Masters Degrees (Film Producing)

If you work freelance, in a media production company, or want to set up your own creative business, this film producing course will develop your skills and subject knowledge to the high level required to succeed in the film industry.

The University of South Wales’ film producing course will give you the skills to set up your own production company and offers valuable assistance to enter the film, television and media industry.

You will consider the creative role of the producer throughout the production process, from working with the writer during development, the director and heads of department during pre-production, production and post-production, and the producer’s role as fund-raiser and financial manager of the entire production.

You can study full-time over one academic year or part-time over two years. There are two exit points before the full MA Film Producing award for extra flexibility. Successful completion of Stage One leads to a Postgraduate Certificate in Film Producing and Business Management, and successful completion of Stage Two leads to a Postgraduate Diploma. You will need to complete a final project for the full Masters qualification.

If you do choose to study on a creative postgraduate course at the University of South Wales, you will also benefit from being part of a vibrant international student community.

See the website http://courses.southwales.ac.uk/courses/141-ma-film-producing

What you will study

Selection of modules include:
- Understanding Producing
- Business Planning
- Understanding Film Finance
- Aspects of Film Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights
- Media Entrepreneurship
- Research Methods (optional)
- Histories and Theories (optional)
- Masters Project

Common Modules:
The Faculty understands the importance of a strong grounding in research knowledge and skills, enterprise and innovation as part of a balanced postgraduate education.

We also recognise that each student has different requirements of their postgraduate experience.

You can choose to study one of the following three, 20 credit common modules. Each of these has a different focus, enabling you to select the module that will be most beneficial to you.

- Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship
This module aims to develop your knowledge of the methods to identify, develop and manage enterprise and innovation in the creative sector. It will then help you apply this to your own entrepreneurial project.

- Research and Practice in the Creative and Cultural Industries
The focus of this module is on the development of research knowledge and skills, while also encouraging critical engagement with approaches to creative practice. You will also explore ideas, debates and issues in the creative and cultural industries.

- Research Paradigms
This module focuses on research paradigms and their theoretical underpinnings. It also looks at key conceptual tools drawn from a wide range of subject areas relevant to postgraduate research in the creative industries.

Learning and teaching methods

Each module is delivered by lectures and seminars, and you need to spend a substantial amount of time reading and preparing for assessments.

The style of coursework, set at 6000 words or the equivalent, varies for each module, ranging from portfolios, presentations to research-style papers or essays.

The Masters involves overseeing an actual production project (a short film).

Work Experience and Employment Prospects

USW’s MA Film Producing degree will give you the skills to set up your own production company and offers valuable assistance to enter the film, television and media industry.

Assessment methods

Learning Through Employment:
Learning Through Employment is a University of South Wales framework that offers students who are already in employment the opportunity to gain credits towards a postgraduate qualification.

The programme is structured so that the majority of learning takes place through active and reflective engagement with your work activities, underpinned by the appropriate academic knowledge and skills. As such, it has been is designed for practising professionals to provide them with the tools to succeed in the workplace.

This truly flexible approach means that projects can be based on an agreed area of work, benefitting students and employers, and because the majority of the project is carried out in the workplace, it can potentially be undertaken anywhere in the world.

Facilities

Our purpose built ATRiuM Building at our Cardiff Campus features state-of-the-art facilities for audio and video production and editing, graphic design, studio recording and more. The building is an engine room for the next generation of media practitioners and thinkers.

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The MA Film with Practice is a taught programme suitable for graduates in film, practitioners who want to advance their practice in an intellectually stimulating environment and non-film graduates with a passion for film practice demonstrated though amateur filmmaking.

The programme is taught by award-winning filmmakers, internationally recognised film scholars and includes masterclasses from film industry professionals.

Visit the website https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/343/film-with-practice

About the Department of Film

The Film Department at the University of Kent is known for its excellence in research and teaching. Arts at Kent (including Film) was ranked 1st in the UK for research power in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF). One of the largest European centres for the study of film, it has an established reputation going back 35 years. Approaching film as a dynamic part of our cultural experience, we encourage thinking about film as it emerges at the intersections of art, document and entertainment. Through theory and practice, individual research, student-led seminars and visiting speakers, we promote an environment in which postgraduate students are able to engage with the continuing vibrancy of cinema.

Studying film as a postgraduate at the University of Kent will give you the opportunity to experience our rich resources of academic expertise, library facilities and a campus-based film culture. We currently offer expertise in North American, European and Latin American cinemas. Our research and teaching will engage you in a dialogue with aesthetic, conceptual and historical perspectives, as well as with digital media and practice by research.

In 2014, the University opened a new 62-seat cinema named after the pioneering female film director Ida Lupino, which students can enjoy as part of their experience during their studies. The Lupino has state-of-the-art digital projection and sound, and has been created to provide an intimate atmosphere for film viewing.

Course structure

This programme includes two dedicated film practice modules and a dissertation by Film Practice that includes the making of a fiction film. You also choose two modules from the existing Film MA to create a practice-theory mix that accommodates your own interests.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take modules from other programmes so that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas that interest you.

FI819 - Digital Film Practice: Key Skills (30 credits)
FI820 - Independent Project Development (30 credits)
FI812 - Advanced Film Theory (30 credits)
FI813 - Film History (30 credits)
FI815 - Film and Modernity (30 credits)
FI811 - Conceptualising Film (30 credits)
FI899 - Dissertation by Film Practice (60 credits)

Assessment

Assessment at MA level is 100% course work: that means you will be assessed through essays, treatments, project proposals, seminar participation and a dissertation by film practice.

Programme aims

The programme aims to:

- Develop the understanding and skills possessed by students entering the programme to a notably higher level of sophistication and achievement (appropriate to an M-level award) than would be expected at degree level, such that all leave the programme with a substantial analytic, critical and practice-based understanding of Film.

- Develop the ability of students to think independently, argue with clarity and force, initiate and complete creative work and to discern areas of research and practice-led research within the field.

- Provoke reflection on practical, critical and theoretical approaches to Film and its context.

- Nurture intellectual and creative skills through written work (essays, dissertations, treatments, scripts), creative practice (DV films) as well as in the context of interpersonal interaction (seminars, research papers, supervision, filmmaking processes).

- Develop existing and new areas of teaching informed by and in response to developments in film practice, research and scholarship.

- Provide an excellent quality of higher education

- Attract outstanding students irrespective of race, background, gender, and physical disability, from both within the UK and from overseas.

- Support national and regional economic success by producing graduates in possession of key knowledge and skills, with the capacity to learn.

- Provide opportunities for the development of personal, communication and research skills and other key skills appropriate for both graduate employment in industry or further study.

- Provide learning opportunities that are enjoyable experiences and involve realistic workloads, based within a combined research and practice-led framework

- Offer appropriate support for students from a diverse range of backgrounds

- Provide high quality teaching in a supportive environment with appropriately qualified and trained staff?

Research areas

Research in both theory and practice is currently centred in five broad areas:

- national cinemas – form and history: North American, European, Latin American
- the moving image in a digital context
- documentary film
- film aesthetics
- avant-garde and experimental cinema.

Centre for the Interdisciplinary Study of Film and the Moving Image
The Centre draws together scholars from across the University who use film and the moving image as an integral part of their research. We are open to ideas that extend the reach of the Centre and seek to support projects that promote collaboration between individuals and other research centres. Our aim is to produce a more proactive engagement with other disciplines, to open new lines of communication and to produce innovative knowledge formations through the activity of pioneering research projects.

Careers

Arts graduates have gone on to work in a range of professions, from museum positions and teaching roles to film journalists and theatre technicians. Our graduates have found work at Universal Pictures, the London Film Festival and other arts, culture and heritage-related organisations, as well as in film production, as editorial assistants and as web designers.

Find out how to apply here - https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/

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MA Film & Television at Falmouth University reflects and interrogates the highly fluid nature of the contemporary screen media environment.

