This highly-regarded taught programme offers the opportunity to engage in cross-disciplinary investigation of various aspects of cinema and moving image culture, and has diverse routes available via theoretical, vocational and practice-based perspectives to provide a uniquely flexible course. These routes allow students to combine vocational, theoretical and practice-based modules as preferred.
Theoretical modules involve study of British, American, European, Far Eastern and Middle Eastern Cinemas. Here, students will examine how film and television texts produced in these regions relate to their historical, social, and cultural contexts through a variety of critical and theoretical approaches, which range from aesthetics as cinematic discourse to the implications of terrorism for film and its audiences.
Vocational choices, which are available throughout, include Teaching Film and Media, Becoming an Academic, Film Festivals, Film Festivals Independent Study (that offer opportunities to attend a film festival, and to be involved in film festival organisation) and Film Journalism, supported by expert film critics, that develops skills required for the writing of film reviews and articles in journals such as Sight and Sound.
There are practice-based options to undertake experimental and documentary film production, and scriptwriting.
Full time students normally attend lectures for 9-11 hours per week, and part-time students attend 3-6 hours per week, depending on module choices. Most modules run on Thursdays so that a full time student might expect to attend from 10am – 9pm on Thursdays
Students are assessed via a diverse range of assignments including:
Course Specific Cost:
Course costs are at the usual MA rate with 20% discount for UoW graduates. The module Film Festivals requires an additional flat rate cost of £350 to over hotel, travel and festival entrance fee to a national/international Film Festival. Any additional cost for attendance at a film festival will be met by the university
Most of the modules are delivered at Light House Media centre which houses 2 purpose built cinemas. Otherwise, teaching is at other appropriate venues on City Campus. All teaching on the MA Film and Screen is informed by staff expertise, with their research directly underpinning each module. This expertise is reflected in the significant number of high-quality publications produced by Film and Media Staff who contributed successfully to REF2014.
Who will teach you on this course:
One student commented on module 7FI014 Teaching Film and Media: This course was the best course I have attended - the teaching was comprehensive and I found the content to be some of the most useful I have experienced throughout my time at university. This was a relatively new subject and I found the work challenging - dealing with new concepts and ideas, but the most important parts for me was to understand where students are educationally before they arrive in University and to develop some of the skills to engage students in their learning experience. I can't express how useful, engaging and interesting this was, I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in teaching at higher education as well as further education.
In addition to facilitating competence in a range of intellectual and social skills that will be advantageous to the majority of occupations, an MA in Film and Screen is academically relevant to careers in the arts and media, leading to employment in arts administration, film archiving, film and media research, film journalism, film festival management, lecturing and teaching. A specific and unique advantage of this course is a module enabling new lecturers to deliver Film Studies and Media to AS/A2 level. It also provides suitable grounding for doctoral research in film, television and film history.
The course offers theoretical, vocational and practice-based options throughout and you will gain a broad range of academic, vocational and transferable skills that are vital to academic employability and to the screen industries, such as the ability to organise film festivals, present papers at conferences, and publish both journalistic film reviews and scholarly publications. Core modules include Teaching Film and Media which offers unique training for teachers and lecturers in Film and Media Studies, and Becoming an Academic whereby you will acquire a range of academic skills entailing, for example, the ability to write a journal article, academic book, and funding bids. As part of your MA programme, you will independently conduct a research project to a publishable standard, which will provide good opportunities for research-based writing in various contexts. You will also develop event management skills for academic events, such as film festival programming, film curation and the organisation of post-graduate symposia.
This innovative new course offers the opportunity to gain both the vital skills and critical awareness necessary to pursue a career in the diverse areas of contemporary film curation and exhibition, whether within the industry or within the field of research. This could include curation within a museum or arts centre; festival management; exhibition, both theatrical and online; or cinema programming.
A range of placements with industry partners including The Tetley, a leading centre for contemporary art housed in the former Tetley brewery, and Leeds International Film Festival, will allow you to see this in action, providing you with the practical skills you need to successfully curate and exhibit films.
Classroom-based modules will explain the theory behind programming, archiving and film exhibition using case studies including cinemas, art galleries and festivals amongst others.
