction to camera, lighting and sound equipment will be supported by a study of the fundamentals of frame composition and cinematography. Key roles and responsibilities of a working film crew as well as production processes and protocols are covered, including workplace health and safety. Familiarity with the equipment and its safe assembly and use is as important in this subject as the technical and creative elements.
This unit aims to instil a basic working knowledge of the structures, aesthetics and technologies involved in digital post-production. There is a particular emphasis on the editing process, as well as a general introduction to audio mixing, titling, colour grading and authoring processes within an industry-level non-linear editing tool.
Editing techniques and approaches vary between different mediums and this unit focuses on both documentary and drama workflows and file management protocols. Effective communication of narrative is the main focus of the unit, and you will learn to edit for narrative clarity, performance, subtext and dramatic effect. Historical and contemporary perspectives on montage theory and continuity editing theory will be explored to broaden your understanding and approach to the art of editing.
This unit will introduce you to the mindset and skillset of the creative entrepreneur, and transform your approach to problem-solving. You will analyse historical and contemporary models of leadership and best practice in entrepreneurship, and use tools for project design that include ideation, problem framing, and pitching. The skills in this unit will assist you in developing your creative thinking, exploration, and experimentation methods, allowing you to experiment with project design and content for creative media.
This unit aims to instil a working knowledge of the structures, aesthetics and technologies involved in digital post-production visuals and title design. There is a particular emphasis on compositing and manipulating the visual content within the frame, and the implementation of titles to footage. Influential cinematic, art and graphic styles, movements and techniques are analysed to give you a foundation in post-production visual aesthetics. The unit also deals with workflow, project management and interpersonal skills needed to export footage for a variety of delivery mediums and collaborating with creative clients.
This unit will give you the opportunity to develop a project from early ideation through to an industry-standard screen production. The purpose of this unit is to introduce you to procedures and protocols of screen production as well as further developing your skills in cinematography, lighting and sound. You will also be introduced to the pathway a screen production takes through the post-production stage to final delivery. A key outcome of this unit will be a screen production initiated and developed over the course of the unit.
In CIM210 you will be working on interdisciplinary projects that relate to some of the most important concepts in contemporary media production. You will learn practical and analytical skills in order to help you develop your creative powers and meet briefs that take you out of your comfort zone. You will need to bring all of the skills you have learned so far: technical skills, research skills, communication skills and a growth mindset, and be prepared to encounter new concepts and new ways of working.
Film Studio 2 acts as an introduction to a "real-world" environment that will allow you to experience the industry-standard production process in an accelerated capacity. This 30 credit point module will allow you to dedicate more time and energy to understanding and developing an individual and collaborative process. Your focus will be directed toward creating a fictionalised, scripted product that may comprise: short films, television commercials, web series, etc., whilst working in a collaborative and inclusive film crew.
In this unit, you will be assigned to a project team, which is led by a facilitator. In collaboration with your peers, you will work towards developing a number of projects within a simulated studio environment. During this process, your facilitator will act as your project manager, producer, mentor and colleague.
In this unit, you will be assigned to a project team that is led by a facilitator. In collaboration with your peers you will work towards developing a number of projects within a simulated studio environment, in a post-production context. During this process your facilitator will act as your project manager, producer, mentor and colleague.
Media and culture are not simply entertainment, but something that affects the “real world”, our everyday lives, and our worldviews. As such, we will not ask whether media accurately reflect the real world but instead ask how media shape, reinforce, and challenge power structures that influence our understanding of the world and ourselves. This unit takes a ‘critical theory’ approach to analyze media and culture. In this unit, you will explore media texts, contexts and meaning, society and subjectivity, pop culture aesthetics, and critical cultural discourses that inform creative media practices.
Drawing on a range of creative content and analytical frameworks, you will be encouraged to develop ways of thinking about media and culture that demonstrate a broad awareness of aesthetic principles and stylistic trends; subjectivity, agency, ethics, and relations of power; contexts, disciplines and discursive formations. In support of this exploration, you will produce a range of media artifacts that explore and contextualize the relationship of media to culture through individual analysis, collaborative and interdisciplinary creative practice, and critical reflection.
FLM213 introduces you to the world of documentary filmmaking. This unit has the same delivery structure as Film Studio 2, but the focus shifts from narrative fiction to documentary. You will need to draw on all the storytelling and technical skills you have learned to date, while being introduced to new concepts and practices that are applicable to the documentary genre. During the delivery of this unit, your facilitator will oversee a number of theory sessions and practical workshops that will increase your knowledge and practical skill base. Then, solo or in collaboration with your peers, you will develop and deliver a documentary project.