Our MA is distinguished from traditional courses in that it specifically addresses the diversity and crossover of today's film and television culture with the aim of producing adaptive thinkers and highly creative practitioners. Our academic focus engages and interrogates film and television's status in the 21st century, which is often defined in terms of the digital age and digital culture.

On the course you will be required to examine, interpret and contest the notion of digital culture historically, socially, politically and artistically through both your research and creative practice. You will interrogate the increasingly blurred boundaries between film and television, art and technology, production and consumption, with the outcome being a fracturing of traditional categorisations. We reflect an era in which screenwriters Aaron Sorkin (Newsroom, The West Wing) and Lena Dunham (Girls, Tiny Furniture) experiment with dialogue and narrative, while conceptual artists Sam Taylor-Wood (Nowhere Boy, Love You More) and Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave, Shame) have shifted from the art gallery to the cinema. Directors such as Ben Wheatley (A Field in England, Sightseers) and companies such as Curzon and Film4 are making use of multi-platform release schedules, and brands including HBO, Amazon and Netflix are shaping the very nature of not only what, but how, we watch. MA Film & Television understands this fundamentally shifting zeitgeist.

In examining industrial structure and visual form you will theorise the shifting dynamics of an age where anyone with a phone and a laptop has the ability to record, edit and disseminate visual projects. Such 'democratisation' has arguably made both creative uniqueness and clear industry pathways less discernable, but has provided a new and fruitful framework for those who have the ideas, talent, dedication and adaptability to embrace such immense transitional potential. However, despite these multitudinous transformations attributed to digital culture, the ethos of our MA contends that fundamental skills remain the basis of both sound academic work and creative practice. Rather than being fearful of what is to come, or nostalgic for the past, this course gives you the confidence to look at film and television critically, and acquire cutting edge creative skills in order to produce intelligent, innovative and inspirational visual work.

Our philosophy is one of flexibility, so you'll shape the curriculum around your own interests, whether in theory, creative practice, or a combination of the two. Drawn from the fundamentals of history, theory and criticism, our theoretical strand develops tomorrow's cineastes, cultural commentators, journalists and academics. This also underpins our approach to practice. The most successful film and television makers are students of their chosen medium, highly knowledgeable of historical legacy and social-political context. You'll not only learn how to develop, write, produce, shoot, record, direct and edit well, but why, philosophically and creatively, your ideas are worth being made.

Visit the website https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/film-television-ma

How the course is taught

Our passion is reflected both in the teaching and research track record of our academics, our industry connections and visiting speakers, and the quality of our film and television professionals. Crossing disciplinary areas such as cultural studies, sociology, journalism, English, philosophy and, of course, film and television studies, our MA offers academically-minded students comprehensive supervision and guidance for moving onto PhD research.

Industry and academic links

We have a strong visiting lecturer programme with recent guests including critics Dr Mark Kermode, Professor Linda Ruth Williams and Dr Will Brooker. Our practice tutors are active writers, producers, directors, editors, sound designers and cinematographers who create substantive work across all screen media. We have a wide range of contacts and industry specialists who contribute to the course, including Tony Grisoni (writer of Southcliffe, Red Riding, and How I Live Now), Mary Burke (producer of For Those in Peril, Berberian Sound Studio and The Midnight Beast), and James Henry (writer for Campus and Green Wing).

Falmouth University also recently hosted the Channel 4 Talent Day and we are active in developing work placements and internships for our students. We have sent many of students to Warp Films and TwoFour since 2009, and regularly update our webpages with work experience opportunities and jobs. Our graduates have proceeded to further study and jobs across the film and television industry, for HBO, Sky, ITV, Disney and have worked on major feature films, most recently including About Time (Richard Curtis, 2013) The World's End (Edgar Wright, 2013), The Double (Richard Ayoade, 2014) and Disney's forthcoming Cinderella (Kenneth Branagh, 2015). Falmouth University's MA in Film & Television is for students who to place themselves at the cutting edge of screen culture.

Course outline

The course is divided into three semesters of 15 weeks. Each semester offers the fundamentals vital to every academic and practitioner, and elective choices so you can shape your own learning.

What you'll do

- Study block 1
Foundation
The first semester consists of three core units, offering a diverse entry point to all aspects of the study of film and television, and the interrelationship of theory and practice:

Theorising Contemporary Film & Television Culture (Theory)

In this module you will explore the theoretical conceptualisations of film and television in the context of contemporary academic thought and popular discourse around the concept of digital culture. We will start from a point of questioning the multi-layered and contested effects of digital culture on film and television as discrete forms. You will consider the interrelationship and fusion between media in terms of production, distribution and exhibition examining the advent of new forms of representation and interaction. But we will also look at how traditional notion of film and television are being preserved and even being popular as a reaction to the effects of the digital. The module will also assess and interrogate the economic and technological developments of a more integrated and interactive media environment in terms of the cross-pollination of form and content, and socio-cultural effects on contemporary audiences.

Film & Television Industry Case Study (Theory/Practice)

In this module you will explore the industrial parameters of contemporary film and television based around the experience and expertise of current professionals. The module will utilise the School of Film & Television's many industry links to bring in guest speakers from the BBC, Channel 4, Sky, TwoFour Broadcast, Warp Films, Sheffield Doc Fest, Cornwall Film Festival, Doc Heads, BFI, Pinewood Studios, Dogbite and EngineHouse VFX. You will then have an opportunity to question these professionals about their respective sectors as a basis for a case study. Alternatively, you can investigate the sector/practitioner of your own choosing, with tutor support. The module will also contain workshops on the fundamentals of creative industry research and methodology. The module is designed so that you learn both the challenges and values of networking, and researching specific job roles and industry backgrounds in order to effectively plot your own career trajectory.

Creative Practices (Practice)

This module will engage you in the production workflow, focusing on how creative, professional and technical roles shape a final film or television project. Your weekly seminars and workshops will guide you through pre-production, production and post-production processes, enabling you to devise, develop and produce a short filmed project as part of a small crew of four to six students. You will, therefore, develop your technical skills and production practices in order to devise and deploy modes of creative practice which may include, but are not limited to, research and development, screenwriting, production management, producing, directing, cinematography, lighting, editing and the recording and design of sound.

- Study block 2
Specialisms
The second semester gives you the opportunity to specialise, choosing from a ranging of theory, practice or combination modules. Assessment of combination modules is either through an academic essay or a practice project. Potential optional modules include:

- Cultural Studies to Digital Sociology (Theory/Practice)
- Screen Futures (Theory/Practice)
- Globalisation in Film & Television (Theory/Practice)
- Factual Film & Television (Theory/Practice)
- Screenwriting for Film & Television (Theory/Practice)
- Work Placement (Theory/Practice)

- Study block 3
Expertise
Depending on your chosen specialism, in the third semester you'll produce either:

- Dissertation (Theory)
- Film & Production Portfolio (Theory/Practice)
- Conceptual Project (Theory/Practice)

Facilities

The purpose-built film school facilities include:

- 116-seat cinema, with Christie M Series HD projection (as used in Vue cinemas) and 7.2 surround sound

- Equipment store with a range of Blackmagic, Red, Panasonic, JVC, GoPro, Canon DSLR and C100 cameras and lenses, jibs, tracks and dollies

- Digital production suites equipped with Final Draft (screenwriting), Movie Magic (production management) and a range of edit software, including Adobe Creative Cloud/Suite, Final Cut and AVID

- Avid Unity MediaNetwork Edit server

- Recording and sound edit studios equipped with Pro Tools audio editing and Foley traps

- 14x8m TV studio with three studio cameras, full gallery facility, Chromatte grey screen, blue/green screen and full lighting rig

- Centroid 3D (Pinewood-networked) Motion Capture studio/research lab

- Virtual Studio using the latest technology

- 23,500-title TV and film library

Experience you'll get

- Highly flexible, student-focused curriculum

- Mentoring with industry professionals

- Opportunities for placement and work experience

- Creative environment for collaboration

- Using industry-standard software

- A vibrant visiting speaker programme

- Student experience-centred ethos

Assessment

- Continuous assessment with no formal examinations
- Core theory based on written assignments
- Core practice assessed on visual project and accompanying portfolios
- Elective modules all with theory/practice options
- Dissertation and/or major project in final semester

Careers

- Research, teaching or postgraduate study in art/humanities subject areas

- All technical/creative roles linked with direction, production, cinematography, editing, sound, lighting; writing for the screen; film and television criticism; research for film and TV

- Film and TV marketing, distribution and sales – digital and social media content/distribution

- Film festival and arts curatorship – media-based project management

Find out how to apply here - https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/apply

Visiting Us

We hold open days throughout the year so you can meet current students and staff, view our campuses and facilities, and find out more about studying at Falmouth.