You will be joining the Northern Film School, one of the best-known film and television schools in the UK, whose staff and students have been making innovative and award-winning films for more than 25 years. In this collaborative environment, you will work alongside filmmaking students, sharing ideas and inspiration with fellow creative professionals.
Industry visitors and successful alumni will visit to share their experiences and you will have the opportunity to build your networks through film festival visits and events at the University. Previous students have visited CineYouth Film Festival in Chicago and regularly show their work at Sheffield DocFest. Our academic staff have premiered their films at FrightFest. Leeds is also home to the Leeds International Film Festival, so you will have ample opportunity to see how a professional event is run by experiencing it yourself.
The School's research expertise will feed into your learning, helping you to understand the context of different audiences. For example, the Film School's CINAGE project which began in 2013, explores the EU's recommendations for healthy, active ageing by engaging older people in contemporary cinema.
You will be taught by expert staff including Visiting Lecturer Jason Wood who helped to develop the course. Jason is the Artistic Director of Film at HOME, Manchester. He is also a Research Professor of Film at Manchester School of Art and the co-director (with Simon Barker) of the experimental Ballard adaptation Always (crashing). Previous publications for Faber include: The Faber Book of Mexican Cinema, Nick Broomfield: Documenting Icons and The Curzon Faber Book of New British Cinema (with Ian Haydn Smith). He is currently completing a memoir with Green Gartside/Scritti Politti and writing a history of recent Iranian Cinema (both for Faber).
Keith Dando, who heads the School's taught postgraduate programmes, has an extensive range of experience in film marketing, distribution and exhibition. Keith has curated a nimber of film screenings, including Northern Film School showcases at the Leeds International Film Festival and The Royal Armouries, and was co-founder, director and programmer of the Liverpool Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
Dr Steven Gerrard has spent many years developing collaborative projects with partners as diverse as Swansea Football Club, the Musuem of Welsh Life, and the National Trust.
There will also be guest lecturers and masterclasses by current industry film curators and programmers who will ensure that you are kept up to date with the latest developments in the sector as they are happening.
With your specialist knowledge, you could enter a range of diverse careers with film and moving image at their heart. Areas such as film festival programming, archiving and restoration, museum curation, film exhibition and distribution (theatrical and online), community arts and cinema management will all be open to you.
Within a rapidly changing domestic and international environment, the work of arts and cultural managers is becoming more complex and significant. The creative industries are growing rapidly and patterns of cultural work are changing. Cultural organisations and festivals are in a period of fundamental, pervasive and long-term change; managers must deal with a host of dramatic, often contradictory demands and challenges. This leads to a situation where there is a need for graduates with more holistic and integrated perspectives regarding the management of cultural organisations and the political, economic, social and environmental conditions in which they function.
This course has been developed in response to this need and is rooted in a belief that great leaders in the cultural sector will recognise the value of management while acknowledging that approaches may need to be adapted to meet the particularities of cultural organisations and festivals. Through encouraging you to become critically reflective, the course will develop your knowledge of the contemporary issues affecting the management of arts organisations and festivals while equipping you with the practical management skills that are essential for developing a career in the field.
Mindful of the need for students to develop vocational skills, a number of assignments are orientated towards developing the knowledge and skills required to become an effective practitioner in the field. In addition, students are required to arrange and undertake practical experience within cultural organisations to complement their studies.
This MA is designed as a conversion degree and we welcome applicants from non-business related subjects. It is suitable for both graduates who wish to add a vocational management emphasis to their first degree and those with equivalent professional qualifications or experience. It is likely to be of interest to those who studied the arts and humanities at undergraduate level or those with significant workplace experience who would like to gain a formal qualification in a flexible manner.
Teaching comprises a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, case studies, simulation exercises, field trips and projects. You will also be required to arrange a period of industry based learning. Your performance on the course will be assessed by essays, reports, exams, presentations and a dissertation or project (MA only). Normally, there are around 30 to 35 students enrolling on the course each year.
