Diploma in Film & Video Production

Course Overview

The Diploma in Film & Video Production is a Level 4 qualification within the LSCT Media, Journalism & Communication department, designed for students who want to make films, branded content and short-form video that an audience actually finishes. The programme runs 9 to 12 months across on-campus, online and distance-learning routes, taught from our central London base — within reach of Soho's post-production houses, the BBC Studios complex and the independent production sector clustered around Shoreditch and Hackney Wick.

You move quickly from foundational camera and editing work into UK production practice from 2026: writing for the screen, scheduling a small shoot, lighting a single-camera interview, editing in DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro, and finishing a project to delivery spec. The Diploma in Film & Video Production closes with a finished short film or branded content piece, a written reflective portfolio and a working showreel — the only meaningful currency in this trade.

Key Features

• Aligned with the Royal Television Society and BBC Academy entry-route frameworks.
• Three study modes — on-campus in London with kit access, fully online with structured live edits, or distance learning with self-managed shoots and tutor feedback.
• Kit access — Sony FX3, lavalier and shotgun audio, basic lighting and grip kit.
• Distinctive specialism module: Vertical Short-Form for UK Broadcasters & Brand Channels.
• Showreel build — every learner finishes with a working three-piece showreel and credits page.
• Guest sessions with working UK editors, runners, DoPs and commissioning producers.

What You Will Learn

The Diploma in Film & Video Production is structured around five taught modules and a final film. You will graduate able to take an idea from script to delivered file, with a defensible point of view about composition, sound and pace.

• Camera and composition — exposure, lens choice, blocking, framing.
• Sound for picture — location capture, mixing, music, dialogue clean-up.
• Editing — DaVinci Resolve and Premiere Pro, narrative pacing, colour basics.
• Writing for the screen — short-form structure, dialogue, the discipline of cutting.
• Production management — schedules, call sheets, releases, UK insurance basics.
• UK regulation — Ofcom code, IPSO crossover for documentary, releases and consent.
• Distribution and audience — festivals, broadcaster commissioning, vertical short-form.
• Set safety and on-location professional conduct — UK Bectu guidelines, releases, working with talent.

Assessment combines a portfolio of short pieces (an interview package, a vertical short, a documentary edit), a written reflective portfolio, a script-and-treatment exercise and a final showreel viva. Tutors are working UK editors, runners, DoPs and commissioning producers, so cohorts get accurate signal on what current Soho post-houses and broadcaster runner programmes actually look for at hiring.

Industry Context and Showreel Support

UK screen-sector hiring has been reshaped by the streamer-led production cycle, the growth of vertical short-form on UK broadcaster channels, and the consolidation of post-production in Soho and east London. Runner and junior-edit roles continue to be the entry tier, and a strong three-piece showreel is the only credential that actually opens those doors. The Diploma in Film & Video Production is sequenced to produce that showreel.

• School leavers planning UK production careers in TV, film, documentary or branded content.
• Self-taught creators ready to formalise their craft at Level 4.
• Career changers from journalism, marketing or theatre moving into screen production.
• International applicants targeting UK postgraduate film study or runner-level UK production roles.

Career Pathways

Graduates of the Diploma in Film & Video Production move into runner, junior-edit and content-production roles across the UK screen sector. Typical first or next roles include:

• Runner at a UK production company, post-house or broadcaster
• Junior Editor at a Soho post house or in-house brand team
• Multimedia Journalist or Broadcast Producer (entry)
• Editorial Researcher in TV, film or longform podcast
• Content Strategist or in-house video producer at a UK brand
• Freelance camera-operator or DIT on UK short-form productions

The Diploma articulates into LSCT Bachelor's degrees in Media and Higher Diploma in Media Studies, and onward postgraduate study in film or documentary.

Entry Requirements

• Completed secondary schooling (A-levels, BTEC Level 3, IB or recognised international equivalent) or equivalent creative or production experience.
• GCSE English Language at grade 4/C or above (or equivalent) — confident written English is essential for scripts and treatments.
• English language: IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
• A short personal statement and a sample of creative or production work (a YouTube link, vertical reel, short film or written script) submitted with your application.

Why Study at LSCT

The London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. We teach in small cohorts so every student is visible to their tutor, run a single intake schedule that students can rely on, and partner with UK professional bodies so qualifications carry weight with employers. London puts Whitehall, the City, Silicon Roundabout, the Royal Courts of Justice, the West End and the NHS estate within a short tube ride of every classroom — and our students use that proximity in their projects, placements and graduate job hunts. For film students that means Soho post-house visits, broadcaster open days and live festival-screening trips.

Apply for Diploma in Film & Video Production

Ready to take the next step into the Media, Journalism & Communication sector? Click Enrol Now to submit your application for the Diploma in Film & Video Production; admissions reply within one working day with intake dates, kit-access details and showreel guidance.