BA (Hons) Special Make-up Effects for Film and Television with foundation year
Course Overview
Many television shows and movies, from biopics to sci-fi, horror, and history, need special make-up effects to enhance their on-screen storytelling. University of Bolton graduates have gone on to work on an array of films and television series, recently including Ackley Bridge, Coronation Street, Ant Man (2023), and Napoleon (2023).Our BA (Hons) Special Make-up Effects for Film and Television with foundation year course will equip you with key techniques and transferrable skills needed for a creative practitioner. The course explores skills such as 3D sculpting, material exploration, face scanning, hair preparation and finishing techniques, mouldmaking processes, and prosthetic make-up application techniques.
The foundation year allows you to discover and strengthen research, design, practical and communication skills that are essential for success as you study Special Make-up Effects for Film and Television. You'll explore an array of core techniques relating to the creative arts industries, including drawing, painting, sculpting, and finishing techniques, investigating both traditional and digital technologies. The foundation year also aims to build your confidence in academic skills such as literature searching, academic referencing and written and oral communication techniques.
As you progress through the course, you'll gain experience collaborating with other creative subject areas, such as modelmaking and creature effects, film and television production, and photography at the university. You'll also have the opportunity to engage with live briefs and feedback from renowned industry professionals. Additionally, you'll undertake contextual studies relating to special make-up effects in film and television, ensuring you have a critical understanding of this creative industry and are prepared to progress in your future career.
By studying for your degree at the University of Bolton, you can develop essential knowledge and understanding of special make-up effects techniques and practices while experiencing life at our supportive, student-focused, multicultural campus. You'll also benefit from our close proximity to two of the most vibrant cities in England: Manchester and Liverpool.
Highlights
- This stimulating programme will support you in gaining focused knowledge and understanding of special make-up effects, prosthetics, hair, and digital design and realisation. Informed by both research and practice, your studies will meet industry needs.
- The curriculum and practice-based assessments reflect the latest industry trends, ensuring your skills are current. Course assignments and projects mimic industry pipelines and standards, so your experience is a realistic preparation for a career in special make-up effects.
- Our make-up workshops and studios are some of the largest you will see in an education setting. They have been designed to mirror key areas of special make-up effects departments in film and television. Our facilities include a casting and moulding room, a computer suite for digital concepting, sculpting studios, make-up and hair application studios and our own photography area with lighting and backdrops.
- The foundation year will support you in strengthening your practical and research techniques to enhance your confidence of progressing your studies of special make-up effects at degree level.
- You don’t have to worry about the cost of the make-up and materials needed to complete your studies. We'll provide the necessary materials and resources for you to complete the course modules.
- Neill Gorton, multi-award winning artist/designer and founder of the world-renowned Millennium FX company, is our Visiting Professor for the Centre of Film FX at the University of Bolton. His astonishing range of professional experience, knowledge of cutting-edge techniques and industry contacts brings enormous benefits.
- BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated prosthetic and make-up effects designer Nick Dudman received a Doctorate of Innovation from the University of Bolton in 2022. Nick continues to support our course by giving guest talks about his fantastic résumé and offering portfolio and project advice.
- We're committed to helping you develop your employability and career network. An exciting benefit of joining the University of Bolton's Centre of Film FX is our 'Industry Week,' during which we book globally recognised industry specialists to demonstrate and discuss their renowned work and give advice on your creative practice.
Key Features
- This programme is informed by a range of industry professionals to ensure that the content is industry-relevant and includes the latest techniques, materials and innovations.
- The course is part of the University's recognised Centre of Film FX. You'll learn to work with creative teams from across our subject areas, preparing you for the multi-team collaboration required in make-up effects departments in the film and television world. You'll create portfolio-worthy practical outcomes and build confidence and experience in simulated industry settings.
- Our dedicated staff team have a wide range of professional experience, industry knowledge, technical expertise and academic credentials, offering you a variety of perspectives and broadening your horizons.
- We offer a warm and friendly environment for your studies and ensure you have a personal tutor with whom you can book tutorials to discuss any support you need.