Each module will require you to attend classes and carry out independent work. Most modules consist of two to three hours of class time each week of the semester. Where possible, all teaching takes place over two days per week. Your specific timetable will depend on whether you study full or part time. Flexible study options and a diverse curriculum mean that this course is suited to both those already working in the arts and those who are looking to start a career in the sector.
Part of our strength comes from our location; being based in Edinburgh means that the course has been developed over time in cooperation with key national cultural agencies and other bodies with a strategic interest in the development of arts organisations and festivals. Our location in the ‘festival city’ also allows for strong practical links between the course and the many arts, festival and cultural organisations based in and around Edinburgh, across Scotland and the UK.
15 credits: Critical Issues in Cultural Management and Policy/ Managing Cultural Projects and Festivals/ Marketing Cultural Organisations and Festivals/ Strategic Management and Finance/ Fundraising and Development in Cultural Organisations and Festivals/ People Management, Governance and Law/ Arts Management in Practice (subject to validation)/ Understanding Research/ Dissertation or project (60 credits) (MA only)
You will be qualified for a broad range of management positions within a wide spectrum of cultural organisations and festivals. Previous graduates have gone on to work in theatres, performing arts organisations, galleries, local government, and cultural agencies. In addition, many now work in festivals within the UK, Europe and internationally. Potential careers might include producing, fundraising, marketing, programming, or audience development, as well as many other roles across the cultural industries.
Designed by performance makers for performance makers, this course will give you the opportunity to make new theatre, dance, digital and live performance work. You will be guided by of a team of research active, internationally acclaimed staff who are committed to making performance matter.
Whether you are a recent theatre or performance graduate, a professional arts worker, an emerging artist, or work in education, your course will see you learn among a diverse range of performance communities.
You will be immersed in an artist-centred learning environment and you will connect with other like-minded people interested in creating captivating performance work. We will give you the skills to expand and reframe your current practices within a supportive community that values practice-led research, and we will also give you the platform to perform your work at national and international festivals.
Research Excellence Framework 2014
Research Excellence Framework 2014: our University demonstrated strength in five emerging areas of research which it entered into the assessment for the first time, including in music, drama, dance and performing arts.
You will have access to expert teaching staff and their network of contacts which stretch beyond Europe.In recent years our students have performed at festivals around the world - these include Sibiu International Theatre Festival (Romania), Dyonisus Theatre Festival (Croatia), Edinburgh Festival, Latitude Festival (Suffolk), Gift Festival (Gateshead) and also locally at Leeds Festival.
Our students have undertaken professional placements with among others: Guillermo Gomez Pena, Robert Pacitti, Red Ladder Theatre, Third Angel, Leeds and Latitude Music Festivals, Bilbao Bai Theatre School, Kate Craddock (Mouth to Mouth), and The Kantor Archive (Noel Witts).
Your course can be tailored to suit your specific interests. In collaboration with your tutors, you will design your own learning contracts and will take ownership of how you are assessed in many of your modules. These contracts will help you develop as a fully rounded, multi-skilled, creative and reflective artist. Your course will enhance your ability to work successfully in a range of artistic and professional contexts, and it will also prepare you for further study should you wish to pursue a career in academia.
As part of the MA in Creative and Critical Writing, you will work with practicing and published writers to hone your craft and concentrate on your specific genre. Our staff will help you to develop your own distinctive voice and will advise on possible avenues to publication. Modules with a more academic focus allow you to engage with literary theory and academic studies of influential writers’ work.
This highly successful MA in Creative and Critical Writing was one of the first in the UK to offer modules dedicated to the theory and practice of teaching creative writing, and the theoretical and practical analysis of the creative process. These options complement the creative and critical strands of the degree and offer you the chance to become a writer prepared for the modern professional arenas in which you may find yourself.
There are opportunities to attend The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, Ledbury Poetry Festival, and Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts. There are monthly public open readings, and there is a vibrant cultural life in Cheltenham and the surrounding county.
Modules:
Assessment is through Coursework and presentations.
Learn from published writers who have developed successful careers, in a range of genres.
Our MA in Creative and Critical Writing was one of the first in the UK to offer modules dedicated to the theory and practice of teaching creative writing, and the theoretical and practical analysis of the creative process.