This is the first unit in a two-part process of developing a collaborative project, designed to meet professional publication standards. In a group, you'll design and execute a full-scale creative project which will be designed to a specific target audience and market of your team's choosing.
Working closely with SAE Project Supervisors, your project will be guided through formal pre-production and production processes to deliver a creative media project. If you are undertaking a specialisation in your course, you will be required to align it with this capstone project as part of the approval process.
This unit is designed to support the pre-production process, long term success of the project and the fair and equitable contribution of group members. You'll present to the panel your forward plan for the project, which demonstrates rigourous pre-production processes to mitigate risk to ensure the project can be delivered on time and to specification.
Once you successfully complete this unit the emphasis of the capstone project development will move away from pre-production into full production mode.
Gain an introduction to the principles of entrepreneurship to create and operate your own creative media small business venture. Through analysing the global media landscape, You'll be able to identify and explore start-up opportunities within the creative industries.
This unit is designed to be done in parallel with your capstone project. You'll apply the skills and knowledge from this unit to formulate a rigorous business case to help you commercialise your capstone project and use it as a basis for a creative media start-up.
In this studio you continue to consolidate and advance a broad range of filmmaking skills in the production of sophisticated and authentic screen works for multi-platform delivery. You will engage with advanced producing concepts such as financing, budgeting, marketing, and distribution, and broaden your understanding of a range of production environments, technologies, processes and protocols. Higher-level production management and budgeting skills are introduced, and you must demonstrate your ability to respond creatively and pragmatically to a production brief, engaging in sophisticated feedback processes and collaboration between your production team and clients.
This unit further advances real-world skills, there is an opportunity to introduce the notion of real audiences, real clients, and the development of a professional industry profile. You will be expected to bring high-level creative and technical skills to the production of a range of authentic client-driven productions with a focus on multi-platform content creation.
This module further advances real-world skills, there is an opportunity to introduce the notion of real audiences, real clients, and the development of a professional industry profile. You will be expected to bring high-level creative and technical skills to the production of a range of authentic, client-driven productions with a focus on multi-platform content creation in a post-production environment.
Using the project plan and pre-production work that you completed in the Major Project Development Unit, you'll adopt a quality framework that will lead to the publication of a final creative piece.
This quality process will be accountable to multiple, external stakeholders and will test your ability to problem solve, evaluate and synthesise information to the standard that we expect from all SAE graduates. Throughout this journey, you will interact with your classmates and other key stakeholders using the processes and systems and that you would have developed throughout your course.
The publication and subsequent success of the final deliverable will represent the broadening and deepening of your professional practice which has occurred during your journey.
Gain an introduction to the principles of entrepreneurship to create and operate your own creative media small business venture. Through analysing the global media landscape, You'll be able to identify and explore start-up opportunities within the creative industries.
This unit is designed to be done in parallel with your capstone project. You'll apply the skills and knowledge from this unit to formulate a rigorous business case to help you commercialise your capstone project and use it as a basis for a creative media start-up.
Future jobs will require workers to learn on the job; focus on relationships with people; have strong communication skills; use a range of transferable skills. Research consistently points to the benefits of students being prepared with documents that are required for job applications, such as a Resume, Cover Letter, and E-portfolio.
In addition, the value of a Work Placement which provides you with professional experience and an opportunity to use skills and knowledge gained from study to complement this.
The Work Placement for SAE Bachelor students requires a minimum of 80 hours at one or more host organisation. Both the student and the host are required to complete an SAE Agreement which formalises the placement.





Career Outcomes
What jobs will this course lead to?
- Video Editor
- Producer
- Cinematographer
- Colourist
- Director
- Screenwriter
- Visual Effects Artist
- Camera Assistant
Student Spotlight
Course FAQs
All SAE courses have a focus on practical, hands-on delivery. The amount of practical time you experience during your studies does vary, depending on your course. You will also have opportunities to access campus resources and facilities outside of class time, during campus opening hours.
This can vary depending on the campus and course. You may, for example, have a larger lecture group for common units, and a smaller tutorial group of 8-15 students. In most cases tutorial sizes average 15 – 30 students.
SAE may recognise your prior learning and may grant credit towards satisfying the requirements for a VET or a higher-level program. This is applied where previous learning is considered equivalent to the content and learning outcomes prescribed for units within the program.
For full details, please refer to SAE's policy on recognition of prior learning and credit transfers.