Find out more - https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/open-days

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Explore and make creative connections between film analysis and film practice.

Our course has a distinctive focus on international, alternative, and documentary cinemas, while also providing a solid foundation in key elements of film history and theory, including Hollywood. This critical appraisal of such a wide range of genres gives you a solid understanding of what makes film work well, enabling you to improve your own production skills in camerawork, editing, lighting, screenwriting and production management.

You gain a strong sense of independent filmmaking practice, and learn to apply your academic knowledge of film through exploring topics including:
-The formal, social, cultural and political dimensions of films from both within and beyond Hollywood
-Fiction film production, including pre-production, camera, lighting and sound
-Classics of the documentary form , docufictions and mockumentaries
-Collective and individual filmmaking projects
-Storyboarding and editing

You also benefit from a series of masterclasses conducted by invited industry professionals which focus on the craft of filmmaking: developing your technical understanding of cinematography, directing and editing/postproduction.

These also introduce you to potential employment routes and industry career pathways, from setting up your own production company, to identifying and tapping into distribution networks, and preparing and marketing your completed films.

We are ranked Top 20 in the UK (Times Good University Guide 2015), and three-quarters of our research is rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (REF 2014).

This course is also available on a part-time basis.

Our expert staff

Our intensive modules are taught in small groups by expert academic film specialists and professional filmmakers.

The Centre for Film and Screen Media at Essex is part of a vital departmental unit that offers talented students the support and confidence to respond both critically and artistically to the study of film. This distinctive environment is possible because we are a community of award-winning film-makers, scholars, and media specialists; our staff over the years have included Oscar winners and BAFTA winners.

This course features academic staff who specialise in a wide range of production and critical areas, including producing, screenwriting, documentary, film theory, Soviet cinema, US cinema, films of the Asia and Pacific regions, modernism and the avant-garde, adaptation, and silent cinema. Production staff have extensive experience with organisations such as the BBC.

Our Department has a distinguished history of combining critical and creative work, and we have long been home to poets, novelists, translators, dramatists and actors, alongside literary critics, drama scholars, filmmakers and film theorists.

Specialist facilities

For your film production modules, you have priority use of industry-standard editing facilities, two state-of-the-art studios, and a range of cameras and other filmmaking equipment. You also gain experience using professional film production software including Avid and Final Cut; everything you will need to produce films to an expert standard.

You also have access to our other departmental facilities:
-Show off your work on our Vimeo channel
-View classic films at weekly film screenings in our dedicated 120-seat film theatre, equipped with digital HD projection facilities and surround sound
-Borrow DVDs from our substantial departmental collection
-Join student film societies and the Centre for Film and Screen Media film series, which screen and discuss both recent blockbusters and less mainstream arthouse films
-Hear writers talk about their craft and learn from leading specialists at weekly research seminars
-Our on-campus Lakeside Theatre has been established as a major venue for good drama, staging both productions by professional touring companies and a wealth of new work written, produced and directed by our own staff and students
-Improve your playwriting skills at our Lakeside Theatre Writers workshops
-Our Research Laboratory allows you to collaborate with professionals, improvising and experimenting with new work which is being tried and tested
-Write for our student magazine Albert or host a Red Radio show

Your future

We actively encourage and assist you to find appropriate internship and work placement opportunities during your studies, allowing you to practice and develop your skills and experience as well as enhancing your graduate employment prospects.

A number of our Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies graduates have gone on to undertake successful careers as scholars, university lecturers, teachers, publishers, journalists, arts administrators, theatre artistic directors, drama advisers, filmmakers, film editors and translators.

We also offer supervision for PhD, MPhil and MA by Dissertation in different literatures and various approaches to literature, covering most aspects of early modern and modern writing in English, plus a number of other languages.

Our University is one of only 11 AHRC-accredited Doctoral Training Centres in the UK. This means that we offer funded PhD studentships which also provide a range of research and training opportunities.

We work with our Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

Example structure

-Dissertation: MA Film Studies
-Research Methods in Literary and Cultural Analysis
-Film and Video Production Workshop
-Critical Moments in the Theory and History of Film
-Adaptation (optional)
-Advanced Film and Industry: Production and Industry (optional)
-Documentary and the Avant-garde: Film, Video, Digital (optional)
-Women Filmmakers (optional)

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From start to finish, producers are the driving force behind the film and television industry; they generate new projects and ideas, secure finance, manage production and strategically market the project. The producer’s role has been transformed by the advent of globalization, digital technology and the multi-channel environment.

This course offers aspiring producers an opportunity to acquire the creative entrepreneurial skills required to enter a rapidly changing film and television universe. The course concentrates on developing creative, managerial, financial and legal capabilities for a successful career in production.

This Master’s degree reflects the global nature of the contemporary media marketplace but its main focus is UK film and television fiction, rather than factual production. It is targeted at those who want to follow a career path as producers, rather than as directors.

See the website https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/mediaarts/coursefinder/maproducingfilmandtelevision.aspx

Why choose this course?

- The course benefits enormously from close links with the film and television industry. Tony Garnett (producer of Cathy Come Home and This Life), whose company World Productions has built up a reputation for challenging and innovative drama, was a guiding force in designing the course and has played a great part in the course's success.

- Professor Jonathan Powell (former Controller of BBC 1, Head of Drama for the BBC and Controller of Drama at Carlton TV), one of this country's most respected and experienced drama producers, now delivers the 'Role of the Producer' and ‘Script Development’ lectures as well as providing you with support and advice.

- You will normally undertake a full-time internship in a production company. In most cases this internship lasts about four weeks. You will be offered guidance and assistance in an effort to obtain industry internships.

- Students who have graduated from the course are working successfully in independent television and film production, for broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV, and for distributors, exhibitors, talent agencies and entertainment lawyers.

- Regular networking events are arranged where former alumni can make contact with each other and with the current group of students.

Department research and industry highlights

- TRENT is an exciting and innovative collaborative project between the British Universities Film and Video Council (BUFVC) and Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL) and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Led by John Ellis the project brings together the nine existing online databases hosted and curated by the BUFVC which provide important film, radio and television material along with accompanying metadata and contextual information for academics, students, teachers and researchers. This project brings together all the material contained in these databases, yet Trent is not simply a master database. Instead it foregrounds creative searching through a common interactive interface using real-time ‘intelligent’ filtering to bringing disparate databases into a single search and discovery environment whilst maintaining the integrity and individual provenance of each.

- The EUscreen project is major funded EU project which aims to digitise and provide access to European’s audio-visual heritage. This innovative and ambitious three year project began in October 2009 and the project consortium is made up of 28 partners from 19 European countries and is a best practice network within the eContentplus programme of the European Commission. The Department of Media Arts at Royal Holloway’s is responsible for the content selection policy for EUscreen and those involved include John Ellis, Rob Turnock and Sian Barber.

- Video Active is a major EU-funded project aiming to create access to digitised television programme content from archives around Europe. It involves collaboration between the Department of Media Arts at Royal Holloway and Utrecht University, and eleven European archives including the BBC, to provide access to content and supporting contextual materials via a specially designed web portal. The team from the Department of Media Arts, who are John Ellis, Cathy Johnson and Rob Turnock, are responsible for developing content selection strategy and policy for the project.