There are opportunities to attend the Cheltenham International Literature Festival, Ledbury Poetry Festival and The Hay Festival to complement your learning from academic modules.
We're in the middle of a documentary renaissance. Documentary stories are being told in cinemas, on TV, in galleries, on tablets and on mobile phones. On this course you'll learn about the technology that's bringing improvements in documentary making, understand the ethical challenges that documentarians face, and face questions of authorship and authenticity. At Royal Holloway we nurture creative and challenging Filmmakers. The course offers a launch pad for outstanding careers in a growing field of filmmaking.
You'll be taught by award-winning documentary filmmakers and commissioners: our tutors Marc Isaacs, Helen Littleboy and Victoria Mapplebeck, are all active filmmakers with industry contacts. They'll give you insight into what commissioners are looking for in documentaries today and you'll get real vocational experience by working on your own projects with established industry leaders.
Guest Lectures and Guest Speakers include:
Core modules
Ideas to Screen
In this module you will develop an understanding of the practice of documentary film making. You will look at eclectic notions of the genre, exploring the conceptual and formal challenges of creative documentary filmmaking, and examine ways of translating observations and ideas into both visual and aural imagery. You will also consider experimental forms of narrative, focussing on the the boundaries between fine art and documentary.
Foundations of Production
In this module you will develop an understanding of commissioning institutions and their political and financial structures. You will look at contemporary forms of distribution, from the internet to theatrical, and consider the three fundamental stages of production management in for documentary films - pre-production, production, and post-production. You will gain practical experience in the production of short taster tapes and the writing of proposals and treatments, covering the basics of budgets, schedules, copyright, legal compliance and marketing. You will also have the opportunity to participate in a number of field trips and attend sessions with industry experts.
Major Documentary Production
You will produce a substantial documentary production of 20-minutes in length. You will develop an understanding of documentary film genre and its changing boundaries, as well as emerging technologies and their impact on genre. You will look at the process of making a documentary film, from initial concept to final form, and the various stages of production. You will consider the current and changing platforms for documentary film, including cinema, television and the internet, and examine the ways in which the documentary industry is being reinvented.
Assessment is carried out by a variety of methods including project work, photo essays and written production papers.
Our students have gone onto become award winning Directors, Editors, Animators and Producers. Recent graduates have been nominated for and won many awards, including The London International Film Festival, BBC Storyville, International Women’s Film Festival, Open City Docs, CineGlobe and The One World Media Award.
Recent Graduates include:
Iris Lebrun - Whilst at Royal Holloway, Iris won a One World Broadcasting Award. Her film Feeding The Void, won First Prize at Open City Docs Fest. Iris was also selected for Mini Meet Market at Sheffield Doc Fest 2014 . Since graduating she has interned at BBC Modern Times and worked as an Editor on Text Me, a cross platform Documentary which won the 2014 Pixel Lab Award.
Masumi Higashi – Masumi’s film Motorbike Midwifes won a One World Broadcasting Award whilst she was at Royal Holloway. Motorbike Midwifes went on to win twenty Awards, including, BBC Storyville Prize for documentary narrative excellence at CineGlobe , Winner of the International Short Documentary Garden State Film Festival and The Gold Award Winner at the California Film Awards.
Jeong One Park. Jeong One's film Kung Fu Grannies won a One World Broadcasting Award and was nominated for a One World Media Award. Kung Fu Grannies went on to win: First Prize at the International Women’s Film Festival, Best Short Film at the Society for Visual Anthropology Film Festival and Best Short Film at the Cineffable France. Since graduating Jeong One has worked as an Editor and Producer at Channel 4, BBC and Reuters.
Our MA in International Film Business aims to train the next generation of innovative executives for the international film industry.
We will teach you about film finance and sales, distribution and marketing, creative management and development, digital strategy and festival curation and programming.
You will learn about the impact technology is having on the industry and gain insider access to a range of events including the Berlin Film Festival and European Film Market.