- We prefer to keep practical classes relatively small, so our studios don't feel overcrowded. This ensures you have plenty of opportunities to ask questions, get individual help, and benefit from the ideas and support offered by your classmates.
- By choosing to study with us, you'll have access to one of the UK's largest film and television-producing regions. Cities and towns across the North West are commonly used as filming locations for Netflix, ITV, and the BBC, and many production companies operate in the area.
Entry Requirements
- 48 UCAS points. We accept a full range of qualifications that carry UCAS points, including A-levels, BTECs and T-levels. Please see our guide to the UCAS Tariff for examples of how to achieve these points. For most courses, we are also able to consider non-tariffable qualifications.
- Any subjects are acceptable at Level 3. Relevant creative subjects are preferred.
- You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent), including English and Mathematics.
- You'll be required to attend an interview and provide a portfolio of appropriate work. We'll expect you to present your work and demonstrate your experience. This will usually take the form of a portfolio of recent effects-related (or project-based) work. The quality of your portfolio will be judged alongside traditional UCAS point-bearing qualifications to determine the success of your application. Special consideration is given to applicants without the above qualifications who have a strong portfolio.
- If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Career Opportunities
The University of Bolton's BA (Hons) Special Make-up Effects for Film and Television with foundation year programme promotes the knowledge and skills the industry expects from graduates wanting to embark on this highly creative career. Throughout the course, we'll support you in gaining recognised practical skills in make-up effects and highly regarded skills in organisation, communication, and professionalism.
As this creative field continually evolves, we also focus on helping you develop curiosity and lifelong learning skills, preparing you to keep up to date with new and upcoming special make-up effects techniques. We'll ensure you're ready to adapt by exploring many of the strategies you'll need to use in your career journey.
What can I do with this qualification?
As a graduate, you may work directly for a production company or be self-employed. You could pursue your career in a workshop-type environment, where for special make-up effects, roles can consist within sculpting, 3D scanning, casting, moulding, silicone repair and hair finishing.
You could also find employment working on set within hair, make-up and special make-up effects departments which can include, wrapping hair for wigs or bald cap applications, taking continuity notes, applying prosthetic pieces, touch ups and maintaining make-up designs during filming and assisting with make-up and prosthetic removal.
Alternative career options
Graduates can use this qualification as a stepping-stone into many other careers. Some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study. Possible areas include:
- Medical prosthetics
- Education
- Hair integration systems and wig-making for hair loss
- Digital concepting for clients
- Mannequin making for medical simulation
Fees & Funding
Home/EU Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
International Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2024-25 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
How to apply
Home Applicants
Course application details are unavailable at present
International Applicants
Course application details are unavailable at present
Partner Organisation Applicants
Option currently unavailable.
Teaching & Assessment
We use a wide variety of teaching and learning methods to help you achieve your potential, and you can expect our blended style to include practical demonstrations, lectures, seminars, tutorials, self-directed learning, practical workshops, and online learning.
Lectures introduce the core course content, while seminars allow you to explore subjects in greater detail. Practical skills and techniques are gained through technical introduction and support, workshop sessions, demonstrations, and activity-based assignments. Tutorials allow you to ask questions, ensuring you understand the topics covered in lectures and workshop sessions.
Guest lectures and visits give you opportunities to engage with and learn from respected professionals working in areas within or relating to special make-up effects. Our highly practical and project-based approach promotes active learning, and our specialist facilities create realistic industry-like learning environments. Our project modules encourage you to interact and collaborate with students specialising in both your own and other areas of special and visual effects, as well as film and television production, helping to give you a taste of working on group and multidisciplinary projects.
Personal and independent study is essential, and you should expect to devote a significant amount of time to activities such as project work, background reading, preparation for seminars and tutorials, research, design and creative thought.
In terms of assessment, you can expect practical applications, coursework, portfolios investigating practice, case studies, interviews, and presentations. As far as possible, we set project-based coursework that simulates professional situations. These pieces contribute to your final mark and allow you to demonstrate that you have met the learning outcomes.
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