- Migrant and Diasporic Cinema in Contemporary Europe is an AHRC-funded international Research Network, led by Daniela Berghahn, which brings together researchers from ten UK and European universities, filmmakers, policy makers and representatives from the cultural sector. The Research Network explores how the films of migrant and diasporic filmmakers have redefined our understanding of European identity as constructed and narrated in European cinema. The project seeks to identify the numerous ways in which multi-cultural and multi-ethnic presences and themes have revitalised contemporary European cinema by introducing an eclectic mix of non-Western traditions and new genres.

- Lina Khatib was awarded an AHRC Research Leave Grant to complete a book on the representation of Lebanese politics and society in Lebanese cinema over the last thirty years. The study focuses on cinema’s relationship with national identity in the context of the Civil War and the post-war period in Lebanon.

- Gideon Koppel was awarded an AHRC Research Leave Grant to complete his feature-length documentary portrait of a rural community in Wales, The Library Van, which has been partly funded by the Arts Council of Wales.

On completion of the course graduates will have:

- a broad and detailed understanding of the nature of film and television production; how the role of the producer impacts on the production as the creative and managerial driving force, and how the producer communicates meaning to the writer, director, film crew and to the audience

- advanced understanding of the process of producing a film and/or TV programme, from initial concept through distribution and sales

- advanced understanding of script development

- advanced understanding of the various stages of the production process and how to write a pitch, a treatment, business plan, make a deal, write a financial plan, re-coupment schedule and budget as well as all relevant production contracts and documents

- critical knowledge of the current genres and trends in film and television and how they have evolved in recent years

- an understanding of the UK film and television industries, including their structure, institutions and working practices

- a broad understanding of the group nature of film and television production and how the roles played by the key players shape and influence the creative as well as business outcomes of a project

- a clear understanding of management structure within the production company and film crew, hands-on experience of production in

- a professionally equipped television studio working with industry professionals as well as fellow students

- a broad understanding of health and safety, industry codes of ethics, best practice and legal undertakings

- an introduction to high quality industry software for budgeting and scheduling, and post production editing

- an understanding of film and television history

- an understanding of what creative and business skills are needed to be successful in the media industries.

Assessment

Assessment is carried out by a variety of methods including essays, script reports, treatments, pitching exercises, studio exercises, production papers, business reports and presentations.

Employability & career opportunities

Students who have graduated from the course are working successfully in independent television and film production, for broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV, and for distributors, exhibitors, talent agencies and entertainment lawyers.

How to apply

Applications for entry to all our full-time postgraduate degrees can be made online https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studyhere/postgraduate/applying/howtoapply.aspx .

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PLEASE NOTE: This course will run in September 2016

This is an innovative course, taught over four, week-long residential retreats over one year (full time) and will commence in September - some of these are in Central London, others in beautiful Egham Campus near Windsor.

Between retreats the course is run via distance-learning with a website, chat room and e-tutorials. This makes it possible for those living outside the UK, and those with busy working lives, for instance freelancers and those in the film and TV industries, to take time out to attend. We have a wide variety of students on the course including established actors, comedy writers, editors, producers, novelists and many others.

During the MASTFiR course (MA in Screenwriting for Televion and Film - Retreat) you will cover writing for feature film and television as well as new developments such as web drama. You will develop a range of ideas, then go on to write film and television outlines, and several drafts of a feature film screenplay, a TV single drama, or a TV series or serial bible and sample episodes. You will be immersed in a creative atmosphere conducive to concentrated learning and group interaction; a core unit is the Development Lab, where you will present your work in progress to the group for criticism and feedback, and experiment with co-writing.

You will also meet and work with industry and independent producers, directors, agents, writers and actors to provide a production context. We have recently had guests from Working Title, Channel Four, the BBC, Script Factory, Blake Friedmann Agency and many others.

See the website https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/mediaarts/coursefinder/mascreenwritingfortelevisionandfilmretreat.aspx

Why choose this course?

- in the fast-changing world of digital drama, new media and new film markets, you will become skilled in producing strong and original fiction writing.

- the course director is Ivan Levene, a practising screenwriter and script editor with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He currently has two produced feature films, and has been involved in the development of numerous other film and TV projects, including a recent major international release. Before this he worked in acquisitions and development, advancing over £15m of film and TV production from inception to marketplace. Current commissions include a supernatural thriller with Matthew Rhys, and a biopic set in Gilded Age New York about Harriet Hubbard Ayer - socialite, proto-feminist, and the first person to create an international cosmetics business.

- teaching television is screenwriting lecturer Adam Ganz, whose TV credits include Pillow Talk and Murder Without Motive; and guest lecturing in television are Gillian Gordon and Jonathan Powell.

- despite the first students only graduating in 2008, we have already had a host of successes with many of our students finding success in the industry.

- you will meet and work with industry and independent producers, directors, agents, writers and actors to provide a production context. We have recently had guests from Working Title, Channel Four, the BBC, Script Factory, Blake Friedmann Agency and many others.

Department research and industry highlights

- the MA Screenwriting for Television and Film Retreat course (MASTFiR) only began graduating students in 2008 but already we have had a host of successes - Janice Hallett's feature screenplay Retreat is now being shot in Canada with a star cast; Olivia Wakeford has a writing credit on the feature film Baseline (2009) and several writers have gained agents and development commissions. Kay Stonham has work commissioned by the BBC and two of our younger writers are working on a C5 youth drama series. Adam Rolston has had a highly successful musical on Doris Day's life performed at a variety of London venues. Many students have won festival awards for their short films.

Course content and structure

You will study four core course units.

Core course units:
Script Craft
This unit will focus on the acquisition of basic writing skills, and is a gateway to the ‘Story and Theme’ unit. You will explore the specifics of scene and dialogue construction, formatting and issues around research and around adaptation from source materials – e.g. plays, novels and news stories.

Story and Theme
This unit teaches the essential components of story and structure, the specific language of film storytelling and genre. It will include lectures, screenings of films and extracts, and individual and group analysis of films. You will produce ideas, formal outlines and a feature-length screenplay or TV series bibles and episode.

Development Lab
This is a discussion forum to which you bring the work above, where it is critiqued and debated from a number of points of view including aesthetic, generic, marketing, audience and budget. Development Lab is interactive and is at the core of the course; it replicates many of the development processes you will face in the film and television industry.

Contexts: Current British Film and TV Practice
This unit covers current aesthetic and generic trends in British film and television. There will also be lectures and seminars on budget, schedule, commissioning, finance, contracts, casting and marketing, and you will explore the production and marketing implications of your own screenplay projects.

On completion of the course graduates will have:
- the ability to discriminate between project ideas, present ideas and drafts to others effectively, and both give and receive constructive criticism

- the understanding of the aesthetic and economic conditions of the marketplace, how their work may be viewed in terms of budget and audience, and the stages a screenplay will go through in development and production

- a broad and detailed understanding of the nature of the film and television screenplay- how it signifies, how it communicates meaning to the film producer, director, actor and to the audience

- advanced understanding of the processes of writing a screenplay, from initial concept to final draft

- advanced understanding of the various stages of script development and how each is documented- outlines, treatments, pitch documents and so on

- critical knowledge of the current genres and trends in film and television and how they have evolved in recent years, particularly in the context of economic and market developments in these industries

- an understanding of the UK film and television industries, including their structure, institutions and working practices

- a broad understanding of the group nature of writing and development, and how the roles played by the various parties- producer, script editor, director and so on- shape and influence the screenplay.

Assessment

Assessment is carried out by a variety of methods including script outlines and scenes, a completed feature film screenplay and/or TV series episode and ‘bible’, and marketing and pitch documents.

Employability & career opportunities

On graduating, you will be well prepared for careers in television and feature film screenwriting and script development.