The London Film School is a world leading postgraduate filmmaking school and you will have the opportunity to access their extensive expertise, attend master-classes and industry events organised by the school as well as the opportunity to benefit from working with an industry mentor as part of the dissertation.
As you might expect from a ground breaking programme of study, assessment will be more than just essays. Instead you will give presentations, pitch ideas, and take on negotiation exercises. During your first term at the University of Exeter you will design, promote, and deliver a pop-up cinema event in the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum.
If you’re serious about pursuing a career in the film business this MA will give you the chance to develop the key business skills and networks you will need, and benefit from mentoring by leading UK and European industry professionals.
The MA in International Film Business is co-directed by Angus Finney, of The London Film School and Professor Will Higbee at the University of Exeter.
Angus is the author of The International Film Business, Project Manager of the Film London Production Finance Market, and a former Director of Renaissance Films. A well-known authority on the industry, he has executive producer credits for films such as Candy (2006), Dear Frankie (2004), and Disco Pigs (2001).
Professor Higbee has particular expertise in French and African cinema as well as broader issues in national and international film. His research has been widely published and he is a regular participant in film festivals and events around the world.
Together they will guide you through an intensive year that goes beyond the course content and into the reality of working in the international film industry.
As an MA International Film Business student you will have access to the world-renowned expertise of the London Film School and the academic excellence and research resources of the University of Exeter.
Your first term will be taught by leading film and business academics at Exeter where you will undertake a global survey of international film production, distribution and exhibition strategies and trends, and study business strategy, accounting and finance, intellectual property and entertainment economics. You will have the opportunity to examine innovative business models and the rapidly changing digital landscape of independent film.
At the London Film School you will take part in talks, master classes and question and answer sessions with film makers, as a graduate of the MA you will have access to the knowledge and contacts few programmes can offer their alumni. You’ll study the entertainment value chain through seminars delivered by London Film School staff and industry professionals, and a further series of intensive full-day seminars exploring film business innovation.
While there is no requirement to make a film as part of the MA, you can take the initiative in the second and third term to work independently, outside of the programme, with other LFS students who are studying on the MA screenwriting or filmmaking.
In your second term you will take part in our field trip to the Berlin International Film Festival, including access to the European Film Market, which is a business to business event not open to the public.
The Berlinale takes place in February and is one of the world's oldest and most important international film festivals. About 400 films from all around the world are screened each year at the festival, most of which are international or European premieres.
As well as the excitement of premieres and the films in competition, the Berlinale is an important place for film industry executives to do business. The Berlinale hosts both the European Film Market and the International co-production market, where around 400 companies are represented. The festival also organises a variety of workshops, panel discussions and film programmes.
This MA will develop your skills and creative vision in documentary production. It enhances your understanding of the historical context and contemporary modes of documentary production against a backdrop of the wider issues in media production.
This Masters, a pathway of the MA Filmmaking, will encourage your understanding of the politics, aesthetics and ethics of documentary production, and the nature and diversity of documentary practice in contemporary society.
The programme is housed in a new purpose-built media facility equipped with state-of-the art teaching spaces including a range of digital cameras, Avid Media Composer, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Film Editing suites, Animation, Digital Special Effects, Pro Tools Audio Postproduction suites.
You will be able to make your own documentaries, learning and refining research, interviewing, self-shooting and editing techniques – but also have the unique opportunity to be part of a programme that includes specialised producers, cinematographers, editors, sound recordists and sound designers, so that you can develop the scope and range of your filmmaking by collaborating with them.
You work on at least two films during the year, culminating in a major production towards the end of the degree. In addition you can attend classes in related disciplines such as Cinematography and Editing and may collaborate with students across other specialisations on film projects. This framework is designed to provide you with a breadth of filmmaking knowledge combined with a high level of expertise in your chosen filmmaking discipline.
The MA encourages you to develop
They've also launched their own film festivals, worked on critically acclaimed films and documentaries, and have had their work screened at the London International Documentary Festival, National Geographic's All Roads Film Festival and Open City, the London Documentary Festival.
How you will learn
You will be taught the skills to be able to self-shoot and edit, but will also have the chance to work with specialised camera-people, editors and producers. You complete several short films and exercises, then make your own 15-25 minute documentary, during which you will fully explore research methods, visual and thematic storytelling, experimental and multi-platform formats and much more.
For two terms you will spend a full day a week in specialised contact with your specific programme convenor, plus a further day in Screen Lab working with colleagues across the programme in a Talent Campus-style project-led learning structure with:
You will also have a variety of research projects to undertake, as well as other module options.
Screen Lab
You will also advance your collaborative skills by working in teams with both fiction and documentary producers and cinematography, sound and edit students, on a variety of projects and at least three scheduled films across the year.
You will leave the programme with a diverse portfolio of work that may span a variety of formats – essay or diary film, web and multi-platform content, activist or campaign film, longer form feature-documentary
Screen School options
As well as your Screen Documentary specialism, you will undertake three short courses to enhance your other skills and critical approaches.
If you are passionate about fashioning an exciting career for yourself as a filmmaker in an environment that promotes innovative filmmaking, this course is for you.
Our alumni are active in the film, media and cultural industries around the world, working and winning awards as documentary producers and directors.
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
Our programme will build your confidence and technical ability in composing creative prose and/or poetry, while deepening your critical awareness of the cultural, literary and theoretical history of text production.
Teaching is research-led, so you benefit from the individual expertise and passion of a vibrant, multidisciplinary group of published authors and academics, including our Poet in Residence and Distinguished Writer in Residence.
The MA Creative Writing programme will hone your research and writing skills to produce critically informed prose or poetry, and creative criticism. We will help you to locate your work in its literary and cultural context, and you will have the chance to reflect on your creative process and the finished work.
You will have access to a yearly calendar of events hosted at the University created to broaden your thinking, and develop your writing skills such as the Morag Morris Poetry Lecture, the annual Surrey New Writers’ Festival and the Surrey Poetry Festival.
The MA in Creative Writing provides a strong foundation to embark upon a career in writing, communications, publishing, marketing, advertising, journalism or teaching, or to undertake a PhD.
This programme is studied full-time over one academic year and part-time over two academic years. It consists of eight taught modules and an extended portfolio.
Example module listing
The following modules are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Please note that not all modules described are compulsory and may be subject to teaching availability and/or student demand.
The MA Programme in Creative Writing will prepare graduates to undertake a PhD programme in the relevant field.
It will also provide students with the transferable skills of creative writing, critical thinking, textual analysis and communication that are attractive to a wide range of employers, from the cultural industries to marketing and advertising to tourism and leisure to the civil service and public/private partnerships.
It is designed to build confidence and technical ability in a variety of modes of imaginative writing, and to provide students with a clear-eyed grounding in contemporary and historical contexts of text production and circulation, including practical advice on the workings of the publishing industry.
Devoted to assisting students to understand and meet the challenges of producing high quality creative writing in poetry and prose, the programme also provides advanced understanding of the contexts, theoretical paradigms, methodologies and modes of interpretation that are vital in a full understanding of literary production.
The main aims are to:
As a Master’s level programme, it also aims to instil in students the capacity for carrying out independent research.
As a student on this Masters, you will benefit from the expertise of a vibrant, multidisciplinary group of published academics and authors.
You will have access to a number of conferences, seminars and workshops hosted throughout the year. These events cover a range of topics to broaden your thinking in the fields of literature, language and linguistics, cultural studies and creative writing.
Writers to have recently visited the University of Surrey include:
Novelists
Poets
Critics
Each year’s cultural activities begin with the Morag Morris Poetry Lecture on campus by a visiting speaker and feature readings by students at the Guildford School of Acting.
The annual Surrey New Writers’ Festival and Surrey Poetry Festival – both affiliated with the Creative Writing programmes at the University of Surrey – aim to engage with writing and creativity in dynamic ways, and involve readings, book signings, performances, panel discussions and more.
This graduate program is delivered by the University's Creative Writing team, all of whom are published authors and poets:
We often give our students the opportunity to acquire international experience during their degrees by taking advantage of our exchange agreements with overseas universities.
In addition to the hugely enjoyable and satisfying experience, time spent abroad adds a distinctive element to your CV.