Our recent graduate successes include:

Janice Hallett's feature screenplay Retreat is now being shot in Canada with a star cast; Olivia Wakeford has a writing credit on the feature film Baseline (2009) and several writers have gained agents and development commissions. Kay Stonham has work commissioned by the BBC and two of our younger writers are working on a C5 youth drama series. Adam Rolston has had a highly successful musical on Doris Day's life performed at a variety of London venues. Many students have won festival awards for their short films.

How to apply

Applications for entry to all our full-time postgraduate degrees can be made online https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studyhere/postgraduate/applying/howtoapply.aspx .

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Develop your creativity and prepare for a career in film while gaining hands-on experience at Screen Academy Scotland on this Creative Skillset accredited course.

This course has been designed to help you embark on a career as a professional fiction film-maker in one of the following disciplines:

• directing
• cinematography
• editing
• sound
• producing

Teaching is through a combination of collaborative shared modules and modules that are geared to each individual discipline. You’ll spend about half your time focusing on your chosen discipline and the other half acquiring general film making skills.

The year culminates in a major project module in which you’ll work in your chosen discipline on one or more short fiction films.

See the website http://www.napier.ac.uk/en/Courses/MA-Film-Postgraduate-FullTime

What you'll learn

Coursework consists of a large number of practical exercises and projects that will deepen your technical, creative and professional film making skills.

As an Edinburgh Napier student, you’ll have access to Screen Academy Scotland, an active film-making hub in Edinburgh. It offers great scope for collaboration with some 200 or so students engaged in diverse film activities.

At the Screen Academy, you’ll have access to a complete range of professional production and post-production equipment, including Arri Alexa, HDCam, Super 16 mm, Avid, Final Cut Pro, Pro-Tools and a dubbing facility. You'll be supported by tutors who themselves have significant experience in the industry.

The Screen Academy is a professionally equipped facility and we expect student work to aspire to a level that is close to industry standard. It's one of only three Film Academies in the UK accredited by Creative Skillset, the film industry’s skills body, giving our graduates significant credibility in the industry.

In addition, Screen Academy students can buy an industry pass at a heavily-discounted rate to attend screenings, master classes and networking events at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June.

This course will advance your knowledge of your chosen specialist area as well as giving you a rounded understanding of other film making disciplines. The emphasis on professional skills will help maximise your chance of success.

Previous graduates have had their films screened at festivals around the world, including Venice, Beijing, Kolkata and Edinburgh. Many have gone on to win awards and commissions for TV and feature film projects.

This is a one year full-time course starting in September and is split up into three trimesters.

Modules

• Motion Graphics
• VFX
• Sound for Film 1
• Sound for Film 2
• Collaborative Techniques for Film 1
• Creative Practice for Film and TV
• Script Workshop 1
• Writing and Screen Project Development
• The Business of Screen Project Development
• Collaborative Techniques for Film 2
• Creative Practice for; Cinema
• Critical Film Study
• Masters Film Project

Study modules mentioned above are indicative only. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Careers

On completion of this course, we would expect graduates to be ready to take up an entry level job in the industry, or in the case of outstanding students, set themselves up as an independent practitioner as either a director, producer, cinematographer, editor or sound designer.

High achieving students on the programme who would like to continue their studies will have the opportunity to apply for the MFA Advanced Film Practice. This provides a further year of intense, project-based film-making.

How to apply

http://www.napier.ac.uk/study-with-us/postgraduate/how-to-apply

SAAS Funding

Nothing should get in the way of furthering your education. Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) awards funding for postgraduate courses, and could provide the help you need to continue your studies. Find out more: http://www.napier.ac.uk/study-with-us/postgraduate/fees-and-funding/saas-funded-courses

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Explore the relationship between literature and film in an exceptionally broad array of contemporary and historical contexts, and from a variety of different perspectives. You discover cutting-edge approaches to cinematic and literary aesthetics, adaptation, and relationships between different media, reception contexts, ethics, and interfaces between theory and practice.

On our course you gain a deep understanding of the theoretical and practical interactions between literature and film, choosing specific areas of literary and cinema studies to complement your preparation for a creative practice or theoretical dissertation project of your choice. You will forge and develop connections between audio-visual and textual media. Focusing a variety of cultural productions and diverse forms of enlightenment, and entertainment, you will encounter parallel and sometimes more densely intertwined media histories, discovering the complex ways in which media anticipate, interfere with, and draw on one other.

Through weekly seminars, screenings and discussions of key cinematic and literary texts, you consider different ways that texts create their meanings. You study topics including:
-Areas such as modernism, poetic practice, American prose, Caribbean literature, and African American literature
-Documentary and fiction film production including screenwriting, pre-production, camera, lighting, sound, storyboarding and editing
-Landmark directors and movements such as Expressionism and the avant-garde
-Film theory including feminism, psychoanalysis, queer theory, haptic cinema
-Adaptation and comparative media

You also benefit from a series of masterclasses conducted by invited industry professionals which focus on the craft of filmmaking: developing your technical understanding of cinematography, directing and editing/postproduction.

These also introduce you to potential employment routes and industry career pathways, from setting up your own production company, to identifying and tapping into distribution networks and preparing and marketing your completed films.

We are ranked Top 20 in the UK (Times Good University Guide 2015), and three-quarters of our research is rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (REF 2014).

This course is also available on a part-time basis.

Our expert staff

Our intensive modules are taught in small groups by expert academic film specialists and professional filmmakers .

The Centre for Film and Screen Media at Essex is part of a vital departmental unit that offers talented students the support and confidence to respond both critically and artistically to the study of film. This distinctive environment is possible because we are a community of award-winning film-makers, scholars, and media specialists; our staff over the years have included Oscar winners and BAFTA winners.

Our academic staff specialise in a wide range of production and critical areas including producing, screenwriting, documentary, , film theory, Soviet cinema, US cinema, films of Asia and Pacific regions, modernism and the avant-garde, adaptation, and silent cinema.

Our Department has a distinguished history of combining critical and creative work, and we have long been home to poets, novelists, translators, dramatists and actors, alongside literary critics, drama scholars, filmmakers and film theorists.

Specialist facilities

For your film production modules, you have priority use of industry-standard editing facilities, two state-of-the-art studios, and a range of cameras and other filmmaking equipment. You also gain experience using professional film production software including Avid and Final Cut; everything you will need to produce films to an expert standard.

You also have access to our other departmental facilities:
-Show off your work on our Vimeo channel
-View classic films at weekly film screenings in our dedicated 120-seat film theatre, equipped with digital HD projection facilities and surround sound
-Borrow DVDs from our substantial departmental collection
-Join student film societies and the Centre for Film and Screen Media film series, which screen and discuss both recent blockbusters and less mainstream arthouse films
-Hear writers talk about their craft and learn from leading specialists at weekly research seminars
-Our on-campus Lakeside Theatre has been established as a major venue for good drama, staging both productions by professional touring companies and a wealth of new work written, produced and directed by our own staff and students
-Improve your playwriting skills at our Lakeside Theatre Writers workshops
-Our Research Laboratory allows you to collaborate with professionals, improvising and experimenting with new work which is being tried and tested
-Write for our student magazine Albert or host a Red Radio show

Your future

We actively encourage and assist you to find appropriate internship and work placement opportunities during your studies, allowing you to practice and develop your skills and experience as well as enhancing your graduate employment prospects.

A number of our Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies graduates have gone on to undertake successful careers as scholars, university lecturers, teachers, publishers, journalists, arts administrators, theatre artistic directors, drama advisers, filmmakers, film editors, and translators.

We also offer supervision for PhD, MPhil and MA by Dissertation in different literatures and various approaches to literature, covering most aspects of early modern and modern writing in English, plus a number of other languages.

Our University is one of only 11 AHRC-accredited Doctoral Training Centres in the UK. This means that we offer funded PhD studentships which also provide a range of research and training opportunities.