Our Creative Writing programme is suitable for writers who want to develop their practice and complete a full length piece of work, or for experienced playwrights who wish to gain a familiarity with writing for the screen, or experienced screenwriters who wish to gain a grounding in theatre writing. It is also suitable for writers who while continuing with their own practice, will work in development roles in the film, TV, theatre and related industries such as literary agencies.
Our programme has been designed, with input from a range of playwrights and screenwriters, to provide the optimum environment for students to complete a full length play or feature film script to a high standard.
As the programme is taught in the evening, we welcome applications from mature students with work and family commitments who are committed to writing a full length play or screenplay over two years.
Creatively stimulating, challenging and above all practical, this innovative two-year Creative Writing programme taught during the evening, provides a supportive and thought-provoking environment for playwrights and screenwriters to explore their ideas, develop their craft and finish a full-length work to a high standard.
You will develop as a writer and sharpen your understanding of what's working and what isn't. No single style or genre is prescribed; the ethos of the programme is excellence and diversity.
You will get to understand writing choices in the work of leading playwrights and screenwriters. You will work with actors and directors from London's new writing theatres, and receive guest talks from agents, producers and artistic directors.
By the end of the course, you will have taken a full-length play, screenplay or television pilot through a number of drafts, working as professional writers do. This play or screenplay will be your calling card. You will receive a performed reading of an extract of your work and a professional script report.
The Creative Writing (Playwriting and Screenwriting) MA is accredited by Skillset, the Creative Industries’ Sector Skills Council which means that students are eligible for the BAFTA Scholarship programme – successful applicants receive a bursary of up to £10,000, a BAFTA mentor, access to BAFTA events, plus a paid work placement at Warner Bros UK.
The course has strong ties with leading playwrights and screenwriters. Recent visiting speakers include:
Richard Bean, Alan Bennett, Ronan Bennett, J Blakeson, Adam Brace, Laurence Coriat, Rib Davies, David Edgar, Martha Fiennes, Andrea Gibb, Tony Grisoni, Stuart Hazeldine, Dennis Kelly, Mike Leigh, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Patrick Marber, Paul Mayeda Berges, Nicholas McInerny, Anthony Neilson, Diane Samuels, Paul Sirett, Ali Taylor, Sue Teddern, Colin Teevan, Timberlake Wertenbaker, and Roy Williams.
You will have the opportunity to meet agents, producers, directors, and authors on screenwriting. Recent guests have included:
Linda Aronson, Katie Battcock, Matthew Bates, Paul Basset Davies, Camilla Bray, Ruth Caleb, Julian Friedmann, Tony Garnett, Lisa Goldman, Fin Kennedy, Kate Leys, Nick Marston, Margaret Matheson, Jeremy Mortimer, George Perrin, Simon Shaps, David Thompson, Neil Quinn, Mervyn Watson and Katie Williams.
Our Creative Writing masters course is taught and run by professional working writers and you will be mentored by a professional working playwright or screenwriter for the whole of year two.
You will be taught intensively for six hours per week in year one and in the second year you choose to write either a full length play, or screenplay, or a pilot for an original television series.
This playwriting and screenwriting course is based around a mix of practical workshops, seminars and lectures. All this is supported by one-to-one tutorials and by independent study: notably reading and preparing presentations on set texts and performing set writing exercises. As the course progresses, the emphasis shifts to independent study and is supported by workshops and one-to-one tutorials.
Central to this Creative Writing masters course is the requirement to finish a full-length play or screenplay. The course culminates in a showcase of your work to an audience of industry professionals and other interested parties.
Assessment includes participation in lectures, seminars and workshops; of work on presentations; set exercises and own play or screen script proposal.
Many of our Creative Writing graduates from play and screenwriting go on to have their work performed professionally and have won many awards and nominations. Since the beginning of 2015 over 40 students and alumni have had plays performed.
Some recent examples include
Our graduates have had plays performed in London at the Old Vic, Arcola, Old Red Lion, Southwark Playhouse, Globe and White Bear theatres; as well as in Australia, New York, the Netherlands and Afghanistan.