We work with our Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

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The MA Filmmaking (Producing) will provide you with a thorough training in all aspects of producing – from the conception of an initial idea through to development, financing, production and release- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-filmmaking-producing/

This Masters, a pathway of the MA Filmmaking, provides excellent training for a successful career as a producer. As part of the programme you'll have the opportunity to specialise in either development, where you will work with writers and directors to develop new ideas, or line producing, where you will focus more on how to run a production and a crew, and how to also take a production manager or assistant rirector role.

What we offer

The programme is housed in a new purpose-built media facility equipped with state-of-the art teaching spaces including film and photography studios equipped with Arri lighting and Greenscreen, Avid Media Composer, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Film Editing, Animation, Digital Special Effects, Pro Tools Audio Postproduction and Foley suites.

Our studio spaces, and extensive production facilities and informal rehearsal and meeting spaces create an environment where you can discuss and collaborate with scriptwriters, actors, directors, other producers and your shoot team. We also have established relations with casting directors, agents, production designers and other professionals who will both advise you and provide their skills to enhance your productions.

You work on at least one film per term in your specialist role, culminating in a major production towards the end of the degree. In addition to your specialist area, you attend classes in related disciplines such as Film Directing and Editing and collaborate with students across specialisations on film projects. This framework is designed to stimulate collaborative practice by providing you with a breadth of filmmaking knowledge combined with a high level of expertise in your chosen filmmaking discipline.

Our students say...

"I never thought it was possible to learn so much in a year."
"I am treated with a lot of respect when people know that I am a Goldsmiths graduate! They look up to this institution, for many reasons."
Specialist teaching
You will have specialist teaching on the larger role of the producer:

How projects are found and developed and taken to market

How to work alongside agents, financiers, marketers , legal and rights specialists, publicists and exhibitors
How to adapt this macro-model to all levels of shoot – from a self-shot indie web documentary to full feature-scale drama
Industry links
Your studies will be guided by experienced tutors and guests from major industry players including Channel Four, British Film Institute, FilmFour, BBC Films, Film London, Shooting People, Future Shorts and a host of production and distribution companies.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact the Department of Media & Communications

Modules & Structure

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:

Masterclasses
Pitches
Role-plays
Exercises aimed at using your skills specialism in a variety of live shoot situations
You will also have a variety of research projects to undertake, as well as other module options.

The third term will be taken up with your final substantive project, and in writing up a process paper on your work and research over the year.

Screen Lab

You will also advance your collaborative skills by working in teams with fiction and documentary producers and directors, cinematography and sound 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 moving-image work that may span a variety of formats – music video, web series drama, documentary, campaign/commercial, experimental art pieces and short fiction films.

Screen School options

As well as your Editing specialism, you will undertake three short courses to enhance your other skills and critical approaches.

Skills & Careers

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.

On completing the programme, you will have the confidence, skills and hands-on experience to work in the film, television and online industries in the production field, navigating your way through production management and assistant directing roles.

In addition, you will find yourself in a media world that relies heavily on self-starting projects, you will be able to drive innovative new ideas into both established and new formats, strategise funding and marketing, and bring new and exciting opportunities to your creative team.

Possibly the most important skill we will provide you with is the rigorous discipline of working collaboratively under pressure as part of a creative team.

In addition to your practical filmmaking skills, we enable you to develop a variety of transferable intellectual, organisational and communication skills to equip you for a broad range of employment opportunities across the arts and media landscape (film, television, online, the creative arts, advertising and related hybrid forms).

Our graduates

Our producing alumni have gone on to win awards at major international film festivals (including a nomination for Best Short Film Oscar) and are active in the film, media and cultural industries around the world as fiction and documentary producers and production managers.

Other entry requirements

Please note that unless you are exempted (Please check your status with our Admissions Team: [email protected]) overseas students require an English language qualification of IELTS 7.0 in order to be considered for a place on the MA Filmmaking programme.

If you have not yet achieved IELTS 7.0, we advise you to sit your IELTS exam at the earliest opportunity and to submit your application immediately after receiving your result. The annual IELTS deadline for the programme is April 30th.

Because funding deadlines and requirements vary around the world, applications are considered on a rolling basis and places on the programme fill up across the recruitment cycle. For this reason, we strongly advise you to submit your completed application as early as you can.

Funding

Please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ for details.

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Our innovative MA in Film and Television builds on its prestigious heritage as the longest running degree programme of its kind in the UK. We aim to equip you with wide-ranging skills, knowledge and critical awareness to meet your career aspirations in sectors in which moving images play a central role. Our curriculum incorporates an exciting variety of learning and teaching activities designed to foster your capacity for researching and rigorously analysing different aspects of film, television and moving images. You will have the opportunity to develop key skills for communicating about and with moving images across a range of contexts and platforms. You can choose to have a broad-based learning experience in film, television and moving image, or you can specialise in moving image curation and screenwriting via our suggested pathways.

The core teaching team consists of members of the University’s Westminster School of Media, Arts and Design. The course has close links with the Centre for Research and Education in Arts and Media (CREAM), the leading research centre in the UK for arts and design, whose members include internationally renowned filmmakers, film and television theorists and historians, and moving image artists and curators. We combine research-enhanced teaching with classes delivered by film and television industry and moving image art professionals, in order to make sure that you develop skill sets and the full range of critical awareness that are in demand and to deliver an exciting learning experience for you.

Course content

The course combines core and optional taught modules. The design and delivery of our taught modules draw on CREAM’s research excellence in documentary, Asian and European cinema, moving image curation, and television history. The coursework requirements for some modules are research essays or a combination of research essays and research-informed blog posts and presentations. Other modules require a broad range of research-informed professional modes of writing such as a screenplay treatment, a curatorial proposal or an exhibition review. You will also undertake a substantial piece of independent research as a major part of your MA studies. In order to provide you with the flexibility to undertake a piece of independent research suited to your career aspiration, the final project module offers you the choice between writing a traditional dissertation or completing a theoretically-informed professional project such as a curating a film programme, writing and producing a series of themed blog posts, or writing a long-form screenplay.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.

The course is taught in two modes: full-time and part-time. Full-time Postgraduate students study 180 credits per year. For the award of MA in Film and Television: Theory, Culture and Industry, you must complete two core taught modules, four optional modules and a 60-credit final project module, for a total of 180 credits. Core modules provide you with a set of key skills for the theoretical, critical and reflective understanding of moving images. Optional modules give you the freedom to choose areas of specialisation. The course leaders can advise on which modules best fit your interests. You have the choice to pursue specialised interests through your choice of optional modules and coursework assignments. If you are not sure which optional modules to choose or fit your interests best, or which types of final project work to produce to best develop your area of specialisation, you should discuss this question individually with the course leaders and you should aim to do so early on in the academic year.

The course structure includes two suggested pathways for those wishing to specialise in film programming and moving image curation, or in screenwriting.

You will be able to choose among the following modules:
-Cinema Distribution and Exhibition (option)
-Contemporary Issues in Moving Image and Screen Studies (core)
-Documentary Aesthetics, Sites and Spectatorship (option)
-Film Programming and Moving Image Curation (option)
-Final Project (core)
-Key Concepts in Film, Television and Moving Image (core)
-Introduction to Scriptwriting (option)
-Longform Screenplay Preparation and Short Documents (option)
-Modern and Contemporary European Cinema (option)
-Researching Histories in Asian Cinema (option)
-Television Art: Aesthetics and Quality (option)

Associated careers

Our graduates have found employment in small- and large-scale film and television companies as filmmakers, producers, distributors, and exhibitors. Others have gone on to organise film festivals, or to work in film-related magazines and journals as well as in international arts and culture sectors. Some of our recent graduates have gone on to pursue academic careers as researchers or doctoral students at the University of Westminster and elsewhere. As the UK’s longest-running postgraduate programme in film and television several of our alumni are pioneers of the discipline of film and television studies.

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On this programme, students develop a practical and critical approach to the relationship between film production workflows, digital film technology, and creative practice. The programme seeks to develop students' creative abilities to a high professional standard, preparing them for employment in increasingly dynamic film and media sectors, and to facilitate film projects that foreground the importance of practice-based research, expertise and experimentation.

The MA route allows students to refine a critical approach to creativity in areas such as writing, directing, and producing; the MSc focuses on creative technological agendas in areas such as cinematography, editing, and VFX. To find out more about the MA/MSc in Film Production visit our blog at http://blogs.gre.ac.uk/filmproduction.

From October to April, you will attend three core courses (Cinematography 1, Production Practice, Film Research Workshop) and choose four courses from the following options: Cinematography 2, Film Screenwriting, VFX, Directing Screen Performance, Sound Design and Editing. From May to September you will undertake a final project.

You will use digital camera equipment current in the industry, including RED, Canon C300 and Arri Alexa systems. Teaching takes place in brand new film production facilities in the Stockwell Street building, which includes studios, post-production suites, and a sound studio.

Visit the website http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/courses/pg/ft/filmprod

Film and Television

This subject offers students the chance to develop creatively and technically. It affords the opportunity to acquire both the latest techniques and traditional skills in working with digital media, in television and film production and post-production. This course allow for original and creative minds who want to explore specialist areas of these professions and develop their portfolio.

What you'll study

Core courses:

Film Research Workshop (30 credits)
Cinematography 1 (15 credits)
Production Practice (15 credits)
Major Project (60 credits)

Four options from:

Film Screenwriting - compulsory for MA (15 credits)
Directing Screen Performance - compulsory for MA (15 credits)
Cinematography 2 - compulsory for MSc (15 credits)
VFX - compulsory for MSc (15 credits)
Sound Design (15 credits)
Editing (15 credits)

Fees and finance

Your time at university should be enjoyable and rewarding, and it is important that it is not spoilt by unnecessary financial worries. We recommend that you spend time planning your finances, both before coming to university and while you are here. We can offer advice on living costs and budgeting, as well as on awards, allowances and loans.Find out more about our fees and the support available to you at our:
- Postgraduate finance pages (http://www.gre.ac.uk/finance/pg)
- International students' finance pages (http://www.gre.ac.uk/finance/international)

Assessment

Students are assessed on their film project work and creative portfolios.

Career options

This programme is aimed at students preparing to make the transition from education to employment in the film industry. The film sector needs graduates with specialist expertise, but also creative thinkers who are deadline-driven and project-minded; capable of managing digital workflows in an enterprising manner, and taking initiative. This is the kind of approach we encourage and help our students to develop.

Find out how to apply here - http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/apply

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This taught degree programme has a unique focus, offering training in all aspects of filmmaking, from concept and creative development through the filmmaking process and on to distribution and marketing. By the end of the degree, students will have developed a competition and festival-ready calling-card short film, together with transferrable skills in developing and marketing their product and an understanding of the nature of the film industry.

Teaching on this degree conforms to current industry practice, and includes training and mentoring in standard development documents, such as screenplay, treatment and storyboards, and in areas such as risk assessment and budget management. Visiting guest speakers from various areas of the film industry provide an essential context on changing practices, as well as offering useful information of their own experiences in film. The programme does not include training in basic production techniques, and successful applicants will have a first degree in Media Studies or a related discipline, and/or equivalent industry experience.

All students on this programme receive a production budget.

Modules:

The Film Industry: The aim of this module is to foster an understanding of the workings of the international film industry; film production, distribution, exhibition, marketing and consumption will all be examined. There will be an initial focus on the historical development of the film industry on an international scale, with a particular emphasis on Hollywood and its relationship with the rest of the world. Various aspects and traditions within the modern day film industry will be examined, including ‘independent’ and ‘world’ cinema, and the situation in the UK, as well as Hollywood today.

Concept Development: This module introduces students to the practical and theoretical aspects of developing concepts for film, as well as the craft of screenwriting including script formatting, style, structure, genre, plotting, characterisation and dialogue. Students will be encouraged to develop professional writing habits and to give and receive critically constructive comment and advice, as well an understanding of storytelling in visual media at postgraduate level.

Film Production: The micro short: This module aims to develop students’ knowledge of the technical aspects of filmmaking, including direction, camera-work, lighting, music and editing, with the aim of producing a high-quality two-minute short film. Students will also gain understanding of the economic forces that frame the film industry and an understanding of the role of technology in production, content manipulation, distribution, access and use.

Writing the Short Film: This module expands students’ practical experience of screenwriting, and advances core theories on the synthesis of creative and industry practice, as well as focusing specifically on the history, format, aesthetics and demands of the short film. Students will also learn how to present and communicate their concepts in industry standard documents such as beat sheets, treatments and storyboards, in order to facilitate the filming of short film screenplays in the latter part of the MA course.

Pre-Production: The short film: This module aims to develop knowledge on the practical and budgetary aspects of pre-producing a festival quality short film, including commissioning strategies, casting, rehearsals, risk assessment, location scouting, and the managing and co-ordination of a production crew. Students will also manage a production budget in order to understand the economic practicalities of filmmaking and the importance of the commissioning and funding structures of the creative industries.

Film Production - Dissertation: This module utilises the skills and knowledge developed during the previous modules on this MA; providing students with funding and the opportunity to recruit a crew from undergraduate students to produce a short film. Students will generate work that displays exceptional capability in operational aspects of media production technologies, systems, techniques and professional practices to produce a competition and festival-ready calling-card short film.

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Overview

Got a passion for filmmaking? Want to improve your professional showreel and boost your employability? Southampton Solent’s MA Film Production programme is ideally suited to students who want to learn advanced filmmaking techniques, working in professional studios and collaborating with expert tutors on a range of projects.

- Students study both fiction and non-fiction filmmaking techniques, developing their own unique style of cinematography.
- Southampton Solent’s media academy offers a comprehensive media loans scheme, giving students free access to a range of modern film-making equipment including high-definition (HD) video cameras and DSLR full-frame cameras. Students are also able to access a wide range of top-quality lenses and lighting kits.
- Students will work with Solent TV and Solent Productions, our on-campus production houses, to create work for their professional showreels.
- Investment into 4K technology has already begun, giving students access to the latest professional standards.
- Solent's media academy is home to three green screen studios, a large visual recording studio with capacity for 200 seated audience members and a range of industry standard post-production facilities.
- Southampton Solent University was voted for by students as one of the UK's top creative universities (Which? University student survey, 2014).
- Solent Creatives, our on-campus creative marketing agency, provides students with the opportunity to pitch for work on professional projects.
- Students will end the course by completing a master’s project, demonstrating the range of skills that they have learnt throughout the year.

The industry -

The UK film industry as a whole continues to go from strength to strength, with the number of companies involved in the film industry growing by 32% since 2009. As online video content becomes more and more popular, video production skills have become increasingly sought after by employers.

Many past students are running their own production businesses, working as in-house practitioners or securing budgets for creative projects through crowd-funding. This course will help students prepare for careers in video production, post-production, directing, producing and cinematography.

The programme -

This exciting course focuses on independent film-making and current practices in the film industry. Students will experiment with creative ideas from the outset, taking advantage of our industry-standard facilities, training and equipment.

Along the way students will be challenged to develop their own personal style of filmmaking, exploring new ideas and collaborating with other postgraduate students. Up-to-the-minute teaching and instruction help students to build on these skills and work towards their chosen career.

Students studying in the School of Media Arts and Technology benefit from a schedule of high calibre guest speakers and visiting fellows. Recent talks have been given by Anne V. Coates (Oscar winning editor), Paul Franklin (Oscar winner for visual effects on Inception), Brian Tufano (cinematographer on Trainspotting, Quadrophenia and Billy Elliot) and Sir Alan Parker (director of Fame, Evita, Bugsy Malone, The Commitments and Mississippi Burning).

Course Content

Programme specification document - http://mycourse.solent.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=6152

Teaching, learning and assessment -

The course is taught through workshops, individual tutorials, seminars and research sessions.

Work experience -

You’ll have the opportunity to gain work experience through our two production houses: Solent Productions and Solent Creatives, which work with a wide variety of clients and media organisations.

You could be involved in writing, researching and producing work, as well as in practical film production in the studio and on location.

Assessment -

Assessment is through practical production projects, group and individual research, pitches and portfolio work.

Our facilities -

Our facilities and equipment are cutting-edge. They include:

- Three fully equipped digital studios, including a full HD studio (with 200 seats)
- Extensive Final Cut Pro HD editing stations
- Fully equipped multi-track sound studios
- HD cameras.

Study abroad -

Field trips may involve visits to film festivals in Rotterdam, New York, Berlin, London and Sheffield, and to the British Film Institute.

Web-based learning -

Solent’s virtual learning environment provides quick online access to assignments, lecture notes, suggested reading and other course information.

Why Solent?

What do we offer?

From a vibrant city centre campus to our first class facilities, this is where you can find out why you should choose Solent.

Facilities - http://www.solent.ac.uk/about/facilities/facilities.aspx

City living - http://www.solent.ac.uk/studying/southampton/living-in-southampton.aspx

Accommodation - http://www.solent.ac.uk/studying/accommodation/accommodation.aspx

Career Potential

Our graduates pursue a wide range of careers. Suitable roles for graduates include:

- Production
- Publishing
- Journalism
- Marketing
- Teaching.

Links with industry -

We have well-established industry links with ITV, the BBC, Talent TV, Glastonbury and Creamfields, giving our students access to industry professionals and up-to-the-minute experience.
Past students have worked on projects for B&Q, Fat Face, Ikea, Glastonbury, Cowes Week and Camp Bestival.

We also welcome regular guest lecturers from industry. Previous speakers have included directors Michael Apted and Alan Parker, producers Claire Lewis (7 Up) and Nik Powell (The Crying Game), cinematographer Brian Tufano (Trainspotting), editors Alex Mackie (CSI and Downton Abbey) and David Gamble (Shakespeare in Love) and television and radio presenter Zoë Ball.
We host key events for Southampton Film Week, which gives students the chance to meet and network with other industry professionals.

Transferable skills -

During the course you’ll develop a range of skills, encompassing research, creative thinking and problem-solving, along with experience in teamwork and working individually.

Tuition fees

The tuition fees for the 2016/2017 academic year are:

UK and EU full-time fees: £6,695

International full-time fees: £11,260

UK and EU part-time fees: £3,350 per year

International part-time fees: £5,630 per year

Other Costs -

Film Production- £300

Graduation costs -

Graduation is the ceremony to celebrate the achievements of your studies. For graduates in 2015, there is no charge to attend graduation, but you will be required to pay for the rental of your academic gown (approximately £42 per graduate, depending on your award). You may also wish to purchase official photography packages, which range in price from £15 to £200+. Graduation is not compulsory, so if you prefer to have your award sent to you, there is no cost.
For more details, please visit: http://www.solent.ac.uk/studying/graduation/home.aspx

Next steps

Think you’ve got what it takes to craft a career in film? With professional facilities, expert teachings teams and a strong focus on employability, Southampton Solent University’s MA Film Production programme could be the perfect next step towards your dream career.

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-Film and TV degree production provides an exciting opportunity to learn advanced producing, directing and screenwriting techniques and to build professional links within the UK and international film and television industry
-This postgraduate degree provides a practical and intensive study of filmmaking in an environment that encourages experimentation, professional development and cutting edge ideas. Students work with up to date professional equipment and facilities and, as part of their Masters Degree, produce, direct or write a major film project with an individually tailored marketing and distribution strategy
-The University of Hertfordshire film programmes and post-graduate school regularly host industry professionals who lecture and conduct workshops, seminars and tutorials. We work closely with the industry to enable students to connect directly with their future employers and mentors
-The combination of creative, technical, practical and management skills make this course unique and our graduates highly successful, as employees or as independent filmmakers

Why choose this course?

The MA Film and Television production programme offers an opportunity for students to initiate, develop and realise original film and television work in directing, producing and screenwriting. Students enhance their creative practice in film and television to professional levels, with the aim of pursuing a successful career in the industry. The programme commences with a series of taught modules, intended to augment the student's critical judgment and technical capability, before embarking on a major project, in the form of a substantial screenplay or digital film.

The project offers a setting in which the student can increase confidence in creative decision making, whilst expanding awareness of the requirements of film style and technology, finance, marketplace and audience. Students broaden their knowledge and experience to gain a better understanding of film and television production and its professional and commercial practices. They undertake a programme of screenings, master classes and seminars, to extend their knowledge of film and television histories, genres, aesthetics and narrative processes and to develop a range of research and communication skills. Students are encouraged to develop the aesthetic and conceptual awareness required to analyse and critically situate their work within current theoretical, cultural and commercial contexts, whether as a director, producer or scriptwriter.

The modules focus on script development, working with actors, camerawork, lighting, sound recording, post production techniques, funding, distribution and other relevant areas. You will benefit from the expertise and creative ideas of students working in specialised areas elsewhere in the School (eg Visual FX, Special FX, Animation or Music) whose input can enhance the professionalism of your major projects.

Careers

You will also have the opportunity to exhibit your work at the University and there are good opportunities to develop your teaching experience by mentoring undergraduate students in your subject area. When you successfully complete your MA, you will have made a very substantial addition to your CV and have a clear understanding of the next steps in the development of your career.

Teaching methods

You are taught in an intensive mix of lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials, masterclasses and industry guest sessions. Tutorial support is offered in small groups and one-to-one, with further support available online and by email.

All students on the PG Media programme engage in an interdisciplinary project as a part of their MA study, giving them an opportunity to work with students from other disciplines in an experimental and creative way.

Structure

Core Modules
-Creative Economies
-Discourse/Reflection: Professional Project Development
-Major Study: Film and Television Production
-Practice 1: Script Development
-Practice 2: Camera, Sound and Editing
-Research and Enquiry

Optional
-Creative Economies (Online)
-Research and Enquiry (Online)

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Educating producers is high on the agenda at the NFTS, and the involvement of several of the UK’s leading film and television producers – including NFTS Director Nik Powell – ensures that students enjoy close links with the film and television industry.

-Unique, fast-track route into the Industry.
-Each student produces at least three films.
-Professional standard studios.
-Working methods model Industry practice.
-Shadow a producer, distributor or sales company at the Cannes Film Festival.
-Unlike other schools, all production costs are met by the School.

We welcome EU/EEA Students. Those accepted onto courses starting in 2018 will have their fees guaranteed at the UK rate for both years of the course. Postgraduate students can apply for a loan to help with their studies via the Student Loans Company Loans. A £ 10,000 loan is available to contribute to course and living costs. The Post Graduate Loan is only open to EU/EEA and UK Students who normally live in England. It is not currently available to Scottish, Welsh or Northern Ireland Students. Find out more here: https://nfts.co.uk/fees-funding/funding-guide

COURSE OVERVIEW

The MA course in Producing is unique in the opportunities it gives and in its close links with the film and television industry, and provides a fast-track route into a producing career. Students develop their own relationships with successful producers through placements and a mentoring scheme. The BFI is supporting the course with development slate funding for students’ adaptation projects, which they can then take with them and develop further when they graduate from the School. The Producing department aims to train creative, independent producers able to achieve an overall vision for their projects from script development through finance and production to sales and distribution. The course covers fiction production for both film and television and also animation, with students producing at least two short live action films and one animation in their time at the School.

Graduates work as producers of both film and television in the UK and other countries. New graduates typically combine first feature development with paid employment such as Assistant Producer on feature films, working in the development department of independent production companies, or producing short commissions for broadcasters. Deals struck with the BBC and other companies can see proposals from new graduates developed as feature films.

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